McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par B

Hydroxyurea is commonly used to treat myeloproliferative diseases and sickle cell anemia. It is also a potent teratogen, inducing severe developmental malformations in many animal models after in utero exposure. The administration of hydroxyurea to CD1 mice during organogenesis causes predominantly hindlimb, tail, and neural tube defects. Hydroxyurea inactivates ribonucleotide reductase, inhibiting DNA replication and leading to DNA replication stress and cell death. Hydroxyurea exposure during embryo development also induces oxidative stress and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) signaling. My goal was to test the hypothesis that hydroxyurea-induced p38 MAPK activation, DNA damage, and cell death are spatially related …  Read more

There is a long-standing debate in the literature about the extent of overlap between the language phenotype of the subgroup of children with ASD who have language impairment (language-impaired children with ASD) and children with specific-language impairment (SLI), as well as whether or not their language impairments arise from the same etiology (e.g., Kjelgaard & Tager-Flusberg, 2001; Leyfer, Tager-Flusberg, Dowd, Tomblin, & Folstein, 2008; Whitehouse, Barry, & Bishop, 2008; Williams, Botting, & Boucher, 2008). Procedural and declarative memory systems have been proposed to play a major role in typical language development, and have been hypothesized to contribute to language impairment …  Read more

La radiation infrarouge thermique révèle un riche contenu d'information sur les propriétés de la surface, la composition des gaz présents dans l'atmosphère et le profilage de la température. Les satellites météorologiques et l'instrumentation au sol permettent un monitorage des radiances ascendantes et descendantes, respectivement. Cette étude présente de nouvelles approches liées à diverses applications d'utilisation des données hyper-spectrales infrarouges pour le monitorage du climat et de la météorologie.Dans la première étude, on propose un spectromètre à bord d'un avion se déplaçant au niveau de la tropopause pour le sondage de l'humidité stratosphérique utilisant les radiances descendantes. La motivation est que …  Read more

La conservation des écosystèmes côtiers, de la prévision de leur réponse au changement climatique à la conception de réseaux de réserves marines efficaces, nécessite la compréhension du rôle des schémas complexes de transport océanique en tant que moteur majeur de la dispersion larvaire et de la connectivité entre les populations marines. Les théories de la métapopulation ont fourni de nombreuses informations sur le rôle de la dispersion pour la persistance et la stabilité des populations, mais peu d'études ont intégré la variabilité spatio-temporelle des courants océaniques et de la connectivité.Dans les systèmes marins, le sort des propagules (oeufs ou larves) …  Read more

Les troubles d’anxiété sont parmi les troubles de santé mentale les plus communs et incapacitants dans le monde. Bien qu'il existe de nombreux traitements pour l'anxiété, ils ne sont pas adéquats pour tous et nous ignorons comment traiter et prévenir ces troubles de façon efficace. Une meilleure compréhension des personnes susceptibles à développer une anxiété élevée ainsi que les raisons pour et les circonstances entourant cette vulnérabilité permettrait de développer des meilleurs programmes de prévention et d'intervention.L'un des marqueurs de vulnérabilité proposés pour l'anxiété s’agit de la négativité liée à l'erreur (« error-related negativity »; ERN), une composante du potentiel …  Read more

The concentration-profits relationship of the Bain-Mason paradigm is tested and an alternative "augmented model" is proposed which includes dimensions of task environments of food industries and industry strategy variables. The environment is characterized in terms of Dess and Beard's (1984) dimensions: munificence, dynamism and complexity. The augmented model was found to be a better descriptor of factors affecting the performance of the food industries than the Bain-Mason model. Profitability was found to be positively related to industrial concentration, and negatively related to munificence and complexity. No significant relationship between dynamism and profitability was found. Further studies on the performance of …  Read more

Introduction: An understanding and approach to health research and health care has been dominated by a uni-professional and, at times, individualist, perspective. Yet, care coordination is crucial for patient safety, especially for an aging population. Health care workers have needed to try to transcend their particular communities of practice, in which they work and learn. One of the sharpest and least explored needs for care coordination is where complex patients are categorized in the emergency department (ED), which brings together emergency medicine (IM) doctors and internal medicine (IM) doctors. The latter group takes on the task of classifying and treating …  Read more

This thesis is concerned with the measurement and characterization of radio signal spatial fading in urban micro-environments. Automated field strength measurements at ten FM broadcast frequencies were conducted in a small region of a built up urban center (the McGill University campus, Montreal, Canada). The measurements show that the received signal comprises two independent fading components: long term fading (average power variations over large spatial intervals), and short term fading (rapid power fluctuations over small spatial intervals). A number of statistical and time series analysis methods (probability density, quantile-quantile plots, autocovariance, crosscovariance, spectral density) were exploited to characterize the fading …  Read more

The ability of a person to perform activities of daily living depends in great part on being able to reach with their arms and interact with objects in the environment. After a stroke, arm motor control is usually disrupted and results in arm paresis. The level of arm impairment varies widely among stroke survivors, but 40-78% of post-stroke individuals recover a good amount of arm function. Clinical evaluation of these individuals demonstrates that their joint ranges of motion, strength, flexibility, sensation and proprioception fall within normal physiological limits. Based on their high level of recovery, these individuals should not have …  Read more

A 7.6 cm (3") Knelson concentrator was used to estimate free gold content in samples extracted from industrial grinding and gravity circuits. Its recovery was comparable with that of amalgamation and the Mozley Laboratory Separator (MLS). It was then used for a study on gold grinding and classification behavior. Laboratory studies of monosized gold and silica showed that gold produces fewer fines upon grinding: 75% of the mass reports to the next Tyler class, as opposed to 45% for silica. Disappearance from the monosized class (840-1200 $ mu$m) follows first order kinetics for both minerals. However, the rate constant of …  Read more

Finch, J. A. (Supervisor)  Read more

In order to determine the structure of the tumour specific immunodominant groups of the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) of human gastrointestinal tumours, immunologically active fragments were prepared by partial acid hydrolysis using non-dialyzable polystyrene sulphonic acid and by enzymatic hydrolysis using the proteolytic enzyme nagase. The immunologic activity of the fragments was tested using the Z-gel radioimmunoassay technique for CEA. With the use of these two methods of hydrolysis for CEA, followed by subsequent purification of the hydrolysates, it was found that various polymeric arrangements of N-acetyl glucosamine are important immunological constituents of CEA. Furthermore, evidence is presented which suggests that …  Read more

The limitations of the expected utility theory in predicting risk preference under low probabilities have been discussed by various experimental studies. However, the ex-isting studies have not arrived at a consensus in this area. There are signs of both over-insurance and under-insurance for low-probability loss events. The topic has particularly not been addressed when ambiguity is coupled with low probability estimates. This paper theoretically analyzes the implications of ambiguity aversion for insurance purchasing in loss events involving low probabilities. The topic has been looked into under the light of forest carbon offsets and the need for insurance for unavoidable losses …  Read more

Developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs) are a heterogenous group of epilepsies in which altered brain development leads to developmental delay and seizures, with the epileptic activity further negatively impacting neurodevelopment. Identifying the underlying cause of DEEs is essential for progress toward precision therapies. Here we describe a group of individuals with biallelic variants in DENND5A and determine that variant type is correlated with disease severity. We demonstrate that DENND5A interacts with MUPP1 and PALS1, components of the Crumbs apical polarity complex, which is required for both neural progenitor cell identity and the ability of these stem cells to divide symmetrically. …  Read more

Based on studies indicating that prefrontal cortical (PFC) dopamine (DA) inhibits neurotransmission in DA neurons projecting to nucleus accumbens (nAcc), the role of PFC in d-amphetamine-induced sensitization of mesolimbic DA function was explored. The results indicate that DA depletion in PFC facilitates the sensitizing effect of repeated d-amphetamine on locomotion elicited by a subsequent injection of the drug without enhancing spontaneous locomotion or locomotion elicited by acute d-amphetamine administration. The enhancing effect of repeated drug injections on d-amphetamine-elicited DA overflow in nAcc was also potentiated by depletion of PFC DA. These effects were likely not the result of a nonspecific …  Read more

Throughout the ages the various types of architecture or mans way of materially expressing the thoughts, and the ways of living of his age, have been curtailed by the available materials and inherited techniques. Wood was one of the first universal building materials. It was readily attacked by the elements and the buildings as well as the culture of the times was soon lost to history. With the advent of stone a permanent building material was available to the builders and sculptures of the day.  Read more

Gustatory sensilla in the blowfly Phormia regina contain five phenotypically distinct neurons. The neurons are thought to arise from a common precursor, however, little is known about their lineage or about how each one comes to assume a unique fate. This study examines the possibility that the neurons arise from a repeatedly dividing stem cell, in which case, the neuronal fate may be determined by birth order. To determine if the neurons are born at different times, their times of birth were assessed. This was achieved by using Hydroxyurea to arrest the gustatory neural precursors at different times throughout the …  Read more

The original primary object of this research was to study the properties and reactivity of potassium diazomethionate with particular reference to its stability and usefulness as a synthetic tool. It was desired to establish whether potassium diazomethionate was completely analogous in behavior to other aliphatic diazo compounds such as diazomethane and diazoacetic ester as has been suggested in the literature. If this were the case, a ready method of synthesis would be available for a large number of interesting disulphonated aliphatic compounds which had not previously been prepared. A secondary object was to determine whether potassium diazomethionate could be used …  Read more

Plusieurs systèmes de mémoire sont impliqués dans le traitement des informations durant la navigation. Un système de navigation « spatiale », qui dépend de l'hippocampe, exploite les liens entre les points de repère pour construire une carte cognitive, tandis que l'apprentissage par réponse, basé sur la répétition et le renforcement est dirigé par le noyau caudé. Des études ont démontré qu'une proportion quasi égale de gens utilisent spontanément l'une ou l'autre de ces stratégies pour résoudre une tâche de navigation donnée (Iaria et al., 2003), et que la sélection d'une stratégie est corrélée avec la densité de la matière grise …  Read more

"A new technique was developed to measure the liquid diffusivities of the sparingly soluble gases, easily, rapidly and accurately, and which required a lesser amount of solution than in any previous technique. Diffusivities of Carbon di-Oxide and Helium were measured in the aqueous solutions of Potassium Bromate, Potassium Chloride, Potassium Iodide, Lead Nitrate, Cupric Chloride, Aluminium Chloride, Aluminium Sulphate an,: Magnesium Nitrate, over the whole range of their composition. These data were used to determine the effect of different solutes on the dimensionless diffusivities [...] modified by investigating new values for the exponent of the dimensionless viscosity. The resulting empirical …  Read more

The main objective of this research program is to formulate a framework for durability design of concrete elements against deterioration of bond at the steel rebar-concrete interface due to corrosion of reinforcing bars. Mass loss of the reinforcement is an important parameter in defining the corrosion level. Therefore, it can be used to develop a correlation between corrosion, cracking and bond strength at the steel rebar-concrete interface. A preliminary design equation for prediction of bond strength at different corrosion levels is presented. Secondly, the existing state of the art of design of concrete elements for durability against deterioration of bond …  Read more

La protéine apparentée à la protéine de choc thermique 70 kDa (hsc70: heat shock cognate 70 kDa protein) est une chaperonne moléculaire impliquée dans plusieurs fonctions physiologiques telles que la réponse au stress, le repliement des protéines, ainsi que dans le transport de celles-ci. Hsc70 joue des rôles dans les maladies humaines, comme le cancer, les maladies neurodégénératives, l'ischémie du cerveau et du cœur, et elle prend part au processus de vieillissement. Avec l'aide des co-chaperonnes et de l'hydrolyse de l'ATP, hsc70 peut replier correctement les protéines en se liant aux résidus hydrophobes normalement inaccessibles.Suivant un choc thermique, hsc70 se …  Read more

Mongeau, Luc (Supervisor1)  Read more

The biocatalysis of tyrosinase was investigated in selected organic solvent media, using catechin as substrate. The results showed that the optimal enzymatic activity was obtained at pH 6.2, 6.6, 6.0 and 6.2 in heptane, toluene, dichloromethane and dichloroethane media, respectively. The kinetic studies indicated that the Km values were 5.38, 1.03, 2.52 and 4.03 mM, for the enzymatic reaction in heptane, toluene, dichloromethane and dichloroethane media, respectively, whereas the Vmax values were 12.2 x 10--4, 3.3 x 10--4, 14.7 x 10--4 and 12.0 x 10--4 deltaA mug protein--1 sec--1 , respectively. The results showed that the change in acetone concentration, …  Read more

The past three decades have been a time of intensive development for high-rise housing in Shanghai. It has grown from an experimental prototype to the city's predominant form of housing. In this thesis, three periods in the developmental progress of Shanghai's high-rise housing will be examined, beginning in 1972. The interrelationships between the specific socioeconomic contexts, building codes, and design strategies are explored sequentially, and twelve typical high-rise housing projects are discussed, in an effort to trace the evolution of high-rise housing design strategies. The study focuses primarily on three aspects of high-rise housing design: site organization, building design and …  Read more

Zhang, Da-Lin (Supervisor)  Read more

The rapid evolution of e-commerce brings more and more interest in personalized services for each individual user. As a key component of personalization, user profiles become the center of attention, and have been widely studied with seriousness. This thesis is a survey on main aspects of the user profiles, focusing on techniques for developing and using user profiles, including introduction and discussion on privacy and security considerations, and international standards. In addition, the thesis considers the future direction of user profiles.  Read more

Le problème de maturation alvéolaire dans les poumons des enfants atteints de dysplasie bronchopulmonaire (DBP) est caractérisé par l'élargissement des espaces aériens du poumon distal, par la désintégration des fibres d'élastine et par l'hyperplasie des cellules caliciformes. Ces effets sont exacerbés par l'oxygène et/ou la ventilation mécanique donnés à la naissance aux bébés prématurés. Les glucocorticoïdes (GCs) sont reconnus comme étant des stimulants de l'alvéolarisation et représentaient le traitement favorisé pour les nouveau-nés souffrant de DBP. Cependant, il a été démontré que l'utilisation prolongée des GCs provoque des effets secondaires sévères et leur utilisation n'est plus recommandée de nos jours. …  Read more

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are characterized by impairments in social and communicative functioning as well as repetitive behaviours and interests. Sensory processing abnormalities have also been found to be prevalent in ASD, with atypical Multisensory Integration (MSI) hypothesized to underlie the core features of ASD. The goal of the current study was to investigate MSI abilities in ASD by testing susceptibility to auditory-guided visual illusions to determine whether impaired MSI is present when using lower-level stimuli that are not socio-communicative in nature. Adolescents and adults with ASD (n=20) and TD individuals (n=20) were shown to have similar susceptibility to a …  Read more

In addition to difficulties regarding social communication and interaction, sensory abnormalities are present in the majority of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and this characteristic feature is part of the diagnostic criteria for ASD. Given the observed abnormalities in sensory reactivity, processing and perception, it has been suggested that the ability to integrate sensory information may be altered in ASD. Specifically, the ability to integrate information from more than one sensory modality at once, or Multisensory Integration (MSI) has been identified as potentially disrupted in ASD. In fact, altered MSI is thought to contribute to core behavioural features of …  Read more

Le système sensoriel humain, ainsi que chez de nombreuses autres espèces, encode le monde extérieur à travers de multiples modalités. Les signaux émis lorsqu'un événement survient sont intégrés par le cerveau pour former une perception multisensorielle. Lorsque la voie d'une modalité sensorielle est endommagée, le cerveau s'adaptera pour faire face à une nouvelle situation en utilisant les autres modalités sensorielles. Une telle interaction inter-modale doit impliquer des interconnexions entre différents systèmes sensoriels. Des exemples d’interactions audiovisuelles sont couramment vécues, par exemple lorsque l'on entend mieux un discours en voyant les lèvres de celui qui parle bouger. Souvent, les personnes atteintes …  Read more

Le but de cette étude est d’explorer les fondements théoriques pour conceptualiser le comportement du partage d’information et pour développer un index composé ou une échelle globale afin de mesurer le niveau complet du partage d’information dans le contexte de chaînes d’approvisionnement. En pratique, le partage d’information entre les membres d’une chaîne d’approvisionnement est crucial afin d’augmenter la compétitivité et la performance des entreprises individuelles et de la chaîne entière. Néanmoins, le partage d’information rendu possible par les réseaux informatiques dans les entreprises canadiennes en ·est toujours à ses balbutiements, et il n’y a aucune méthode applicable pour évaluer les …  Read more

Mongrain, Rosaire (Supervisor1)  Read more

Ce mémoire étudie les textes de la rappeuse française d’origine martiniquaise Casey en tant que discours identitaire postcolonial. En abordant les sept albums solos et collaboratifs de la rappeuse de façon non linéaire, il analyse la manière dont l’altérité vécue par l’énonciatrice des textes rappés affecte l’écriture de soi ainsi que la manière dont cette altérité est déconstruite. L’expression subjective et artistique de la rappeuse est au centre de la problématique, autant dans la retranscription et la confrontation des discours à son sujet que dans ses particularités rythmiques.L’hypothèse centrale s’articule autour d’une altérité radicale vécue par l’énonciatrice, c’est-à-dire une mise …  Read more

In recent years there have been many reports of methods for inferring the molecular weight distribution (MWD) of linear polymers from either viscosity data or dynamic data. This subject is of great interest in the polymer industry, since MWD affects the processing and final properties of polymers, and gel permeation chromatography (GPC), normally used for determining MWD, has several limitations. There are two main types of method for inferring the MWD from rheological data. The first one involves empirical transformations that lead directly to a MWD, whereas the second type involves the inversion of an integral that gives the relaxation …  Read more

This is an expository thesis covering the area of matrix-variate statistical distributions. A survey of functions of one matrix argument and the allied one matrix-variate statistical distributions is carried out first. Then functions of several matrix arguments and generalized statistical distributions are surveyed. Recent contributions to hypergeometric functions of several matrix arguments are also examined. These results are collected, compiled, classified and presented in various chapters. Some minor simplifications and alternate derivations are also considered at various places.  Read more

Soit D n le disque dont n points ont été retirée. On prouve qu'une famille d'arcs essentiels simples dont les extrémités se trouvent à la frontière du disque et qui s'intersectent deux à deux au plus deux fois a au plus (n+1 choose 3) membres. On montre aussi qu'un complexe pas triviale de carrés homéomorphe a un disque dont les hyperplans sont des arcs simples qui s'intersectent deux à deux au plus deux fois a un coin ou une épine.  Read more

The promotion of Shakespeare to the centre of the English literary canon was largely facilitated by ten major eighteenth-century editions of his plays: by Nicholas Rowe (1709), Alexander Pope (1723-25), Lewis Theobald (1733), Thomas Hanmer (1744), William Warburton (1747), Samuel Johnson (1765), George Steevens (1766), Edward Capell (1767-68), Johnson and Steevens (1773) and Edmond Malone (1790). The popularity of Newtonian science in eighteenth-century England helps to explain the mentality that impelled this energetic enterprise. In their Prefaces, the editors describe Shakespeare as a Newton-like genius who understood the underlying principles of human nature and expressed them through his characters. Shakespeare, …  Read more

The subject of this dissertation is the intellectual European New Right (ENR), also known as the nouvelle droite. A cultural "school of thought" with origins in the revolutionary Right and neo-fascist milieus, the nouvelle droite was born in France in 1968, the year of the spectacular student and worker protests. In order to rid the Right of its negative connotations, the nouvelle droite borrowed from the New Left ideals of the 1968ers. In a Gramscian mould, it situated itself exclusively on the cultural terrain of political contestation in order to challenge what it considered the ideological hegemony of dominant liberal …  Read more