McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par É

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Although rejecting Christian dogma, George Eliot retained, throughout her life, a strong sympathy for the humanitarian aspects of Christianity, which finds expression in her humane and moral philosophy, and especially in the value she attaches to right conduct. The treatment of death in her novels is governed both by this humanitarian emphasis and by her conviction of unalterable cause and effect in the universe. Given the interrelationship between individuals in society, the awesome reality of this law of consequences, demonstrating the ramifications of human error, makes it incumbent on man to avoid selfish choices. A study of the death episodes …  Read more

La maladie d'Alzheimer (MA) est une maladie neurodégénérative et est la cause la plus fréquente de démence. Les personnes avec la MA ont deux caractéristiques pathologiques dans le système nerveux central: l'accumulation de plaques extracellulaires d’amyloïde bêta (Aβ) et d'enchevêtrements tau hyperphosphorylés intraneuronaux (ptau). Aucun traitement modificateur n'existe pour la MA malgré des efforts de recherche et d'essais cliniques. Les modèles animaux existants de la MA ont été utiles pour élucider les stades avancés de la maladie, mais ces modèles ne récapitulent pas les stades pathologiques observés chez les humains âgés. Ces échecs suggèrent que 1) les modèles appliqués peuvent …  Read more

Macallum, A. (Supervisors)  Read more

Tait, J. (Supervisors)  Read more

Vessel wall shear stress (WSS) is hypothesized to cause focal endothelial cell (EC) dysfunction leading to a pro-inflammatory environment. Clinical observations of focal atherosclerosis have been documented in arterial bifurcations, branch points and in lesser arterial curvature. In both in vivo and in vitro experiments, it has been demonstrated that WSS can stimulate a cascade of biochemical interactions which activate the inflammatory pathway. The resultant functional changes include altered expression of inter- and vascular- cellular adhesion molecules (ICAM-1 and VCAM-1, respectively) on the luminal surface of the endothelium. This change in phenotype may indicate the early stages of lesion development …  Read more

L'aorte est la plus grosse artère du corps et sert de conduit pour le flux sanguin systémique du cœur. Elle est caractérisée principalement par son comportement élastique passif, au cours de la systole, qui permet de convertir l'énergie des fluides en un potentiel élastique. Lors de la diastole, ce potentiel emmagasiné est utilisé afin de maintenir la circulation systémique. En condition pathologique, la paroi vasculaire subit un remodelage qui peut entraîner une altération de sa fonction élastique telle qu'observée dans les cas d'anévrismes aortiques. Sans traitement, les anévrismes aortiques comportent un risque important de rupture pouvant mener à une invalidité …  Read more

This thesis describes the geology of three adjacent map-areas, each of approximately 250 square miles, plus a region of 260 square miles adjacent to the east of these three. Since all these areas are associated with either Wacouno lake or Wacouno river, the entire area mapped will in future be referred to as “The Wacouno Region”. The region lies between 65 and 120 miles north northeast ot Sept-Iles (Seven Islands) a town on the North Shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The map areas are aligned in a north-south direction, each straddling the railroad which joins Sept-Iles to the …  Read more

The Waco Lake Area was geologically mapped by Dr. Roger Blais with the writer acting as senior assistant, during the summer of 1954. The mapping was done on a scale of one mile to the inch, from systematic traverses spaced at every half mile. The work was done for the Quebec Department of Mines in four months, and covered an expanse of over 350 square miles. During the course of the summer, many basic intrusives were found. The structural relationships between these bodies and an anorthosite mass known to exist to the east were studied.  Read more

The study of cognitive representations and processes involved in personal pronoun interpretation allows one to investigate on a small scale the cognitive representations and processes of discourse comprehension. A review of the literature identifies four fundamental processes in personal pronoun interpretation: (A) syntactic constrains application, (B) gender, number, and person matching, (C) inferential selection, and, (D) discourse focus updating. A preliminary data collection from human performance has shown the importance of the application of syntactic constrains for pronoun interpretation. However, the level of specification for the representations and processes attained by the literature review and the preliminary experiment is not …  Read more

L'emploi de substances'herbicides pour le désherbage chimique des cultures connaît depuis quelque 15 ans une montée fantastique qui représente un aspect intéressant pour l'économie agricole. Chaque année, un grand nombre de composés sont le sujet d'études intensives en vue de leur emploi possible comme herbicides. Il y a environ 3 ans, un dérivé de l'urée, le linuron, a été mis à la disposition des chercheurs intéressés aux problèmes du désherbage chimique des cultures. Les résultats ont été des plus satisfaisants, du fait que ce composé offrait de grandes possibilités en traitement de préémergence. [...]  Read more

Jordan, Steve (Internal/Supervisor)  Read more

This thesis is a study of ta`ziyeh , or the Shi`i passion play commemorating the martyrdom of Husayn b. `Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. The goal of the work is to provide an aesthetic evaluation of the plays and their tragic and sublime aspects. It begins with a discussion of the historical development of ta` ziyeh and its most important theatrical features. This is followed by an interpretation of ta`ziyeh using Friedrich Nietzsche's The Birth of Tragedy as a guide. Nietzsche's work on tragedy has not been chosen to equate the Persian plays with Greek theatre, but rather …  Read more

Agile fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are an emerging class of autonomous aircraft that combine the efficient distance flight of conventional fixed-wings with the maneuverability, and ability to hover, of multi-rotor platforms. These characteristics make agile fixed-wings compelling candidates for a wide variety of missions from search and rescue to surveillance. The remarkable maneuverability of these platforms is largely due to their low weight, and powerful thrusters, which drive reliable and fast slipstream airflow over the control surfaces, keeping them effective during low-speed flight.While their low weight is critical to the agility of this class of UAV, it also makes …  Read more

Estrogens are steroid hormones responsible for the proper function of a variety of mammalian physiological processes. In addition to their central role in reproduction, estrogens also affect the cardiovascular, skeletal, immune and nervous systems and play a role in the initiation and progression of breast cancer. The biological actions of estrogens are mediated by the products of two genes within the nuclear receptor superfamily (NRs), estrogen receptor alpha (ER(alpha) and estrogen receptor beta (ERbeta). Upon interaction with estrogens, ERs recognize specific DNA sequences and modulate the transcription of neighboring target genes via recruitment of coactivators. A diverse group of proteins …  Read more

Introduction. Phosphatase orphan 1 (PHOSPHO1) is a member of the haloacid dehalogenase (HAD) superfamily of Mg+2-dependent hydrolases, which shows high affinity to phosphocholine and phosphoethanolamine. This intracellular enzyme is highly expressed in mineralized tissues. Global deficiency of PHOSPHO1 in phospho1-/-mice leads to skeletal abnormalities, osteomalacia, scoliosis, and spontaneous fractures. Objective. This manuscript aims to investigate whether the osteoblast-specific restoration of Phospho1 expression in Phospho1-/- mice will prevent skeletal abnormalities and improve the mechanical properties of their bones. Methods. We constructed a Col1a1-Phospho1 transgene in which a 2.3 kb proximal Col1a1 promoter drives the osteoblast-specific transgene expression. A total of 5 …  Read more

Frigon, Dominic (Internal/Cosupervisor2)  Read more

L'étude tente de déterminer dans quelle mesure les activités financières de la Banque Islamique de Développement se conforment aux principes islamiques, énoncés par les dispositions de sa charte, qui régissent les systèmes financiers et banquiers. L'analyse de ces activités se concentre sur les méthodes financières adoptées par la BID pour promouvoir le progrès social et économique des états-membres conformément aux principes islamiques. Pour pouvoir présenter une analyse sérieuse des opérations de la BID, il est nécessaire de se référer à la définition islamique critique du concept de riba ou intérêt pour expliquer l'origine de ces méthodes financières.  Read more

Within recent years the whole concept of illness and treatment has undergone radical revision and emerged with a shift in emphasis and a broadening of its base. It had been accepted practice to concentrate on the diseased organ which was treated as an entity existing independently of the patient. Gradually, however, came the recognition that the emotional and social together with the physical features of illness enter into the disease process and should be considered together in order to restore the individual to full health.  Read more

There have been two main types of studies on social influences on perception. The first type of study has not been concerned with social influences on perception per se, but has attempted to discover the personality factors which influence perception. Most of the work in this area has been done by Bruner (4,5,6,7,24) and Postman (6,7, 24,26) and collaboraters. A survey of the literature of this field is contained in the volume by Blake and Ramsey (3).  Read more

This is a study of 77 cases which were served by the Jewish Immigrant Aid Society for a six months' period, and then referred to the local Jewish family welfare agency. lt is the purpose of this study to examine the major problems of this group, in order to provide facts on the basis of which present needs and services can be accurately evaluated, and future plans realistically considered.  Read more

The mamalian visual system contains a limited number of receptors, which project to a limited number of cells in the visual cortex. This projection provides a point-to-point representation of the retinal stimulation onto the visual cortex. Data reported by Marshall and Talbot (1942) suggest that contours in the environment are represented on the visual cortex by a process involving the summation of neural activity around the area receiving the retinal projection. Such anatomical and physiological evidence suggests a simple mechanism by which forms are perceived; the perception of form should correspond to retinal stimulation by form. [...]  Read more

In most mammalian species, all oogonia cease mitotic proliferation and enter meiosis in fetal ovaries. Furthermore, more than half of the maximum number of germ cells is eliminated from ovaries by neonatal life, thus limiting the oocyte reserve for reproduction. The cause or mechanism of this female germ cell loss remains largely unknown. A major loss occurs in the oocytes which reach the pachytene stage of meiotic prophase, suggesting that oocytes with meiotic or recombination errors may be eliminated by a checkpoint mechanism. It remains to be determined whether oocytes are eliminated by apoptosis and if so in which pathway. …  Read more

In animal life, growth manifests itself in many ways, and accordingly, has been defined from many points of view. Richard and Kavanagh (1945) define growth as "an attribute of living organisms manifested by a change in size of the individual or in the number of organisms in a unit of environment". Sholl (1950) and Medawar (1950) agree with this definition while some authors have considered certain important chemical processes to be characteristic of growth, for instance protein synthesis (Boell, 1955) and DNA synthesis (Davidson, 1950). Weiss (1949), bearing in mind these varied attempts to grasp the concept of growth, wrote …  Read more

Oneiric activity (i.e., dreaming) and schizophrenia share a number of important characteristics. Specifically, both mental conditions can: (1) reliably induce vivid, realistic, and fully integrated multifaceted objectless perception in all sensory modalities, e.g., visual, auditory, gustatory, olfactory, and somatosensory mentations; (2) trigger immersive hallucinatory interactions with non-real objects, humanoid-entities, and landscapes; (3) seamlessly integrate hallucinatory precepts within the larger domain of mental content, i.e., objectless precepts rarely appear “out of place” when they are experienced; (4) produce a disconnection between external and internal narrative structures; (5) induce temporary “breaks-in-reality”; and (6) induce multiple forms of such cognitive impairments as deficiencies …  Read more

"I propose that, although deeply personal, meaning is facilitated by interpersonal processes. Namely, we theorize that experiencing a sense of shared reality with a close partner (i.e., perceiving an overlap in inner states about the world in general) reduces uncertainty about one’s environment, which in turn promotes meaning in work and life. In the current research, we explore this hypothesis across 5 mixed-method studies (e.g., longitudinal, experimental). We find evidence for this association in a year-long longitudinal study (Study 1: N = 103 romantic dyads), and in ecologically rich samples of people experiencing highly uncertain situations, specifically Black people consistently …  Read more

Focal plane array (FPA) FTIR imaging spectroscopy provides unprecedented levels of spatially resolvable chemical information for analysis of samples at the micrometer scale. This study evaluates the quantitative performance characteristics of the individual detector elements comprising the FPA camera, and applies them to making analytical measurements of a custom designed microfluidic multichannel transmission cell. Statistical descriptions are provided for the response distributions among the FPA's detector elements; RMS noise, peak response, and linear regression parameters. It was found that individual detector elements of the FPA allowed for accurate milli-absorbance measurements, however the variability was large when contrasting detector elements due …  Read more

Le récepteur de nétrine-1 DCC (deleted in colorectal cancer) est reconnu comme étant une protéine impliquée dans le développement et l'organisation fonctionnelle des neurones à dopamine (DA) mésocorticolimbiques. Des souris ayant une mutation hétérozygotes de type perte-de-fonction dans le gène dcc démontrent des changements sélectifs dans la circuiterie et la neurochimie de la voie DA mésocorticale ainsi que dans les comportements associés. Ces phénotypes ne sont pas observés avant l'adolescence; ils ne se manifestent qu'à l'âge adulte. Incidemment, le cheminement développemental des projections DA mésocorticales est soumis à des changements organisationnels substantiels durant l'adolescence; ils n'atteignent leurs pleines densités qu'à …  Read more

The thesis focuses on what impact the use of idealizations has on the realism/anti-realism debate concerning the fundamental laws of physics. My aim is modest. It is not to present an argument for either the realist or the anti-realist position but rather to show where the debate stands once we have considered recent arguments by Laymon and Cartwright which have made use of the notion of idealization assumptions. My intent is to point out the difficulties of Laymon's argument for realism in the hope of showing what must be accomplished in providing a more convincing argument for realism. I will …  Read more

The task of developing, tuning, and debugging compiler optimizations is a difficult one which can be facilitated by software visualization. There are many characteristics of the code which must be considered when studying the kinds of optimizations which can be performed. These characteristics can include large amounts of data which would be difficult to inspect without the appropriate tools. Both static data collected at compile-time and dynamic runtime data can reveal opportunities for optimization and affect code transformations. In order to expose the behavior of such complex systems, visualizations should include as much information as possible and accommodate the different …  Read more

The estrogen receptor (ER) is a ligand dependent transcriptional activator that belongs to the steroid/nuclear receptor superfamily. To probe the structure and function of the ER ligand binding domain (LBD), we developed a genetic screen in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae using a library of reverse ERs screened with a low affinity estrogen agonist, 2-methoxyestrone. Mutants isolated from this screen demonstrated altered ligand binding and/or transactivation properties. One of these mutants, L536P, showed high levels of constitutive activity in several transiently transfected cells and a HeLa line that stably propagates an estrogen-sensitive reporter gene. This suggests that substitution of a proline at …  Read more

Alzheimer disease (AD) is the world’s most common form of dementia (43.8 million affected as of 2016) and, due to rapidly aging populations, the incidence and socioeconomic burden of this disease is expected to dramatically increase by 2050 (projection is 100 million affected). A critical event in the pathogenesis of AD is the accumulation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptides as toxic Aβ oligomers in the brain which ultimately lead to neuronal damage and synaptic loss. Increased Aβ peptide accumulation can occur through two possible routes: (1) the over production of Aβ from the enzymatic cleavage of amyloid precursor protein (APP) or …  Read more

Onchocerca volvulus is a parasitic filarial nematode responsible for human onchocerciasis, a disease commonly known as "River Blindness". Although there are no well documented cases of ivermectin resistance in O. volvulus, reports of suboptimal responses to ivermectin have appeared. The purpose of this thesis was to examine genetic polymorphisms in O. volvulus and to determine whether there was genetic evidence of ivermectin selection on O. volvulus genes. Analysis of 17 genes from O. volvulus was undertaken in two populations of worms, either from ivermectin-naive patients or from patients who had been repeatedly treated with ivermectin annually. In 14 of the …  Read more

Kristof, Arnold Scott (Supervisor1)  Read more

This thesis examines the empirical validity of the efficient market hypothesis, currency substitution, purchasing power parity theory, interest rate parity theory and the monetary approach to exchange rate for the foreign exchange markets of Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong. The empirical results give support to the efficient market hypothesis, mixed evidence for the existence of currency substitution, a strong indication for the long run purchasing power parity theory, support for the inclusion of expectations variable in the interest parity theory, and rejection of the monetary approach to the exchange rate.  Read more

Little is known empirically about parental perceptions of their young child's understanding of death, or how this perception relates to how parents talk about death with their children (Siegel, Mesagno, & Christ, 1990). The aim of the current study was to explore parental perceptions of their child's (N = 57; n males = 29, 3-8 years) understanding of death, how they talk about death with their children, and what their children actually understand about death. Firstly, parent-child dyads watched and discussed a Sesame Street video where Big Bird learns about the death of his friend Mr. Hooper. Parent-child conversations were …  Read more

La découverte des mensonges est considérée comme faisant partie du développement des enfants, émergeant à des âges similaires dans toutes les cultures. Les enfants sont socialisés par leurs soignants et à travers leur environnement pour savoir ce que sont la vérité et le mensonge. À travers la socialisation, ils apprennent qu'il y a des conséquences aux comportements de vérité ou de mensonges, conduisant à l'internalisation de ces sanctions et normes sociales. Bien que la recherche ait démontré le rôle du fonctionnement cognitif dans le développement du mensonge, moins de recherches ont examiné l'impact de la socialisation sur le témoignage des …  Read more

Joubert, J. (Supervisor)  Read more

This thesis explored possible underlying processes of bulimic behaviours by conducting a naturalistic examination into binge antecedents and consequences. Main hypotheses were derived from contemporary theories of binge-eating behaviour, which postulate that dietary restraint, negative affect, and dissociative phenomena (i.e., lapses in self-awareness) may precipitate and maintain bulimic symptoms. A secondary aspect of this study was to determine whether or not personality variations influence individuals' sensitivity to processes that may precipitate binge eating or that may shape binge consequences. A sample of 39 women with bulimia-spectrum eating disorders provided "on line" self-reports on eating episodes, urge to binge, behavioural and …  Read more

Cette thèse présente le développement et la validation d’un système de suivi multicaméra pour mesurer les vibrations main-bras lors de l’utilisation de cloueuses. En s’appuyant sur des techniques éprouvées telles que la segmentation d’images, la triangulation multicaméra et l’analyse synchronisée des signaux, le système garantit une capture précise des vibrations induites par l’outil et des mouvements main-bras. Des essais expérimentaux menés auprès de 30 participants utilisant plusieurs cloueuses ont permis de constituer un ensemble de données complet pour évaluer les performances du système. Les données des accéléromètres ont validé les mesures de vibrations obtenues par le suivi basé sur les …  Read more

Ces trois etudes, basees sur un scheme d'apprentissage social, visaient le developpement d'instruments d'evaluation et d'intervention aupres de personnes agees vivant dans la communaute. La premiere etude a demontre qu'une intervention aupres de gens lors de la pre-retraite peut contribue a l'augmentation des attentes d'efficacite de soi, particulierement en ce qui a trait a leur planification d'activites satisfaisantes. Cette recherche a aussi indique l'utilite d'avoir recours a des groupe de pairs comme modele pour promouvoir l'adaptation a la vie de retraite. La seconde avait pour objet de comparer les attentes sociales de deux groupes de femmes (jeunes, agees) face aux …  Read more

A discussion about "The lay-movement in Norway and the Norwegian Church" would perhaps have been easier and given a better general view if it was done in Norway. Many more sources would have been available in my home-country. On the other hand, a discussion written in a foreign country will probably give another perspective of the problems because one will make conscious and unconscious comparisons with the church-situations in the new country.  Read more