McGill University Theses and dissertations by author name (Ü)

There is a direct relationship between the development of colon cancer and exogenous factors, such as diet. The immunomodulatory effect of probiotic bacteria has been postulated earlier; however, due to low clinical efficacy and associated limitations they have not been devised as cancer theraphy and preventative procedures. One of the main obstacles is the efficient delivery of live bacterial cells to targeted sites. The work contained in this dissertation aims to develop and evaluate a yogurt based formulation containing microencapsulated live probiotic bacterial cells for use in colon cancer prevention and theraphy. Alginate – poly-L-lysine – alginate (APA) and alginate-chitosan …  Read more

Pierre Bellec (Supervisor2)  Read more

It is the aim of the historical geographer to recreate the geography of past epochs, and to trace the past relationship between man and his physical environment which has resulted in the present landscape. In the following pages an attempt is made to do this with respect to the St. Maurice Valley. There have been three main types of occupance in the valley since the founding of Three Rivers in 1634. At first the settlements were dependent mainly upon the fur-trade, and upon a few small local industries. This was a long period in the history of the St. Maurice …  Read more

Peripheral nerve injury (PNI)-induced activation and proliferation of microglia in the spinal cord contribute to the development of neuropathic pain. Microglia inhibition reverses mechanical allodynia after PNI only in male mice. To study the potential mechanisms by which microglia promote pain and investigate changes in their transcriptional states, we performed microglia single-cell RNA-seq following spared nerve injury (SNI) in male and female mice at different phases of pain development. Single-cell RNA-sequencing was performed on microglia isolated from the lumbar spinal cord of male and female naive C57BL/6 mice as well as mice of both sexes at day 3 (developmental phase), …  Read more

Bruce, Lennox, R. (Supervisor2)  Read more

Thermal stability of organoclays and polystyrene (PS) intercalation in organoclays by melt processing were studied. The effects of polymer viscosity, processing conditions, type of mixing and the type of fillers on the intercalation process were evaluated. The resulting nanocomposites were tested to characterize structure, thermal stability and mechanical properties. Two new organoclays were used in this study exhibited good thermal stability. This suggested their potential use in the preparation polymer nanocomposites at high processing temperatures. Batch mixing promoted polymer intercalation in most cases. PS nanocomposites showed a combination of intercalated and unintercalated or collapsed structures. In general, thermal stability and …  Read more

After the Great Depression of 1929--1933, the relative isolation of Mexico's economy led to the adoption of Import Substitution Industrialization. The use of this model as a development strategy meant specializing in manufactured goods under a regime of state interventionism and a closed economy. However, after many years of inward-looking policies, ISI collapsed. Moreover, with excessive public expenditures and fiscal mismanagements, Mexico's economic stability started to erode. The result was Mexico's first economic crisis, the effects of which could only be alleviated through loans from International Financial Institutions that were contingent on the implementation of defined policies. Thus, Mexico adopted …  Read more

Techniques based on electrical conductivity to estimate interface level, gas holdup and bias rate in flotation columns were developed. A conductivity probe and associated data acquisition system for locating the froth/collection zone interface in flotation columns were developed and tested. The level detection technique is based on the collection of a conductance profile around the interface and on the location of the position at which a sharp change in conductance occurs. Such a change in conductance across the interface is caused by the difference in the effective conductivity of the froth and collection zone, primarily due to their difference in …  Read more

Les renseignements fiscaux sont essentiels à la mise en application de l'impôt sur le revenu. Ces renseignements sont recueillis et utilisés par les autorités fiscales afin de fixer, évaluer et récolter de l'impôt. Les renseignements fiscaux permettent d'identifier les contribuables, de vérifier leur lieu de résidence, leurs revenus et leurs dépenses, et permettent d'identifier les liens entre les contribuables et ces items. Sans ces renseignements, les autorités fiscales seraient à court de moyens pour mettre en application les lois sur le revenu. Cependant, l'obtention de ce type de renseignements de la part des contribuables constitue un défi de taille. La …  Read more

The prediction of resonance in vibrating structures is a subject of importance in the field of mechanical engineering and is useful for structural health as well as for estimating the capabilities of vibrating structures. Modal analysis allows prediction of resonance by depicting of dynamics in the frequency domain in the form of modes of vibration. While in linear systems, the notion of modes of vibration is directly related to the principle of superposition, for nonlinear dynamical systems (lacking superposition), the notion of modes of vibration has been extended to nonlinear normal modes: families of periodic motions of the dynamical system. …  Read more

La Réalité Mixte ouvre de nouveaux moyens de fusionner les espaces physiques et virtuels, mais son usage dans le domaine du spectacle soulève des défis uniques autour des environnements partagés.Cette thèse se concentre sur la Réalité Mixte colocalisée, où les participants partagent à la fois un espace physique et virtuel, et examine comment les choix de conception influencent la collaboration et la présence.La recherche s'articule autour de trois axes.D'abord, sur la base de ma participation à la performance théâtrale en Réalité Mixte Animate, une analyse thématique réflexive a été menée sur plusieurs productions afin d'identifier les défis récurrents et les …  Read more

Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) is a key tool for the study of resting state networks: temporally correlated fluctuations in blood oxygenation between brain regions. There is growing interest in applying rs-fMRI to mice, however, it is difficult to acquire high-quality mouse rs-fMRI data. Multiple factors can impair data quality and make it difficult to identify the resting-state networks of interest, including: scanner instabilities, anesthesia, stress, motion and fluctuations in physiology. It is unclear to what extent each of these factors affects data quality, and even less clear how they can be controlled to produce consistent good-quality data. This …  Read more

Récemment, une ligne de recherche a émergé avec une attention particulière portant sur des entraîneurs émérites ayant menés leur athlètes/équipes à plusieurs succès en championnats. À ce jour, les chercheurs ont souligné les points communs concernant le cheminement de développement de ces entraîneurs, y compris l’élaboration et l’implémentation d’une vision de coaching. Cependant, les chercheurs n’ont pas encore examiné comment les entraîneurs développent leur vision, notamment les facteurs et barrières influençant la création et l’implémentation d’une vision. Le but de cette étude était d’explorer le développement, l’élaboration, et l’implémentation d’une vision de coaching ainsi que son influence sur la création …  Read more

"An amateur is one who engages in sport solely for the pleasure and the physical, mental and social benefits he derives therefrom, who receives no material remuneration, either directly or indirectly, and to whom sport is nothing more than an avocation." [...]  Read more

Amateurism originated at the time of man's earliest existence. It was not throught of in such terms, but was more properly called living, hunting, chasing and so on. Writers have peiced together their findings of man's origin and have givens a picture of what occurred at that time. [...]  Read more

The largest known magnetite deposits in Australia are present in three areas of the Savage River - Rocky River region in northwestern Tasmania. Magnetite is associated with amphibolite or disseminated in meta-sediment. Folded, steeply-dipping Precambrian Whyte Schist underlies most of the region and encloses bodies and concordant linear sheets of amphibolite, which may be genetically related to a Cambrian serpentinized basic and ultrabasic complex. [...]  Read more

Stix, John (Supervisor1)  Read more

More certified-Canadian feature films were shot in Canada in 1979 than in any other year. The height of what has become known as the "tax-shelter boom," 1979 stands as a remarkable moment in the history of the Canadian cinema, with 70 features shot in a year in which Hollywood produced only 99 films. The extant history of the Canadian cinema has largely ignored this moment, and in this thesis I argue that the slim treatment of the period by critics represents a "received wisdom," consistently repeated, but seldom scrutinized, and that this received wisdom is representative of the culturally nationalist …  Read more

Direct and correlated responses to selection for weight gain were investigated after nine generations of within family selection. Four selection criteria were used: gain between 28 and 38 or 48 and 58 days of age, and under two feeding regimes, ad libitum consumption or restricted to 80% of control lines. Two lines consisting each of twenty pair matings were selected under each of these criteria. Two unselected control lines were kept. Carcass composition analyses were performed in generation nine at the beginning and end of each selection period and at 100 days of age. Direct responses to selection in the …  Read more

This masters thesis aims at obtaining a better understanding of the character depiction in two Middle High German texts through a precise analysis of the characters and their actions as reported by the author Konrad von Wurzburg. For this study the novellas Heinrich von Kempten and Herzmaere were chosen, because they present characters within two areas of central literary concern to the Middle Ages: Heinrich von Kempten in the area of knighthood and Herzmaere in the area of courtly love. The study consists of two main parts. The first, which deals with the novella Heinrich von Kempten lists the developments …  Read more

There is a growing recognition among many who work with society's most disadvantaged cultural groups that cultural identity might be a primary issue related to their psychological adjustment. From his experience with Aboriginal peoples in Canada and inner city African American communities in the United States, Taylor (1997, 2002) theorizes that without a clear cultural identity, a person has no normative template with which to construct a clear personal identity, and by extension, to achieve positive self-esteem and well-being. The program of research I describe in the present thesis represents the first attempt to empirically investigate the extent to which …  Read more

Complementing field research among severely disadvantaged minority groups, the present laboratory analogue investigates how the clarity of a group member's cultural (collective) identity is related to positive feelings about oneself and one's performance. Participants were assigned to a clear, conflicted, or unclear collective identity condition, and were then faced with challenging tasks (study 1) or a challenging social interaction (study 2). In study 1, the hypotheses were not confirmed because participants overcame a lack of collective identity clarity by simply applying their own familiar collective identity to the tasks. This default alternative was removed in study 2, which resulted in …  Read more

The purpose of this investigation was to gain further insight into the mechanisms governing the formation and release of ACTH by the pituitary gland. [...]  Read more

The capacity of both the human liver and hepatic tissue from various animal species to synthesize, interconvert and destroy many, if not all, of the large number of estrogens now known to exist, has been amply demonstrated by numerous workers. Techniques have so changed and improved in the past decade that it is now possible to have definitive and quantitative concepts about the different reaction sequences. It is fully realized that these same advances present grave difficulties (such as the determination of radiochemical purity) which will be discussed later in this work.  Read more

The ridge of Ordovician rocks at St. Dominique, Quebec, abounds in problems of stratigraphical, paleontological and structural importance, yet, in spite of its nearness to Montreal, it has so far received only cursory attention from geologists. Because of these features the present writer considers himself fortunate to be able to devote himself to this nearby though practically untouched field.[...]  Read more

The present investigation is concerned primarily with a detailed faunal study of the Nanaimo series of Upper Cretaceous age along the east coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The underlying purpose is three-fold: (1) to supplement and aid the stratigraphical, structural and economical studies of the group which are being carried on by the Geological Survey of Canada; (2) to so re-describe and re-illustrate the faunas that they might be more readily identifiable in other localities; (3) to fix more precisely than heretofore their stratigraphic and chronologic position. [...]  Read more

Audio signal processing systems for converting two-channel (stereo) recordings to four or five channels are increasingly relevant. These audio upmixers can be used with conventional stereo sound recordings and reproduced with multichannel home theatre or automotive loudspeaker audio systems to create a more engaging and natural-sounding listening experience. This dissertation discusses existing approaches to audio upmixing for recordings of musical performances and presents specific design criteria for a system to enhance spatial sound quality. A new upmixing system is proposed and evaluated according to these criteria and a theoretical model for its behavior is validated using empirical measurements. The new …  Read more

Il existe de nombreuses preuves à l'effet que les cours de formation des enseignants ont peu d'effet à la fois lors de l'enseignement des stages et sur leur pratique future. La recherche montre qu'au cours de leur pratique à l'enseignement [lors de leurs stages], les candidats à la formation initiale des maîtres sont largement socialisés au statu quo plutôt que de se livrer à des apprentissages transformateurs et innovateurs. On a beaucoup écrit sur les potentialités et les contraintes des enseignants, en plus des programmes de formation à l'enseignement qui ont été évalués et examinés pour mettre en évidence ce …  Read more

Lloyd, T. (Supervisor)  Read more

HEM13 encodes coproporphyrinogen oxidase, the sixth enzyme of the heme biosynthetic pathway. Expression of HEM13 is repressed under aerobic conditions. In the absence of heme or oxygen, the expression of HEM13 increases forty-fold. Mutations defining trans-acting factors involved in the regulation of HEM13 expression were isolated and analyzed. This analysis identified two different alleles of HAP1. HAP1 encodes an activator protein involved in the expression of a number of heme-dependent genes such as CYC1, which encodes iso-1-cytochrome c, and ROX1, which encodes a repressor of HEM13 expression. The hap1 mutant allele in one strain confers a phenotype much like that …  Read more

Levesque, Ives (Supervisor1)  Read more

Verification of compliance has been and will continue to be an essential component of arms control and disarmament agreements. Following a brief historical survey of verification, this study examines in detail verification provisions in all major multilateral and bilateral disarmament agreements, in force and in the drafting stage, from the perspective of monitoring compliance by satellites. The feasibility of verification from space is examined from technical and legal points of view. Important differences are noted between bilateral and multilateral agreements in terms of verification requirements. The effectiveness of, as well as confidence in, the verification process, it is suggested, will …  Read more

The eighteenth-century natural philosopher Mikhail Vasil'evich Lomonosov (1711-1765) has long been represented by Russian writers and scholars as an encyclopedic figure who not only pioneered the dissemination of a scientific ethos in Russia, but whose own innumerable contributions to science make him eminently worthy of inclusion in a pantheon among the greatest scientific minds. A robust mythology extolling Lomonosov's role in Russian science and culture formed in the years immediately following his death, and would increase in vigor while adapting to changing historical circumstances until well into the twentieth century. This dissertation explores the evolution of Lomonosov's imposing stature in …  Read more

Experimental research has been conducted to investigate the performance of reinforced concrete beams with and without longitudinal bar cutoffs. The modifications to the shear design procedure in the 2014 CSA A23.3 Standard have been examined. One of the proposed changes affecting the CSA Standard was in Clause 11.3.6.4, the General Method of Shear Design, stating that if longitudinal bars are terminated in a flexural tension region the calculated value of longitudinal strain shall be increased by 50%. Furthermore, a new Clause 11.2.13 to account for this reduction for members designed by the Simplified Method has been investigated. This new clause …  Read more

The use of ribonucleoside phosphoramidites protected at the 2$ sp prime$-hydroxyl with alkylsilyl ethers was developed for the solid phase synthesis of oligoribonucleotides. A series of pentadecameric oligomers of various base composition was synthesized using this methodology and a complete protocol for the deprotection of synthetic oligoribonucleotides was developed. The use of $ beta$-cyanoethyl phosphate protection was compared to that of methyl protection in the synthesis of pentadeca-uridylic acid sequences and no significant difference between the use of the two protecting groups was found. Concurrently a procedure for the derivatization of long chain alkylamine controlled pore glass beads with ribonucleosides …  Read more

Wnts are secreted extracellular signaling molecules that act locally to control diverse developmental processes such as cell fate specification, cell proliferation, and cell differentiation. Three WNT signaling pathways have been identified. The best characterized is the canonical or WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway. Recently, the WNT signaling pathway has been implicated in ovarian development and differentiation. However, little is known about the expression or role of β-catenin/Tcf-signaling activity within ovarian compartments. In order to aid in the ongoing pursuit of elucidating the mechanisms that govern ovarian differentiation and development, I explored the possible roles of the canonical WNT signaling pathway in the …  Read more

De nombreuses applications des réseaux de capteurs sans fil peuvent être formulées comme des cas particuliers du problème de consensus moyenné distribué. Ce problème nécessite d'atteindre un état du réseaux où tous les capteurs ont la même valeur; à savoir la moyenne des valeurs initiales. Arriver à un tel consensus peut représenter un défi dans certains scénarios pratiques si la topologie du réseau change au cours du temps, par exemple à cause de la mobilité des capteurs ou un manque de fiabilité des liens sans fil. Dans ces cas particuliers, les algorithmes de colportage sont des alternatives attrayantes étant donné …  Read more

Bassam, Ghaleb, (Supervisor2)  Read more

Les arbres tournoi sont valables pour le remplacement des tas binaire comme des files de priorité, puisqu'ils sont optimaux pour le tri. Leur généralisation, le tas tournoi, se révèle être un remplacement concurrentiel pour le tas Fibonacci dans un sens amorti.  Read more

In machine learning, the black box nature of neural networks is a significant obstacle to their adoption. For recurrent neural networks, a recent line of work focuses on extracting automata from trained models in order to use them as lightweight interpretable substitute models. We address the problem of providing theoretical guarantees that these extracted approximations are indeed "similar enough" to the originals. We introduce a metric between deterministic automata. We provide a naive method to upper bound it when one of the models is a known automaton and the other is a black box. Finally, we apply this metric to …  Read more

Prostanoids are important mediators of inflammation and tissue homeostasis. Cyclooxygenase (COX) is a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of prostanoids from arachidonic acid. Of the two isoforms of COX, COX-1 functions in tissue homeostasis whereas COX-2 is more abundant in inflammation. Selective COX-2 inhibition seems effective in reducing inflammation with fewer side effects compared with non-selective COX inhibitors. In this study, the expression of COX-2 in lung inflammation was investigated in two models, which include acute rejection and antigen-induced inflammation. The effect of selective COX-2 inhibition in these models was also determined. COX-2 was expressed in infiltrating cells in both …  Read more

Diatchenko, Luda (Internal/Supervisor)  Read more

Weber, Ludwig (Internal/Cosupervisor2)  Read more

Les travaux sur la conversion et l'utilisation du méthane et du dioxyde de carbone sont essentiels pour trouver des solutions au réchauffement climatique causé par ces deux gaz à effet de serre (GES). Des procédés plasmas non-thermiques ont été suggérés comme moyen efficace pour reformer ces deux gaz car ils ont l'avantage de promouvoir des réactions non-favorables thermodynamiquement grâce à leurs propriétés hors équilibre. De plus, ces procédés ne requièrent pas les hautes températures inhérentes aux procédés catalytiques conventionnels. Dans ce travail, une décharge AC à barrière diélectrique (DBD) a été utilisée pour l'activation du méthane et du dioxyde de …  Read more

La production de légumineuses dans l’Est du Canada a été limitée par l’absance de cultivars adaptées aux conditions régionales, les cultivars existants d’origine américaine étant fortement sensibles à la moisissure blanche et présentant de faibles rendements. À l’aide du Canadian Regional Agricultural Model (CRAM), cette recheche examine l’incidence de l’adoption de cultivars améliorées de légumineuses résistantes à la moisissure blanche sur la rentabilité et l’allocation des ressources dans différentes regions de culture du Québec. Le CRAM a été modifié afin d’intégrer les haricots secs au module de production végétale, en y ajoutant les données sur le superficies cultivées, les rendements …  Read more