McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par A

Understanding the soil water dynamics in cultivated organic soils is crucial for achieving sustainable agriculture on histosols, preserving ecosystem health, and mitigating the impacts of climate change. There has been extensive research on the soil-hydraulic properties of mineral soils, yet there is a limited understanding of such characteristics in cultivated organic soils. This limitation arises because of the high organic matter content, significant porosity, high compressibility, high tortuosity, low shear strength, and the tendency of organic soils to undergo shrinkage and swelling. To bridge this knowledge gap, in this dissertation, a laboratory column experiment was designed, and a computer model …  Read more

Background: The aging population presents increasing challenges for healthcare professionals to treat patients in the context of both health and function. Frailty is a reversible geriatric syndrome, which refers to the body’s inability to maintain homeostasis in the face of stressors and increases risk for the development of adverse health outcomes or death. Patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD), one of the top causes of death worldwide, are disproportionately impacted by frailty. Hospitalization itself is an important stressor that may lead to the exacerbation or development of frailty due to factors such as bedrest, undernutrition, cognitive stress, and frequent tests/procedures. The …  Read more

The design of aero-derivative gas turbines (AGT) at Siemens Energy is a complex process that requires the use of various software tools for mechanical design, validation and testing. Due to the evolutionary nature of AGT development, changes are incremental and built upon previous models. Therefore, it is preferred to utilize the same tools that were initially developed and adopted decades ago in order to preserve the models and their real world offsets.Executing finite element analysis (FEA) at Siemens Energy is computationally intensive while its legacy tool is designed to be manually deployed onto local desktops and servers in a sequential …  Read more

Il a été démontré que la récupération améliorée après la chirurgie, une intervention chirurgicale périopératoire nouvelle et rentable, réduit la durée du séjour à l'hôpital des patients, permet une rotation plus élevée des ressources disponibles et diminue les dépenses postopératoires pour les patients et les hôpitaux. Même si les avantages potentiels de la mise en œuvre d’ERAS dans les PRFI pourraient dépasser ceux des HIC, une mise en œuvre réussie à long terme d’ERAS n’a pas encore été achevée au Pakistan. Ainsi, le but de cette étude était d'acquérir des connaissances et d'identifier les opportunités potentielles de mise en œuvre …  Read more

Boivin, Jean-Francois (Internal/Supervisor)  Read more

The purpose of this study is to describe, apply and critique an assessment framework, namely, 'Student-Centred Assessment' based on concepts presented by Stiggins (1994). The theoretical basis is found in the literature dealing with multiculturalism and education, the forces promoting change in assessment, and the current status of assessment methods. The analysis of the 'Student-Centred Assessment' reveals that in such a framework there is a constant interaction between the student and the assessor leading to student engagement and that there is a need for changes in the assessment practices. Of the weaknesses noted, adapting tools for assessment is an ongoing …  Read more

Cette these est une reflexion sur le livre de Filipo Tommaso Marinetti (1876-1944), La Cucina Futurista, publie en 1932. Ce texte servira de cadre a une interpretation et a une discussion de la possibilite de trouver une facon de penser et de creer une architecture qui serait a la fois creative, imaginative, poetique et ludique, tout en restant eminemment ethique. Le livre de Marinetti offrit une position de resistance qui allait insuffler une nouvelle vie au domaine creatif de l'epoque. A l'aide du texte, cette these tentera de valider la possibilite que l'architecture actuelle soit un lieu invitant les etres …  Read more

This work describes the characterization of the CAN1 gene, thought to encode the arginine permease of yeast. I have identified the RNA transcript of this gene and obtained the DNA sequence, which specifies a highly hydrophobic protein with multiple potential membrane-spanning domains. I use a gene fusion approach to identify sequences within the CAN1 protein that can translocate adjacent sequences across the E.R. membrane in vitro and extend these observations by finding that the topology of E.R. insertion is conserved up to the plasma membrane in vivo. Using a series of CAN1 gene fusions to the secreted yeast killer toxin, …  Read more

Climate change and global warming are happening and have become a global challenge. These environmental issues have developed into a key item on the global political agenda; they have moved into mainstream political and economic policy discussions at all levels of governance.Efforts to govern anthropogenic emissions that contribute to these environmental issues commenced in the 1980s at local, national, regional, and global levels. Such efforts from various global sectors, e.g., aviation sector, can also be observed. However, successful climate change governance in international civil aviation has yet to be achieved. No multilateral environmental treaties sufficiently addresses emissions from international civil …  Read more

Due to lack of compliance with and enforcement of legal and regulatory norms concerning civil aviation safety, the global civil aviation safety has remained and continues to remain at risk. To remedy this deficiency, both multilateral and unilateral initiatives have been launched. This thesis discusses on both of those initiatives and concludes that, although useful mechanism, none of these can ensure complete global civil aviation safety. Most importantly, "Blacklisting" under those unilateral initiatives is harming the financially and technically weak developing countries to such an extent that those feeble countries are becoming permanently disabled even to continue their aviation activities …  Read more

Despite multiple potential benefits, many businesses still hesitate to deploy their applicationsin the cloud, mainly for two reasons. Firstly, traditional OLTP applications demandfull transactional support with standard ACID properties. Secondly, traditional OLTP applicationsthat adopt the relational data model rely on standard features such as SQL, secondaryindexes, and complex joins. While several cloud platforms offering full transactionalsupport have appeared recently, only a select few offer full support for these standardfeatures. CumuloNimbo is one such platform that achieves highly scalable transaction processingwith full relational support, without compromising on the ACID properties of distributedtransactions or their responsiveness. This is achieved through distributed snapshotisolation, …  Read more

The first aviation law was promulgated in 1784, just one year after the first successful balloon flight was made by the Montgolfier Brothers in 1783. This was a decree by the Prefect of Police, Paris, forbidding balloon flights without police permits. This indicates the prompt response of law to the new invention. The first regulation for safety in aerial navigation was made by the Prefect of Seine in 1819, which prohibited the flights of the Montgolfiers (named after the pioneer flyers), required all balloons to be equipped with parachutes and forbade ascents until after the harvest time. The first reported …  Read more

The first aviation law was promulgated in 1784, just one year after the first successful balloon flight was made by the Montgolfier Brothers in 1783 . This was a decree by the Prefect of Police, Paris, forbidding balloon flights without police notice permits. This indicates the prompt response of law to the new invention. The first regulation for safety in aerial navigation was made by the Prefect of Seine in 1819, which prohibited the flights of the Montgolfiers (named after the pioneer flyers), required all balloons to be equipped with parachutes and forbade ascents until after the harvest time. [...]  Read more

The future of fiber optic systems lies in the development of all fiber photonic devices thatare compact, power efficient, and can provide novel functionalities. Here, we propose anddemonstrate the realization of such photonic devices using chalcogenide microwires. Thedevices include Bragg gratings, wavelength converters, broadband amplifiers and lasers. Thedevices' operation relies on the ultrahigh nonlinear optical gain (>5 orders of magnitudelarger than in silica fibers) and the high photosensitivity of chalcogenide microwires. Theresulting photonic devices are a few centimeters in length, a few micrometers in diameter,and operate at record-low optical power levels (i.e., in the order of a few hundreds of …  Read more

From the beginning and throughout Islamic history, mut-c-a marriage has been a controversial issue, the subject of constant dispute between the jurists of the different legal school in Islam. The view that mut-c-a marriage was permitted by the Prophet and practised by the most prominent Companions in the early period of Islam is not disputed by any Muslim jurist. Rather, the debate between Sunnî and Shî-c-î jurists centers around its legality after that early period.  Read more

This dissertation deals with al-Ḥusayn's uprising and death based on the classical Arabic sources. It is argued that al-Ḥusayn's uprising and opposition to Yazid's caliphate were directly connected to the matter of the caliphate and the caliph's qualifications. He refused to recognize Yazid's caliphate because he considered it as illegitimate due to the fact that Yazid was not qualified to assume such an important office. It is also argued that because of Mu`awiya, who attempted to secure Yazid's succession by forcing all Muslims to pay homage to him, Yazid became caliph. Wanting to remove the real meaning of the caliphate …  Read more

Un modèle de contrôle de posture humaine et animale fut introduit dans un espace tridimensionnel représenté par une «pendule sphérique double inversée». Dans cette thèse, nous allons modéliser la pendule double inversée spatiale en utilisant l'approche de vecteur spatial et nous tenterons d'équilibrer cette pendule double inversée avec une grande zone d'attraction à l'aide d'un contrôleur spécifique présenté dans cette thèse. Le modèle de vecteur spatial est sous forme d'un arbre général cinématique/de motion dans lequel les articulations sont rotatives, prismatiques ou hélicoïdales, et les dynamiques d'avancement de ce modèle sont décrites par l'Algorithme de corps rigide composite étant introduit …  Read more

Cultivé dans le monde entier dans les zones tempérées, le pois sec (Pisum sativum L.) est cultivé pour sa richesse en protéines et sa capacité d'améliorer les conditions du sol. Enfin de faciliter de futurs travaux de recherche, une population en ségrégation a été développée par « Single Seed Descent » après des croisements entre des lignes parentales. Les véritables hybrides ont été identifiés au stade plantule en identifiant les polymorphes ADN hautement répétitif (AHR). Les AHRs ou microsatellites sont des utiles précieux pour les évaluations de la diversité génétique car la connaissance de la diversité génétique est essentielle pour …  Read more

This thesis examines the political thought of Dr. Israr Ahmad and the organizations founded and led by him, namely, Markazi Anjuman-i Khuddam al-Qur'an, Tanzim-i Islami, and Tahrik-i Khilafat. He is an intellectual and reformer born in the Indian subcontinent who witnessed the struggle for independence and migrated to Pakistan. During his medical studies he was a member of the Jam'iyat-i Talabah, and after becoming a doctor, he joined the Jama'at-i Islami formed by Mawlana Mawdudi but later left it. The objectives of this thesis are to analyze the main influences on him. This study focuses particularly on Dr. Israr Ahmad's …  Read more

The numerical analysis of electromagnetic devices can generate large volumes of data describing the performance of the device. To date, this information has been provided to the user either as sets of numeric data or in graphical form. However, modern personal computers are actually capable of producing other forms of output such as sound. Although an essential component in computer gaming, sound has not been explored in any depth in scientific results evaluation. This thesis describes the implementation of software designed to investigate outputting data obtained from the simulation of an electromagnetic system in the form of sound using readily …  Read more

AbstractThis thesis explores the complex role of Sultan Selīm I as both a poet and a sultan within the framework of sacral kingship in the Islamic world of the post-Mongol era. By delving into the interplay between his poetic endeavors, his sovereign image, and the broader cultural context, it highlights the strategic use of poetry and tezkires (biographical dictionaries of poets) in shaping the sultan's persona and his cultural policy. Through a meticulous analysis of sultan's dīvān—a collection of his poetry—alongside an examination of tezkires that document his contribution to literature, this study illuminates the significance of linguistic choice, thematic …  Read more

The precise assessment of respiratory mechanics in intensive care unit (ICU) patients can potentially be of great benefit to their management. Some commercial ventilators now offer methods for determining values for lung compliance and resistance at a single frequency, however ongoing research in animals has shown that much more valuable information can be extracted from an analysis of the mechanical input impedance spectrum over a range of frequencies. To do this, it is essential to be able to control the characteristics of the input flow waveform into the lungs (i.e. frequency and amplitude). A new type of mechanical ventilator that …  Read more

L'homéostasie énergétique est d'une importance capitale pour la santé métabolique et la survie au cours d'un stress énergétique et cela doit se produire à la fois au niveau cellulaire et organismal. Inanition est donc souvent accompagnée de comportements compensatoires qui, pense-t-on, accroîent la probabilité de rencontrer une source d'alimentation. On ne fait que commencer à élucider comment les conséquences de la faim en termes de changements dans l'activité neuronale peut déclencher des réponses comportementales spécifiques d'adaptation. La protéine kinase activée par l'AMP (AMPK) est un capteur métabolique qui a été également proposé comme un régulateur clé de réponses comportementales d'adaptation …  Read more

Objective. The diagnostic interview for borderline personality disorder (DIB) requires a long duration of administration (45 minutes). This led to the development of a briefer (10 minutes), and therefore more feasible, version of the DIB named the DIB-Ab. It is the aim of this study to test the validity and reliability of the DIB-Ab. Method. Forty-seven previously suicidal adolescents, aged 14--21 years, participated in this study. The DIB-Ab and DIB-R were administered during a battery of tests separated by 130 minutes of unrelated measures. Results. The Pearson correlation coefficient of the DIB-Ab with respect to the DIB-R ranged from .52--.80 …  Read more

Major dams in the world are often instrumented in order to validate numerical models, to gain insight into the behavior of the dam, to detect anomalies, and to enable a timely response either in the form of repairs, reservoir management, or evacuation. Advances in automated data monitoring system makes it possible to regularly collect data on a large number of instruments for a dam. Managing this data is a major concern since traditional means of monitoring each instrument are time consuming and personnel intensive. Among tasks that need to be performed are: identification of faulty instruments, removal of outliers, data …  Read more

This thesis presents a study of the ultimate strength capacity of two offshore platforms located in the Gulf of Mexico. The objective of the study was to validate existing non-linear finite element models for estimating the loads and strength of offshore platforms. From August 24 to 26 1992, hurricane Andrew moved through the Gulf of Mexico with sustained winds of 140 miles per hour. Thirty-six major platforms suffered significant damage, of these, ten were completely toppled and twenty-six were leaning significantly or had significant topside damage. Structures "H" and "K" were bridge-connected platforms, located in the ST151 field of the …  Read more

Agus Sasmito (Supervisor2)  Read more

Gyorkos, Theresa W. (Supervisor)  Read more

Le cancer du sein triple-négatif (TNBC), caractérisé par des tumeurs qui n'expriment ni le récepteur aux estrogènes (RO), ni le récepteur à la progestérone (PR) ou ni les gènes HER-2, constitue une évolution des plus agressive avec des profils métastatiques particuliers et un très sombre pronostic. Puisqu'aucune thérapie ciblée n'est à ce jour disponible, la chimiothérapie, et en particulier la thérapie à base de Taxanes (Placlitaxel), représente le traitement de référence pour les patientes atteint de TNBC. Les TNBC répondent initialement fortement au paclitaxel (PTX), cependant la majorité des patientes aux stades avancés développent des résistances et la maladie progresse. …  Read more

Soy flour was inoculated with Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. lattis R0187, and incubated for 8 h, to evaluate the protein hydrolysis and identify peptides generated by this fermentation, and the impact on ACE and trypsin inhibitory activities. Aqueous protein extracts prepared from different fermentation time periods showed a decrease in soluble protein content (from 2.83 to 0.02 mg/mL), while soluble inorganic nitrogen and free amino acid contents increased (from 0.029 to 0.062% w/w, and from 0.75 to 0.90% w/w, respectively). The protein extracts were analyzed by SDS-PAGE; proteolysis was observed after 5 h incubation of inoculated soy flour, suggesting that glycinin, …  Read more

Comparative aviation law has evolved from the world wide development of aviation during the past three decades. Aviation, the youngest and speediest of the transportation media has gained the foremost position in the category of carriers. Its primary social and economic function as a carrier of persons and property has been achieved as a result of a rigid regulatory regime.  Read more

This thesis is presented in two parts. In the first part, an attempt has been made to evaluate the possibility of application of gas sampling probes for kinetic and mixing studies of reacting, high velocity, high temperature gas streams. A water cooled, constant area type of probe has been proposed and its internet aerodynamics have been analysed theoretically on the basis of a one dimensional model considering both frictional and heat transfer effects. Quenching rates of the sampled gas have been obtained considering free stream Mach numbers 4, 3 and 2. From the quenching rates, quenching efficiencies of the probe …  Read more

Depuis la découverte que la majorité du génome humain ne code pas pour des protéines, l'ARN non codant (ARNnc) et l'ADN non codant sont devenus un sujet d'étude important en génétique moléculaire. L'un de ces ARNnc est HOXA-Antisense 2 (HOXA-AS2), un long ARN non codant (ARNlnc) dont l'expression déréglée a été associée à diverses maladies humaines. Cependant, son rôle lors de la différenciation dans le contexte du groupe de gènes HOXA n'a pas encore été complètement élucidé. Le but de ce projet était de caractériser l'expression de HOXA-AS2 dans NCCIT et NT2-D1, deux lignées cellulaires pouvant servir de modèle de …  Read more

Stone, Laura (Internal/Cosupervisor2)  Read more

L'intérêt croissant porté aux recherches sur le biocharbon est lié a son volume poreux et sa capacité d'adsorption élevés, et le fait que, lorsqu'épandu sur un sol agricole comme amendement, il en améliore la capacité de rétention des éléments nutritifs et de l'eau. En plus d'améliorer la qualité du sol, les amendements de biocharbon séquestrent le carbone dans le sol. Dans la majorité des cas où un sol agricole reçoit un amendement en biocharbon, la productivité des cultures est améliorée. Cependant, les mécanismes à l'origine de cette amélioration ne sont pas entièrement compris, tout comme ceux qui contribuent à l'effet …  Read more

Background: Cerebral palsy (CP) is a lifelong disorder of posture and movement and is the most common cause of physical disability in children. Since there is no cure available for CP, understanding causal mechanisms is essential to develop effective primary prevention strategies. Whereas plenty of research has examined temporal trends in overall CP rates, changes in CP rates by key sociodemographic characteristics over time have been scarcely described. Furthermore, limited evidence exists in the literature on the role of preconception and antenatal modifiable factors that lie early in the causal pathways that lead to CP. Objectives: This doctoral research aimed …  Read more

Zeitouni, Anthony G (Internal/Supervisor)  Read more

The tandem-rotor helicopter is a platform of increased interest for autonomous development. This thesis considers the guidance and model predictive control (MPC) of a tandem- rotor helicopter. First, the dynamics of the tandem-rotor system are developed and a simplified dynamic model is presented. An error definition is formulated using the matrix Lie group SE2(3), which is used to linearize the system. Next, a computationally simple, two-stage guidance strategy is presented. A coarse reference trajectory to a target is calculated using a quartic guidance law, leveraging the differentially flat properties of the system. The trajectory is then refined using a finite-horizon …  Read more

Introduction : Les sensibilités environnementales se composent de deux sous-types principaux : l’hypersensibilité électromagnétique et les sensibilités chimiques multiples. Environ cinq pour cent de la population canadienne a déclaré être touchée par une sensibilité environnementale. Les symptômes peuvent être nombreux et affecter de nombreux organes, incluant maux de tête, fatigue, nausée, insomnie et détresse. Tout en affrontant la maladie, ces personnes luttent quotidiennement pour leur survie, se réfugiant dans leur maison et se coupant de l’environnement extérieur. Dans ce contexte particulier, nous connaissons mal les obstacles auxquels fait face cette population pour promouvoir sa santé buccodentaire et accéder aux services …  Read more

Cette thèse est une biographie sociale de l'intellectuel égyptien Taha Hussein (1889-1973). Alors que les études existantes sur Hussein ont exploré sa remarquable carrière littéraire, cette étude, le fruit de recherches menées auprès des archives nationales égyptiennes et françaises, des archives de l'université du Caire, ainsi que des archives personnelles de Hussein, porte sur sa carrière publique en tant qu'homme d'état et fonctionnaire publique. Ni l'historiographie égyptienne ni les projets littéraires fondés sur des études postcoloniales, ayant focalisé exclusivement sur l'œuvre publiée par Hussein, ne rendent justice au contexte institutionnel et politique dans lequel il écrivait et prenait ses décisions. …  Read more

After important intellectual contributions to the Arab Nahda, the Syro-Lebanese of Egypt (the Shawam) underwent a far-reaching process of French acculturation. This process culminated in their cultural alienation from mainstream Egyptian society, and became a major reason for their departure from Nasserite Egypt in the sixties. Unlike previous narratives dealing with the history of the Shawam in Egypt, which underscored static identitarian choices as the driving force behind their cultural alienation, my thesis situates their adoption of French language and culture in the wider context of the Egyptian francophonie. This relatively unknown francophonie thrived in pre-revolutionary Egypt and was fully …  Read more

The vast amount of literature accumulated during the past few decades has led to the establishment of the fundamental and central role of phosphorus in living systems. Its presence as a constituent of biologically important compounds and in cellular structure has been known for a long time. [...]  Read more