McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par B

This thesis will examine the role of Tamil Hindu undertakers in contemporary Singapore society, in relation to discourses on impurity, pollution and liminality. Based on three months of fieldwork alongside the undertakers, I will examine how they position themselves as ritual specialists, and the extent to which their knowledge and expertise on the conduct of death rituals become tools to overcome the negative perception of the community that they serve. In contemporary Singapore society, when the need arises, the population rely on the undertakers for bureaucratic and ritual advice. Therefore, within the perimeters of death, these undertakers occupy a crucial …  Lire la suite

Gotte, Matthias (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

Projection-based reduced-order models (PROMs) have demonstrated accuracy, reliability, and robustness in approximating high-dimensional, differential equation-based computational models across many applications. For this reason, it has been proposed as a tool for high-querying parametric design problems like those arising in modern aircraft design. Since aerodynamic simulations can be computationally expensive, PROMs offer the potential for more rapid estimations of high-fidelity solutions. However, the efficiency can still be tied to the dimension of the full-order model (FOM), particularly when projected quantities must be frequently recomputed due to non-linearities or parameter dependence. In the case of Petrov-Galerkin models, the projected residual and Jacobian …  Lire la suite

L'enveloppe cellulaire des bactéries à Gram négatif tel Escherichia coli est constituée d'une membrane externe (ME) et d'une membrane cytoplasmique (MC), entre lesquelles se trouve un espace nommé périplasme. L'acquisition de nutriments essentiels par les bactéries nécessite le transport de molécules à travers chacune des deux membranes. Le transport de certains nutriments rares, tel le fer et la vitamine B12, requiert un apport en énergie. Cependant, la ME est dénuée de toute source d'énergie. Ainsi, pour alimenter en énergie le transport de nutriments rares à la ME, les bactéries font appel à la force proton motrice de la MC. Le …  Lire la suite

Antimicrobials have been an important tool in agriculture for decades, used for the treatment and prevention of diseases as well as to improve growth and feed efficiency. However, the mechanisms behind why they increase growth and improve feed efficiency are still unclear with many contradictory results. It is believed to be, at least in part, associated with changes to the gut microbiome. In order to better determine the effects of antimicrobials on animals and their gut microbiome, a meta-analysis was conducted across 20 pig studies and 19 chicken studies involving antimicrobial treatments. Average daily gain and feed efficiency were evaluated …  Lire la suite

Des anomalies numériques et structurelles du chromosome 3 (chr) 3 ont fréquemment été observées dans le cancer épithélial de l'ovaire (CEO), dont des pertes non aléatoires du bras 3p révélées par des analyses caryotypiques et d'hybridation génomique comparative. Ces pertes ont été rapportées sur plusieurs loci sur le chr3p, laissant supposer la présence de plusieurs gènes suppresseurs de tumeurs (TSG) concordant avec la progression du CEO. Des analyses de perte d'hétérozygotie (LOH) sur des échantillons de CEO, ainsi que des expériences de complémentation fonctionnelle par transfert du chr3 dans des lignées cellulaires de CEO appuient cette position. L'hypothèse de cette …  Lire la suite

An experimental investigation into the characteristics of the unsteady laminar shear layer developed over a wall-mounted cavity was conducted, and the effects of the addition of a flush-mounted rotating cylinder to the leading edge or trailing edge of the cavity were quantified through extensive velocity and frequency measurements. It is shown that the injection of circulation resulting from the rotation of the leading edge cylinder caused the shear layer deflect into the cavity and re-attach to the cavity floor at greater cavity depths; also, the additional momentum caused a delay of the formation of shear-layer vortices, interrupting the cavity vortex …  Lire la suite

The near-field flow structure of the tip vortex generated by a NACA 0015 wing oscillating though the attached-flow, light-stall and deep-stall regimes was investigated at Rec = 1.86 x 105. Particular emphasis was placed on the effects of oscillation frequency and mean incidence upon the spatial and temporal evolution of the unsteady vortex structure. Phase-locked, ensemble-averaged cross-flow and axial velocity fields, vorticity distributions, and turbulence structures over a full cycle of oscillation were compared to static wing-tip vortex results, and the dynamic effects upon the vortex strength, size, trajectory and associated induced drag were examined. Through the attached-flow and light-stall …  Lire la suite

Early workers in the field of pituitary cytology classified the cells of the anterior pituitary according to their staining abilities. Thus Wolfe and Cleveland, in 1933, using Orange G and aniline blue, divided the cell types in the anterior pituitary of the female rat into three groups [...]  Lire la suite

[...] Quel n'est donc pas le ravissement quand Madame de Sêgur inaugura pour l'enfance, le roman en miniature, le roman lilliputien, - mais actuel et mondain, et sentimental et satirique à l'occasion. Sans se soucier de la galerie, des enfants y vivaient les petites aventures et les petits drames de leur âge. 0, stupeur! on n'y prêchait pas, et la seule morale qui eut voix au chapitre était la morale en action. Chacun récoltait ce que, chemin faisant, il avait semé; comme dans la vie. D'où vient la vogue de Madame de Sêgur qui a duré plus d'un demi-siècle, et …  Lire la suite

The mechanism of headache has been studied physiologically by the neurosurgeon, whose conclusions have sometimes proved difficult to correlate with known anatomical facts. This is because of the relative paucity of knowledge concerning intracranial sensory nerves and nerve endings so that the interpretation of physiological investigations has depended to some extent on speculation. There are at present two main groups, one which would consider the pain of headache as mediated solely or almost entirely by periarterial nerves and receptors, the other which attributes to nerves within certain special locations of dura the chief role in pain conduction. The present study …  Lire la suite

La liberté de conscience est, par rapport aux autres droits de la personne, inconnue. Cette thèse donne vie à ce droit de la personne en utilisant le Canada comme point d’entrée. Quelle est la substance de la liberté de conscience ? Pourquoi protéger cette substance dans les déclarations de droits ? Quand les États peuvent-ils limiter cette liberté ?Cette thèse propose que la liberté de conscience protège la liberté de vivre en harmonie avec les convictions morales, qu’ils soient de sources religieuses ou non. L’intégrité et l’identité sont les principales motivations pour l’inscription de cette espèce de liberté dans les …  Lire la suite

During tho last ten years a large number of publications have been devoted to problems of steroid metabolism in the human fetus. Much of tho interest in this area was stimulated by the review article of Lanman (1) in which no re-emphasised the unique physiological and anatomical features of the fetal none of the adrenal. He also pointed out that this structure was present in simians and more recently it has been described in the armadillo (2). [...]  Lire la suite

The aim of this thesis is to incorporate the smallest organisms, in particular the heterotrophic bacteria and their predators, more fully into current descriptions of aquatic community structure and dynamics. A strong, positive empirical relationship was found between bacterial abundance and chlorophyll concentration in freshwater and marine systems. Common members of the photosynthetic phytoplankton (all chrysophyceans) were shown to be major, even dominant, grazers of these bacteria. This phagotrophic capability is quantitatively important to the bacterioplankton, to the mixotrophs themselves, and in some cases, to the structure of the limnological community as a whole. Grazing by mixo- and heterotrophic protozoans …  Lire la suite

For many years the study of insect pathogens was not regarded as one of the duties of the entomologist. When insects became numerous and caused economic damage, they were combatted either with insecticides or by the introduction of parasitic or predaceous insects. The use of insecticides in the forest is not economical. Forest entomologists therefore resorted largely to the introduction and propagation of parasitic insects. Unfortunately, experience has shown, in many cases, that introduced parasites multiply too slowly to check current insect infestations. Insect pathogens multiply rapidly and at times contribute more to the control of insect pests than all …  Lire la suite

McRostie, * (Supervisors)  Lire la suite

L'image de la destruction de la ville a une longue histoire et évoque aussi malheureusement des événements récents de l’actualité. Cette thèse retrace les transformations de cette imagerie dans trois récits visuels qui ont marqués le siècle dernier : <Metropolis>, le film de Fritz Lang (1926), le manga, une bande dessinée de Tezuka Osamu (1949), et le film d’animation japonais anime dirigé par Rintarô (2001). Malgré leur différences, ces trois récits partagent une préoccupation profonde : la crise de la condition de vie moderne. Cette crise est représentée par l’imagerie de la ville mais aussi par celle des corps brisés …  Lire la suite

Ten patients and eleven controls received three equivalent tests before, during, and after ECT, or a similar lapse of time. The tests involved the tachistoscopic presentation of Street's Gestalt Figures; the number correctly recognized being the score used. Conclusions reached are: (1) A significant drop is found in learning and remembering the test material, (2) No cumulative affect of the number of convulsions is seen on test performance, and (3) A convulsion tends to produce the greatest drop when it occurs before reproduction rather than before learning. [...]  Lire la suite

Often debates over literary meaning can get swept up into larger discussions about social significance, political responsibilities, identity struggles and deification of cultural objects. Literary meaning becomes, in these deliberations, not just a theoretical entity but a powerful social force. All of these queries, however, inasmuch as the literary enterprise is a part of human interaction, are dependent on the brute fact of communication. Any notion of literary meaning must ultimately rest upon a concept of meaning that explains, or attempts to explain, how communication is possible. This, in turn, leads down the dark path into human psychology and the …  Lire la suite

La nature abrite des systèmes dans lesquels la concurrence d’énergie de surface et d’énergie de pointe façonne les structures et sert les fonctionnalités. Des particules lipoprotéiques, biofilms bactériens, ainsi que la membrane du mésentère dorsal, sont parmi des exemples de tels systémes, qui partagent tous un comportement mécanique similaire: la résistance à la flexion et l’étirement d’une membrane biologique sont en concurrence avec la résistance à la flexion et à la torsion d’un fil de délimitation. Pour débuter notre analyse de ces systèmes, nous étudions des films de savon couvrant les boucles élastiques et inextensibles. La boucle est modélisée comme …  Lire la suite

Sur le plan historique, le terme Gilan fait référence à une région montagneuse géographiquement isolée mais économiquement de grande valeur située au sud de la mer Caspienne. Cette région appartient en grande majorité à l'Iran d'aujourd'hui. A l'époque où la dynastie des Safavides a conquis et régné en Iran, Gilan passa d'une région semi-indépendante dirigée par deux dynasties rivales les Kiyayis et les Eshaqiyyeh, à une province entièrement intégrée au système politique des Safavides. Cette thèse est une étude des développements historiques, politiques et religieuses dans Gilan de la fin du quatorzième siècle au début du dix-septième siècle. En particulier, …  Lire la suite

This thesis is a study of two major figures among the royal Safavid women in the sixteenth century, with a special focus on their political activities and style of leadership. I examine the socio-political careers of Pari Khan Khanum (955-985/1548-1578) and Mahd-i 'Ulya (d.987/1579) in connection with family and dynastic politics as well as the power struggle and factionalism among the qizilbash tribes. A detailed analysis of these powerful female political figures of the Safavid court leads one to conclude that first, royal women faced particularly complex social and personal restrictions, but nonetheless some managed - through their privileged status …  Lire la suite

In Num. 21: 4-9, after complaining against God, the Israelites were punished with a plague of venomous serpents. Following their apology, God commanded Moses to fashion a bronze serpent and mount it on a standard; the bitten were to look at it to recover. The use of the serpent form is striking, as it seems to boldly negate the fundamental Torah law, which prohibits the use of any images or statues. To gain better insight into the narrative, the first section of this work explores a possible context for it, based on archaeological findings. The second section focuses on the …  Lire la suite

Soft bodies provide new ways for mechanisms to work. They can make actions, such as grabbing, simpler than with rigid structures. However, predicting the behaviour of various soft body designs is challenging. Computational fabrication technologies have revolutionized the fabrication process, but it still takes about a day to create a model. Hence, even with rapid prototyping, iterative random trial and error design process is impractical. Motivated by these facts, in this thesis, we create a user-driven pneumatic soft body simulation tool. The tool allows the user to design and explore the capabilities of air pressure actuated soft bodies without going …  Lire la suite

Cette étude examine l'influence de deux expositions de musée sur la compréhension et l'apprentissage d'étudiants universitaires en comparant deux études de recherche réalisées dans le même musée universitaire à deux périodes de temps différentes. Chaque étude a exploré l'apprentissage associé à une exposition de musée sur un sujet particulier: soit «les fossiles de schiste de Burgess» en 2003 et «la conservation et l'usage de l'eau» en 2013. Les participants à la première étude étaient des étudiants dont le programme de cours 2003 – 2004 incluait la visite du musée. Les personnes ayant participé à la deuxième études étaient des visiteurs …  Lire la suite

Tait, J. (Supervisors)  Lire la suite

L'Organisation Mondiale de la Santé indique que la fréquence adéquate d'alimentation est une importante composante des pratiques d'alimentation des nourrissons et des jeunes enfants en vue de leurs assurer un développement et une croissance optimale. En 2008, parmi les enfants Ghanéens âgés de 6 à 23 mois, seulement 50% de ceux allaités et 22% de ceux non allaités avaient une fréquence d'alimentation appropriée. Concernant les enfants âgés de 2 à 5 ans, aucune information sur leur fréquence d'alimentation n'est disponible. La présente étude a évalué les déterminants socio-économiques de la fréquence alimentaire des enfants âgés de moins de 5 ans …  Lire la suite

This study evaluates the effects of an eight week, school-based, preventive intervention programme on the adjustment of children to divorce. Thirty-three later latency stage children (9 to 12 year olds) were evaluated before and after intervention on the Child Behavior Check List by parents (Achenbach & Edelbrock, 1983) and teachers (Edelbrock & Achenbach, 1984) for behaviour problems. Children's self reports on their problematic beliefs about divorce (Kurdek and Berg, 1987), self-perceived competence (Harter, 1985), and trait anxiety levels (Reynolds & Richmond, 1985) were assessed. Subsequent to the intervention children had significantly fewer misconceptions about divorce, had increased perceived social acceptance, …  Lire la suite

The fact that ethnic and religious prejudice is widespread in our culture has been demonstrated by many social psychological investigations. A study in 1932 (15) and another 18 years later (6) found that Princeton students assigned many of the same stereotyped attributes to different ethnic groups, although fewer of them did so in the later study. For example, Negroes were said to be superstitious and lazy, Germans scientifically minded, Jews shrewd. [...]  Lire la suite

The presynaptic events in cholinergic transmission raise three distinct problems: first, how the transmitter is produced; second, the form in which it is stored; and third, the means by which it is released. The postsynaptic events pose two further questions: how ACh. combines with the postsynaptic membrane and how it excites (or inhibits) the postsynaptic cell. The last of these questions is now fairly well understood (for recent reviews see Castillo & Katz, 1956; Weidmann, 1956), but little is known of how ACh. combines with the postsynaptic membrane. [...]  Lire la suite

The strikng similarity that Elliot (1904) discovered between the effects of adrenaline and sympathetic stimulation led him to suggest that the sympathetic nervous system might act by releasing small quantities of adrenaline from its post-ganglionic terminations. This was the first formulation of the idea of chemical transmission: two years later W. E. Dixon proposed that parasympathetic nerves similarly might liberate a chemical transmitter of their effects, and he suggested muscarine to be the substance involved (Dixon, 1906).  Lire la suite

Reza Forghani (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

Au cours des six dernières années, j’ai participé au développement d’une relation avec trois femmes à Kahnawà:ke. Nous avons élaboré une politique d'éthique concernant la recherche en éducation, un projet communautaire qui a été une grande priorité pour le centre d'éducation de Kahnawà:ke. Ce contexte collaboratif informe cette recherche. Que signifie soutenir la décolonisation, en tant que colon, compte tenu du fait que des projets de résistance comme cette politique d'éthique visent à défier la relation coloniale et à élever l'autodétermination du peuple de Kahnawà:ke ? Une partie de cette recherche propose une investigation des points de pression qui ont …  Lire la suite

This study explored the relation between pedagogical knowledge and subject-matter knowledge, in the context of inquiry-driven science instruction, and their relation to instructors' performance in the instructional process. This multiple case study focused on three distinct categories of teachers--Novice in Inquiry and in Science, Novice in Inquiry and Expert in Science, and Expert in Inquiry and in Science--and examined the commonalities and differences among them by exploring the cognitive processes these teachers used when planning and enacting an inquiry instructional situation, as well as when assessing students' learning resulting from this specific instructional event. Inquiry instruction varied across cases from …  Lire la suite

The main aim of this study was to determine the effects of hydrogen ions, and of bicarbonate and CO2 on the respiration and anaerobic glycolysis of brain tissue in vitro. Such an investigation is of interest since these substances are important components of tissue fluids, and are known to vary in concentration. Observations on the effects of pH and of bicarbonate and CO2 on aspects of in vitro metabolism might, therefore, aid in an understanding of their functions in vivo. Further, it is important to know precisely the effects of these factors in order to judge the validity of experiments …  Lire la suite

This investigation is concerned with the effect of trauma inflicted on the living animal on in vitro protein metabolism. A discussion on the chemistry of protein breakdown and factors affecting it is therefore indicated. This will be followed by review of investigations concerned with the effect of trauma on protein metabolism and of the role of the adrenal cortex in protein metabolism, [...]  Lire la suite

This thesis discusses the prospect of integrating vibrotactile feedback into digital musical instruments. A holistic approach is taken, considering the role of new instruments in electronic music, as well as the concept of touch in culture and experience. Research about the human biological systems that enable vibrotactile perception is reviewed, with a special focus on its relevance to music. Out of this review, an approach to vibration synthesis is developed that integrates the current understanding of human vibrotactile perception. An account of musical vibrotactile interaction design is presented, which includes the implementation of a vibrotactile feedback synthesizer and the construction …  Lire la suite

Incubation of liver slices from vitamin K-deficient as well as from warfarin-pretreated rats, but not from normal rats, required the presence of vitamin KI to form and/or release factor VII into the medium. Vitamin K analogues having vitamin K-like or antagonist activity in intact animals, showed the same activity in vitro. In slices from vitamin K-deficient rats, low concentrations of warfarin (< 10^-4M) completely inhibited the response to low concentrations of vitamin K1 (< 10^-6M) without inhibiting total protein synthesis. Concentrations of warfarin which were found to inhibit total protein synthesis (>10^-4M), were required in order to inhibit the response …  Lire la suite

In 1910, Ewins and Laidlaw (1) found that perfusion of tyramine or tryptamine (2) through the liver of the rabbit yielded p-hydroxyphenylacetic acid and indoleacetic acid, respectively. The transformation of amine to acid was thought to be of a hydrolytic nature by these workers.  Lire la suite

Currently there is no standardized assessment for the evaluation of upper extremity steadiness in children. The objective of this study was to obtain preliminary psychometric properties of a clinical tool to assess steadiness in the upper extremity in children aged six to ten years. One hundred twenty-two healthy children were recruited from regular schools. Children were instructed to hold a stylus in a steady position in a small circular opening for fifteen seconds, in supported and unsupported positions, using the dominant and non dominant hand. The number of times the stylus touched the metal grid was automatically recorded. Normative data …  Lire la suite

Le but du présent programme de recherche était d'examiner la nature et les fonctions de l'intimité dans les relations sexuelles romantiques. Plus précisément, je me suis intéressée à comprendre comment les gens ordinaires définissent et comprennent le concept de l'intimité sexuelle par rapport au concept général de l'intimité, et comment l'intimité à l'intérieur des relations romantiques influence strictement le bien-être à travers le temps. Pour comprendre le premier, six études ont examiné la nature de l'intimité sexuelle et ses liens avec l'intimité; pour comprendre le dernier, une étude longitudinale à grande échelle a examiné l'impact de l'intimité au niveau de …  Lire la suite

Much has been written concerning the origin, diagnosis and treatment of bronchial asthma. Although "asthma has been considered for a long time one of the so-called allergic diseases" it is the "etiological diagnosis of bronchial asthma that presents difficulties."  Lire la suite

Lavoie-Tremblay, Melanie (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite