No description available.

No description available.

The purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which differences existed in the career choice competencies (career maturity) of white male high school dropouts and retainers in the 10th and 11th grades in Cabell County, West Virginia. Dropouts and retainers were compared on the following career choice competencies as measured by the Career Maturity Inventory (CMI): (1) self appraisal, (2) occupational information, (3) goal selection, (4) planning, and (5) problem solving. The following null hypothesis was tested: When the variables curriculum choice and grade level are statistically controlled, significant differences do not exist between dropout and retainer male students in grades 10 and 11 in Cabell County, West Virginia in terms of their career maturity. The following null sub-hypotheses were tested: When the variables curriculum choice and grade level are statistically controlled significant differences do not exist between dropout and retainer male students in grades 10 and 11 in Cabell County, West Virginia, in terms of their career maturity on the following career choice competencies: Sub-Hypothesis I: Self Appraisal Sub-Hypothesis II: Occupational Information Sub-Hypothesis III: Goal Selection Sub-Hypothesis IV: Planning Sub-Hypothesis V: Problem Solving A total of 107 white male high school students in grades 10 and 11 who dropped out of the Cabell County, West Virginia public schools from October 1, 1975 through March 31, 1976 comprised the dropout sample. A randomly-selected sample of retainers were matched by curriculum choice and grade level to the dropouts for a total participating in the study of 214. Data were collected on site by administering the CMI individually to dropouts and retainers. Multivariate Analysis of Variance was used to test the equality of mean scores among two groups, dropouts and retainers. All hypotheses were tested and rejected at the .05 alpha level. On the basis of the MANOVA the findings were: 1. Dropout and retainer male students in grades 10 and 11 in Cabell County, West Virginia differ significantly in terms of their mean scores on career maturity. Furthermore, dropouts and retainers differ significantly in terms of their mean scores on self appraisal, occupational information, planning, goal selection, and problem solving competencies. 2. Dropout and retainer male students in Cabell County scored lowest on the problem solving competency. 3. A linear relationship existed between grade level and scores on the CMI. 4. The first order interaction effect of grade level and curriculum choice was significant on the linear combination of scores for dropouts and retainers. The second order interaction effect of grade level by group was significant on a measure of career maturity. The second order interaction of curriculum choice by group and curriculum choice by grade level was not significant on a measure of career maturity. The third order interaction effect of grade level by curriculum choice by group was significant on a measure of career maturity. On the basis of the MANOVA the following conclusions were drawn: 1. Dropouts possess fewer competencies to make career choices than retainers. 2. As grade level increases, scores on a measure of career maturity increase. 3. Career maturity is a specific aspect of general development. 4. Percentages of dropouts are highest in the tenth grade and from the general curriculum. Percentages of students dropping out of the college preparatory curriculum in high school are negligible compared to students dropping out of general and vocational curriculums. Recommendations were made for utilization of the results of the study in the remediation of the dropout problem. / Ed. D.

A computer simulation model of the relationship between education, health, and income was developed for a low-income area of Miami, Florida. A basic assumption was that a causal, circular relationship exists among these factors and that change in one will give rise to an accumulative advance in the others. The estimates obtained from the model were for the ten year period 1960-1970. They confirmed the general absence of change in the study area. The education, health, and income components remained at or near original levels. Using these estimates as a datum, modifications were then introduced into certain model variables to simulate the effect of an improved transit system. With the exception of health, which did seem to be noticeably affected by transit service, the general pattern of the study area remained unchanged. The conclusions of this research were that: 1. Low-equilibrium systems, such as the urban ghetto, have substantial inertia in their social processes. This inerti~ minimizes the effects of social and economic change. 2. Change, to be effective, must concentrate on strategic system variables and must be of large magnitude and occur over a long period. 3. The circular connectivity of processes in ghetto systems is not strong. As a result, a cumulative upward charge in the ghetto is difficult to achieve. 4. Transportation does not appear to be an important catalyst to system change. / Master of Urban and Regional Planning

This research has investigated the effects of a dilute urea solution, an acid-simulated perspiration solution, and distilled water on a polyurethane-coated fabric. Investigations were made into the feasibility of using the Glass Plate Method, where treated samples were heated between glass plates and the LaunderOmeter® Method where samples were treated with solutions in an enclosed system in a constant temperature bath. The degradative effects of the solutions, when used with the Glass Plate Method, were measured by flex and surface abrasion and the degradative effects of the solutions, when used with the LaunderOmeter® Method, were measured by surface abrasion. The pH was observed before and after treatments in the LaunderOmeter® . It was found that the urethane film of the test fabric could be completely decomposed with all three solutions when treated at 95°C for six hours in the LaunderOmeter®. However, those samples treated with urea had higher abrasion resistance and appeared less decomposed visually. This was in conflict with reports that the addition of urea to distilled water would increase the rate of hydrolysis, and could be used to simulate perspiration. This is assuming that the effects of the solutions were indeed causing hydrolysis. The LaunderOmeter® Method was found to be more controllable than the Glass Plate Method. Replications of treatments at 72°C for two hours were carried out on the polyurethane synthetic leathers using the LaunderOmeter® Method. Again, the urea-treated samples demonstrated a higher abrasion resistance. Distilled water and the acid-simulated perspiration solution gave comparable results. / Master of Science

No description available.

L'activation du récepteur AT[indice inférieur 2] de l'angiotensine II (Ang II) est associée à différentes réponses cellulaires dont l'inhibition de prolifération, le contrôle de l'apoptose et l'induction de la différenciation. Au cours du développement, le récepteur AT[indice inférieur 2] est fortement présent dans les tissus foetaux mais son expression chute drastiquement, quelques heures après la naissance. Chez l'adulte, seulement quelques tissus expriment ce récepteur (cellules glomérulées de la surrénale, utérus, cellules granulosa de l'ovaire et certaines zones du cerveau) mais sa ré-expression peut être observée au cours de certaines conditions pathologiques (défaillance cardiaque ou rénale, dommages tissulaires, lésions du système nerveux central). Ces observations suggèrent que le récepteur AT[indice inférieur 2] joue un rôle important au cours du développement, dans les processus de réponses aux blessures et dans les mécanismes d'adaptation. Dans les cellules NG108-15, l'activation du récepteur AT[indice inférieur 2] par l'Ang II induit la différenciation neuronale (Laflamme et al . 1996). Puisque les cibles intracellulaires du récepteur AT[indice inférieur 2] sont peu connues, le but de nos études était de déterminer les mécanismes d'action associés à son activation dans l'induction de l'élongation des neurites. Le récepteur AT[indice inférieur 2] n'est couplé à aucun des seconds messagers classiques (AMPc, production d'InsPs, Ca[indice supérieur 2+] ). Les effets connus du récepteur AT[indice inférieur 2] sont une augmentation ou une diminution des niveaux de monoxyde d'azote (NO) et de GMPc et, selon les modèles cellulaires et les conditions de culture utilisés, il peut activer ou inhiber les phosphatases et les p42/p44[indice supérieur mapk] en plus de modifier l'excitabilité membranaire (inhibition des courants calciques et activation des canaux potassiques). Dans les cellules NG108-15, nous avons trouvé que l'activation du récepteur AT[indice inférieur 2] par l'Ang II induit l'activation des p42/p44[indice supérieur mapk] par un mécanisme indépendant de la petite protéine G p21[indice supérieur ras] , un processus essentiel à l'induction de l'élongation des neurites (Gendron et al . 1999). Les travaux présentés dans le cadre de cette thèse montrent que la production de NO, suite à l'activation du récepteur AT[indice inférieur 2] par l'Ang II, est impliquée dans l'induction de la différenciation neuronale. Nous avons en effet observé que l'Ang II, par un mécanisme dépendant des protéines G[alpha indice inférieur i] , mène à une augmentation rapide des niveaux intracellulaires de GMPc, un second messager impliqué dans l'élongation et dans le branchement neuritique des cellules NG108-15. Bien que cette voie est essentielle à la différenciation neuronale, nous avons trouvé qu'elle n'est pas impliquée dans l'activation des p42/p44[indice supérieur mapk] .L'activation des p42/p44[indice supérieur mapk] par l'Ang II, qui est Ras- et NO-indépendante, est plutôt induite par une voie alternative impliquant les protéines Rap1 et B-Raf.L'application d'Ang II dans les cellules NG108-15 mène en effet à l'activation rapide de Rap1 (1-5 min) et de B-Raf (5-15 min), événement essentiel à la fois pour l'activation des p42/p44[indice supérieur mapk] et pour l'induction de la différenciation des cellules NG108-15. Finalement, nous avons montré que l'activation de cette voie se fait par un mécanisme indépendant de l'AMPc et de la PKA. Ensemble, nos résultats montrent que le récepteur AT[indice inférieur 2] active les voies nNOS/NO/GCs/GMPc et Rap1/B-Raf/MEK/MAPK, et que ces cascades participent de façon parallèle, à l'induction de la différenciation neuronale des cellules NG108-15, par un mécanisme indépendant de l'AMPc et de la PKA.