McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par B

La cardiomyopathie dilatée (CMP), une maladie du muscle cardiaque, est caractérisée par l’élargissement ventriculaire gauche ou biventriculaire associée à un dysfonctionnement systolique. La CMP est une maladie cardiaque progressive comprenant un éventail d'étiologies incluant des causes idiopathiques, génétiques et environnementales. Indépendamment de l'étiologie, on observe un remodelage du ventricule gauche (VG), entraînant un amincissement de la paroi du VG en plus d’une diminution des performances et du débit cardiaques menant à une augmentation des risques de morbidité et de mortalité. Étant donné que le remodelage pathologique du cœur est généralement irréversible, l'insuffisance cardiaque (IC) est souvent inévitable chez les personnes …  Read more

Murray, H. (Supervisor)  Read more

The 6-item De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale (DJGLS-6) has been previously validated in various languages, including Spanish and formal Chinese. However, some translations, although actively used, have yet to be validated. Although widely used, the English and French versions of this scale have not yet been validated. To validate this scale in both languages, samples were collected from French (N = 640) and English speaking (N = 767) multinational and independent samples in France, Canada, and the United States. The psychometric properties of the French (multinational) (Cronbach's alpha = .66, Item total Correlation (ITC) = .40, Inter Item Correlation (IIC) …  Read more

The present study investigated bilingual lexical organization in two groups of French-English bilinguals: (1) Compound bilinguals, who acquired both languages in early childhood and speak both with high proficiency; and (2) Subordinate bilinguals, who started speaking their second language during or after adolescence and have reduced L2 proficiency. Subjects were tested on a cross-language auditory primed lexical decision task containing translations and associated words with both cognate and noncognate equivalents. Both subject groups demonstrated significant translation and associative priming, indicating that both groups of subjects had access to a conceptual route of processing. However, no significant facilitation was found for …  Read more

This study deals with the undertaking cif formal evalu­ation research by organizations concerned with the delivery of personal social services. Using the literature on evalua­tion research, issues are examined which have been defined as potentially problematic in conducting evaluative endeavors. A personal social services agency's decision to engage in formal evaluation has political as well as programmatic impli­cations which create a need for careful planning and preparatory activities to promote organizational acceptance and cooperation in evaluation. To this end, a format which encompasses both an approach and a conceptualization of self-administered evaluation research is presented. The advocated format incorporates the …  Read more

Douglas, Peter (Supervisor1)  Read more

This Thesis presents the synthesis of novel 1D, 2D, and 3D Ag(I) and Cu(II) nanostructures and their use as sacrificial templates to make functional nanomaterials. New soft template methods were developed for the synthesis of AgCN and Cu(OH)2 nanostructures. Polymeric organic nanotubes were successfully used to synthesize AgCN nanowires, while the precipitation of Cu(OH)2 nanofibers was templated in water microdroplets. Both methods benefit from the versatility of soft templates and allows for a control of both the size and the morphology of the nanostructures produced. The conversion of these precursors into metallic and semi-conductive nanomaterials was achieved via chemical and …  Read more

Ce mémoire s'intéresse à l'américanité des Fous de Bassan d'Anne Hébert (1982). Il étudie son rapport au continent en s'appuyant sur deux principaux moyens utilisés pour exprimer l'expérience américaine. Le premier – l'inscription du roman parmi la littérature de l'Amérique – est observé grâce aux références à The Sound and the Fury (1929) de William Faulkner. Le deuxième – le choix d'une forme pouvant transmettre la réalité du continent – est analysé par la textualisation des langues. En examinant comment Les Fous de Bassan dit l'Amérique, cette étude positionne le roman dans ses contextes québécois et américain. Le mémoire identifie …  Read more

A new divergent methodology to prepare a variety of dendritic polymers containing dimethylsilyl-linked-3,5-dihydroxybenzyl alcohol units in the backbone is reported. This simple and versatile synthetic route is based on the acid-base hydrolytic chemistry of 3,5-dihydroxybenzyl alcohol (DHBA) and dimethyldiaminosilane Me2Si(NMe2)2. Controlled sequential addition of reactants was used to prepare dendrimer generations 1--5. The dendritic growth was found to be dictated by a preferential attack of the benzylic hydroxyl group of DHBA on the aminosilane, as no traces of residual benzylic OH groups were observed using 1H NMR spectroscopy. By a continuation of this divergent route, these dendrimers were functionalized with …  Read more

Rodriguez, Rosario (Supervisor1)  Read more

Atherosclerosis, a vascular disease which may lead to coronary artery occlusion and consequent myocardial infarction is primarily caused by dyslipidemia. Ischemic cardiomyopathy due to atherosclerosis is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the western world today. Vasoactive factors are increasingly being recognized not only as contributors to atherosclerotic plaque formation, but also to cardiac function and remodeling following ischemic cardiac injury. Urotensin II (UII) is one such vasoactive factor. UII possesses a wide range of cardiovascular effects, from contraction of the rat aorta to complete cardiovascular collapse in cynomolgus monkeys. UII binds a seven transmembrane spanning G-protein coupled …  Read more

Background. A growing number of patients suffering from ischemic cardiomyopathy are not eligible for conventional revascularization. This has prompted new research in the field of angiogenesis. This study hypothesized that since inflammation is probably the mechanism behind TMR induced angiogenesis; a larger inflammatory response induced by thermal injury may lead to increased angiogenesis. Methods. The model used for this study was coronary artery ligation in the Rat. Four groups of animals were used to compare the novel experimental approach with conventional TMR and with ischemia alone. Neovascularization was determined by immunohistochemical techniques using anti-Factor VIII antibody. Evaluation of VEGF, Ang-1 …  Read more

Borchers, Christoph (Supervisor1)  Read more

Human-induced climate change is one of the biggest threats facing human-kind and the global environment today. Climate action plans at the global, regional, and local scales set C neutrality (a state of no net increase in atmospheric C achieved by balancing emissions and sequestration) as a key climate change mitigation target. Action plans to achieve C neutrality often focus on emissions reduction, with limited focus on quantifying, measuring, and increasing C sequestration. Certain forms of C sequestration include afforestation, which can remove existing C trapped in the atmosphere through photosynthesis in a cost-effective way, while also providing additional ecosystem services, …  Read more

From 900 to 1150, major institutional and political changes took hold in Europe. With the advent of the castellans and consolidation of the agnatic noble family, new terms of reference were deployed by writers to reflect these changes. Contributing to the militarization of the aristocracy were exempla and descent myths in house histories and hagiography. Public recitation of this literature thus familiarized the arms-bearer with his heroes, nourished his martial piety and motivated him to defend his patria. Patria also carried an anagogical significance: the heavenly Jerusalem. This permitted its earthly counterpart--Palestine and the literal Jerusalem--to be incorporated into this …  Read more

DNA has gained great attention both as a biological molecule and structural building block due to its well-defined structure, molecular recognition properties and programmability. The marriage of DNA with synthetic polymers, creating DNA-polymer hybrids, has allowed the realization of novel materials with added functionalities, that could not be achieved otherwise. To date, different synthetic routes have been proposed for the generation of DNA block copolymers. However, the generation of monodisperse DNA-polymer conjugates with control over the sequence of monomer and length of strand has been a challenge. These limitations have impacted the potential applications of DNA-polymer conjugates, where structural polydispersity …  Read more

Contexte: Les personnes proches aidantes (PPA) jouent un rôle essentiel dans le processus de rétablissement des jeunes atteints d’un premier épisode psychotique (PEP) et leur engagement dans les soins a un effet positif documenté sur le pronostic des patients. Toutefois, il existe actuellement peu de recherches en ce qui concerne les expériences des PPA issues de communautés racisées ou migrantes dans le contexte des premiers épisodes psychotiques. Objectifs: L’objectif primaire de cette étude est de documenter l’expérience des PPA racisées ou migrantes obtenant des services à la clinique d’intervention précoce pour la psychose (Jeunes adultes psychotiques - JAP) du CHUM. …  Read more

Turner, James M. (Supervisor2)  Read more

Chaudhury, Prosanto (Internal/Supervisor)  Read more

La schizophrénie (SZ) est un trouble neuropsychiatrique grave affectant environ 1 % de la population mondiale et constitue l'une des principales causes d'invalidité à l'échelle mondiale. Malgré des recherches approfondies, ses origines demeurent insaisissables en raison de son étiologie et de sa symptomatologie complexes. On pense que la SZ résulte de l'interaction entre des facteurs génétiques et environnementaux qui perturbent le neurodéveloppement précoce, entraînant une connectivité cérébrale altérée qui, chez les patients, apparaît avant l'apparition de la psychose et est corrélée à la gravité des symptômes. Des troubles du sommeil et des rythmes circadiens sont également systématiquement rapportés dans la …  Read more

Cable bolt supports are widely used as ground support in underground hard rock and coal mines. During the last two decades, the cable bolt technology has improved significantly and new types of cable bolts, new grouts and new installation methods and pumps have been introduced and successfully developed. The design of cable bolts is currently attempted by empirical methods based on rockmass characterization. However, until such methods do not take into account all the important parameters affecting the mechanical behaviour of cable bolts namely, the type of cable geometry, grout quality, stiffness of the host medium, the amount of confining …  Read more

La maladie de Huntington (MH) est transmise de façon autosomique dominante causant une dégénérescence neurologique principalement dans le corps strié. Cette dernière est associée à une augmentation de la répétition des acides nucléiques CAG au sein du gène Huntingtin muté. Conséquemment, les patients atteints de cette maladie souffrent de troubles moteurs, cognitifs et psychiatriques jusqu'à leur mort. Trois catégories de modèles de souris ont été conçus pour étudier cette maladie : knock-out, transgénique et knock-in. Plusieurs tentatives utilisant l'hypothèse des neurotrophines ont été employées pour prévenir la dégénérescence neuronale dans MH. Les objectifs principaux de ce projet sont en un …  Read more

A set of empirical studies is presented that examines the relationship between face perception, the modular hypothesis of cognitive function proposed by Fodor (1983), and attention. In the first study, two different manipulations were used to examine whether faces automatically trigger holistic processing operations as measured by the composite effect. The results support a modular account of face perception. The second study introduces a novel rivalry phenomenon produced by overlapped upright tilted faces. The results indicate that this effect is dependent upon orientation with overlapped inverted faces being perceived as ambiguous in a majority of trials. The third study further …  Read more

Structural-functional correlative studies were carried out in Sprague-Dawley rats to investigate the effects of three catecholamines, isoproterenol, norepinephrine and epinephrine, on myocardium. The findings were grouped in three categories: 1. Continuous intravenous infusion of 4-6 microgram/100 g body weight/ minute isoproterenol and norepinephrine administration produced irreversible lesions while epinephrine produced reversible cardiac muscle cell changes. Contraction band formation characterized the effect of isoproterenol, whereas myofilament lysis followed norepinephrine infusion. 2. Structural findings were related to changes in coronary microcirculation. A rise in blood pressure following norepinephrine was accompanied by an increased transendothelial passage of diffusion tracers, horseradish peroxidase and ferritin, …  Read more

Neurotrophins are growth factors pivotal for the proper development and maintenance of the nervous system. Nerve growth factor (NGF) was the first neurotrophin identified for its growth and survival promoting effects in sympathetic and sensory neurons. NGF is first synthesized as a precursor, proNGF, which is cleaved either intra- or extra-cellularly to yield mature NGF. NGF ligands can then initiate cell signaling by binding three structurally unrelated neurotrophin receptors, p75NTR, TrkA and sortilin. Distinct and opposing functions have been attributed to the mature and pro-form of nerve growth factor in neurons. Both forms bind to the p75NTR but utilize unique …  Read more

Misra, A. K. (Supervisor)  Read more

The possible polar wandering of the planet Mars is investigated by modeling some of the many surface magnetic anomalies discovered by Mars Global Surveyor (MGS). First I describe the physics of polar wandering by exposing the theory developed by Ricard et al. [1993] and Spada et al. [1996]. I derive the linear form of the equation of polar motion in the time domain valid for polar motion of up to 10 deg. The long-term polar motion of a non-rigid planet is also discussed via the rotational number first defined by Spada et al. [1996]. The main conclusion of Spada et …  Read more

To elucidate the structure and the function of the prolactin receptor, I have used molecular biological techniques. After unsuccessful screening of expression cDNA libraries with poly- and monoclonal antibodies, synthetic oligonucleotide probes, deduced from tryptic fragment sequences of the purified receptor, were used to isolate the rat liver prolactin receptor cDNA. Using this cDNA, the regulation of prolactin receptor expression by estrogen treatment and during ontogenesis was studied in female rat liver and revealed both pre-translational and translational control of the receptor. Finally, the human prolactin receptor cDNA was isolated. It encodes a long form of receptor (598 aa) compared …  Read more

In the world today, economic exploitation of children is one of the most intolerable attacks to humanity. Given the extent of the phenomenon, international action is necessary to ensure its elimination. In this regard, international law can play an important role as it can direct formulations of State policy. Unfortunately, despite numerous normative developments, child labour still exists. Therefore, the author suggests that international action be reoriented at two levels. Firstly, the current approach must be re-evaluated to take into account the social dimension of child labour. Education should be a key focus in the struggle against child labour since …  Read more

Le present document continent en premiere partie, une synthèse des connaissances sur le trouble du deficit de l'attentons avec ou sans hyperactivite  Read more

Hekimi, Siegfried (Supervisor)  Read more

There are millions of abandoned and orphaned oil and gas wells across Canada and the United States. Abandoned wells no longer produce oil and/or gas, and thus, in general, operators are not financially incentivized to plug and remediate the wells and associated sites. As a result, there are many orphaned wells, which are a subset of abandoned wells that have no responsible party, leaving the financial responsibility to plug and remediate the wells to government agencies and the general public. Abandoned and orphaned wells can degrade ecosystems, contaminate water sources, impact human health, and emit air pollutants including methane, a …  Read more

L'intérêt, les résultats et la motivation des élèves pour les sciences diminuent à mesure qu'ils atteignent l'école secondaire. Il en résulte une diminution du nombre d'étudiants qui poursuivent leurs études et, par la suite, leur carrière dans les domaines des sciences, de la technologie, de l'ingénierie et des mathématiques (STIM). Étant donné l'importance des STIM dans une société prospère, il est utile de se pencher sur la manière d'accroître l'intérêt, les résultats et la motivation des étudiants dans le domaine des sciences. L'un des moyens d'y parvenir est d'accroître la curiosité des élèves dans les cours de sciences. Afin d'étudier …  Read more

Are mucin-glycoproteins digested by acid hydrolases? What role do these acid hydrolases play ln ulcer formation? With these questions in mind, our study began. Both ethanol and acetyl salicylic acid, when topically administered to stomach mucosal tissue, produced an ulcer if acid was present, but failed in its absence. This ulcer was accompanied by a complex change in acid hydrolase activity. Our belief in the importance of the acid hydrolases in ulcer formation was strengthened and we began to study the properties of these enzymes under normal physiological conditions.  Read more

Vodou, the religious tradition of Haiti, has been maligned throughout history. However, a growing interest in Afro-Caribbean religions is carving out new avenues of access to this formerly secret and subjugated religion. Altered States: Travel, Transcendence and Technology in Contemporary Vodou is an ethnographic study of Vodou in North America that documents the shifting boundaries between a religion and its representations as it gains contemporary popularity. Contemporary Vodou communities are filled with practitioners who have consciously sought out new religious experiences and allegiances. This text charts their journey to and from Vodou. Altered States examines how Vodou practitioners navigate popular …  Read more

Chevet, Eric (Supervisor2)  Read more

Recent clinical evidence has suggested that interferon-$ beta$ is efficacious in the treatment of multiple sclerosis, a demyelinating disease that is thought to be immune mediated. The mechanism of its efficacy remains unclear. Possible modes of action include effects of interferon-$ beta$ on systemic or CNS immune or non-immune parameters. In the latter context, astrocytes are known to provide trophic support to oligodendrocytes and neurons. Since nerve growth factor (NGF) is reported to cause adult porcine oligodendrocytes to proliferate and extend processes and since these phenotypes can impact favourably on remyelination, we have examined the possibility that interferon-$ beta$ could …  Read more

Le développement des activités spatiales a été fulgurant depuis les années 60. En un demi-siècle, les satellites de météorologie, de télécommunication et d'observation de la Terre sont devenus indispensables à l'activité humaine sur Terre. En parallèle, l'exploration scientifique de l'Univers a permis des découvertes extraordinaires sur notre système solaire tout en permettant d'améliorer nos connaissances concernant la Terre. Dès les premiers programmes d'exploration spatiale avec les missions Apollo, l'existence de ressources naturelles potentielles dans l'espace a généré une grande curiosité scientifique. Aujourd'hui, l'utilisation des ressources est sérieusement considérée pour un usage local dans le cadre de futures missions d'exploration robotiques …  Read more

This study analyses Intellectual Property Rights related to space activities and Space Law. The potential contradictions between these two laws are of specific interest. Besides the different approaches on which their legislation has been established, the increasing role of private companies as space actors calls for the adoption of a strong legal framework for Intellectual Property. The issue of Intellectual Property Rights in outer space will be examined within the first Part, with a focus on Patent Law. The second Part explores the specific rules contained in the International Space Station Intergovernmental Agreement, on Intellectual Property and exchange of data …  Read more

Il y a un intérêt croissant pour le rôle que la diversification des cultures peut jouer dans l'amélioration de la biodiversité du territoire agricole, et de façon plus large, dans la réponse aux préoccupations liées à la durabilité agroécologique. Les bénéfices de la diversification spatiale et temporelle des cultures sur des résultats agro-environnementaux sont bien établis à petite échelle, mais les moyens pour réaliser cette diversification à plus grande échelle restent obscures. Des études récentes ont fournies des lignes de bases importantes et des repères pour informer les stratégies de diversification. De nouvelles cartes des terres agricoles comprennent les limites …  Read more

Les études épidémiologiques suggèrent que les événements négatifs survenus chez la mère lors de son enfance et/ou de sa grossesse sont associés à des difficultés autant au niveau comportemental qu'émotionnel plus tard dans la vie de l'enfant. Les impacts de ces événements négatifs sont également influencés par le génotype des enfants. Il est fort probable que les polymorphismes du transporteur de sérotonine (5-HTTLPR) influencent, de concert avec l'historique d'événements négatifs vécus par les mères, l'émergence des premières différences individuelles au niveau du tempérament des enfants, en particulier l'émotivité négative. Cette étude visait à déterminer les impacts du gène 5-HTTLPR chez …  Read more

St-Pierre, L. E. (Supervisor)  Read more

The intracarotid sodium Amytal test determines whether each hemisphere can sustain memory, presumably mediated by the hippocampus, on its own. Scepticism exists, however, about its validity because the hippocampus may not be completely irrigated by the internal carotid artery. EEG analysis in patients having intracerebral electrodes showed the hippocampus to be clearly affected. To ensure that memory is tested only during Amytal inactivation, monitoring the duration of inactivation is necessary. It was found that EEG measures predicted a significantly shorter duration than motor and sensory measures. EEG slow waves caused by Amytal were also shown to predict low memory scores.  Read more

Watt, D. (Supervisor)  Read more

Scoble, Malcolm (Supervisor)  Read more

L'un des défis majeurs auquel est confronté le traitement du cancer aujourd'hui est la résistance à la radiothérapie et la chimiothérapie de certaines cellules tumorales. Notre étude visait à explorer le rôle de CUX1 dans la résistance à la radiothérapie et la chimiothérapie. CUX1 est un facteur de transcription métazoaire qui est clivé pendant la transition de phase G1/S par la cathepsine L à partir de sa forme pleine longueur p200 pour générer l' isoforme p110. p110 CUX1 permet l'activation transcriptionnelle de gènes impliqués dans la progression du cycle cellulaire et de la réplication d'ADN. La surexpression de p110 CUX1, …  Read more