McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par R

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the concepts of privacy and to propose design patterns for providing privacy for individuals and families in the context of Montreal row houses. The study examines and explores the notion of privacy through a multidisciplinary literature review and links this notion to the row houses. The morphogenesis of row houses, the role of occupants and the built environment in the evolution of privacy issues in this housing type is investigated through a broad historical review and site surveys. The research leads to a series of proposed design patterns which can be used …  Read more

Contexte : Les maladies cardiovasculaires sont la principale cause de mortalité dans le monde, et la maladie coronarienne est la forme la plus courante. Elle est causée par un excès de plaqueras l'artère, bloquant le flux sanguin vers le cœur (sténose). Une intervention coronarienne percutanée élargit la paroi artérielle grâce à l'inflation d'un ballon à l'intérieur du lésion et laisse un stent pour prévenir le rétrécissement de l'artère (resténose). Cependant, une resténose intrastentaire causé par les dommages à la paroi artérielle, cause l'hyperplasie néointimale, et produit des plaques fibreuses et calcifiées qui rétrécissent l'artère. Les stents à élution de médicaments, …  Read more

An efficient approach adopting Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Space, RKHS, to estimate the parameters of Differential Equations from noisy realizations of the system’s output is presented in this thesis. Initially, this thesis studies the previous works on parameter and state estimation using RKHS. This approach estimates the parameters, order n, the output trajectory and the derivatives of the system up to n-1, where n is the true order. The presented approach is able to handle error in the variable using local fitting and regularization. The suggested method uses Bayesian Information Criterion, BIC, to evaluate possible order for unknown systems. Lastly, to …  Read more

We have developed a new solid-state High-Throughput (HTP) imaging device, designed to capture sequence of images (Videos) of multiple live biological samples simultaneously under physiological conditions (inside and incubator). And at a price of approximately $25000 USD, it is orders of magnitude less expensive than many other commercially available HTP devices costing 100s of thousands of dollars. Commercial HTP systems generally require robotic motion to either move the camera or the sample. Alternatively, they would utilize a single sensor with a wide field of view to simultaneously capture many samples that are close to each other. Robotic components introduce a …  Read more

Cette thèse présente kinodynamique inversé (IKD) qui est un procédé kinematiquetrès pratique utilisable pour l'animateur qui consiste à la fois d'une dynamiquede courte durée et qui permet des contraintes spatio-temporelles précises. Kinodynamique (KD) définit l'état du système à un moment donné comme le résultat d'un état kinematique dans un passé récent, physiquement simulé dans une fenêtre temporelle de courte durée du temps présent. KD est une approximation kinematiquebien adaptée aux caractères animés et à d'autres systèmes dynamiques avec unmouvement kinematique dominant et une dynamique de courte durée. En ayant unsystème dynamique on peut d'abord formuler une taille de fenêtre kinodynamiqueappropriée, …  Read more

The adoption of software development principles and methodologies embodying best practices and standards is essential to achieving quality software products. Many organizations world-wide have implemented quality management systems that comply with the requirements of the ISO 9001 standard, or similar schemes, to ensure product quality. Meeting the requirement of ISO 9000 can be costly in time, effort and money. The effort primarily depends on the size of the organization, and the status of the quality management system. The focus of this thesis is on the development of an effort estimation model for the implementation of ISO 9001 in software organizations. …  Read more

The bulk of research on teacher knowledge has taken place in elementary and secondary school settings. The goal of this study was to examine teacher knowledge in higher education by asking: (1) what types of knowledge are drawn upon in teaching in higher education and (2) Are there differences in the knowledge drawn upon by inexperienced (M = 5.77, SD = 2.8 years teaching), experienced (M = 18.79, SD = 7.36 years teaching), and professors who have won teaching awards (M = 19,50, SD = 7.60 years teaching)? Participants were selected at random from published lists of university faculty. Questionnaires …  Read more

The current study seeks to determine the costs and benefits associated with three different learner-based data collection conditions; the one-to-one, dyad, and small group. It also addresses whether the dyad is a viable alternative to the other two. It examines the amount and type of data yielded in each condition. Comparisons are based on: (a) learners' comments, (b) learners' tests scores, and (c) objective measures (e.g., session length). Thirty-four (15 males, 19 females) McGill University undergraduate students participated in the study. Participants were instructed on how to report problems they encountered while learning from a six-page instructional unit. Results indicate …  Read more

Development of a suitable animal model of AIDS is much needed in AIDS research to study infection and pathogenesis as well as to evaluate methods of prevention and treatment of HIV infection. Small animals such as rodents are attractive candidates for AIDS research due to the availability of various inbred and genetically engineered strains, extensive knowledge or their immune system, especially in mice, and the relative ease of breeding and maintaining animal colonies. Transgenic small animal models carrying entire HIV genome or selected genes have been instrumental to understand functions of HIV genes in vivo and their role in HIV …  Read more

In automotive applications, a transmission is a mechanical device that delivers the power of the traction unit to the wheels in different combinations of torque and speed.Various transmissions have been suggested and developed for internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) to meet the above-mentioned objective. Moreover, complex gear shift techniques have also been introduced in order to meet certain characteristics such as efficiency, drivability, and lifetime of the system. However, increasing fuel cost and environmental concerns have pushed the automotive industry to gradually replace ICEVs with hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and fully electric vehicles (EVs). The migration from ICEVs to EVs …  Read more

Les effets de la température de préchauffage et de la formulation de la pâte sur le transfert de masse et la porosité de la pâte frite ont été étudiés. Deux ensembles différents de système de pâte à frire ont été utilisés. Tout d'abord, une pâte de farine de blé a été préchauffée pendant 10 min à trois températures différentes, soit 60, 70 et 80ºC. Les échantillons de pâte ont ensuite été frits dans l'huile de canola à 180 ± 2°C. La pâte préchauffée à 60°C a démontré une teneur plus élevée en humidité ainsi qu'une porosité et une teneur en …  Read more

Vali, Hojatollah (Supervisor)  Read more

Following earlier research on social and psychological effects and significance of collective self-esteem (CSE) in intergroup relations, a comparative cross cultural study was conducted to examine and compare the correlates of CSE, personal self-esteem (PSE) and personal experience of racism (PER) in Quebecois and Cambodian groups of adolescents and their parents. It was hypothesised that the effects and distribution of CSE, PSE and PER would be different across cultures and, within cultural groups, across generations, due to the differential meanings and social implications of these constructs in each group. Owngroup interviewers interviewed 208 subjects in French and Khmer languages. The …  Read more

This dissertation develops a meaning oriented model of the relationship between culture and the subjective experience of psychosis, by analyzing interviews and other ethnographic data collected over the course of a 12 month fieldwork in Istanbul, Turkey. The theoretic framework for the study is introduced on the basis of detailed discussions of the notion of schizophrenia, the questions of Turkey and Turkish identity, and the basic theories of semiotics. Derived from the theoretic framework, four principles are then proposed as fundamental features of the relationship between culture, meaning systems, subjectivity and psychosis, as follows. (1) the inseparability of the notions …  Read more

La modulation à porteuses multiples (MCM) est une technique de transmission efficace pour les communications filaires et sans fil à débit de données élevé, où la bande passante est divisée en plusieurs sous-canaux ayant chacun leur propre fréquence porteuse. Il existe de multiples réalisations possibles pour les systèmes MCM, mais le multiplexage orthogonal par répartition en fréquence (OFDM) est la solution la plus répandue dans les applications et standards présentement en vigueur. Toutefois, en raison de l'utilisation de filtres de synthèse et d'analyse rectangulaires, certaines imperfections causées par le canal de transmission, tels que les interférences à bande étroite (NBI) …  Read more

Academic procrastination is defined as the needless postponement of academic tasks despite the expectation of negative consequences, with over 46% of undergraduate students, and 60% of graduate students, engaging in this behaviour (Onweugbuzie, 2004; Senécal, Julian, & Guay, 2003; Solomon & Rothblum, 1984). A review of the research literature on academic procrastination showed a lack of research to date on the directionality of the relationship between academic procrastination and academic emotions so as to determine whether students’ emotional experiences are best understood as influencing/being influenced by their procrastination, or if a bidirectional relationship exists. The present three-phase studies examined the …  Read more

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of three forms of social comparisons in teachers (downward, horizontal, upward) on measures of burnout, job satisfaction, intentions to quit, and emotions. Findings from a sample of 526 teachers showed upward social comparisons to positively predict job satisfaction, personal accomplishment, enjoyment, and negatively predict emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, intentions to quit, anxiety, and anger. Downward social comparisons were found to positively predict job satisfaction, but also positively predict anger. In contrast, horizontal comparisons were found to have unanticipated negative effects on intentions to quit, emotional exhaustion, personal accomplishment, depersonalization, anger, anxiety, and lower …  Read more

In Canada, the use of assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) has risen within the last decade due to the increased prevalence of infertility. Although the majority of ART-conceived children are born healthy, the use of these techniques has been associated with an increased risk of adverse offspring outcomes, such as growth and genomic imprinting disorders. In fact, assisted reproduction has been shown to compromise DNA methylation programming during germ cell and early embryo development. The availability of methyl donors, such as folate from the diet, is critical in the proper establishment and maintenance of DNA methylation patterns throughout development. The goal …  Read more

Previously, our lab showed that CUX1 and other CUT domain proteins function as auxiliaryfactors in BER, stimulating the enzymatic activity of the OGG1 DNA glycosylase, which isresponsible for the repair of oxidized purines. As CUT domain proteins do not stimulate otherDNA glycosylases, we aimed to identify auxiliary factors of NTHL1, the DNA glycosylase thatremoves oxidized pyrimidines. Bio-ID approach results using NTHL1 fused with BirA* showedthat BCL11B was biotinylated. BCL11B is a zinc finger transcription factor involved in thedevelopment of various tissues. While BCL11B is overexpressed in some cancers and isassociated with resistance to radiomimetic drugs, it has been characterized genetically …  Read more

Fayazbakhsh, Kazem (Supervisor2)  Read more

Numerous patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) suffer from post-operative complications associated with TKA, namely end of stem pain and aseptic loosening. The mechanical mismatch between the implant and the surrounding bone has been identified as one major cause for implant failure. After primary TKA, the mechanical bio-incompatibility of the implant with the surrounding bone tissue results in bone resorption, which leads to revision surgery. Revision surgeries are generally more complex and often associated with a lower chance of success when compared to primary TKA. Excessive micromotion at the bone-implant interface raised from periprothesis bone resorption is attributed to the …  Read more

" La simulation de la mécanique des fluides constitue un domaine vital au sein de la simulation du monde réel, répondant à des scénarios divers, de l’écoulement de liquides aux vastes vues océaniques, devenant souvent un outil indispensable pour les réalisateurs et les artistes. La méhodologie eulérienne se présente comme une approche significative dans la simulation de fluides, segmentant l’espace de simulation en cellules de grille pour surveiller les propriétés du fluide telles que la vitesse, la pression et la température. Pour garantir l’incompressibilité du fluide, la technique eulérienne résout l’équation de Poisson, ge ́ne ́rant un système linéaire, symétrique …  Read more

Shot peening is a surface enhancement process used to improve the fatigue strength of metals by introducing beneficial compressive residual stresses on the surface. Shot peening is widely used in a number of industrial applications, including gas turbine engines. However, the fatigue life improvement gained via shot peening is not explicitly accounted for in current engine components life prediction processes. Therefore, there is a significant potential for increasing the predicted damage tolerance capabilities of engine components if beneficial residual stress considerations are incorporated into the life prediction methodology. In this work, a finite element model was developed to apply residual …  Read more

Bartlett-Esquilant, Gillian (Internal/Supervisor)  Read more

Knoppers, Bartha (Supervisor2)  Read more

This thesis is a study of the Sanusiyya order, in which particular emphasis is placed on its role as a resistance movement. Based on a survey of the social, economic, religious and political activities of this sufi brotherhood and its involvement in the tribal system of the North Africa during the first three decades of this century, an attempt will be made to identify on the one hand the factors that contributed to the strength of its resistance to Italian invasion, and on the other, the elements that led to its failure. It is argued that its initial success in …  Read more

This study was designed to investigate the effect of background on the disappearance of luminous figures. The basic observation is the Ditchburn-Riggs effect obtained with stabilized images. Stabilized images of simple visual objects, like straight lines, disappear and reappear rapidly from time to time. Pritchard, Heron, and Hebb (1960) observed that stabilized images of complex figures disappear and reappear in a meaningful fashion. McKinney (1963) demonstrated a similar phenomenon with luminous figures in the darkroom. He observed that luminous figures also tend to disappear and reappear like stabilized images. McKinney showed that there are more disappearances when the figure is …  Read more

Renoux, Christel (Supervisor2)  Read more

Le syndrome délétion 22q13.3 est un trouble neurodéveloppemental caractérisé par de l'hypotonie, des retards développementaux et du langage ainsi que par des comportements autistiques. Malgré les avancés en génétique, le PMS continue à être sous-diagnostiqué à cause de la difficulté à identifier le phenotype comportemental. Les résultats de cette étude suggèrent la présence de comorbidité entre le trouble du spectre de l'autisme et le PMS. Les manifestations de l'autisme les plus fréquents chez les participants étaient des déficits dans les interactions sociales ainsi que dans la communication verbale et non-verbale. La comorbidité entre le PMS et l'autisme est caractérisée par …  Read more

In the present study, performance on a range of mathematical reasoning and number processing tasks was assessed across two syndrome groups for which numerical ability is under-researched: Fragile X syndrome and Down syndrome. Given the paucity of current research, it was unknown whether all aspects of arithmetic and number processing would be globally affected across groups or whether there would be syndrome specific proficiencies and deficiencies. Statistical analysis revealed that males with fragile X syndrome performed significantly worse on all tasks even when performance was compared to typically developing children of a similar developmental level. However, when performance was compared …  Read more

In a technology driven world, technology acquisition decisions as to when and which new technologies to acquire are becoming increasingly critical for firms to survive and grow. The issue of technology acquisition is addressed with three different focuses in the current dissertation. In the first essay, we extend the results of some existing literature. Existing literature suggests that, in an oligopoly, identical firms acquire the same technology at two different dates under Nash or pre-commitment equilibrium, which assumes infinite information lag between two firms. The set of equilibrium dates turn out to be different under subgame perfect or pre-emption equilibrium …  Read more

Climatic stress vulnerability has cross-scaler influences on development interventions, particularly in developing countries. While most of climate adaptation plans and interventions are developed at national or international scales, relatively little attention has been paid to incorporate the contextual properties of climate vulnerability in adaptation-related decision making. Focusing on the wetland ecosystem dominated northeastern floodplain communities of Bangladesh, this exploratory research seeks to better understand how locally-specific socio-economic and biophysical properties serve to compound vulnerability to climatic stresses; how community members use their resources and assets in order to reduce their sensitivity to climatic stresses; and the extent to which government …  Read more

The current international tax regime was conceived at the beginning of the 20th Century and the rules have remained relatively unchanged since then. The operational rules of the international tax regime were designed for an economic era in which major international commercial enterprises were confined within a physical paradigm, and they had succeeded in achieving an acceptable and practical allocation of tax revenue that was being generated from international commerce. As commerce sunders itself from its physical boundaries, the traditional international tax rules that are confined within a physical paradigm fail to provide an adequate solution to the tax issues …  Read more

Les modèles du climat global (MCG) ont été fréquemment utilisés pour les études des impacts du changement climatique en pratique. Toutefois, les échelles spatiales de ces MCG sont très grandes et alors ne sont pas appropriées pour ces études d’impacts. Donc, plusieurs méthodes de mise en échelle ont été élaborées dans la communauté scientifique pour établir les liens entre ces différentes échelles. De plus, plusieurs de ces méthodes de mise en échelle ont été proposées, mais la majorité de ces méthodes concernent la mise en échelle des variables climatiques en un site donné sans considération de la dépendance spatiale entre …  Read more

Skeletal muscles comprise of approximately 50% of the human body mass and are critical organs for enabling locomotion and exerting metabolic control. Autophagy, a lysosome-dependant catabolic process involved in the degradation of long-lived proteins and organelles, is an important process responsible for maintaining muscle homeostasis. Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) has been shown to induce autophagy in many different cell types. In this study, we evaluate the effects of physiological levels of mitochondrial-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS) on skeletal muscle autophagy. In differentiated C2C12 myotubes, basal level autophagy and autophagy triggered by 1.5 to 4 hr of acute nutrient deprivation, inhibition …  Read more

Cette étude vise à théoriser et documenter empiriquement les effets des transitions de puissance et des interactions stratégiques sur les décisions étatiques en matière de disputes territoriales. Bien que les études existantes aient contribué significativement à comprendre la résolution pacifique des disputes, des questions importantes demeurent sous-étudiées. Aucune réponse convaincante n'existe à la question du pourquoi et quand un États dominant a recours à des moyens pacifiques pour résoudre une dispute territoriale. Les cas où une puissance émergente régionalement dominante offre des concessions majeurs sont particulièrement intrigants. Durant les deux dernières décennies, les puissances émergentes, malgré leur position de plus …  Read more

Green infrastructure can improve the permeability of urban surfaces, reduce the heat island effect, and ameliorate urban biodiversity, in addition to pre-filtering water, controlling stormwater runoff control, and mitigating the adverse effects of urbanization. Specialized systems for urban crop production can be incorporated into existing green walls and green roofs that might otherwise be less attractive due to retrofitting load, costly setup, amounts of polymeric materials used, and high carbon footprint. Alternate and novel approaches to urban crop production and heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) for green infrastructure and controlled environment agriculture could partially address these challenges.In this study, …  Read more

En l'an 1972, lorsque la première constitution du Bangladesh a été adoptée, elle embrassait un cadre constitutionnel laïc (en faisant de la laïcité, du nationalisme laïc, de la langue Bangalee, et la démocratie libérale les principes le régissant) et interdit toutes les formes de la politique basée sur la religion et a renoncé à fournir toute reconnaissance spéciale à la religion. En dépit d'être un grand pays à majorité musulmane, la raison pour laquelle l'assemblée constituante a eu recours à une telle approche stricte pour le Bangladesh était parce qu'ils voulaient éviter de répéter l'histoire de la violence communautaire causée …  Read more

The Euclidean distance between two points P,Q of the Euclidean n-dimensional space En is a real valued function f(P,Q) of P and Q with the following properties. Definition. A real valued function f(P,Q) of the ordered couple of points P,Q of the En that has t he properties (1), (2) is called norm distance. Usually the norm distance satisfies (3) as well (symmetric norm distance).  Read more

Dans le statu quo actuel, les systèmes électriques se retrouvent dans une gamme toujours croissante de produits que nous utilisons dans notre vie quotidienne. Avec les progrès technologiques, des secteurs tels que l’automobile, les communications et les appareils médicaux ont été perturbés par de nouveaux systèmes électriques et électroniques. L’innovation et le développement de tels systèmes, dont la complexités augmente au fil du temps, ont été soutenus par l’utilisation accrue de logiciels d’analyse électromagnétique (EM). Un tel logiciel permet aux ingénieurs de concevoir, d’analyser et d’optimiser virtuellement des systèmes EM sans avoir besoin de construire des prototypes physiques, contribuant ainsi …  Read more

Automatically planning the motion of rigid bodies moving in 3D by translation and rotation in the presence of obstacles has long been a research challenge for mathematicians, algorithm designers and roboticists. The field made dramatic progress with the introduction of the probabilistic and sampling-based "roadmap" approach. However, motion planning when narrow passages are present has remained a challenge. This thesis presents a framework for experimenting with combinations of sampling strategies and local planners, and for comparing their performance on user defined input problems. Our framework also allows parallel implementations on a variable number of processing cores. We present experimental results. …  Read more

Sundby, Bjorn (Supervisor)  Read more

Les robots pneumatiques souples ont gagné en importance en raison de leur capacité à interagir de manière sécuritaire et adaptative avec les humains et les objets délicats. Cette capacité découle de la grande flexibilité et de l’extensibilité de leur matériau constitutif, qui peut subir d’importantes déformations avec une force minimale sous action pneumatique.Malgré leurs mérites, les robots pneumatiques souples sont confrontés à deux défis de fonctionnement: (i) la dépendance à un apport continu de pression pour atteindre une fonctionnalité basée sur la déformation, et (ii) l'incapacité de modifier leurs modes fonctionnels de déformation pour accéder à des fonctionnalités au-delà de …  Read more

Cow’s milk allergy (CMA) is one of the major food allergies among infants and young children in Western populations. CMA is defined as an immunologic adverse reaction to cow’s milk proteins. It affects 2-3% of infants. In 85% of the children, CMA resolves spontaneously within the first 5 years of life. Those with persistent CMA have a lifelong threat of anaphylaxis. 20 patients were recruited for a trial of cow’s milk (CM) oral immunotherapy (OIT). Blood samples were collected at baseline and at multiple time points during the trial. Specific IgE, IgA and IgG4 to casein, β-lactoglobulin (BLG) and α-lactalbumin …  Read more

We have constrained the neutrino parameter space of Deltam 2-sin2 2thetav by considering the possibility of r-process nucleosynthesis occurring in the hot bubble region of a supernova. In addition, we have calculated the effects of density fluctuations and spin-flavor oscillations on these constraints. We also considered the delayed shock mechanism of a supernova explosion and calculated the shock heating rate with and without the Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein (MSW) and Resonant spin-flavor precession (RSFP) effects. We have confirmed that both these phenomena can significantly affect the neutrino heating rate of the supernova causing shock wave.  Read more

The effects of density fluctuations on supernova neutrinos have been studied. Using the formalism developed by Burgess & Michaud (BM) and stellar evolution progenitors by Woosley & Weaver, the expected neutrino flux from a future galactic super-nova have been computed taking into account possible density fluctuations for a 2ν system. It has been shown that within the most recent constraints of mass squared difference values and vacuum mixing angle, neutrino fluxes on earth could be affected depending on the fluctuation levels. The formalism developed by BM has been extended to the case of three neutrino generations. Preliminary results using this …  Read more