McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par A

McCormick, G. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

This thesis explores issues of subjectivity and gender around ritual activity in Xianyou county, Fujian Province, China. It focuses on three groups of women: Buddhist nuns, mediums and village women engaged in the ritual caretaking of their families. It also examines a spirit writing text from the late Qing dynasty (1644-1911). It is suggested that subject positions and kin positions are to a certain extent coextensive and that participation in certain rituals is what constitutes one as a gendered subject (as a "woman") and in certain kin roles (as wife, daughter-in-law, etc.). Other gendered subject positions (such as that of …  Lire la suite

Ce mémoire examine les variations dans les formulations précises utilisées par l’administration Obama et le New York Times lors du processus de légitimation publique des véhicules aériens sans pilote (UAV) armés. Il utilise un cadre théorique qui analyse l’action socialement dense créée par l’interaction entre les pratiques, les connaissances préalables et l’état de la relation symbiotique entre les deux communautés. Cette analyse a été achevée à l’aide du logiciel Atlas.ti afin de faciliter le codage interprétatif et l’analyse des articles du New York Times et les communiqués officiels de l’administration Obama publiés et émis entre janvier 2009 et mai 2013. …  Lire la suite

Les aptamères sont des structures d’oligonucléotides qui s’associent aux cibles de façon similaire aux anticorps et alors se nomment des anticorps synthétiques. Les aptamères offrent certains avantages – leur synthèse est moins chère et plus reproductible, leur sélection est plus vite, elles sont plus facilement fonctionnalisées, et elles ont des durées de conservation plus longues. Cependant, les aptamères souffrent de déficiences en stabilité in vivo, puisqu’elles ont tendance à être filtrées par les reins et dégradées par les nucléases, et sont limitées par la diversité de leur composante de base. Il existe plusieurs modifications chimiques qui ont amélioré leurs propriétés …  Lire la suite

To test the hypothesis that maternal glucose restriction (GR) would compromise small intestine (SI) growth and development, we used a diet induced model of IUGR. Pregnant rats and offspring were fed isoenergetic diets {0% (deficient), 12, 24% (restricted), 60% (adequate) glucose) from gestation day (gd) 0 through adolescence. SI tissue was collected at gd20, birth, 12--24h, postnatal day (pd) 7, 15, 21, 28, 35, 49 and in controls. GR affected pup weight at early timepoints, resulting in IUGR; beyond effects due to differences in body wt, GR compromised SI length at 12--24h and promoted SI growth during peak lactation (pd15; …  Lire la suite

Derome, Jacques F (Internal/Supervisor)  Lire la suite

This study investigates individual creative performance in the context of social networks in medium sized work groups (n = 15 - 25) by combining individual, contextual, and social network antecedents. It is an effort to build a balanced model that takes into account the position of the individual within the social system, as well as individual motivation and perceptions of organizational context. The results show that the effects of motivational and contextual factors on creative performance are mediated by creative behavior performed by the individual. The individual's position in the social network and the nature (strong or weak) of the …  Lire la suite

Several twentieth century archaeological expeditions to Lower Nubia recovered the skeletal and cultural remains of C-Group populations mainly from cemetery sites between Shellal and the Second Cataract. Along with the remains of the more or less contemporary Pangrave and Kerma peoples, the C-Group archaeological sequence was assigned to the Middle Nubian Period which lasted from the Sixth to the Eighteenth Egyptian Dynasties and is dated from ca. 2200 B.C. to ca. 1500 B.C. Conflicting interpretations of C-Group socioeconomic conditions are inevitable since no systematic analysis of the data resulting from the excavations of Middle Nubian cemeteries has ever been undertaken. …  Lire la suite

Lorsqu'un signal radar rencontre des obstacles, la précision des données de réflectivité est endommagée, ce qui réduit la qualité des outils de prévisions météorologiques tels les totaux de précipitation et les algorithmes qui surveillent l'évolution des orages. Dans cette étude, on recherche une solution optimale pour remplir en temps réel et dans un contexte opérationnel les trous d'information causés par les échos de sol, en explorant une variété d'algorithmes de plus en plus complexe basée sur une méthode géostatistique: le kriging ordinaire. Le résultat final est le développement d'un algorithme de kriging ordinaire "intélligent". Cette méthode remplace les pixels contaminés …  Lire la suite

Children's participation and motives in sport relative to their perceived athletic competence were investigated. One hundred and sixty-three grade 5 and 6 children from a suburban elementary school completed questionnaires designed to assess perceived athletic competence (PAC), sport participation, and participant motives. The sample, when divided into groups by level of sport involvement, revealed that participants at the higher levels had greater PAC than those at the lowest level. Boys and girls did not differ significantly in PAC. The children rated fun and skill/fitness as the most important motives for their participation in sport. When divided on the basis of …  Lire la suite

Background: Targeting the tumor microenvironment has become a promising avenue of oncology, however little is known about this aspect in medulloblastoma. The tumor microenvironment includes many components which may either inhibit or promote malignant growth. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and neutrophils have demonstrated both pro- and anti-tumoral activity that can vary between tumor types. Senescent cells exhibit a senescent associated secretory phenotype (SASP) which can affect neighboring tumor cells, immune cell infiltration, and cell differentiation. We aimed to characterize the tumor microenvironment in the pediatric brain tumor Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) medulloblastoma.Methods/Results: Using the Ptch1+/- mouse model of Shh medulloblastoma, we have …  Lire la suite

The genome sequencing revolution over the past few decades has generated data from increasingly large cohorts of individuals. The analysis of these data has allowed researchers to identify patterns in genetic variation within and between human populations. Differences in allele frequencies across diverse groups of individuals are commonly accounted for in genome wide association studies to avoid spurious associations. As a result, continental population structure observed in diverse cohorts has been well studied, and has led to many advances in our understanding of deep human history. However, the study of fine-scale structure within populations has only recently become possible as …  Lire la suite

Dans cette thèse, j'applique des nouvelles méthodes de séquençage et des techniques analytiques développées pour étudier la source et la nature de la variation adaptative dans le contexte d'une expérience d'évolution à long terme utilisant Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Je me concentre sur deux mesures distinctes de la dynamique évolutive et utilisons une variété de méthodes bioinformatiques pour traiter et analyser les données génomiques pour répondre à ces questions. Le premier chapitre aborde la question de savoir si la variation génétique permanente ou les nouvelles mutations sont la source de variations adaptatives. En comparant l'ascendance locale de chaque région génomique pour chaque …  Lire la suite

Alecsandru, Ciprian (Internal/Cosupervisor2)  Lire la suite

The forecasting of mineral commodity prices, yet perhaps the most important factor to the decision-making process of mining companies, still remains an intricate task due to the different elements that drive such prices. To this date, several techniques have been developed with the aim of improving the forecasting accuracy; however, their architecture has also varied in terms of complexity.This thesis explores the use of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) on the forecasting of mineral commodity prices. ANNs have proven to be quite helpful modeling the hidden patterns that many time-series forecasting methods, be they the Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) and …  Lire la suite

Four aspects of the function of the vas deferens were examined by light microscope immunocytochemistry of Bouin-fixed, paraffin-embedded material. First, the expression of aquaporin-1 by endothelial cells of the vascular channels in the lamina propria of the distal region, suggested water transport from the lumen of the vas deferens via the dilated intercellular spaces to underlying vascular channels, the function of which may be to concentrate sperm. Second, the expression of 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase by principal cells was indicative of steroid synthesis. Third, the ability of the vas deferens to create a special environment for protecting spermatozoa in the lumen was …  Lire la suite

In this thesis we apply the Interfacial Wave Theory of dendritic crystal growth to the case in which the thermal diffusivity constant and the specific heat of the liquid state are different from those of the solid state. The problem is formulated as a linear eigenvalue problem. A quantum condition for the eigenvalues is derived and a discrete set of possible solutions is found. The selection problem is solved using the global neutral stable state analysis proposed by the Interfacial Wave Theory.  Lire la suite

A model for microwave heating is considered. The behaviour of the solution is analysed and a procedure to calculate the solution is presented. This procedure is based on an eigenfunction expansion. Combining both analytical argument and numerical results, it is then shown that the qualitative behaviour of the solution can be deduced from the fundamental-mode. An extension to a model of porous medium combustion is presented. It is again shown that the qualitative behaviour of the solution is captured by the first eigenmode. The corresponding model for traveling combustion waves is examined and a numerical solution is sought. The algorithm …  Lire la suite

The history of Canada's policies in the matter of Chinese immigration from 1870 to the present time may be divided into four distinct periods: The period of unrestricted immigration ending 1885; the period of the head-tax system from 1885 to 1923; the period of the exclusion of Chinese immigrants ending in 1947 and the period of limited admission of Chinese immigrants under the rules applicable to Asians in general. [...]  Lire la suite

The present work was performed on primary A319.2 alloy to investigate the effect of magnesium and strontium additions on the heat treatment behaviour and mechanical properties of the alloy. Samples were cast in permanent mould, then cut in order to obtain coupons which were solution heat treated at 495°C for 4 and 24 hours, followed by quenching in hot water. Two different artificial aging temperatures were applied at 180°C and 220°C for times from 0.5 h up to 24 hours. The investigation consisted of a systematic measurement of macrohardness and matrix microhardness of samples under different heat treatment conditions. Tensile …  Lire la suite

The need to modify or “replan” a head and neck cancer patient’s radiotherapy treatment arises when significant anatomical changes occur during their treatment course. While regular patient imaging during treatment can be useful to identify when a patient needs to be replanned, they continue to be treated with the sub-optimal original plans until a new plan is created. For this reason, the ability to predict in advance if and when a patient’s plan will require replanning would be advantageous so that the patient is treated with a more optimized plan throughout their treatment course, improving the overall quality of treatment. …  Lire la suite

Signalling the beginning of a new era to international civil aviation, the concept of the CNS/ATM systems came into being as the result of joint efforts of the international community, under the aegis of ICAO, in search for a solution to the limitations of the ground-based air navigation systems, which would otherwise inhibit further development of air transport on a global scale. Employing digital and satellite technologies in support of a seamless air traffic management system, it will bring improvements upon the present levels of safety, efficiency and accuracy, as well as increased capacity and economic benefits. An analysis of …  Lire la suite

In the last decade, parties to arbitration agreements have attempted to broaden the scope of judicial review of arbitral awards by contract, beyond the boundaries established in international and domestic arbitration statutes. This thesis analyzes this contractual expansion of judicial review from an international perspective. To this end, the standard of judicial review under the most important international instruments pertaining to commercial arbitration is examined: the New York Convention and the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration. The study then addresses the question as to whether provisions for heightened judicial review of arbitral awards would be enforceable under the …  Lire la suite

The overall goal of this study was to investigate the possibility of reducing NO3-- concentration in the lower soil horizon by promoting denitrification. The study looked at an inexpensive remediation practice for subsurface-drained fields in order to degrade N0j' and consequently diminish NO3-- pollution. The experiments were conducted on a corn field at the Macdonald Campus Farm. The field was composed of sandy loam soil underlined by a clay layer. In this study, sucrose was injected at a concentration of 20 mg L --1 within the subirrigation water. Furthermore, the water table was maintained at approximately 70 cm from the …  Lire la suite

Innovative means and methods were tested to develop an economical, pragmatic and environmentally sustainable soil remediation process for heavy metal contaminated soils. An unsaturated-flow soil washing procedure was devised to dissolve the soil-bound toxic heavy metals; the latter were extracted by a chemical washing solution that percolated through the soil matrix. Subsequently, the leached toxic heavy metals were selectively concentrated, by a chemical precipitation process, into a solid waste. Thereby, a fraction of the spent ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), within the washing and rinsing leachate, was theoretically regenerated and recycle-ready. The unsaturated-flow washing procedure was perfected by applying different treatments to …  Lire la suite

Les pratiques agricoles régénératrices peuvent être la clé pour inverser l'appauvrissement de la matière organique du sol (MOS) dans les sols agricoles, permettant aux sols de séquestrer plus de CO2 de l'atmosphère et de soutenir des agroécosystèmes résilients. Cependant, les pratiques agricoles recommandées pour reconstituer les stocks de MOS, notamment le semis direct, la diversification de la rotation des cultures et la rétention des résidus, peuvent être moins efficaces dans les sols frais et mal drainés comme ceux des basses terres du Saint-Laurent au Québec, au Canada. Cette étude a évalué l'effet de ces trois pratiques sur les stocks de …  Lire la suite

Les chercheurs ont estimé qu'il y a 1,6 à 3,8 millions de commotions cérébrales qui se produisent chaque année (Langlois, Rutland-Brown, & Wald, 2006), dont la majorité d'entre elles se produisent dans le sport (Marshall et al., 2015). Alors que la plupart des commotions cérébrales se résous entre 7 à 10 jours, 10 à 20% des athlètes souffrent de symptômes prolongés qui comprennent souvent des symptômes physiques et psychologiques qui peuvent persister de quelques semaines à plusieurs mois ou années (Caron, Bloom, Johnston, & Sabiston, 2013; McCrory et al., 2013). À l'heure actuelle, peu d'études ont porté spécifiquement sur les …  Lire la suite

The investigation to be described in this thesis forms part of a larger research on blood preservation and plasma substitutes that has been carried on in the Department of Biochemistry since the first year of the war [...] The present study was conceived at a time in the evolution of blood preservation when there was little agreement amongst workers on this Continent and in Great Britain on the matter of so-called preservative solutions for the preservation of erythrocytes. Special committees had been formed in the early years of the war under the Research Councils in Canada and the United States …  Lire la suite

In recent years much educational work has been undertaken to inform the general public of the importance of vitamin C in the daily diet and has increased the demand for foods rich in this vitamin. Eruits and fruit juices are generally good sources of vitamin C, but apples are an exception. Fresh apples contain only about 5-10 mgs. ascorbic acid per 100 gms., the amount depending on the variety, and when processed as apple juice much of this is lost or converted into dehydroascorbic acid. Canned apple juice, therefore, contains from nil to 0.2 mg. reduced ascorbic acid and after …  Lire la suite

The following investigations have been carried out on recommendation and with the financial assistance of the Associate Committee of Army Medical Research of the National Research Council of Canada and constitute two independent research problems. Part I deals with a study of the feasibility of sprouted cereal and legume seeds as a source of vitamins in the army ration for troups in isolated areas. This work has been carried out at Macdonald College under the direction of Dr. W. D. McFarlane. Part II deals with a study of the vitamin metabolism in patients suffering from various types of acute damage. …  Lire la suite

Ethler-Blais, J. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Zilic, Zeljko (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

This thesis presents the design and implementation of operations on Text attributes in the Relix programming language. We can initialize Text attributes directly, from data files, text files or from HTML documents. We view text as an unordered sequence of strings, choosing different definitions of the string making up the base unit. We define textview as a relation of two attributes. The values of the attributes are strings into which Text is divided and their sequence numbers. We provide four pre-defined textviews: character, word, sentence, and paragraph. We can also define textviews using regular expressions. We allow multiple textviews to …  Lire la suite

For some time now, Article 2061 of the French Civil Code had laid down the general principle that arbitration clauses were invalid. In 2001, an amendment to Article 2061 reversed the concept, so that the former principle became the exception and the law was made to favour arbitration. While the reform was a progressive step, it did leave some ambiguity especially concerning the consumer disputes. Arbitration is indeed a very convenient alternative dispute resolution method in this arena. The purpose of this thesis is to address some of the issues related to consumer disputes. It seeks to demonstrate that by …  Lire la suite

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a lethal disease with a five-year overall survival rate of only 6%. The current treatment strategies are largely ineffective and there is a critical need to identify novel therapeutic approaches. Current research is focused on delineating the various molecular subtypes of PDAC, with the aim of developing more effective personalized therapies targeting specific defects in each PDAC subtype. Since hereditary forms of PDAC are attributed to common genetic driver mutations, each characterized hereditary form of PDAC may represent a subtype of PDAC that could potentially be exploited therapeutically by targeting common molecular defects. One of …  Lire la suite

Although an extensive body of literature exists describing the properties of cells found in the primate vestibular nuclei (VN), the rat vestibular nuclei have not been explored in a comparable manner in order to allow for meaningful comparisons. Previous single-unit experiments in rat VN did not track eye movements and were performed in anesthetized or paralyzed preparations. This study characterizes the properties of vestibular-related cells in awake, behaving rats, using standard single-unit methodology, and video oculography to monitor eye movements, thus providing the first description that is comparable to the primate literature. Male, Long-Evans rats were head restrained and sinusoidally …  Lire la suite

Neidhöfer, Christoph (Internal/Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Le tremblement essentiel (TE) est une maladie qui implique une connectivité dysfonctionnelle entre le thalamus ventral et le cortex moteur. Les lésions de thalamotomie éliminent ces schémas oscillatoires dysfonctionnels et réduisent considérablement les tremblements chez les patients atteints de TE. L'objectif de cette thèse est de tester les effets de la thalamotomie sur les mouvements volontaires, et, plus particulièrement, sur les performances de tapotement des mains chez des patients atteints de TE. Notre hypothèse est que la thalamotomie, en supprimant les tremblements, affecte positivement la précision et la vitesse du tapotement manuel dans le TE. Pour tester cette hypothèse, nous …  Lire la suite

It has long been postulated that the facet joint geometry (FJG) has an important influence on lumbar segmental motion. Although their sagittal orientation has been described in detail, there are very few studies describing the three-dimensional (3D) FJG. None correlates the latter to segmental kinematics. In view, we developed a method to quantify 3D FJG and compared the results to segmental kinematics. In the ex-vivo set-up, facets of individual cadaveric vertebrae taken from a previous biomechanical. study were digitized using a 3D morphometer and the geometry of the facet joints in respect to the vertebra's local coordinate system was quantified. …  Lire la suite

The PDQ-39 is a health-related quality of life questionnaire with 39 items describing eight dimensions in Parkinson's disease (PD). The original English version of PDQ-39 showed excellent psychometric properties. The present study was aimed at assessing the construct validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability of the PDQ-39 French version as well as the degree of agreement between PD patients and their proxy respondents when completing the scale. One neurologist and two psychologists using standardized clinical scales of PD severity and depression rated 126 PD non-demented patients, attending a neurological clinic. Then, patients and their 110 proxies completed the PDQ-39 and …  Lire la suite