McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par T

INTRODUCTION: Gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (GEA) is the fastest-rising cancer in North America. Currently, providing patients with peri-operative systemic docetaxel-based triplet chemotherapy (DCF or FLOT) is the most effective approach to treat locally advanced GEA, the most common presentation stage of this aggressive malignancy. However, most patients recur with metastatic disease due to innate or newly acquired resistance to the therapeutic agents. The tumor microenvironment (TME) has shown to be implicated in modulating the tumor’s response to chemotherapy. Distinct populations of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) have demonstrated a potential role in conferring chemoresistance in other cancer types; however, the data on this is …  Read more

Cousineau, Benoit (Internal/Cosupervisor2)  Read more

Mixed electron-photon beam radiation therapy (MBRT) is an emerging treatment technique that combines both particles in a single plan to exploit their advantageous characteristics. An MBRT plan uses multiple beam energies and a large number of apertures to achieve a highly conformal dose to the target volume. However, the complexity of the technique makes it more prone to error. This project aims to develop a comprehensive QA protocol for MBRT, and we explored the possibility of utilizing trajectory log files and MapCHECK, a 2D diode array detector, for MBRT plan verification. In this study, 2 MBRT plans were robustly optimized …  Read more

The basic principle of the method of three-phase symmetrical components is the resolution of any particular set of vectors, current or voltage, in the three-phases of an unbalanced electric circuit into three sets of balanced three-phase vectors, i.e., the positive-sequence, negative-sequence and zero-sequence symmetrical components. [...]  Read more

CAR (for C̲oxsackievirus and A̲denovirus R̲eceptor) is a novel member of the Ig superfamily, which has recently been identified as a high affinity receptor for both Coxsackievirus and certain adenovirus (AV) serotypes. Virus bound by CAR is believed to be passed to integrins which bind an RGD (Arg-Gly-Asp) sequence in the viral penton base protein and act as secondary receptors responsible for virus internalization. Recent studies have shown that, in integrin-expressing cells, CAR-mediated AV uptake does not require the cytoplasmic (CP) domain of CAR, presumably because virus bound to the CAR extracellular (EC) domain can be passed to integrins for …  Read more

La fécondité féminine comprend un ensemble incroyablement complexe de facteurs qui permettent finalement la propagation d'une espèce. Parmi les nombreux événements importants qui se produisent tout au long de la vie reproductive d'une femme, l'ovulation est connue pour être exceptionnellement critique. Le développement et la maturation des ovocytes individuels logés dans les follicules suivent le modèle cyclique dans l'ovaire. Le but ultime de libérer un ovocyte fécondable dans les trompes de Fallope est accompli par la coordination d'une multitude de molécules de signalisation intracellulaire. Malgré des progrès incroyables dans la science de la reproduction féminine, beaucoup reste à décrire au …  Read more

This master's thesis is written by an indigenous person who sees education as a healing process. In the tradition of narrative inquiry (Clandinin and Connelly, 2000) I interweave autobiographical texts with reflections on colonialism, indigeneity and multiculturalism. I am Amazigh (Kabyle) from the country now called Algeria, where my people have lived for some 5,000 years. I was raised in France, where I experienced a racism which I became conscious of when I arrived in Canada. I draw on the Medicine Wheel teachings given by First Nations Elders in Canada as the philosophical framework of my text, a framework based …  Read more

With the rise of immunotherapies as a treatment for various cancers, the need to understand the mechanisms through which cancers evade the immune system is at an all-time high. The transcription factor Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (Stat3) is constitutively activated in 35-60% of breast cancer cases and has been linked to immunosuppression. Using a conditional Stat3 knockout, Polyoma virus middle T-driven mouse model, our lab demonstrated that Stat3 deficient mice still develop mammary gland lesions and hyperplasias. However, these lesions are rapidly cleared by a robust immune response headlined by CD8+ cytotoxic T cells and anti-tumor M1 …  Read more

FFT-based tests (e.g. gain, distortion, SNR, etc.) from a device-under-test (DUT) exhibit normal distributions when the measurement is repeated many times. Hence, a statistical approach to evaluate the accuracy of these measurements is traditionally applied. The noise in a DSP-based mixed-signal test system severely limits its measurement accuracy. Moreover, in high-speed sampled-channel applications the jitter-induced noise from the DUT and test equipment can severely impede accurate measurements. A new digitizer architecture and post-processing methodology is proposed to increase the measurement accuracy of the DUT and the test equipment. An optimal digitizer design is presented which removes any measurement bias due …  Read more

Les convertisseurs conventionnels pour changer la tension analogique à une tension numérique emploient les amplificateurs de tension, les comparateurs de tension, et les résaux de condensateur sélectionable pour acquir leur traitement de signal. En comparaison le circuit des modules analogues vis-à-vis le circuit numérique nous constatons une augmentation de puissance, une superficie de silicium moins compacte, et un traitement de données beaucoup plus lent. Une méthodologie est proposée pour le traitement du signal qui établi la conversion analogue à numérique sur les signaux de tension et tout en mettant en oeuvre tous les circuits dans un format numérique de type …  Read more

The adsorption behaviour of trace metals in soil may provide us with a way to more accurately predict and assess the toxicity of metals in the environment. This thesis reports efforts to apply surface complexation modeling to agricultural and forest soil and to relate model parameters to common soil properties. This study considered Ca, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn but the methods here could be applied to other metals. In Chapter 2, the surface charge and adsorption behaviour of a set of Ap horizons was characterised using back-titration and batch adsorption techniques. With the objective of simplifying the application of …  Read more

Lock, Margaret (Supervisor)  Read more

Ear oximetry is a technique used to determine the oxygen saturation of arterial blood in the intact man bya measurement of the absorption of red and infrared light passing through the ear. The withdrawal of an arterial sample of blood is not required. A theoretical investigation has revealed some of the sources of error inherent in present earpiece optical arrangements which have limited the overall accuracy of the technique. These errors cannot be corrected for in practice but may be eliminated or minimized by improved earpiece construction. Several methods of evaluating the accuracy and reliability of both instantaneous and continuous …  Read more

Mount Pleasant in southwestern New Brunswick, the site of an ancient volcano in Mississippian time, is the location of a tin deposit containtng minor amounts of zinc, copper, lead, molybdenum, tungsten, and indium. The country rocks, a gently dipping, highly altered sequence of acidic volcanic rocks, termed feldspar and quartz porphyry, are cut by numerous steeply dipping structures includlng acidic intrusive dikes, breccia dikes and pipes, faults, shears and joints. [...]  Read more

Patients with mitochondrial myopathies characteristically exhibit pronounced exercise intolerance, often associated with lactic acidosis, tachycardia and muscle weakness. These clinical features are attributable to impaired electron transport chain function in skeletal muscle. The usual etiology is a primary defect in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), where the severity of impairment is presumably linked to the ratio of mutant to wild-type mtDNA. This dissertation presents novel therapeutic approaches to these genetic defects, aimed at attenuating mitochondrial dysfunction and ameliorating the clinical condition by employing exercise training alone or in conjunction with pharmacological therapy. Dichloroacetate (DCA) was administered to augment mitochondrial capacity by activating …  Read more

This thesis examines Muhammad 'Abduh's ideas on Islamic Law, and the extent to which his writings influenced subsequent Muslim reformers in the sphere of law. The study focuses on 'Abduh's views on ijtihad and its application in modern society. The principle of ijtihad, as practised by 'Abduh, was not dependent upon the opinions of previous scholars. A leading reformer of Islamic law (1849-1905), 'Abduh rejected taqlid which in nineteenth century Egypt was the rule of the day. Scholars in his day adhered to the books of their respective madhhabs to the extent of choosing to ignore the main sources of …  Read more

This study investigated the preparation of polymers for wood coating applications. To produce such materials, reversible deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP) was used to prepare polymers with a low Ð, controlled polymer microstructure and low solution viscosity. In addition, RDRP enables a facile polymerization process in dispersed aqueous media. The polymers synthesized in this study were mainly made of methacrylic monomers with high bio-content. Here, nitroxide mediated polymerization (NMP) was used as a simple RDRP technique. NMP only requires heat and alkoxyamine to initiate and control the polymerization (control means a linear increase of number-average molecular weight (Mn) with conversion and …  Read more

Conventional thermal kinetics of enzyme inactivation and microbial destruction in fruit juices were studied in the pasteurization temperature range (50 to 90°C). Pectin methylesterase (PME), as the most heat resistant enzyme, in orange juice and Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Lactobacillus plantarum, as the most common spoilage yeast and bacteria, respectively, in apple juice used as indicators were subjected to heat treatment in a well-agitated water bath. Based on gathered time-temperature profiles, effective portions of the come-up (CUT) and come-down (CDT) times (lags) were determined for inclusion in kinetic data handling. The inactivation/destruction kinetics followed typical first-order rate of reactions. A continuous-flow …  Read more

The courtship behavior of the pulmonate snail Cornu aspersum comprises an intricate sequence of acts followed by dart shooting. This study aims at comparing mesocerebral electrical activity in ganglia removed from snails belonging to three stages of sexual arousal: Non-excited snails, pre dart shooters, and post dart shooters. The groups were compared using measurements of spontaneous mesocerebral activity and responses to simultaneous stimulation of six nerves. Dart shooters showed the highest spontaneous activity, followed by the pre dart shooters and finally, non-excited snails. Nerve stimulation increased activity only in non-excited snails. Cluster analysis failed to show a significant change in …  Read more

Persistent low back pain (LBP) is the most common form of chronic illness in Canadians age 60 and under, affecting 15% of the population. In addition to being a major health problem, it also has serious economic consequences. Current diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to chronic back pain are limited by our narrow understanding of the underlying biological mechanisms. As a consequence, treatment is not always effective and individuals may suffer for years without relief. LBP is often associated with signs of degeneration in the intervertebral discs. LBP encompasses a wide spectrum of pain disorders including axial pain in the back …  Read more

Lu, Steven (Supervisor1)  Read more

Over the ages, rural women in subsistence and near-subsistence economies have maintained a sustainable relationship with the environment. This has been manifested in their different roles as users, producers, managers, and income providers. However, the introduction of Western-style development emulating the growth patterns of the North has not only overlooked the needs of the environment but also the needs and knowledge of women. The uninhibited exploitation of nature through development has started eroding the environment. In addition, with the marginalization of women from development schemes, women's cultural, social, economic, and legal status has regressed even further than it was. With …  Read more

Cette etude se base sur la supposition que la globalisation est une des forces majeures qui influencent la reforme de l'enseignement superieur en Jordanie. Les changements dus a la globalisation sont d'une telle magnitude qu'ils ont un impact a travers presque tous les niveaux du systeme d'enseignement superieur. Le cadre conceptuel de cette recherche se base sur une approche methodologique qualitative guidee par le paradigme socio-contructivist en utilisant une etude de cas. Le but est d'articuler une methode d'enquete basee sur les notions post-modernes qui pronent qu'il existe plus d'une seule interpretation juste de la realite. Cette etude tente d'identifier …  Read more

Lexicalists assume that words with derivational morphology and compound words are not formed by syntactic transformation (Selkirk, 1982). The Lexicalist Hypothesis implies that the principles of universal grammar are not operative to word formation. This thesis argues that a word is composed of lexical constituents and post-lexical constituents, and that the post-lexical constituents can incorporate into a verb, to form the complex predicate. This formational process is subject to syntactic constraints and principles. Therefore, I claim that the principles of universal grammar are also operative to word formation. This hypothesis will throw a new light upon the area of language …  Read more

Cette thèse étudie le métabolisme de stockage des bactéries des boues activées dans des conditions en azote (N) limitée et non limitée et les cycles de ‘feast-famine' en utilisant des informations génomiques. Le modèle métabolique à l'échelle du génome de Rhodococcus jostii RHA1 était reconstruit in silico et a été résolu à l'aide d'analyse de balance de flux et différentes fonctions objectives dans ces conditions environnementales. Dans les conditions non et N-limitées, la maximisation des flux de stockage, en conjonction avec la MoMA environnementale a fourni les meilleures prévisions de croissance de RHA1 cultivé en batch sur le glucose et …  Read more

In this study, light and electron microscopic quantitative analyses were used to examine whether exogenous nerve growth factor (NGF) and/or monosialoganglioside GM1 treatment could affect non-cholinergic systems in the neocortex of the adult rat brain after a devascularising lesion. The two neuronal systems I looked at were the extrinsic noradrenergic and intrinsic somatostatinergic systems. Immediately after unilateral vascular decortication, adult rats received for seven days, via minipump, vehicle, NGF (12 $ mu$g/day) and/or GM1 (1.5 mg/day) into the cerebroventricular space. Thirty days after the lesion, the animals were perfused with histological fixatives, the brains removed and relevant sections processed for …  Read more

In the early period of microbiology, little attention was paid to marine microorganisms. In spite of the knowledge that life originated in the sea which covers the greater part of the earth's surface, little or no attempt was made to study the nature and activity of bacteria in the oceans. It was the end of the 19th century when Ehrenberg, Certes, Fischer and Russel, pioneer workers of marine bacteriology, published their studies in this field. Although marine bacteriology received more and more attention following the days of the pioneers, the research was mostly limited to general observations such as taxonomy, …  Read more

Previous research indicates that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficulty imitating the behaviour of others. Within the area of object-directed imitation, the presence or absence of a clear goal or outcome may facilitate or hinder imitative ability. The current study investigated imitation in five children ages 5 to 10 years with ASD. Imitation tasks were adapted from Rogers et al. (2010). Imitation actions were incidental to the goal and classified as functional or nonfunctional: functional actions and objects had a tangible outcome with sensory feedback while nonfunctional actions had no tangible outcome. Information about participants' developmental level, motor …  Read more

Experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of reducing dietary anion-cation balance (AC-balance), defined as meq $ sp circ$(Sodium + Potassium)-(Chloride + Sulfur) S, on calcium (Ca) metabolism. Reducing the dietary AC-balance from +314 to $-22$ (meq kg$ sp{-1}$ dry matter (DM)) did not affect plasma Ca level but reduced Ca retention mainly due to a 10-fold increase in urinary Ca excretion with similar rate of apparent absorption. It also decreased urine pH and titratable acidity. The response to induced hypocalcemia created by the infusion of 4.6% EDTA solution revealed that reducing dietary AC-balance from +354 to +37 (meq kg$ …  Read more

Deux expériences ont été conduites afin d'investiguer les effets du parasitisme gastro-intestinal subclinique sur la productivité animale. Les symptomes cliniques du parasitismen n'apparaissent pas dans le cas du parasitisme subclinique bien qu'il a été revendiqué récemment que la productivité des vaches laitières, peut être augmentée si les nématodes du canal alimentaire sont éliminés par un traitement anthelminthique. […]  Read more

Many of the problems faced in magnetic resonance imaging and angiography are due to hardware limitations of the scanners used. The use of multidimensional excitation pulses, and new, fast acquisition sequences such as echo-planar and spiral imaging, put demands on the gradient systems and although technology is progressing in these areas, performance must be carefully monitored to ensure artefact-free images. This thesis deals with four distinct aspects of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A simple hardware modification to decrease the minimum achievable echo-time of our MRI scanner was designed, built, programmed and tested and was found to improve the quality of …  Read more

Speech is becoming an important method of communicating with machines. It is one of the primary methods by which humans communicate with each other, and it could be argued that text is simply a means for representing speech. The present methods of communicating interactively with machines by keyboard and mouse will be supplemented by speech, and in some cases, superseded by speech. Speech will become essential in applications such as tele-robotics where the operator's hands or eyes are busy. Another advantage of a speed interface is that it is "location-free.'' This means that the operator can move freely, keeping in …  Read more

This study examined instructional strategies and their impacts on preservice teachers' attitude toward multicultural issues and learners. A qualitative phenomenological approach is used for this study because of my philosophical belief in multiple realities. The research site was a classroom of the Multi-Cultured/Multi-Racial course offered by the Faculty of Education in an English University located in the Montreal area. The studied course was a compulsory preservice teacher training course implemented for the first time in response to the requirement of the Ministry of Education in Quebec. The data were gathered through classroom observation, questionnaires distributed to preservice teachers in the …  Read more

Recent feminist criticism has resulted in remarkable changes to the interpretation of the refugee definition. Case law, academic commentaries and gender guidelines now recognize that women may constitute a particular social group under the definition of refugee. However, only those who belong to certain subgroups of women are usually granted asylum because being a woman only is considered too broad to comprise a particular social group. Such restrictive interpretation is theoretically and practically problematic, and it is the primary cause for the inconsistency in the interpretation of the definition of a particular social group and refugee determination in gender-based claims. …  Read more

With the advent of the age of genomics, an increasing number of genes have been identified and their functions documented. However, not as much is known of specific regulatory relations among genes (e.g. gene A up-regulates gene B). At the same time, there is an increasing number of large-scale gene expression datasets, in which the mRNA transcript levels of tens of thousands of genes are measured at a number of time points, or under a number of different conditions. A number of studies have proposed to find gene regulatory networks from such datasets. Our method is a modification of the …  Read more

Cette thèse comprend quatre essais sur des problèmes d’économétrie non-paramétrique et en grande dimension. Le premier essai propose une approche fondée sur des bornes pour la régression non-paramétrique. Afin d’approximer le vrai modèle, nous util- isons un modèle qui peut comporter une erreur de spécification, et nous montrons comment l’erreur d’approximation peut être bornée par des inégalités de concentration, de façon à construire des régions de confiance pour une espérance conditionnelle de forme incon- nue. Dans le deuxième essai, nous étudions des tests de type C(α) pour des restrictions linéaires et non-linéaires sur un paramètre de dimension finie, en utilisant …  Read more

The kinetics and mechanism of hydrolysis of both activated and unactivated phosphate diesters in the presence of aqueous solutions of Ce(III) salts are studied in detail. In the presence of 20 mM Ce$ rm (ClO sb4) sb3 (pH 8, 37 sp circ C)$ a DNA dinucleotide (dApdA) is converted to the nucleoside (dA) and inorganic phosphate with a half-life of approximately 100 minutes. This reaction is oxygen dependent and a mechanism involving the activation of oxygen by Ce(III) to give a Ce(IV) coordinated peroxide dianion as the active species is proposed. The addition of 20 mM hydrogen peroxide to 2mM …  Read more

Ballinger, Susan Gail (Internal/Supervisor)  Read more

Starting from the 10-dimensional low-energy string effective action for the graviton and dilaton, we study cosmological implications of string theory. We find some solutions for the string equations of motion both in vacuum and with the presence of matter. The scale factors r and R, which can be interpreted as the radii of the universe, tend to evolve in opposite directions: one radius expands and the other shrinks. We also study the flatness problem and propose an alternative solution to this problem. The behaviour of the radii r and R rear the Planck length $({ sim}10 sp{-33}$cm) is studied in …  Read more

The current "congested, contested, and competing" situation of outer space increases collision risks in space operations. The efforts of technology development to solve this situation have been well-developed, but regulatory issues still remain as challenges. Namely, the UN space treaties are not well-implemented into national legislation, the political will for new international legislation is consistently lacking, and the well-developed soft laws remain too abstract to resolve the problem. Hence, this thesis proposes to establish a new international regime for Space Traffic Management (STM), with a demonstration of its admissibility within the current international legal regime. Today, several initiatives show existing …  Read more

Les avancées récentes dans les techniques de séquençage de cellules uniques ainsi que les progrès dans les développements algorithmiques d'apprentissage automatique ont ouvert la voie à l'étude des réseaux de régulations génétiques (RRG) spécifiques au type de cellule et au patient. L'inférence axée sur les données des RRG peut aider à modéliser et à comprendre des processus biologiques tels que la progression du cancer et les métastases, le développement embryonnaire et la résistance aux médicaments. Elle crée également des opportunités de progrès dans des domaines tels que la médecine de précision et les traitements personnalisés du cancer.Dans cette thèse, nous …  Read more

Smith, Donald L. (Supervisor1)  Read more

Karoshi, or death from overwork, is a tragic modern work event. Continuous occurrence of karoshi in Japan offers an opportunity to reconsider the contemporary working environment, and especially the workers' compensation system. Strongly bound by the traditional notion of work accident, the Japanese workers' compensation system has shown difficulty handling karoshi cases. This fact calls into question the adequacy of the current workers' compensation scheme in the work environment it is meant to oversee. To analyze the issue, this thesis will use a comparative law method. The basis of comparison will be Ontario, Canada, which shares a system similar to …  Read more

Ghosh, Ratna (Supervisor)  Read more

Background: Managing type 1 diabetes (T1D) requires daily insulin interventions. Advances like insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) can reduce the burden of multiple daily injections (MDI) and capillary blood glucose (CBG) checks and improve glycemic outcomes. Yet, hypoglycemia remains a significant barrier, increasing the management burden and fear of hypoglycemia (FOH). Limited evidence exists on how diabetes technology impacts FOH and hypoglycemia beyond glucose metrics.This thesis aimed to (1) explore what strategies people with T1D use to prevent nocturnal hypoglycemia in the context of diabetes technologies use, (2) evaluate the frequency and consequences of clinically significant hypoglycemia, (3) …  Read more