McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par B

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that is characterized by inflammation, demyelination, and axonal loss. These characteristic histopathological features of MS are similar to those seen in the animal model experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a T cell-mediated demyelinating disease. Importantly, many of the immune mediators involved in EAE pathogenesis have also been implicated in MS. Like MS, EAE is a heterogeneous disease that can follow either a relapsing-remitting or a chronic disease course. However, the molecular and pathogenic differences which underlie the development of these distinct forms of disease are poorly understood. To better …  Lire la suite

Fung, Joyce (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

While being able to explain much of the observational data regarding giant planets, the core-accretion formation model still contains a significant amount of uncertainty regarding the initial post-formation properties of planets. The discovery of young planets implies that quantities such as the luminosity and internal structure of a newly formed gas giant must be well understood in order to properly analyse observations. In this work we attempt to quantify these properties by using the MESA stellar evolution code to calculate the formation of gas giants under a range of conditions. We study how factors such as the accretion rate and …  Lire la suite

An interactive 3D target localisation and delineation tool has been developed for radiosurgery planning of arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). With this system, magnetic resonance (MR), MR angiography (MRA) and computed tomography (CT) volumes can be fused in stereotactic space. Stereotactic angiography (SA) images can be linked to the MRA volume by recovering the SA acquisition geometry. The MRA and SA images can be correlated (1) by ray-tracing through the MRA volume with the recovered SA acquisition geometry and overlaying the images onto the SA images and (2) by localising the AVM onto a volume rendered representation of the MRA with a …  Lire la suite

A multimodality image fusion and localisation system for radiosurgery treatments of arteriovenous malformations (AVM) has been developed and validated. Within this system, three-dimensional magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and two-dimensional digital subtraction angiography (DSA) vasculature information is combined with three-dimensional magnetic resonance (MR) and/or computed tomography (CT) anatomical information in order to benefit from the functionality of all modalities. MRA/MR/CT datasets are fused, and linked to the DSA images. The consistency of the linking procedure is verified by correlation of the DSA images with two-dimensional ray-traced projections of the MRA datasets. Organ contours are drawn on the MRA images, simultaneously visualised …  Lire la suite

Teodoro, Jose Guerreiro (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

It has been noted that in previous determinations of the velocity of sound in air, direct measurements of the velocity of sharp sound pulses, carried out over long distances, in the open, have yielded consistently lower values than indirect methods employing continuous sound of a definite frequency. The average of direct methods is about 330.8, and the average of indirect methods about 331«5im/s. Direct measurements of the velocity of sound in air have been made in the laboratory over a distance of 50 feet, using a high speed vacuum-tube counter-chronograph, microphones, and a spark discharge as a sound source. Since …  Lire la suite

In contrast to the common depiction of Rawls's political theory as atomistic, his work is instead deeply connected to some of the fundamentally republican themes of Rousseau's political and philosophical oeuvre: these themes include our natural sympathy with other persons; our innate susceptibility to the pleasures of fellow feeling; the duty of political participation, as well as the importance of civic virtue; and, perhaps most importantly, an emphasis on properly designed political institutions as a necessary source of freedom. What we shall ultimately find in both Rousseau and Rawls, then, is a repudiation of cosmopolitan values in light of their …  Lire la suite

[...] This thesis is a description of the assimilative forces at work within the foreign group settlements of Western Canada, with particular emphasis on the educational factors. Its primary concern is with the role of education as a positive means for promoting the successful fusion of the Old World culture with the New. Therefore the part which educational institutions have played in the past and are playing in the present to effect the smooth, stable assimilation of the peoples within our foreign colonies is described at some length, while a programme for the extension and increased efficiency of these institutions …  Lire la suite

This paper will be concerned with some aspects of governmental regulation of the substantive content of collective agreements; i.e. to what extent, and utilizing which technique, direct and indirect, does the government, in the exercise of its legislative, judicial or administrative powers, control and regulate the terms agreed upon by employers and employees as the result of the collective bargaining process.  Lire la suite

In this thesis, I argue that Emily Carr's books reveal her quest to define herself as an artist and as a person, drawing inspiration from an Authority manifest in the Pacific Northwest forest and pushing against conventions that would have limited her and suffocated her as well as her art. I endeavour an original exploration of print culture, in examining how this author discovered herself through books, and Canadian modernism, in charting how this talented woman found a vocation in the early twentieth century. As Emily Carr's conflicted public image has complicated critical discussion of her literary oeuvre, my thesis …  Lire la suite

Four fundamental principles constitute the basis of international regulations pertaining to the operational aspects of telecommunications, and communications satellites in particular. Firstly, provision of global distress and safety service should be provided globally on a priority basis. Secondly, global telecommunications coverage and connectivity should be achieved. Thirdly, basic telecommunications services should be established within every national jurisdiction, including developing areas, and should be accessible to all individuals. Finally, universal access to telecommunications services on a non-discriminatory basis should be guaranteed. At the outset, governments have not only chosen to foster and closely regulate the development and operations of communications satellites, …  Lire la suite

The present study was designed to examine students' comprehension and problem representation when reading and solving algebra word problems in their first language (L1: Spanish) and their second language (L2: English). The main interest was to investigate the role of the L2 in performing the task. It was hypothesized that difficulty in understanding and solving word problems is a function of carrying out the task in the L2 and discourse factors inherent to the specific type of text. The sample consisted of 31 grade 9 students who attended a private bilingual school in a Colombian city. Students were asked to …  Lire la suite

Sentence processing strategies by 10 bilingual speakers (Spanish: L1 and English: L2) were compared to 10 monolingual speakers of Spanish and 10 of English. Word-by-word reading times for ambiguous and non-ambiguous sentences were recorded. A paraphrasing task was used to determine the attachment preferences for a prepositional phrase placed after the verb. Multivariate analyses of the data showed that bilingual speakers combined strategies from both languages when processing ambiguous sentences in L2 that are non-ambiguous in L1. Furthermore, overall results showed that the three groups were sensitive to the attachment of the prepositional phrase. The results are discussed in terms …  Lire la suite

No discussion of the women in Mrs.Woolf's fiction would be complete without a brief survey of some previous English heroines, and the methods by which their characters are revealed. Earliest in the line of English novel heroines is Samuel Richardson1s Pamela— the virtuous lady's maid whose campaign to preserve her virtue against the repeated onslaughts of Mr. B. is minutely described by the author.\ The novel is in many ways a penetrating study of the adolescent girl, half-child in the face of her master1 s bold and unprincipled attacks; half-woman in her intelligence,\ determination and conscious self-valuation. She makes skilful …  Lire la suite

The different "rounds" of Multilateral Trade Negotiations have achieved, years after years, to reduce and remove traditional trade barriers such as tariffs and quotas, as well as non-tariff barriers. As tariffs came down and quotas increased or totally disappeared, traders who wanted to use the new trade opportunities ran into the trade impeding effects of domestic rules and procedures that, even if do not formally discriminate between imported and domestically produced goods, may still create trade barriers. Recently, trade negotiators have therefore come to see differences between the national laws of trading partners as possible sources of non-tariff barriers, and …  Lire la suite

Dunkley, David Michael (Internal/Supervisor)  Lire la suite

The objective of this study was to examine the measurement properties of the Balance Scale. In two longitudinal studies, 113 elderly subjects and 70 acute stroke patients were monitored on 4 occasions during periods of one year and 12 weeks, respectively. Results showed that Balance Scale scores were associated with the occurrence of subsequent falls and clinical judgments of balance, and could discriminate subjects by their use of mobility aids and the location of their follow-up evaluation. Balance scores were strongly associated with measures of functional status and motor performance in stroke patients over the 12 weeks. Moreover, changes in …  Lire la suite

This thesis describes a system to enable responsive user guided control of a physically simulated human character. The control system is meant to be robust to disturbances while also producing movements that are of a similar quality to the visuals produced by more high quality kinematic animation systems used in modern video games. This task is difficult because human characters must dynamically retain balance through contacts with an environment, and walking requires control of an underactuated dynamic system. Simulation also does not guarantee a character will move in a natural manner, so care has to be taken to ensure visually …  Lire la suite

This thesis presents research made on 2.7 um wavelength emitting erbium doped ZBLAN lasers as a source of mid-infrared light. Specifically, the goal of this research is to closely study the erbium energy level mechanisms that give rise to gain at 2.7m, in order to model and design an efficient compact laser source with low power requirements. To achieve these goals, a fluorescent source is built to compare resulting spectra at low power with the pumping wavelengths of 980 nm and 790 nm, as well as provide experimental basis for modeling. Subsequently, a free space pumped laser design is tested, …  Lire la suite

Atmospheric aerosols have wide-reaching impacts on climate, health, and ecosystems. Aerosol physicochemical properties, such as their acidity or hygroscopicity, are a key control of these impacts. Unfortunately, predicting aerosol properties is difficult due to them being highly concentrated solutions which exhibit non-ideal mixing; to do so we need to apply thermodynamic models. The Aerosol Inorganic–Organic Mixtures Functional groups Activity Coefficients model (AIOMFAC) is one such model which can be used to solve non-ideal mixing in aerosols, enabling us to predict key physicochemical properties. AIOMFAC supports many atmospherically relevant organic and inorganic species, and is one of the most versatile models …  Lire la suite

Les spécimens humains conservés dans ce qui est maintenant appelé le Musée médical Maude Abbott de l'Université McGill à Montréal ne sont pas des objets de musée stagnants dans des bocaux. Ces spécimens ont vécu des vies longues et complexes, dont beaucoup ont commencé au XIXe siècle. À l'aide d'un cadre adapté de biographie d'objets, je suis les chemins empruntés par les spécimens, de la collecte à la préservation, au catalogage et à l'exposition, et enfin à leur recontextualisation en tant qu'outils pédagogiques à l'intérieur et à l'extérieur de l'espace muséal ou en tant qu'objets commémoratifs. Cette approche révèle comment …  Lire la suite

It is important for the medical community, specifically mental health professionals, to understand the complexities that influence the diagnosis of Antisocial Personality Disorder. Social influences and experiences have a direct influence on how an individual understands his/her role within the various social systems that they will navigate throughout their lifetime. I have undertaken a phenomological study that looks at the social experiences of three men who have been labeled with Antisocial Personality Disorder. Accounts of their experiences are contrasted and compared to draw out similarities and consistent themes that have shaped these mens' lives as they are today. From a …  Lire la suite

Pilon, Sébastien Jodoin (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

In this thesis, I argue that Artificial Intelligence is at its core a way of seeing that demands a humanist approach. My analysis is grounded in the recent technological breakthroughs that have operationalized AI at scale, situating this work within an emerging field of humanist-AI research. In Chapter One, I analyze AI discourse in journalism using the tools afforded by AI (including topic modelling and word vectors), which I employ to both create a metadiscursive space and show how generating meaning from the patterns AI detects still requires human analysis. I find in the data that even the mostly surface-level …  Lire la suite

Richard Wagner, in writing the text which would become the libretto of his four operas comprising the Ring was influenced greatly by German Mythology as well as old Norse writings. His main sources are the Volsungensaga, the Thidreksaga and the Nibelungenlied. Certain portions of the Ring follow closely the events described in some of the sagas, other portions have been changed and elaborated to achieve theatrical effect. I have endeavoured to explain the differences between the sources and the finished masterpiece. Whether his version of the tales was to ensure good theatre or whether he felt that he was improving …  Lire la suite

This study was begun at the suggestion of Dr. Arthur Elvidge while the author was a Fellow in the Tumour Registry and Follow-Up Clinic. It was thought that by analyzing carefully the material gathered over a period of thirty years, and comprising the medulloblastomas and cerebellar sarcomas seen at the Montreal Neurological Institute during that time, pertinent information could be obtained concerning a) the difference in survival time in medulloblastomas and cerebellar sarcomas and b) types of treatment leading to prolongation of useful life in patients suffering from this disease.  Lire la suite

In a strain of Long-Evans rats, central core myofilament dissociation occurred in over 50% of atrial muscle cells (cardiocytes) studied. The major features of this dissociation were: loss of I-bands and Z-lines, loss of sarco-tubules, reduction in size of associated mitochondria, and dissociated aggregates of thick filaments. The thick filaments appeared joined by linear interfilamentary projections which measured about 164 A in length, 40 A in width, and occurred in regular periodic intervals of about 200 A along the filaments. Most often, the dissociated thick filaments were found to be fragmented further, and, together with other factors, was considered part …  Lire la suite

Smith, H. (Supervisors)  Lire la suite

Using a rat model, it has been demonstrated that C-section birth and birth hypoxia have long-term effects on several CNS parameters. While previous studies have used decapitated dams to perform C-sections, the purpose of experiment 1 was to develop a more clinically relevant model using controlled amounts of anesthetic. The findings show that the level of maternal anesthesia used is an important factor influencing neonatal systemic and CNS oxygenation during C-section birth. In experiment 2 indicators of systemic and CNS hypoxia were measured in rat born by C-section with varying concentrations of anesthetic and periods of added global anoxia. Anesthesia …  Lire la suite

In the living animal, brain often swells greatly following trauma. There are two types of brain swelling: 1. One occurs very rapidly and is probably due to a dilatation of blood vessels or an increase in the cerebrospinal fluid volume or both. This is what Elliott and Jasper have referred to as 'inflation' (Elliott and Jasper, 1949). 2. The other is more chronic and is brought about by an increase in the water content of the cerebral tissues. Many experimental studies of cerebral edema have been published yet little is known about the basic mechanisms responsible for its production. At …  Lire la suite

Provan, Professor  Lire la suite

Sievers, Jonathan Le Roy (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

ErbB2 est au-dessus d'exprimer et d'amplifier dans environ 30% de toutes les tumeurs de sein et est corrélé avec le pronostic patient pauvre. Le coup en ErbB2 dans des modèles de souris imitent l'amplification en chromosome 11 (chromosome humain 17q21-25) comportant d'ErbB2 et de Grb7 et une suppression en chromosome 4 (chromosome humain 1p35-36) comprenant le  14-3-3σ vu dans les cancers du sein humains. Grb7 est une protéine d'adapteur connue pour régler la migration et la transcription de cellules par l'interaction avec une protéine FAK de migration de cellules et une protéine FHL2 de facteur de transcription. Grb7 au-dessus …  Lire la suite

The superior colliculus (SC) is a structure that is implicated in the control of visual orienting behaviors. The SC contains a motor map which encodes saccade vectors topographically. Small saccades are encoded rostrally, larger ones caudally. More recently, it was shown that the rostral part of the SC contains a specialized "fixation zone". A group of cells located in the rostral SC have been called SC fixation neurons (SCFNs). SCFNs via projections to "omni-pause" neurons (OPNs) seem to play an important role during fixation behavior by holding gaze on target for a certain period of time through inhibition of the …  Lire la suite

Estrogen and progesterone receptors were localized in fresh frozen sections of human endometrial tissues, in both health and disease, using the ER-ICA kit and a mouse monoclonal antiprogesterone receptor antibody ($ alpha$PR6), respectively. Estrogen and progesterone receptors were detected exclusively in the nuclei of epithelial and stromal cells of the endometrium. Their highest levels in both components were found during the late proliferative phase of the normal menstrual cycle. Estrogen receptors decreased faster in the stroma than in the epithelium throughout the post ovulatory phase, whereas progesterone receptors decreased more rapidly in the epithelium during the mid and late secretory …  Lire la suite

This Master's thesis belongs to the field of sixteenth century studies. The text I have chosen to study is the Memoires of Marguerite de Valois, begun in 1594 and published in 1628, thirteen years following the death of this queen. My analysis encompasses both the conventions of genre and rhetoric evidenced in the text. The first chapter explores the peculiarities inherent in the memoirs genre, especially where these explicitly distinguish it from the autobiography. The second chapter examines the rhetorical aspects of Marguerite de Valois' Memoires. In doing so, I have highlighted and analyzed the rhetorical strategies employed in the …  Lire la suite

Acheson, Nicholas H. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate that detonation wave can be initiated by photochemical means in a reactive gaseous medium. Photolysis of reactive mixture produces free radicals acting as initiators for combustion and it is predicted that high concentration of free radical should generate detonations. A high power Xenon Flash was used as the ignition source. The ignition time delay and pressure rise were monitored for different gas mixtures under various conditions. It is observed that detonations are directly initiated inside the excited gas mixture volume. The results also indicate that the ignition time delay of the combustion …  Lire la suite

Since their popularization by Gromov in the eighties, CAT(0) metric spaces of bounded curvature as defined by Alexandrov have been the locus of great progress in infinite group theory. Surveying ideas and constructions of geometric group theory, we express a bias towards groups acting on structures of this kind. As such, swiftly acquainting the reader with the theory of CAT(0) spaces, we provide a variety of examples obtained by gluing together families of convex polyhedra along their isometric faces. In this context, Gromov's link condition provides a local-to-global framework for non-positive curvature. Combining this with tools from knot theory, such …  Lire la suite

In Quebec, 62% of agricultural land is devoted to forage production and 20% of this is pasture. Pasture management provides the opportunity for farmers to maintain and improve the productivity of agricultural land, and to engage in sustainable ruminant production. An experiment was conducted on 42 hectares of pasture land to study the impact of management intensive grazing (MIG) on cow-calf productivity. The pasture area was divided into 18 paddocks and the experiment was conducted as a randomized complete block design with two blocks. The treatments were arranged as a 3 x 3 factorial of stocking rate and rotational frequency. …  Lire la suite