McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par N

Women's status in Indian agrarian communities has been discussed in terms of cultural and agricultural practices, which affect women adversely in the northwestern wheat region and favourably in the southern rice region. The correlation is tested by the female farm labour participation (FLP) rate and the juvenile sex ratio (JSR). I examine the correlation between women's contribution to agriculture and their status in wet paddy and dry millet regions in Tamil Nadu. Compared to northwestern India, the JSRs are more balanced and FLPs are high in both regions, yet the implications of high FLPs differ. Thanjavur shows a high female …  Read more

This thesis characterizes the nutritional implications of climate change impacts on the traditional food system of Inuit in Nunavut, Canada. Both focus groups and food frequency questionnaires were used in collaboration with two communities to describe current climate change impacts on traditional food and define nutrient intake. Currently, both communities experience climate-related changes to important species which provide high levels of key nutrients. If climate changes continue to impact traditional food species, serious nutritional losses may occur unless healthy alternatives can be found. Policy should support Inuit communities to maintain optimal nutrition in the face of climate change.  Read more

A morphological study was done of Tomes' process, the organic matrix and the hydroxyapatite crystals of enamel. The membrane of Tomes' process where secretion of rod and interrod material occurs is extensively infolded. The interrod secretion site extends circumferentially around the ameloblast and granules fuse with deep membrane infoldings. The infoldings associated with secretion sites can be abolished by injecting vinblastine. Newly secreted enamel proteins do not accumulate extracellularly. So-called "stippled material" is an artifact of fixation and results from degradation of previously calcified enamel. Simultaneous visualization of the organic matrix and hydroxyapatite crystals is not possible because the aqueous …  Read more

An evolving environment can have such an impact on the requirements of an existing software system that it can render the system obsolete. We have experienced precisely such a loss in our research environment. The Congruence Evaluation System was an innovative proof of concept (CES POC) system, developed over two years with three person-years of effort. It was part of an environment which was constantly evolving, and this change in the environment dictated the fitness of the CES POC system in the environment. The system served excellently for the basic research goal of discovery and proof, but failed seriously in …  Read more

Barley (Hordeum vulgare subsp. vulgare) is an important cereal crop grown worldwide for producing malt and is used as animal feed. Wild barley (Hordeum vulgare subsp. spontaneum), the progenitor species of cultivated barley, is a rich source of genetic variation, which can be utilized for the improvement of cultivars. Various molecular markers are available to study genetic variability and diversity in plants. We used two different types of SSR or microsatellite markers- genomic SSRs (gSSR) and expressed sequence tag SSR (EST-SSR) markers, to assess and compare the genetic diversity between the wild and cultivated barley germplasm obtained from PGRC genebank, …  Read more

Ce n’est que depuis peu que l’apprentissage par renforcement profond s’est montré utilepour contrôler des personnages évoluant avec un espace d’action continu doté nombreuxdegrés de liberté. Cependant, utiliser les outils de l’apprentissage par renforcement telsquels produit une démarche qui est rarement symétrique. En effet, aucune contrainte n’estimplémentée pour forcer la symétrie. Une façon d’atteindre une locomotion plus semblableà la démarche humaine est d’introduire une récompense qui pousse à imiter des donnéesde références préalablement acquises; une autre est d’imposer des contraintes de symétrie.Cette thèse propose une nouvelle méthode qui contraint l’espace des actions à êtresymétrique, force une symétrie temporelle des actions …  Read more

Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer in women, and comprises a range of histopathological and molecular subtypes differing in metastatic capacity, response to therapies, and clinical outcomes. In an effort to unravel the heterogeneity of the disease, the disease has been characterized by overexpression of hormone receptors (Luminal B) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). Given the complexity of breast cancer, utilizing genetically engineered mouse (GEMMs) and patient-derived xenografts (PDX) models to recapitulate human disease has been instrumental in our understanding of the genetic and molecular bases underlying tumor initiation and progression. In this thesis, I …  Read more

Liberalization of textiles and clothing was one of the pillars of the Uruguay Round under the WTO aimed at promoting economic growth, development and alleviating poverty. For over 40 years this sector had been separated from the established principles of liberal trade stemming mainly from protectionist sentiments. The new regime established by the Uruguay Round aimed at integrating the sector into GATT on the basis of its strengthened rules and disciplines in furtherance of its general objective to liberalize trade. This change in international trade rules is a phenomenal development that is bound to have an impact on trade in …  Read more

This thesis is concerned with tracing the rise and spread of that section of the Nizari Ismaili Da'wa which eventually gave rise to what has come to be known as Satpanth Ismailism. The spread in turn involves studying the activities and identifying the various da'is or pirs who came to India and spread the Satpanth doctrine. It is fundamental to the study of movements like Ismailism, that the historical context in which they spread be understood clearly and it is only in this way that one can hope to understand the intellectual assumptions of the movement, in relation to the …  Read more

This thesis is concerned with providing a perspective on the total heritage - oral, written as well as that observed in a continuing tradition of religious practice - among the Nizari Ismailis of the Sub-continent  Read more

In this thesis we develop various multitarget tracking algorithms that can process measurements from single or multiple sensors. The filters are derived by approximate application of the recursive Bayes filter within the random finite set framework, which is used to model the multitarget state and observations. The contributions of the thesis can be organized into three main categories.To provide a motivating application for the algorithms we develop, we first study the problem of radio frequency tomography. We empirically validate a radio frequency tomography measurement model when multiple targets are present within the sensor network. We validate modelsfor both indoor and …  Read more

Une des pires épidémies de santé du XXIe siècle est le Diabetes Mellitus, caractérisé par la destruction des cellules β productrices d'insuline. L'inflammation, en particulier les cytokines pro-inflammatoires, jouer un rôle clé dans l'initiation et la progression de la mort des cellules β. Le but de notre recherche est de développer une nouvelle approche pour préserver et accroître la masse des cellules β pancréatiques. Cette thèse étudie la capacité protectrice des cellules β de deux protéines candidates: (i) Islet Neogenesis Associated Protein (INGAP), co-découverte par le Dr Rosenberg comme la première molécule néogénique inversant le diabète dans les modèles animaux …  Read more

Canada lags behind other countries in the development of electronic health records. If Canada develops a pan-Canadian electronic health record (EHR) system, the quality of patient care can improve. A review of the literature lists potential benefits of EHRs such as improvements in medical research, a reduction in emergency room and diagnostic test wait times. Such a system will make medical records readily available to health care providers which will help them make informed critical decisions. Regardless of the benefits of such a system, there are legal and ethical implications hindering its development and implementation. The federal and provincial governments …  Read more

The dimensional stability of superheated steam dried paper made from groundwood, thermomechanical, chemithermomechanical and bleached kraft pulps were investigated in terms of hygroexpansivity, drying shrinkage and wet expansion. For all the pulps tested these characteristics of dimensional stability were found to be improved by high temperature superheated steam drying. The hygroexpansion coefficient, the dimensional change relative to paper moisture content, was reduced about 15% by superheated steam drying at 320°C, compared to paper dried in low temperature air. Irreversible shrinkage was reduced by up to 30% for sheets dried in superheated steam. However, these effects on hygroexpansivity were caused mainly …  Read more

A fast-beam collinear laser spectroscopy apparatus has been designed and tested with the $ sp{23}$Na D$ sb2$ line (wavelength = 589 nm) on continuous atomic beams. A radio-frequency quadrupole ion trap and its associated electronics have been assembled and successfully operated, trapping $ sp{23}$Na$ sp{+}$ ions from an external source built for the purposes of this work. The bunched ions were extracted and detected; the effect of several injection, bunching and extraction parameters on the extracted bunches' size were studied. A simple model of the ion bunching and losses in the trap is proposed. From the sensitivity limit of the …  Read more

The evolution of the fantastic short story has followed a similar path as contemporary short story and also took inspiration from many literary forms. As a result, it has undergone profound changes since the 19$ rm sp{th}$ century. And yet, studies of this genre are just beginning to break away from the thematic interpretation originally designed to provide a temporary solution to an experimentation problem. The study of a selection of short stories by Julio Cortazar, very representative of these neo-fantastic tangents allows us to observe the techniques which the fantastic genre can now be based upon. The second part …  Read more

L'objectif de la présente thèse était d'identifier les patrons et les différences individuelles dans le développement des comportements prosociaux au cours de l'enfance et de l'adolescence, ainsi que d'examiner les associations longitudinales entre les comportements prosociaux et les problèmes extériorisés et intériorisés. Les bases neurochimiques des comportements prosociaux, spécifiquement le fonctionnement sérotonergique, ont également été examinées. Trois études sont présentées. La première étude décrit de façon longitudinale les comportements prosociaux au cours de l'enfance et l'adolescence, à l'aide de multiples informateurs et d'échantillons canadiens et italiens. Les participants étaient des garçons provenant de quartiers défavorisés de Montréal, Canada, et des …  Read more

Le fonctionnement moteur des personnes atteintes de sclérose en plaques varie entre une capacite normale et des déficiences graves. Les symptômes hétérogènes de ce maladie neurologique chronique sont dus en partie aux lésions cérébrales structurales, qui sont localisées de façon diffuse à travers le cerveau et risque de détériorer au cours de la maladie. La convergence des lignes de preuve suggèrent que les lésions cérébrales et l'invalidité associée à la sclérose en plaques peuvent être liées tout deux aux neurotransmetteurs excitateur et inhibiteur les plus prévalent du cerveau : le glutamate et l'acide γ-aminobutyrique (GABA). L'activité de ces neurotransmetteurs peuvent …  Read more

Micro- and batch flotation tests were conducted to explore the use of silica sol to control metal ions to reduce accidental activation and misplacement of minerals. As a comparison other 'metal control reagents', ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and polyphosphate were also tested. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to probe the silica sol-mineral interaction mechanism. Micro flotation was performed on single mineral samples over a pH range 7 to 11. It was found that silica sol depressed all Cu minerals, Cu and Pb activated pyrite and Pb activated sphalerite but did not depress Cu activated sphalerite. XPS analysis revealed that silica …  Read more

Mutations in the p53 gene are known to be associated with a wide range of human tumors. In some primary tumors and established cell lines, stable mutant p53 protein is expressed at high levels, whereas, in normal cells unstable wild-type p53 protein is expressed at very low levels. Sera from some patients with breast and colon tumors contain anti-p53 antibodies. It is unclear whether changes in p53 structure, or its increased level in tumors, causes p53 to become antigenic. In our study we tested sera from patients with various types of cancer for anti-p53 antibodies. Examination of the sera was …  Read more

The primary concern of this thesis is the consideration of the sermons of Gerard Manley Hopkins as literature, that is, their style, structure, thought, the sermons as written. But any sermon involves more than these things: it involves the success or failure as communicated in preaching; and it involves the approach to the difficulties or sermon conventions. These cannot be entirely separated from the main study, but they will be taken for granted from time to time.  Read more

L'entraînement cognitif, généralement administré de manière informatisée, est enraciné dans la réhabilitation cognitive et repose sur le concept que la formation directe peut conduire à une réorganisation des fonctions neuronales. La neuroplasticité permet à l'anatomie et le fonctionnement du cerveau de continuellement changer, suite à l'expérience. Par conséquent, l'entraînement cognitif a le potentiel de diminuer les dysfonctionnements cognitifs et comportementaux et à devenir une nouvelle option de traitement pour les enfants et les adultes. Puisque les enfants en développement ont une plasticité accrue, le cerveau est plus vulnérable aux interventions. Malgré l'absence de consensus sur l'efficacité de l'entraînement cognitif, un …  Read more

Youth experiencing homelessness are often portrayed as being amongst the most at-risk youth, due to increased risks of adverse outcomes. In turn, these youth have historically been pathologized and blamed for their status, and consequently, many experience stigma, isolation, and vulnerability. Although adverse outcomes are frequently experienced among this population, many possess notable strengths and demonstrate resilience and adaptive coping. Using a strength-based approach, the aim of this dissertation was to recast the predominant narratives surrounding the outcomes and interpersonal relationships of youth experiencing homelessness. Accordingly, in order to obtain a more nuanced understanding of the developmental dimensions involved in …  Read more

Wild, Jonathan (Supervisor2)  Read more

Objectif: L'intimidation et les bagarres physiques sont deux formes de violence à l'école qui concerne les adolescents, les parents, les enseignants et les administrateurs scolaires au Canada ainsi que dans le monde. Cette thèse cherche à savoir si les indicateurs sociaux contextuels de la privation relative et la désorganisation sociale sont associés à l'implication des adolescents dans l'intimidation et les bagarres physiques.Méthode: Les données de cette étude viennent de l’enquête «Health Behaviour in School Aged Children (HBSC)». Cette enquête a interrogé un échantillon d’étudiants canadiens (n = 26 078) de la 6ème et 10ème année. Les données ont été fusionnées …  Read more

The last decade has been characterized by the development of a nascent aerospace industry whichseems ready to take off, the major point of interest being Point-to-Point (PTP) international suborbitaloperations. The current regimes of air law and of space law were established at a time when the possibility of hybrid aerospace activities was not envisaged, and the development of such aerospace operations poses many serious legal and practical questions that remain unanswered to thisday. Suborbital vehicles seem to operate in both airspace and outer space, but it is unclear where, legally, airspace ends and outer space begins, and if, between the …  Read more

This study used combined methods of observations, interviews and document analysis to understand issues related to aging in Indonesia. The study describes relevant policy and practices for older persons in Indonesia, and discusses major social issues of poverty, the need for social security, and ambivalent views of older people in Indonesian society. While the Social Department Affair (Depsos) has pioneered in providing initiatives for older persons, the benefits of these supports are often limited (e.g., formal sector, urban areas). Complexities of the emphasis on family caregiving, constrained government budgets, and social stigma (e.g., "the last priority") mean that older people …  Read more

Pack, Christopher (Supervisor1)  Read more

While considerable research on progress functions has been done in industrial and manufacturing sectors, little emphasis on this topic has been observed in software development field. Sherdil pioneered the progress functions study in the field of software development, which, if effectively used, can significantly help reduce the software cost and time and improve product quality. In his research, he found that an average of 22% autonomous (first-order) learning takes place in all the three fields, productivity, product quality and personal skills. Whereas second-order training and technology seems to have helped software engineers by up to 13% more in progress, as …  Read more

Les agents environnementaux tels que la fumée, la pollution, l'ozone et les substances chimiques inhalées peuvent causer des lésions respiratoires via des processus intra et extracellulaire qui conduisent à des inflammations et au stress oxydatif. Les apports en polyphénols ont montré un effet bénéfique anti inflammatoire qui pourrait se révéler protecteur contre les dommages causés au poumon. Cependant, malgré l'abondance des recherches sur les composés polyphénoliques, celle concernant leurs métabolites générés par le post intestin et le métabolisme hépatique est limitée. Le travail de cette thèse est basé sur des travaux antérieures qui ont montré que l'acide 3 Phenylpropionic et …  Read more

The struggle for power between the military class and state officials in the 'Abbasï court on governmental affairs had assumed serious proportions by the time of Munis' rise to power (296/908). There was a similar struggle among the ghilman, the class to which Munis belonged. From the start, those ghilman particularly the Hujariya and the Masaffiva appeared as armed political groups rather than apolitical military units. The purpose of this thesis is to deal with Munis' political and military career at the 'Abbasi court between 296-321/908-933. Three focal areas were chosen for this study. (1) The struggle for power between …  Read more

The central thesis of this work is twofold: (1) contrary to the images perpetuated in works of criticism, there exists no sustained misogyny in the text of exemplar epics by Ferdowsi and Homer, or antagonism toward women rooted in the poets' attitude, and (2) using the principle of androcentric (rather than gynocentric) feminist literary theory we have tried to prove the existence of a "systematic inconsistency" in the roles and images assigned to the women of The Shahnameh, the Iliad, and Odyssey. We have identified the presence of a double structure concerning the question of women. Instead of endlessly praising …  Read more

Personal laws regulate the family, which is the sphere in which Indian women experience the sharpest discrimination. Despite constitutional guarantees of equality and freedom from discrimination, Muslim personal law perpetuates the subordination of women within the family. The political manipulation of Muslim personal law reform by the State and by fundamentalist leaders has resulted in the marginalization of Muslim women's interests. This thesis focuses on the issue of Muslim women's equality within the family. It explores how arguments relating to 'religion', 'culture' and 'group identity' have been used to subordinate Muslim women. Their rights have been recast as oppositional to …  Read more

In this thesis, I focus on the relationship between gender and nation in post-colonial India, through the lens of Muslim women, who are located on the margins of both religious community and nation. The contradictory embrace of a composite national identity with an ascriptive religious identity, has had critical consequences for Muslim women, to whom the state has simultaneously granted and denied equal citizenship. The impact is felt primarily in the continuing disadvantage of women through the denial of gender equality within the family. The state's regulation of gender roles and family relationships in the 'private sphere', inevitably has determined …  Read more

In the field cricket, Teleogryllus oceanicus, two types of auditory interneurons, AN2 and ON1, have been studied. AN2 responds best to ultrasound frequencies (≥20kHz) produced by echolocating bats and initiates negative phonotaxis by the cricket. ON1 responds to both low (4-5kHz) and high frequency sounds and encodes the temporal information present in sounds of both frequencies. ON1 also provides lateral inhibition to contralateral interneurons, such as AN2, thereby enhancing binaural contrast. The pharmacology associated with these two interneurons is investigated here. ON1's response to 4.5kHz sound is increased following picrotoxin application, while it's ability to encode temporal information present in …  Read more

The effect of Ti-microalloying on the microgalvanic corrosion behaviour of the Mg-6Al-0.5Mn (AM60B) alloy was investigated. The corrosion rate of AM60B decreased by 85% in immersion tests (hydrogen evolution) with 0.006wt%Ti alloying; polarization tests showed that the average corrosion current density also reduced by 25% and the average corrosion potential shifted to more noble values. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) confirmed better corrosion resistance of AM60B+0.006wt%Ti as the impedance curves obtained for the alloys were larger than the reference AM60B alloy. The charge transfer and diffusion resistances were also higher for the Ti containing alloy. Scanning Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (SKPFM) …  Read more

The name Emanation is commonly employed for Element number 86. This nomenclature is, however, not strictly adhered to, since the name Radon and Emanon have also been used for the same element. [...]  Read more

The expanding Colombian education system has seen the emergence of new state managerial styles. The system was designed originally for a country with one-half of the present population, one-third of the human resources and less than one-fifth of the required financial resources. For this reason, it was necessary to extend and diversify services to include preschool, postgraduate education, nonformal education and services. Cultural activities, recreational activities of all types, and the development of scientific and technological research have also been included. At present this process is coming to an end and there is a tendency toward decentralization at the Ministry …  Read more

HES6 is a novel member of the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) family of transcription factors that is involved in the activation of the myoblast differentiation program. Studies demonstrated that HES6 can regulate transcription from gene promoters containing an N box (CACNAG), a DNA motif located in the regulatory regions of many muscle-specific genes involved in myoblast differentiation. This suggested that a HES6 heterodimer could bind to the N box. The purpose of this study was to identify putative HES6 dimerization partners that would allow it's binding to the N box and then repress transcription. A genome-wide screen isolated several clones. Potential …  Read more

In this thesis, we investigate several processes affecting coronals and velars in Tamil and Malayalam, two Dravidian languages spoken in southern India. We begin by discussing two assimilation processes which apply adjacent to front vowels, Palatalization, where anterior coronals become palatoalveolar, and Coronalization, where velars are fronted to palatoalveolar. We compare and contrast the feature geometries proposed by Sagey (1986) and Hume (1992) in their ability to adequately express these processes. In Sagey's model, front vowels are argued to be Dorsal. It is thus impossible to express either Palatalization or Coronalization as spreading. In Hume's model, where front vowels are …  Read more

In many technological processes applicable to industry, as well as in physical and physico-chemical systems to be found in nature, one encounters frequently situations where transfers of heat and of mass occur simultaneously. [...]  Read more

The seed hairs of the typha family (cat-tails) are easy to collect and appear to the eye to consist of cellulosic fibers of nearly uniform length radiating from a central stem. The object of the present Thesis was to review the literature concerning the chemistry and possible uses of the typha plant and to Supplement existing knowledge concerning the chemical composition and properties of the seed hairs. It was found that Standard methods of wood analyses gave inconsistent results with typha seed hairs and an effort was made to discover why such methods were unsuitable in this particular case.  Read more

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) or Intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) in proteins can exhibit a partially folded or unfolded state under physiological conditions but confer several functional advantages. IDRs can fold into a stable tertiary structure when bound to their partner molecule, a transition that can be promoted by post-translational modifications (PTMs). Intrinsic disorder is found in all domains of life but is prevalent in eukaryotes. This thesis investigates the composition and evolutionary behaviour of disordered regions that undergo disorder-to-order transition and the evolutionary trend of PTMs in IDRs across eukaryotes using computational methods and tools. Bioinformatical parsing of human folding-on-binding …  Read more