McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par A

Malgré le nombre croissant de documents qui soulignent les impératifs de la formation en santé mentale pour les jeunes d'âge scolaire, il y a toujours un manque critique de programmes dans les écoles canadiennes. Le Programme de formation de l'école québécoise ne consacre qu'une unité par an (environ deux heures au total) à l'éducation en santé mentale, malgré les taux élevés de détresse mentale chez les jeunes (Commission de la santé mentale du Canada, 2013). Cette thèse explore la pratique et la prestation de l'éducation à la santé mentale du point de vue des instructeurs d'éducation physique et santé (EPS) …  Lire la suite

If one painstakingly analyzes and compares the novel, the theatrical and the libretto versions of Marguerite-Violetta, a several-time reborn character from the novel and drama Camille, one notices striking differences and gleans useful insights as to the peculiarity of the three genres involved (novel, theatre and opera) and as to the reductive work of the libretto writer who, by modifying the roles of the characters and the values they channel, achieves a synthesis that has no match in the works he draws from. This thesis aimed precisely at highlighting the intervening differences among the three genres, while pointing out the …  Lire la suite

This thesis is a study of provincial politics in the Province of Quebec during a period of relative prosperity, economic growth and expansion. The period is that of the 1920's and covers the results of three provincial general elections, those of 1919, 1923 and 1927. It, therefore, is not intended to deal with the impact of the depression on the province's political system, nor the rise of the Union Nationale Party to power in 1936.  Lire la suite

The objectives of these studies were to investigate the effect of inositol on 45Ca absorption by bone of rats in comparison with 89Sr; and whether there has been evidence that it could play a part in reversing the loss of calcium-proteinate in osteoporotic bones of rats previously given corticosteroids, as a model of the human disorder, both idiopathic or following drug treatment. The relationship of inositol was the prime concern, as a primary objective, but was enlarged to study the interrelationships between several hormones and inositol in terms of bone calcium content.  Lire la suite

Geophysical and thermal investigations of ice-rich permafrost were performed in an area of planned hydrocarbon development at Parsons Lake, Northwest Territories. The site is owned by ConocoPhillips Canada (CPC) and ExxonMobil, and is intended to be a primary target for the Mackenzie Valley Gas Project. As a result, the Program of Energy and Research Development (PERD) funded this thesis to acquire more knowledge regarding the current and future state of permafrost at this site. Information on ground temperatures and material properties are available from boreholes extracted during the 2004 CPC drilling program. In this study, the application of ground-penetrating radar …  Lire la suite

The main objective of this research was to determine the short-term effects of cropping on the aggregation and the carbohydrate fraction of a marine clay soil. When compared to a fallow (bare soil) control, cropping to barley and alfalfa for two seasons resulted in significant increases in the size and stability of soil aggregates. The increase in water-stable aggregates $>$2.0 mm was at the expense of aggregates $<$1.0 mm. Under corn, soil aggregation was not different than under fallow. After two seasons, soil under barley or alfalfa contained 15 to 25% more carbohydrates than the fallow or corn treatments. The …  Lire la suite

The extreme susceptibility to infection with Salmonella Typhimurium of wild-derived MOLF/Ei has been linked to one chromosomal region (Ity3). Toll-like receptor 5 (Tlr5) is located within the Ity3 interval and its candidacy as a Salmonella-susceptibility gene was evaluated in vitro and in vivo by comparing the Tlr5 C57BL/6J and MOLF/Ei alleles (85). In vitro studies using NF-kappaB-dependent reporter genes showed that sequence variants found within the coding region of MOLF/Ei Tlr5 did not affect the response of Tlr5 to flagellin compared to C57BL/6J. MOLF/Ei promoter had a slightly stronger basal activity than the C57BL/6J allele. In vivo study using Ity3 …  Lire la suite

The effect of melatonin, a hormone that triggers biological rhythms, was examined in relation to food intake and macronutrient selection. Wistar rats (n = 48) of both sexes were divided into 3 groups and offered a simultaneous choice of 2 diets: a carbohydrate-rich diet and a protein-rich diet, with a different type of carbohydrate and protein in each of the groups. Increased short- (4h post-injection) and long-term (12h post-injection) nocturnal total food intake was found following intraperitoneal administration of melatonin (10 000 and 15 000 pg/ml blood) at dark onset. Melatonin increased short-term carbohydrate-rich diet intake similarly across sensory contrasting …  Lire la suite

This study concerns the concept of sacred architectural imitation, using the Platonic notion of mimesis which then later finds expression in the medieval idea of imitatio. In Religious as well as in artistic and architectural forms of expression, the notion of imitation is indeed a very central and complex issue. At the heart of this concept is the question of meaning, or, more precisely, the transference or translation of meaning; from original to copy, from prototype to reproduction. In order to better illustrate and understand the principles guiding the notion of medieval sacred architectural imitation I have chosen to focus …  Lire la suite

Malignant glioma is the major brain tumor in adults, and has a poor prognosis. The failure to control invasive cell subpopulations may be the key reason for local glioma recurrence after radical tumor resection, and may contribute substantially to the failure of the other treatment modalities, such as radiation therapy and chemotherapy. As a model for this invasion, we have implanted spheroids from a human glioma cell line (U251) in three-dimensional collagen type I matrices which these cells readily invade. First, we observed that the Src family kinase specific pharmacological inhibitors PP2 and SU6656 significantly inhibited the invasion of the …  Lire la suite

To understand the physiological role of the protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) PEST, the phenotypes of PTP-PEST (--/--) mouse fibroblasts have been studied PTP-PEST was shown to translocate to the membrane periphery following stimulation by the extracellular matrix protein fibronectin, and to play a role in cell migration, spreading, and cytokinesis. For this action, PTP-PEST was shown to regulate the phosphorylation levels of p130cas, paxillin, FAK and PSTPIP, and their association with SH2 domain-containing proteins like Src and Crk. From these proteins, p130cas is known to be a direct substrate. Experiments for the obtention of p130cas (--/--) embryos and cell lines …  Lire la suite

Le code canadien des ponts 2014 (CHBDC) a été modifié de façon significative afin d'améliorer la conception sismique et l'analyse de nouveaux ponts. Une conception axée sur les performances a été mise en œuvre dans le code comme principale méthodologie de conception sismique pour les ponts. Le but de cette recherche est de fournir des indicateurs de dommages appropriés qui peuvent être utilisés dans la démarche de conception basée sur la performance. Les modèles numériques ont été développés en utilisant le programme Response-2000 et la plate-forme OpenSees. Des analyses sur les charges latérales ont été effectuées jusqu'à rupture (analyses non …  Lire la suite

Comprendre le vieillissement pourrait aider à prévenir les maladies liées à l'âge et à maintenir une meilleure qualité de vie. La théorie du vieillissement des radicaux libres mitochondriaux, suggère que les organismes vieillissent en raison des dommages oxydatifs causés par les espèces réactives de l'oxygène (ROS) sur la fonction mitochondriale. Cependant, des études ont montré que le mutant mitochondrial isp-1, caractérisé par une longévité accrue, présente également des niveaux élevés de ROS mitochondriaux, en particulier du superoxyde. De plus, nos recherches ont démontré que la perturbation de la antioxydante mitochondriale superoxyde dismutase 2 (SOD-2) prolonge également la durée de vie …  Lire la suite

Following work by Coleman and Lee using ordinary gravity, we obtain a low-energy effective Lagrangian for a supergravity system, in which superwormholes are represented by local operators in superspace. Supersymmetry is not broken by these new interactions.  Lire la suite

This thesis consists of two papers, dealing with complementary applications of the Feynman-Vernon influence functional formalism to describe different thermal effects in quantum fields. In the first paper, a black body of finite extent is treated as an unobserved environment in the course of a microscopic derivation of black body radiation. In the second paper, a quantum field is treated as an environment probed by a pointlike accelerating detector, which experiences the thermal Unruh effect (apparent heating of the vacuum). Issues of locality and directionality in quantum field theory are treated in both papers.  Lire la suite

What constitutes an adequate solution to a mathematical problem? When is an adequate solution a 'good' solution? In this thesis I consider these questions in relation to two Diophantine equations, namely, x$ sp2$ + k = y$ sp3$ and 6y$ sp2$ = x(x + 1)(2x + 1). The first dates back to Diophantus himself (c. 250 AD) while the second can be traced to a puzzle proposed by Edouard Lucas in 1875. Each of these equations has attracted a number of solutions and each solution reveals something about its era. An examination and comparison of these solutions will give us …  Lire la suite

Seismic faults are sensitive to changes in stress and strength of the rocks that host them, and changes in pore fluid pressure, which can occur transiently during an earthquake or over long time scales. The patterns of earthquakes in active faults reflect pressure changes in crustal fluids, and the energy released during an earthquake can cause transient spikes in temperature and pore fluid pressure that enhance earthquake slip. Exhumed faults retain the record of earlier mountain-building episodes that occurred through fault slips over multiple earthquake cycles. Low-angle thrust faults develop during continental shortening but create a paradox because this orientation …  Lire la suite

This thesis is an exploratory study of the factors that account for the construction of a local social world around a frontier medical technology. The analysis is based on participant-centred accounts of the structuring of a PET world in the MNI&H. According to local actors, the following factors can be identified to have played a role in the birth, promotion, structuring, and maintenance of the local PET world: the personalities; the institution; the resulting tradition; the assessment of PET; the sense of quality; the size of the local PET world and of the institution; elements of the environment such as …  Lire la suite

LeMesurier, C. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Pour le lecteur français cultivé, comme pour l'étudiant en littérature française, le nom de Gobineau n'a longtemps évoqué qu'une seule œuvre : ‘L'Essai sur l'inégalité des races humaines’ ; et ce livre, qui fut loin d'enthousiasmer les lecteurs du XIXe siècle, fait horreur aux générations qui ne l'évoquent qu'à travers le spectre du racisme nazi. Cependant, Joseph Arthur de Gobineau ne fut pas l'aristocrate raciste et hargneux que son livre pourrait faire imaginer.  Lire la suite

Until recently, the terms chronic bronchitis and emphysema were used loosely and considerable confusion resulted from the different uses of both terms. For example, the condition which was called chronic bronchitis in the United Kingdom was often called emphysema or asthma in the United States (Fletcher,l959). In order to clarify the terminology a Ciba guest symposium was held in 1959. [...]  Lire la suite

"The forest wealth of Canada is one of the country's greatest natural resources. Our forests have often been termed inexhaustible and perhaps they might be, were it not for the annual losses caused by fire, insects, disease and industrial use. Insects and diseases are responsible for the loss of at least 500 million cubic feet of timber annually or about 15 per cent of the annual depletion." [...]  Lire la suite

Whether bilingualism affects intellectual functioning has puzzled psychologists and linguists since as early as the 1920's when Saer (1923) and Smith (1923) reported research on the topic. Numerous studies since then have attempted to determine whether monolingual and bilingual young people differ in intelligence as measured by standard tests. [...]  Lire la suite

In this thesis, comparisons will be made among groups of monolinguals and bilinguals in an attempt to examine the proposition that experience with two languages during childhood is related in a meaningful way to later intellectual functioning. In the past, the major concern of those studying this problem was with discovering whether bilingualism has any detrimental effect on intelligence as measured by standard intelligence tests. The research literature on the relation of bilingualism to intelligence is reviewed in the author’s M.A. thesis (Peal, 1961; see also Peal and Lambert, 1962) where it was concluded that: In view of the weaknesses …  Lire la suite

In the psychological literature dealing with second-language learning, both intellectual and attitudinal-motivational variables have repeatedly shown up as important prerequisites of second-language achievement. In the following paragraphs both of these groups of variables will be evaluated and their roles in the process of acquiring a new language examined.  Lire la suite

The role of the pleasantness or unpleasantness of words in verbal learning attracted considerable interest earlier in this century. But recently this factor, the affective tone of verbal materials, has been neglected in the psychology of learning, apparently because the experimental literature, on the whole, presented an inconsistent picture. In some experiment s pleasant words were learned faster than unpleasant words, while in other experiments there was no difference between these two categories. The present thesis re-evaluates the earlier studies and organizes them into a meaningful pattern. On the basis of this pattern and within the context of current psychological …  Lire la suite

The temporal pattern of the anterior-posterior force acting at the human knee joint during walking is determined in the present study. A three-dimensional anatomically based dynamics model, which includes the bones and the muscles working across the knee joint, is developed and the redundant inverse dynamics problem is formulated. The muscle redundancy is resolved by reducing the number of unknowns based on certain logical assumptions. In addition, a parametric study is conducted to study the effect of antagonistic muscle activity on the joint force. The developed dynamics model is then exercised to calculate the anterior-posterior knee joint force for normal …  Lire la suite

Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is characterized by the autoimmune destruction of the insulin producing beta cells of the pancreas. Linkage with Type 1 Diabetes has been reported on chromosome 2q31-33. Within this 23 cM interval, T1D association with CTLA4 polymorphisms has been localized to a linkage disequilibrium (LD) block covering the D2S72- CTLA4-D2S116 interval. Within this interval, T1D is associated with a haplotype in the CTLA4 gene, containing several potentially functional polymorphisms. Due to the extent of LD in the region, genetics studies alone are not sufficient to identify the causative polymorphism(s). To this end, we undertook a systematic analysis …  Lire la suite

Modelocked mid-infrared (mid-IR) lasers are an essential tool for applications like spectroscopy, metrology and laser surgery. They provide narrow pulse width and high peak power, which also makes them an ideal source for parametric oscillators and supercontinuum generation. Development of fiber based mid-IR ultrafast lasers is limited by the availability of fiber components like optical isolators, couplers and saturable absorbers that are compatible with operation in the wavelength window of 2-12 um. This thesis investigates the design of a fiber based saturable absorber that is suitable for modelocking mid-IR fiber lasers. The saturable absorber is based on nonlinear multimode interference …  Lire la suite

Dans le paysage de l'enseignement au Pakistan, il existe peu d’études disponibles qui mettent l'accent sur le bien-être des éducateurs. Dans cette étude, j'utilise une méthode mixte pour déceler comment les chefs d'établissement peuvent fournir un soutien cohésif aux éducateurs de niveaux supérieurs pour améliorer leur bien-être. Je me suis servie de l'enquête Educator's Inventory de Maslach pour constater l'ampleur de l'épuisement professionnel des éducateurs du point de vue des enseignants et des chefs d'établissement. Les résultats de l'enquête ont indiqué un niveau plus élevé d'épuisement des éducateurs du point de vue des chefs d'établissement par rapport à celui perçu …  Lire la suite

That Ghana derives her foreign exchange earnings mainly from cocoa and gold exports cannot be over emphasised. There is therefore the need to forecast these commodities prices as accurately as possible for proper planning and execution of major policies, since the prices have been notoriously volatile during the past two decades and attempts to stabilize especially the price of the beans (which contributes about 60% of the country's foreign exchange) through the system of buffer stock and export restrictions have not been successful. In this regard, autoregressive integrated moving averages models are built and used to generate short run forecasts …  Lire la suite

Episodic memory encompasses an extraordinary range of diverse cognitive functions that are integral to daily functioning. Healthy aging is associated with declines in episodic memory, which may impair older adults' ability to remember the rich contextual details of previously experienced events. By the age of sixty, older individuals may have a reduced ability to remember spatial or temporal contextual features of past events (e.g., where or when you last took a prescription medication). Previous studies have focused on understanding the anatomical and functional neural correlates of episodic memory decline in young and older adulthood, but how these underlying mechanisms contribute …  Lire la suite

Cognitive control is one of the most well-researched topics in cognitive psychology. Control is commonly conceptualized as consisting of flexibility – the ability to switch between tasks and adapt to changes in the environment – and stability- to focus on the task at hand inhibiting any interfering distractors. These two control modes have often been assumed to be antagonistic – i.e., greater cognitive flexibility comes at the cost of reduced cognitive stability. Despite this long-standing assumption, recent empirical evidence of the stability-flexibility trade-off is equivocal. Furthermore, an existing theory in neuroscience, backed by some experimental studies, have postulated links between …  Lire la suite

The eukaryotic Rho family of GTPases acts as central regulators of numerous processes, including the polarization of cell morphology, membrane transport, transcription, and MAPK pathway signaling. As GTPases, Rho proteins act as molecular switches which, in the GTP-bound form, transduce upstream signals to a variety of downstream effectors, thereby generating appropriate cellular responses. As central nodes of signaling, they are subject to strict regulation, and the regulation of the GTP-GDP cycle of Rho members has been well characterized. Rho GTPases participate in a variety of pathways, though in many cases the mechanisms are still poorly understood. This study examines the …  Lire la suite

This thesis examines the formative years (1931-1940) of Canada's first birth control clinic, the Birth Control Society of Hamilton (BCSH). The focus of this work is to place the activities of the BCSH in an international and national context. Canada's first birth control clinic drew directly on the writings and experience of two well known birth control pioneers, the American Margaret Sanger and the English woman Marie Stopes. This reliance on foreign models demonstrates the enormous influence that the British and Americans had on the formation of Canadian social and medical institutions. This thesis also challenges the traditional perception of …  Lire la suite

Agus Sasmito (Supervisor3)  Lire la suite

Santos, Beatriz Ferraz Dos (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

The history of mine backfill shows that in the past, considerable improvements in backfill-reliant mining technology were made when new fill systems were introduced. The present trend in mine backfill technology is towards the use of high-density fill systems. Tight filling and void reduction have also become essential requirements in engineering design of mines to ensure global stability. High-density fills have a low moisture content and are more competent products requiring less binder and time for stabilization, compared to conventional hydraulic backfill. Cemented rockfill and tailings/sand paste fills are two familiar high-density backfill systems in current use. In future there …  Lire la suite

Luis, Miranda-Moreno, (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

The influence of 4, 5 and 6 generations of selection for duration of fertility of frozen-thawed chicken semen on fertility and hatchability of frozen-thawed semen, fertility of fresh semen, semen volume, concentration of spermatozoa, spermatozoal motility and on spermatozoa and seminal plasma cholesterol and phospholipid levels and their ratios (generations 5 and 6) as well as the genetic influence on these traits was studied. A selected line and an unselected control line of broiler chickens were used. All estimates of fertility of frozen-thawed and fresh semen were significantly (P 0.05). The heritabilities of fertility of frozen-thawed and fresh semen and …  Lire la suite

In 1997, the UK's Labour government introduced several health policy changes, including plans for greater collaboration with private providers. Building on previous cross-sectional research, we explore longitudinal inequities in physician access as these policy changes were materializing. Using GEE models we examine the effect of income and private health insurance (PHI) coverage on access to physicians in the general UK population from 1997 to 2003. The study finds no income inequities in GP access. In contrast, those in the highest income quintile are more likely to access consultants overall (OR:1.10, CI: 1.01,1.19), particularly private consultants (OR:2.49, CI:1.80,3.44). Not surprisingly, PHI …  Lire la suite

A comprehensive study on the role of salivary electrochemistry and composition in regulating the physical and optical characteristics of tooth enamel is presented. Saliva is a complex exocrine secretion with several biological functions critical for maintaining the oral health. The pH and buffering capacity of saliva were previously known as the primary regulators of tooth enamel remineralization; however, certain conditions such as hyposalivation can increase the risk of caries, tooth loss and bacterial infection without altering salivary pH and buffering capacity. Therefore saliva’s buffering capacity cannot be the only protective factor against caries development. Negatively charged salivary proteins seem to …  Lire la suite