McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par B

The ideology of jihad as propounded by the Islamic Resistance Movement of Palestine (H&dotbelow;amas) is the subject of this thesis. It examines what this organization specifically means by jihad. To properly ascertain this meaning, the ideology of jihad from two different time periods has been examined. In the first period, the "classical" age, the ideology of several jurists concerning jihad is introduced. It can be seen that during this period jihad was applicable to both the expansion and protection of Islamic social/political hegemony. In the second, or modern period, the interpretations of jihad by four thinkers commonly known as "Islamic …  Lire la suite

Two previously identified sequence alterations in the androgen receptor gene of patients with complete androgen resistance are studied to prove their pathogenicity. Family studies confirm that the mutation segregates with the phenotype and that the mothers are heterozygous carriers. In one family a sibling of the patient is identified as a heterozygous carrier. Mutant cDNAs encoding the mutant receptors are constructed and expressed in COS-1 cells. The resulting mutant receptors show a decreased apparent equilibrium constant for androgens, faster dissociation rates and impaired transactivation. Further studies reveal that both mutant receptors were either inactivated or destroyed in the presence of …  Lire la suite

Social network analysis is an important cross-disciplinary area of research, with applications in fields such as biology, epidemiology, marketing and even politics. Influence maximization is the problem of finding the set of seed nodes in an information diffusion process that guarantees maximum spread of influence in a social network, given its structure. Most approaches to this problem make two assumptions. First, the global structure of the network is known. Second, influence probabilities between any two nodes are known beforehand, which is rarely the case in practical settings. In this thesis we propose a different approach to the problem of learning …  Lire la suite

L'acier au carbone (AC) est couramment utilisé dans les systèmes de transport d'eau à cause de ses propriétés mécaniques exceptionnelles. Cependant, l'AC est très susceptible à la corrosion, et la corrosion uniforme est la forme de corrosion la plus commune qui l'affecte. Cette corrosion interne d'équipement en AC est la cause principale de défaillance des systèmes de chauffage/refroidissement à boucle fermée. Les paramètres de qualité d'eau comme la quantité de sels et gaz dissous, le niveau de pH, la température, et l'activité galvanique et microbienne affectent le taux de corrosion interne. Ainsi, il est important de réduire la corrosion interne …  Lire la suite

McAlpine, L. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Glass, Leon (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

This thesis is concerned with the pleasure travels of British middle class men and women during the 1860s to World War One. I have considered pleasure travel as any type of travel primarily motivated by the desire to entertain and amuse oneself in a place other than home. It had become a popular leisure activity during this time period for a wide range of people, partly due to improved methods of transportation, increased monetary capabilities and the availability of free time. Paying special attention to the highly visited Italy and Switzerland, I have examined travel writings from this period to …  Lire la suite

Dans les forêts boréales du territoire cri de Eeyou Istchee dans le nord du Québec, les orignaux sont un gibier d’importance et les Cris sont préoccupés par les effets de la foresterie et des feux de forêt sur leur mise-bas. La nature énigmatique de la mise-bas, incluant le moment, l’habitat et les interactions mère-veau, limite notre compréhension de sa contribution à la dynamique des populations. Au cours de 5 ans et à travers des régions avec des niveaux différents de perturbations, 89 colliers GPS ont été déployés sur des orignaux femelles, dont huit avec des caméras (colliers AVEDs). Le premier …  Lire la suite

The dissertation studies attitudes toward privacy and surveillance in advanced democracies, particularly the United States and European Union members. I propose the concept of “the surveillance complex” to capture the interplay of governments and markets’ producing and deploying mass surveillance. I describe how democratic governments, usually forbidden from conducting mass surveillance directly, have deputized corporations, who already monitor their users. This provides governments with incentives to keep political and economic costs of surveillance low, by attempting to avoid interbranch and voter political scrutiny. People shape their public opinions on surveillance in generally low-information environments, punctured by whistleblowers, journalists, and data …  Lire la suite

Agrin is the nerve-derived factor that initiates the formation of the neuromuscular synapse. Agrin signals through the Muscle Specific receptor tyrosine Kinase (MuSK) to induce several aspects of post-synaptic differentiation, including the clustering of the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) beneath the nerve terminal. We have investigated the agrin signaling pathway and found that the AChR β subunit is tyrosine phosphorylated shortly after MuSK activation. Interestingly, this phosphorylation requires intracellular calcium fluxes raising the possibility that activity could modulate agrin signaling. As phosphorylation of the AChR β subunit correlates with receptor clustering and anchorage, we hypothesized that it regulates receptor localization in …  Lire la suite

Macromolecular drug delivery systems, or nanocarriers, designed to improve the bioavailability of therapeutic and diagnostic agents, are promising tools for the site-specific delivery of drugs to the central nervous system (CNS). In particular, nanocarriers exhibit inherent activity that can be used to modulate glial cell responses to stimuli in the CNS microenvironment. However, we have a very poor understanding of how nanocarriers exert these effects. In particular, how their size, shape, and surface chemistry play a role. The main objective of this work was to define how nanocarriers regulate glial cell responses.In these studies, we first examined how a nanogel …  Lire la suite

Une étude numérique portant sur la conduction thermique et la convection naturelle laminaire dans des systèmes glace-eau contenant des mousses métalliques poreuses est présentée dans cette thèse. Elle est réalisée grâce à la résolution de problèmes bidimensionnels et stationnaires. Les objectifs principaux de cette étude sont d'améliorer les modèles existants pour ces phénomènes et de les résoudre numériquement afin d'examiner l'influence de l'ajout de mousse métallique sur les écoulements et les transferts thermiques dans les systèmes glace-eau. L'objectif à long terme ayant motivé cette étude est de contribuer au développement de modèles mathématiques et méthodes numériques capables de simuler des …  Lire la suite

Prolidase deficiency (MIM 26413), an autosomal recessive phenotype, is caused by rare alleles at a locus on chromosome 19cent.-q13.2. The clinical phenotype is pleiotropic (affecting skin, brain, etc.) and of variable expressivity (benign to early death). I established skin fibroblast cultures from 6 homozygous probands and 6 obligate heterozygotes, purified prolidase (E.C. 3.4.13.9, a homodimer) from normal human fibroblasts, raised a monospecific rabbit antiserum to the subunit, and studied its biosynthesis. Pulse-chase immunoprecipitation experiments showed that the subunit is synthesized in the cytosol as a 58 KDa. polypeptide and not processed further. Homozygous prolidase-deficient cell strains expressed 3 classes of …  Lire la suite

It is well known that since the advent of insulin and later the antibiotics, the acute complications of diabetes mellitis have become a remedial rarity and that the late vascular complications have assumed far greater prominance with regards both morbidity and mortality. Of these pathological changes only those that affect the retinal and glomerular capillaries can be considered unique for the diabetic subject. [...]  Lire la suite

This study investigated the reported benefits of adolescent students with an intellectual disability as tutors or teacher assistants in physical education. The personal experience and meaning of five young leaders with an intellectual disability was reported by means of an interview, video activity, picture activity, and field observations. An interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used. The analysis revealed different combinations of benefits for each participant. All participants expressed positive affects from helping. Four participants identified pride and accomplishment and connectedness. Three participants demonstrated career ambitions and self-identity. Two participants addressed responsibility towards others, being a role model, and modification of …  Lire la suite

Behavioral responses are strongly influenced by the location of visual stimuli –the brain ‘sees’ a large object moving overhead as a threat quicker than it can detect the same object on the ground. In mice, the retina represents stimuli from all points in space equally, suggesting that the location-dependent difference in feature selectivity arises downstream. Recent results indicate that LGN responses to such stimuli vary in strength depending on retinotopic location. To determine how this non-uniformity arises we developed a procedure to allow for the investigation of these phenomena. We designed and built a custom two-photon microscope (2p), infected mouse …  Lire la suite

One of the major complaints from older adults -aged 60 years and above, is that their memory for past personal experiences (episodic memory) is declining with age. Older adults have difficulty in remembering the content and context of past events (Craik, 2002). Several neuropsychological and neuroimaging findings have associated an abnormal frontal lobe functioning to impairments in episodic memory, with age (Tulving, et al., 1988; Moscovitch & Winocur, 1992; Rajah & D'Esposito, 2005). Recently, age-related decreases in the dopaminergic neurotransmission system have also been related to an altered frontal lobe functioning and working memory in the elderly (Backman, 2007, 2011; …  Lire la suite

Une réponse immunitaire efficace contre des pathogènes ou des cellules cancéreuses requiert un bon encadrement de la part du système immunitaire. Les cellules dendritiques (DCs) sont les premières à intervenir. Elles transmettent des signaux essentiels aux cellules T qui permettent à celles-ci de se différencier en lignées effectrices spécifiques. La communication intercellulaire à partir de la signalisation via Notch, initiée par la liaison d'un récepteur et de son ligand situés sur des cellules voisines, joue un rôle important dans la détermination du sort de ces cellules. Cependant, il a récemment été remarqué qu'une liaison en cis de Notch et de …  Lire la suite

Touyz, Louis Zalman G (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

Wrought Mg alloys have received increasing attention for automotive body applications for the past few years due to their potential for weight reduction. The Mg-1%Mn (M1) alloy is one of the few conventional Mg alloys that may offer good formability; however, its low strength is a major concern. One disadvantage of most extruded Mg alloys is their crystallographic orientation which influences formability. The extrusion of Mg alloys gives strong final texture where basal planes align with the extrusion axis resulting in tensile-compressive yield asymmetry. It has been experimentally established that the addition of rare earth (RE) elements such as Ce …  Lire la suite

A taxonomic revision and phylogenetic analysis of the world fauna of Leptomorphus Curtis (Diptera: Mycetophilidae) were undertaken. Forty-five valid species of Leptomorphus are recognized, including 12 new species and three new synonyms. Species descriptions, diagnoses and illustrations are provided for 37 species, along with a key to adults. Eight recently described Oriental and Australasian species for which material was unavailable are excluded from the key. The phylogenetic analysis used 73 adult morphological characters and supported the monophyly of Leptomorphus. Four major clades were found within the genus, but no support was found for previously recognized subgenera. A phylogenetic analysis was …  Lire la suite

The Statechart formalism is explored. The meta-modeling environment, AToM3, is examined. Statecharts are meta-modelled using the AToM3 tool. The classical, hierarchical DEVS formalism is also explained in detail. A simulation package, pythonDEVS is used to simulate DEVS models. Small modifications to the pythonDEVS package yields a real-time DEVS executor, pythonDEVS. From the Statechart meta-model, a Statechart modeling environment is generated. The mapping of Statechart models onto behaviourally equivalent DEVS models is presented. Statecharts are mapped onto DEVS. A code generator is built which automates the Statecharts to DEVS translation. The resulting models can be executed in real-time using the pythonDEVS …  Lire la suite

Le journalisme a depuis longtemps consacré le statut de témoin comme un maillon essentiel pour pouvoir rendre compte de la réalité. Mais en raison d'une diminution de leurs moyens et d'une crise de confiance du public à leur égard, beaucoup d'organisations médiatiques « traditionnelles » perdent du terrain en tant que témoins, particulièrement dans les zones touchées par un conflit ou un sinistre. Ce recul se traduit notamment par le fait que les organisations non gouvernementales (ONG) ont commencé à s'approprier depuis quelques années la pratique du témoignage journalistique, se positionnant ainsi comme source d'informations pour les journalistes mais aussi …  Lire la suite

Habashi, Wagdi George (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

Cerruti, Marta (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

Sustainable development requires the integration of ecological and social concerns into economic activities. Recent trends in environmental impact assessment (EIA) suggest the eventual use of the EIA process to link socio-environmental attributes with economic decision-making thus allowing for the transition towards a sustainable future. This thesis is an examination of the proposed Federal Environmental Impact Assessment Act of Canada and the extent to which its provisions seek to ensure a move towards sustainable development.  Lire la suite

A controlled study is presented demonstrating motility changes in the fasting stomach of trained dogs during and after vestibular stimulation. Two methods of stimulation were used. The first method--binaural application of a galvanic current over the cocainized mastoid areas--produces fundic hypotonus and inactivity. There follows, in most cases. the appearance, development, and persistence of abnormal continual contractions, characterized by a 20 second rhythm on a low tonal level. The second method--linear and vertical acceleration--elicits immediate inhibition of hunger contractions and vomiting in addition to the effects noted above. The subcutaneous injection of prostigmine evokes a hyperactivity of the fasting stomach. …  Lire la suite

The purpose of this study is to determine how Galician Jewish emigration during the period 1869-1880 was affected by the Austrian Constitution of 21 December 1867, and in particular by Article IV of said constitution's Fundamental Law Concerning the General Rights of Citizens which granted freedom of movement for the first time to Habsburg subjects. Various demographic, economic, political and societal factors particular to migration, to Galicia and to Galician Jewry are examined in order to establish the effect of the 1867 Constitution on Galician Jewish emigration.  Lire la suite

Les jeux d'infiltration sont un genre de jeux vidéo dans lesquels le joueur a besoin d'éviter les ennemis et arriver à un lieu de but. Créer des niveau pour un jeu d'infiltration est difficile, parce-que les chemins dans lesquels le jouer peut tromper la vigilance des gardes dépend sur plusieurs facteurs de l'éspace, les mouvement des gardes, et comment ils se réagissent. Un de ces facteurs qui fait le création des niveaus beacoup plus compliqué, mais aussie les fait beaucoup plus intéressants est les distractions. Ils sont des actions de le joueur qui changent les mouvement des ennemis. Quand on …  Lire la suite

The project is an exploratory study into the living experiences of 25 immigrant families, with dependent children, during their first two years in Montreal. The years of immigration were from 1951 to 1953. The sample was located through the co-operation of the Protestant and Catholic school boards of Montreal. An "open-end" home interview was the main research tool. [...]  Lire la suite

This thesis examines the Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada and the United States from the perspective of Canada's obligations vis-a-vis asylum seekers under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Safe Third Country Agreement requires asylum seekers to lodge their refugee claims in the first country of arrival, as between Canada and the United States. Asylum seekers on the United States side of the border who are seeking to enter Canada for the purpose of claiming refugee status will be deflected to the United States to lodge their claims there. By deflecting asylum seekers in this manner, Canada …  Lire la suite

Inquiry pedagogy encompasses many strategies and approaches (e.g., student-centered learning, a participatory role among students and teachers in constructing the curriculum, fostering autonomy) that have been identified to increase intrinsic motivation and mastery goal-oriented approaches to learning. However, little if any investigation has been conducted to investigate the motivation that is experienced among bright and average achieving students when engaged in this learning environment. Csikszentmihalyi's Flow theory is considered an optimal form of intrinsic motivation and has been linked to bright students because they appear to exhibit high motivation when engaged in challenging and interesting material. The purpose of the …  Lire la suite

The granite – greenstone terranes in northwestern Ontario contain oval granitoid bodies. A specific granitoid body known as the Dashwa Gneiss was studied and the results are presented in this paper. The rocks in the field area display key features of diapirism that include concentric, steeply dipping foliations, radially distributed lineations and a shear zone bounding the granitoid that consistently shows 'granitoid up' kinematics relative to surrounding metavolcanic rocks. Based on these structural features, it is proposed that the oval map pattern of this region resulted from diapirism of the Dashwa Gneiss. A granitic intrusion at the core of the …  Lire la suite

This work studies the geographical and the scale variability of the summer diurnal cycle of precipitation over Continental United States through the analysis of 12 years of radar mosaics during the period 1996-2007. Wavelet analysis was performed to understand the importance of different spatial scales ranging from 8 km to 512 km. The objective of this thesis is to study the dependence of the variability of the rainfall field on location and time of day and how spatial scale explains this variability.The results of this analysis show that the maximum activity for the different spatial scales occurs at different times …  Lire la suite

Clouds play a critical role in Earth's climate system. Hence, studying individual cloud elements as they transit through different stages of their life cycle is of extreme importance. Tracking clouds using scanning cloud radars can help to document the temporal evolution of cloud properties well before large-drop formation (weather radar "first echo"). A new cloud identification and tracking algorithm (CITA) is developed to track cloud elements from along-wind range-height observations of a population of shallow cumuli (with and without precipitation). Following CITA, the temporal evolution of cloud-element properties (number, size, and maximum reflectivity) and their connection with the environment can …  Lire la suite

This dissertation traces the trajectory of US military planning and building practices inHeidelberg between 1945 and 1960. This famed university city, virtually untouched by the war, wasradically transformed by American military officials into the US military’s European headquarters forthe duration of the Cold War and beyond. I argue that the built environment was decisive in thateffort and the broader construction of US military power after the Second World War. I elucidatethis position by examining how military officials secured their exigent living and working conditionsin the immediate post-combat period, utilizing confiscation and requisition legal precedents as theyrestructured their forces for military …  Lire la suite

Fourteen million Amerieans suffer from heart disease and another fourteen million are suspect (124). About half of the deaths each year in the United States and Canada are due to cardiovascular causes and of these 20% result from coronary artery disease (279). In Canada about 43,000 persons annually succumb to acute heart attacks (50). In the United States, 8oo,ooo persons sutfer from coronary occlusion and myocardial intarction each year and approximately 25% die during their first attack. The surviving 75% are relatively incapacitated and one third never return to gainf'ul employment. Many suffer from angina pectoris and such persons live …  Lire la suite

Polymer/clay nanocomposites are materials composed of a polymer matrix and nanometer size clay particles. They exhibit significant improvements in tensile modulus and strength, reduced permeability to gases and liquids, compared to the pure polymer. These property improvements can be realized while retaining clarity of the polymer without a significant increase in density (typical clay loading is 2--5%). The aim of this research was to achieve maximum exfoliation of the clay and property enhancement in the nanocomposite by melt processing. The components of the Hansen solubility parameters and the Hamaker constants of the constituents were used to establish the compatibility between …  Lire la suite