McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par B

This study traces in Mallet-Stevens' architecture a temporality proper to the photographic image, latent in the space of the moderns of the 1920--1930. To this end, I present both an analyses of Mallet-Stevens' work and a photomontage on the Noailles and Cavrois villas, which combines my photos with historical documents. The montage reveals in these spaces a perceptual quality of the image germane to Merleau-Ponty's notion of flesh. The analysis develops this notion along the lines of 'the grain and the skin'. It reveals in Mallet-Stevens' work the capital importance of his experience, as movie set designer. Indeed, space is …  Lire la suite

Presence of Triaenophorus crassus Forel in the flesh of lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis (Mitchill)) and cisco (C. artedi Lesueur) can be an important economic problem for commercial coregonine fisheries. This study was initiated during the development of native fisheries in northern Quebec. Coregonine populations from 6 lakes of the Nottaway watershed were sampled to determine infection patterns of T. crassus in relation to age and size of fish, and to document interlake differences in prevalence and number of T. crassus. Interspecific and interlake differences in the infection dynamics of T. crassus were described in relation to capsule types, sizes and …  Lire la suite

The study of catenated polysulfur oxide ligands as homogeneous models of possible species involved in the Claus reaction has led to the investigation of SO$ sb2$ complexes as precursors to the MSO$ sb2$SR moiety. In the first part of this study, cationic Cp-ruthenium complexes having a planar SO$ sb2$ ligand were treated with thiolate anions and thiols. When (CpRu(PPh$ rm sb3) sb2SO sb2 rbrack PF sb6$ was treated with LiSCHMe$ sb2$, no reaction occurred and the starting complex was recovered. Treatment with a weaker nucleophile $ rm LiSC sb6F sb5$ gave CpRu(PPh$ rm sb3) sb2SC sb6F sb5.$ Replacing LiSR with …  Lire la suite

An experimental investigation of metal-organic co-adsorption was conducted using cadmium and citrate in the presence of corundum. The experiments were performed in the pH range 3.0 to 10.0 in a 0.01M NaCl matrix with citrate:Cd ratios of 0.00 and 10.00. The presence of citrate enhances cadmium adsorption between pH 3.5 and 7.2, and reduces it above pH 7.2. The results from the experiments provide constraints on the thermodynamic properties of the surface complexes. The adsorption of Cd is quantified by the competition between aqueous CdCit$ sp{-1}$ and the surface species $>$AlCitCd$ sp0$, $>$AlOCd$ sp+$, and $>$AlOCdCl$ sp0$. The experimentally determined …  Lire la suite

The problem of measuring impedance is an old one, but its currency is renewed every time there is an advance into the radio-frequency spectrum. The trend in the development of Radio science has been towards higher frequencies, and particularly during the recent war has there been a rapid advance in this direction. The need for, and emphasis on, practical results from wartime development and research has led to the by-passing or at any rate incomplete solution of many problems in the frequency range from 100 to 200 mc. Because of the dearth of information and the lack of practical techniques …  Lire la suite

Several mitigation procedures have been proposed to limit the transfer of Hg and MeHg to aquatic organisms but most cannot be applied to large reservoirs such as those of northern Quebec for practical, economical, and environmental reasons. A better understanding of the diagenetic behaviour of Hg and methylmercury in aquatic environments has lead us to consider methods of enhancing natural processes which would either limit the mobility of Hg in flooded soils or its methylation. Different concentrations of iron oxide, iron shavings and ferrous ammonium sulphate were added to soil slurries in the presence or absence of calcite and gypsum. …  Lire la suite

The objective of this thesis is to contribute to the debate triggered by the Green Paper on Remedying Environmental Damage published by the Commission of the European Communities in March 1993. This Green Paper discussed the relevance and shortcomings of a recourse to the strict liability regime and to a joint compensation fund mechanism as means of remedying environmental damage which take place in the European Union.  Lire la suite

Forest ecosystems undergo both natural and human induced disturbances. Depending on disturbance type, soil physical and chemical parameters show different response patterns during the recovery phase. An added level of complication is the ecological site types occurring throughout a forested area. The identification of indicators of soil fertility and the successful emulation of a natural disturbance regime were the scope of this research. The research presented herein took place in the Manitoba Model Forest (MBMF), located in eastern Manitoba, where the natural disturbance regime is wildfire. Timber harvest strategies used in the area are designed to emulate a wildfire (5% …  Lire la suite

Experimental graphology originated in France. Michon(1806-1881), turning away from the mere impressionistic interpretations of his predecessors,collected a vast number of handwriting specimens due to the pen of well-known personages, and comparing those scripts with the character traits ofthe writers, he evolved his famous "theory of signs", which is still prevalent in popular books on graphology. To a definite sign corresponds adefinite quality, and the absence of the sign betokens the absence of the quality. [...]  Lire la suite

Among the various constituents of personality, temperament is generally recognized as that something inborn and permanent which has always been linked with bodily characteristics.The classical doctrine of four temperaments, left practically unchallenged until the beginning of this century, is now superseded by several new ones. Their theoretical basis differs, but they agree fairly well in considering temperament as a factor whose variations could be distributed on a continuum, ranging from an extreme type to the diametrically opposite. Jung's appellation of these types as introvert and extravert is the most widely used nowadays. [...]  Lire la suite

La formation des structures dorsales sur la coquille de l'oeuf de la drosophile requiert l'induction de destinées cellulaires dorsales dans l'épithélium folliculaire. L'induction de ces destinées cellulaires dans le domaine dorso-antérieur de l'épithélium folliculaire est médiée par la restriction de l'activation de la voie de signalisation du récepteur du facteur de croissance épidermal (Egfr) par son ligand Gurken (Grk). Un mécanisme a été proposé pour expliquer la génération du patron des destinées cellulaires dorsales sur l'axe dorso-ventral. Ce mécanisme requiert l'induction par la signalisation Grk-Egfr, d'une seconde ronde de signalisation par Egfr dans l'épithélium folliculaire. De plus, un autre modèle …  Lire la suite

I assessed the relationship between growth of fish in situ, food consumption, prey type and fish community descriptors in 12 perch (Perca flavescens) populations exhibiting a 1.8 to 10-fold range in growth rates. Perch growth rates consistently decreased as fish numerical density increased (r$ sp2$ = 0.60) and increased as feeding levels increased (r$ sp2$ = 0.30). I found no significant relationship between the quantity of food consumed by perch and fish numerical density. Prey quality explained from 50 to 95% of the observed variability in growth but was related to fish numerical density in only one of the 3 …  Lire la suite

Pour la constitution de ce sujet, je suis partie du contexte de l'etude plutot que de son objet. L'Afrique m'est apparue comme un choix logique pour deux raisons principales. La premiere, d'ordre personnel, est que les personnes qui me sont les plus cheres sont, chacunes a leur maniere, proches du continent africain. Sous leur influence, j'ai developpe un interet certain pour les cultures et les problemes de l'Afrique noire. Ce penchant s'est transforme en conviction lorsque, dans les aleas de leur carriere professionnelle, mes parents ont ete mute au Mali il y a deux ans. Ce demenagement m'a permis de …  Lire la suite

In order to address the shortcomings of mobility-centered transport planning, planning for accessibility is increasingly considered as an essential complementary approach. This approach aims to provide reasonable access to destinations (employment centers, amenities, social and health services, etc.) to the entire population instead of prioritizing the optimization of travel times. Although a large body of literature has explored how to conceptualize and measure accessibility, research on how to incorporate accessibility in transport planning is scarce. Knowing that accessibility is currently marginalized in transport planning, the overarching goal of this dissertation is to contribute to the implementation of accessibility measures in …  Lire la suite

The costs to females associated with polyandry are numerous. However, this mating strategy is very common in nature because mating with multiple males during the same reproductive cycle can also provide multiple benefits. Under such conditions, females can use different strategies to optimize the benefits of mate choice. Among these, the trade-up hypothesis is a model used to predict female mate choice when males are encountered sequentially: specifically, females mate with males of increased quality as they gain experience. These decisions are thought to be based on cues that indicate male quality to females. These cues, however, may well differ …  Lire la suite

Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a major plasma protein in the fetus and newborn. Extensive studies in both human and murine systems defined a selective down-regulatory role for AFP on certain types of immune reactions in vitro. Direct evidence was obtained in experimental models of autoimmune disease showing that mouse and human AFP can, in a predictable fashion, influence in vivo immune parameters. However, attempts to define the molecular basis of the immunoregulatory functions of AFP have until now been handicapped by the lack of an appropriate consistent source for pure AFP in quantities suitable for detailed investigations. The aim of my …  Lire la suite

The opening of telecommunications to competition since the beginning of the 1980's has several explanations. Governments have acknowledged that the regulatory preservation of national monopolies had become impossible as well as economically inefficient, notably because of certain technological revolutions. Liberalization of telecommunications must also be seen in the context of a global opening of markets, of which the most obvious manifestation is the creation of the WTO. At the European level, liberalization is the logical consequence of the Treaty of Rome principles and objectives. Introducing competition to the telecommunication sector proves to be extremely difficult in practice, especially in a …  Lire la suite

Future high-performance digital computing systems will demand extremely high throughput backplanes to meet massive connectivity requirements between computing subsystems. This thesis begins by analyzing the characteristics of high-performance electronic backplanes and argues that electronic backplanes face fundamental cost/performance limitations which free-space optical backplanes can overcome provided key problems such as maintaining mechanical alignment in an industrial setting are resolved. An analysis of misalignment mechanisms indicates that active alignment is a powerful solution to the problem of optical alignment. A review of active alignment in other optical systems such as compact disk players and telescopes is then conducted. The central part …  Lire la suite

Free-space optical interconnects (FSOIs) promise to deliver tremendous gains in connectivity and architectural freedom in future computing systems, especially at the backplane level. However, a critical hurdle that must be overcome for FSOIs to deliver on their promise is that of optical packaging. The objective of optical packaging in FSOIs is to implement an optical design within the specified alignment budget and support the associated optoelectronics. It is a multidisciplinary field combining aspects of mechanical, optical and electrical engineering. This thesis explores optical packaging issues for FSOIs such as: type of optical interconnect, impact of device technology, environmental effects, and …  Lire la suite

The photooxidation of a Thermo-Mechanical (TM) pulp and paper mill effluent with hydrogen peroxide $ rm(H sb2O sb2)$ was investigated at different experimental conditions by using a batch photochemical reactor operating at a dominant UV light wavelength of 253.7 nm. Photolysis of $ rm H sb2O sb2$ produces hydroxyl radicals ($ cdot$OH), which are very powerful oxidizing species. The effluent consisted of a "heat condensate" obtained from toxic vapors generated during various stages of the pulping process. Several operational parameters were varied and their effects on the process were observed and analyzed, in order to achieve its optimization. In addition, …  Lire la suite

Les métalloenzymes ont suscité un grand intérêt dans le développement de solutions énergétiques durables en raison de leurs propriétés rédox fascinantes mais complexes. Cependant, la compréhension de leur énergétique rédox et de leur dynamique de transfert d'électrons, deux processus fondamentalement quantiques, reste à faire. La microscopie à force électrostatique à un seul électron (e-EFM) offre une solution viable puisqu'elle s'est avérée efficace pour sonder les systèmes à l'échelle nanométrique et extraire diverses propriétés quantiques. Dans cette technique de microscopie à force atomique (AFM), un cantilever conducteur qui oscille agit à la fois comme un détecteur de charge et induit également …  Lire la suite

Vertebral development patterns have been well characterised in the Paleozoic "lepospondyls" and "labyrinthodonts", as well as in modern amniotes, frogs and caecilians. Each of those groups consistently develop either the neural arches before the centra or the centra before neural arches. Preliminary studies confirmed that members of the Urodela exhibit both developmental patterns. To understand if there is any consistency in patterns of vertebral development within and between families, as well as to investigate the distribution of patterns within the order, 120 salamander larvae from the ten living salamander families were cleared, stained and examined for osteological development. In order …  Lire la suite

ContexteLes infections aiguës des voies respiratoires inférieures (IVRI), notamment la bronchiolite, la bronchite et la pneumonie, sont les causes d’hospitalisation les plus courantes et coûteuses chez les enfants canadiens, ce qui représente un fardeau majeur pour les systèmes de santé. La pandémie de COVID-19 a eu de grave répercussion sur la présentation et la saisonnalité de ces hospitalisations. Nous avons cherché à mieux comprendre les tendances et les facteurs associés à ces admissions.ObjectifsL’étude visait à [1] estimer le taux d’incidence des hospitalisations pédiatriques pour les IVRI pédiatriques au Canada, avant et après la pandémie de COVID-19, et à [2] évaluer …  Lire la suite

Arginine methylation is a post-translational modification occurring in higher eukaryotes that results in the addition of one or two methyl group on the nitrogen in the side chain of arginines. The enzymes responsible for protein arginine methylation have been classified in three groups. Type I enzymes promote the formation of both NG-monomethylated and asymmetric o-NG,NG-dimethylated arginines (aDMA). Type II enzymes catalyze the formation of monomethylated and symmetrical o-N G,N'G-dimethylated arginines (sDMA). The type III enzyme found in yeast catalyzes the monomethylation of the delta-guanidino nitrogen atom of the arginine residue. Although some abundant proteins have been described as being substrates …  Lire la suite

A specialized day care program was developed for community-residing individuals diagnosed with Senile Dementia of the Alzheimer Type (SDAT). Eighteen subjects with SDAT who were categorized at stages 3 and 4 of the Global Deterioration Scale participated in the day care program once a week for 12 weeks. Activities for the program were selected so as to stimulate cognitive processes as well as promote independence in activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). Emphasis was placed on habilitation. The Mini-Mental State Examination, the Hierarchic Dementia Scale, and the Rapid Disability Rating Scale-2 were used to …  Lire la suite

In 1922 Tashiro found that on incubation of frog sciatic nerve under aerobic conditions, a gaseous substance in addition to carbon dioxide was produced. He further showed that this other substance was ammonia, and was able to demonstrate that very small amounts of this substance were liberated as an end product of nerve metabolism under the particular experimental conditions.  Lire la suite

Although Buddhism denies the existence of a permanent individual entity, the tradition nevertheless makes frequent use of the "aggregate" scheme when asked to explain the elements at work in the individual. Through a detailed analysis of each of these five aggregates (pancakkhandha). I first intend to establish how the Theravada tradition views their interaction, with each other and with the external world. Secondly, I will attempt to offer strong evidence that the traditional order systematically used for the enumeration of the five aggregates is significant. This will be evidenced by establishing a correlation between the five aggregates and the eight …  Lire la suite

L’enzyme ADN méthyltransférase 3-like (DNMT3L) est essentiel durant l’établissement initial de la méthylation de l’ADN dans les cellules germinales mâles et femelles, ainsi que dans le développement de ces dernières. Chez la souris, une déficience de cet enzyme mène à des troubles au niveau de la reproduction, ainsi qu’à des défaults de méthylation d’ADN dans la lignée germinale. La progéniture de mâles hétérozygotes démontre un taux plus élevé d’aneuploïdies, et les mâles et femelles homozygotes mutants sont infertiles. Ces anomalies reproductives sont liées à une hypométhylation de l’ADN dans la lignée germinale de ces animaux. Donc, en terme de dose …  Lire la suite

Electric field levels between 30 and 1000 MHz were predicted using a free space propagation model, and then measured in three major hospitals in downtown Montreal. The measurements were performed using industry-standard techniques and new broadband, omnidirectional, triaxial, electrically small (BOTES) techniques. Although the absolute values of predictions were often unreliable, they acceptably predicted the type of electromagnetic environment actually observed at different hospitals. Results from both sets of measurements were closely related, suggesting continued future development of lower-cost BOTES measurement techniques. None of the fields encountered were above the limit prescribed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) susceptibility …  Lire la suite

In light of the remarkable antiviral activity of acyclic nucleoside analogues such as that of BIOLF-62 against the herpes viruses, a number of products in which heterocyclic bases were coupled to the active acyclic sugar moiety were prepared and submitted for biological testing. Various dimethoxytritylated and t -butyldimethylsilylated derivatives of arabinoadenosine were prepared and fully characterised by $ sp1$H and $ sp{13}$C NMR spectroscopy. $ sp{29}$Si INEPT as well as $ sp{29}$Si-$ sp1{ rm H}$ correlated NMR were used to study various t -butyldimethylsilyl and triisopropylsilyl substituted ribonucleosides. In an effort aimed at the development of new and better nucleoside …  Lire la suite

Avec la situation des femmes affectées par les activités des entreprises transnationales canadiennes à l'étranger comme fondement de ce mémoire, l’auteure utilise la théorie juridique féministe pour analyser trois cadres normatifs qui se chevauchent et qui s’appliquent, en théorie, à cette problématique : (i) les instruments juridiques internationaux relatifs aux droits humains, particulièrement en matière de droits des femmes, (ii) les instruments émanant des Nations Unies en matière d’entreprises et de droits humains, y compris les principes de Ruggie, (iii) et les initiatives volontaires des entreprises transnationales en matière de responsabilité sociale des entreprises. L'auteure souligne ainsi l’angle mort normatif …  Lire la suite

Perie, Catherine (Internal/Cosupervisor2)  Lire la suite

Les études portant sur les limites de répartition se trouvent « à l’avant-garde » de la réponse biologique des espèces aux changements climatiques. L’étude des changements de répartition récents démontre le potentiel des espèces à suivre ou non leur niche climatique. L’influence des changements climatiques sur ces déplacements est présumée importante, mais il y a encore peu d’évidence qui supporte cette relation à l’échelle du site. Enfin, une compréhension accrue des processus écologiques sous-jacents à cette dynamique peut améliorer les prédictions de modèles. L’objectif général de cette thèse est de comprendre les patrons et les processus associés au déplacement des …  Lire la suite

Ce mémoire de maitrise cherche à approfondir l’article “Agenda Seeding: How 1960s Black Protests Moved Elites, Public Opinion and Voting” d’Omar Wasow (2020). L’article examine comment le mouvement pour les droits civils aux États-Unis a influencé l’opinion publique par le biais de la proportion de votes pour le parti démocrate. La littérature sur les mouvements sociaux justifie rarement le choix méthodologique d’utiliser le nombre d’évènements ou le taux de participation comme variable indépendante (Biggs 2018). Cependant, de nouveau avancer dans le domaine indique que le choix de variable dépendante aurait une influence importante sur le choix des mesures (Shuman et …  Lire la suite

Background The use of massage has been suggested to maximize pain relief, however its effectiveness on pain relief in the intensive care unit remains unknown. Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of hand massage on the pain intensity, unpleasantness and interference, muscle tension, anxiety, and vital signs of critically ill patients after cardiac surgery. Methods A 3-arm randomized controlled trial was conducted in a intensive care unit. Patients were included if they were 18 years or older, able to speak French or English and self-report symptoms, underwent cardiac surgery, and without a high risk of postoperative complications and …  Lire la suite

Traditionnellement, les problèmes de drug design, qui consistent à proposer de nouveaux ligandspour des récepteurs protéiques connus, sont abordés selon deux approches: Soit en partant dela structure 3D du récepteur et en recherchant les ligands les plus complémentaires dans unelibrairie, soit en s'inspirant de la structure d'un ligand observé expérimentalement. Les modèles génératifs dedeep learning ouvrent de nouvelles perspectives pour cette approche centrée sur le ligand, carils permettent d'explorer tout l'espace des molécules synthétisables et de générer des composésoptimisés. Cependant, ils n'utilisent pas directement la structure de la cible. Nous proposons une méthode pour générer des composés de haute affinité …  Lire la suite

The capability to perform dexterous operations in an autonomous manner would greatly enhance the productivity of space robotic operations. In the present thesis, we address this problem and propose a new methodology for vision-guided automatic grasping using SARAH, a three-fingered robotic hand. The Canadian Space Agency is planning to install SARAH on the International Space Station and we developed a methodology allowing this robotic hand to grasp objects autonomously by using a vision system in combination with an off-line grasp planner. More specifically, a new algorithm for synthesizing force-closure grasps for planar and revolute objects with SARAH is formulated. The …  Lire la suite

The ν = 5/2 fractional quantum Hall (FQH) has recently been proposed to be a platformenabling topological quantum computations, sparking extensive works aimed at unravelingits many-body wavefunction. To this end, experimentally demonstrating that this exoticstate is non-Abelian is a crucial milestone to achieve fault-tolerant quantum computations.Among many others, one promising avenue is to probe the entropy via thermopower at atemperature where dimensional entropy dominates, hence providing compelling evidence forits non-Abelian nature.In this thesis, an ultra-high electron mobility Corbino device was adapted to allow forthermopower measurements in the second Landau level (SLL) of the fractional quantum Halleffect (FQHE) at temperatures of …  Lire la suite

Vidal, Silvia (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

This thesis asks the following fundamental question: to what extent can economic and social rights be made effective through law? Because this question touches at once upon the effectiveness of these rights and on their status as norms of positive law, attempting to answer it requires first, an openness to other disciplines, and subsequently, to the question of the respect and control of these norms, namely that of sanction. From the outset, a preliminary and multidisciplinary analysis of the issue of contemporary poverty hints at an undeniable deviation with "pure legal theory". Moreover, economic and social rights are becoming more …  Lire la suite

The aim of this study is to test the assumption that the depictions of ancient boxing found on Attic Black and Red Figure pottery are accurate. Due to the scarcity of ancient written material and physical evidence, most of our knowledge of the sport must be based on the depictions themselves. This thesis sets out to discover whether or not our basis of knowledge, the vases and their depictions, are accurate and reflect what truly happened in a boxing match. To accomplish this, two main variables are put to test: the ratio of left- and right-handed boxers, and the occurrence …  Lire la suite

Ce mémoire a pour objet de montrer que la « manière mêlée » de Théodore de Banville constitue une condition d'accès à une pensée de la valeur dans Odes funambulesques (1857) et Nouvelles Odes funambulesques (1869). L'hybridité qui caractérise ces deux recueils en rend l'analyse indissociable d'une théorie de la manière, catégorie qui appartient au champ artistique. Le mélange engage tout d'abord les mutations du sujet, depuis les pseudonymes utilisés dans les prépublications du petit journal jusqu'à l'anonymat de l'œuvre en 1857. Dans un second temps, ce travail aborde les liens qui nouent le poème au journalisme satirique et au …  Lire la suite

Les étudiants universitaires indiquent des niveaux de stress élevés qui ont un impact sur leur bien-être et fonctionnement. Les services de soutien limités et la stigmatisation des difficultés de santé mentale constituent des obstacles à l'accès au soutien. Ces problèmes soulignent la nécessité d'adopter des approches plus innovantes, plus efficaces en termes de gestion de ressource et plus engageantes pour soutenir la capacité des étudiants à faire face au stress. Bien que les universités aient étendu leurs services au-delà des services traditionnels de santé mentale à forte intensité de ressources, il existe peu de preuves de l'efficacité des programmes de …  Lire la suite

The present event-related brain potentials (ERP) study investigated questions concerning the neurocognitive mechanisms and temporal dynamics underlying the processing of two manifestations of truth-conditional/logical semantic anomalies: namely, (1) logical contradictions/hyponymy violations (e.g., Because Sarah loves all vegetables, she decided to buy #apples/broccoli at the store); and (2) unlicensed negative polarity items (NPIs) (e.g., Surprisingly, Frank did finish #any of his work yesterday) – alongside 'classical’ conceptual semantic violations, during written sentence comprehension. With respect to the processing of logical contradictions, previous ERP studies have reported a mix of ERP effects elicited by such violations, the most consistent being the absence …  Lire la suite