McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par B

Les cellules des organismes vivants interagissent de différentes manières, notamment par le biais de signaux biochimiques et mécaniques. Les métastases du cancer, la cicatrisation des plaies et le développement embryonnaire sont tous des exemples de processus multicellulaires desquels le comportement collectif de cellules émerge, en partie grâce aux interactions physiques entre cellules individuelles. L’étude expérimentale de telles interactions in vivo et in vitro est inestimable. Néanmoins, il n'est souvent pas possible de faire varier indépendamment des propriétés physiques spécifiques des cellules sans modifier d'autres aspects de leur comportement.Dans la présente thèse, nous développons deux méthodes pour simuler numériquement les interactions …  Lire la suite

Une méthode pour simuler des circuits de calcul quantique par des processus stochastiques est décrite et analysée. Les circuits sont transformés en une action complexe par laquelle les observables sont calculés. Ces moyennes sont évaluées à l'aide de Monte Carlo et de méthodes complexes de Langevin. La transformation peut être appliquée sur n'importe quel circuit avec un état de produits d'entrée. Celle-ci résulte en équations qui sont polynomiales dans le stockage. Cette méthode est unique, car elle permet une simulation efficace et est à la fois généralisée. Trois circuits d'échantillonnage sont simulés. Les techniques de simulations courantes démontrent inadéquatement les …  Lire la suite

A procedure is described for the accurate determination of mercury in fibrous marsh peat. Two dosages of a mercury containing sewage sludge were added bimonthly for 4 and 7 years, respectively, to duplicate experimental salt marsh plots; and spacial patterns of mercury concentrations, soil organic matter contents, and specific densities were determined. Mercury was retained in the soil of the upper intertidal zone; but was lost (half-life 4 years) from marsh soils adjacent to tidal creeks due to export and dilution processes, rather than chemical or biological transformations. Marsh plants and organisms did not respond to mercury enrichments of the …  Lire la suite

This thesis explores the new role that Quebec literature textbooks and anthologies play following the Robillard education reform in 1993. In order to do so, we adopted a hybrid methodology that combines the concepts from the literary institution theory, the sociology of books and publishing, and from the reception theory.Following a brief reminder of the definition of literary anthology , we present the reform's main guidelines concerning the teaching of Quebec literature. We then propose a study of its key issues, before briefly presenting our two studied works. A macro analysis of the textbooks, their structure and the introductions to …  Lire la suite

Les hydrates gazeux font partis de la catégorie des complexes d’inclusion. Ce type de molécule se forme lorsque des molécules d’eau se structurent par liaisons hydrogène pour former une cage pouvant accepter une molécule «invité» d’une grandeur appropriée. Ces complexes sont thermodynamiquement stable à basse temperatures (~ 0°C) et pressions relativement élevées. Ces conditions sont reproduites dans les fonds marins. Ceux-ci abritent une énorme quantité d’hydrates gazeux, ce qui en fait la plus grande source d’hydrocarbures sur terre. Les hydrates gazeux sont également étudiés parce qu’ils se forment dans les conduits transportant du gaz ou du pétrole causant plusieurs problèmes. …  Lire la suite

The classical approach to shape from shading problems is to find a numerical solution of the image irradiance partial differential equation. It is usually assumed that the parameters of this equation (the light source direction and surface albedo) can be estimated in advance. For images which contain shadows and occluding contours, this decoupling of problems is artificial and the classical approach fails. We develop a new approach to solving these equations using the image geometric structures instead of the image photometric structure. Our approach is based on modern differential geometry, and solves for light source and surface shape changes concurrently. …  Lire la suite

Cette thèse se concentre sur l'étude des pulsars en systèmes binaires, leur évolution, ainsi que certains usages de leurs propriétés pour comprendre la physique fondamentale dont la relativité générale et les théories gravitationnelles alternatives. Le travail de cette thèse comprend trois parties principales.En premier lieu, nous présentons l'étude de PSR J1744-3922, un pulsar binaire démontrant d'étranges fluctuations d'intensité lumineuse ainsi que des propriétés orbitales et de rotation qui ne correspondent pas aux prédictions des scénarios évolutifs conventionnels. Nous analysons d'abord les fluctuations d'intensité lumineuse. Nous étudions ensuite la nature de ce pulsar en relation avec la population de pulsars radio …  Lire la suite

This thesis investigates the economic and military policies hegemons pursue while experiencing relative decline. Based upon the rising costs of leadership associated with hegemony, this thesis establishes that both systemic and domestic environments equally influence the hegemon's policy-making. Furthermore, the paper contends that hegemons do practice strategic planning during relative decline, in an effort to adjust its commitments and resources to the environment. Relative success or failure in maintaining the international system and thus adjusting for decline depends on how decision-makers compensate for two prevailing variables: threat of challengers and availability of allies. This study offers a predictive theoretical model …  Lire la suite

More and more, international lawyers are confronted to the phenomenon of increasing number of Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) on the international scene, which is seldom studied by them. Traditionally, the participation of NGOs in international negotiations has been examined from the functioning of their relations between them and international organizations. Their increasing participation in international negotiation forums however, raises the question of their influence on the preparation of legal texts adopted by States. This study tries to review those two aspects of their influence by noting the evolutions of their participation, identifying their successes and their failures and trying to explain …  Lire la suite

La participation des organisations non gouvernementales (ONG) aux travaux des organisations intergouvernementales et des grandes conferences internationales est un phenomene desormais connu, reconnu et etudie. En revanche, leur contribution a l'edification du systeme judiciaire international, a sa bonne marche et au developpement des nonnes internationales par voie de recours judiciaire reste encore a conceptualiser. La presente etude s'y attelle donc en demontrant a travers l'analyse du role et de l'impact des ONG, leur contribution a la "judiciarisation" de la societe internationale, a la collectivisation de la justice internationale et a sa communautarisation. Se faisant, ce travail s'inscrit dans une approche …  Lire la suite

The Grenville Front is the line or zone markingthe boundary between the Grenville province and the Superiorprovince. It extends as a remarkable northeasterly linearzone with few diversions from the main trend, from GeorgianBay, Ontario to Otish Mountains, Quebec. Of 665 miles mapped,400 miles show evidence of faulting and 265 miles ofmetamorphic gradation. Geological information of areasalong the Grenville Front is reviewed, and pertinent Frontdetails are expressed. [...]  Lire la suite

Recent developments in CAD for electromagnetic devices have utilized knowledge-based programming techniques to simplify the task of design process automation. The ultimate goal is to duplicate the role an expert designer performs in synthesizing devices such as transformers, motors, and actuators. A missing quality from these CAD systems is a convenient representation of design space. Interval mathematics is proposed as a means of dealing with this elusive representation. The present work details an interval mathematics package that allows the user to put practical limits on certain parameters enabling the program to deduce the valid design space of the device. This …  Lire la suite

La vitamine D est importante pour maintenir l'homéostasie du calcium et la santé musculo-squelettique. Les directives actuelles sur la consommation de vitamine D pour les jeunes enfants sont basées sur des études menées auprès d'adultes et adolescents, et ne sont peut-être pas appropriées. Les besoins moyens estimatifs (BME: 400 UI/j) et apports nutritionnels recommendés (ANR: 600 UI/j) pour la vitamine D ont été établis pour assurer que 50% et 97,5% de la population générale en bonne santé, auront respectivement un niveau de vitamine D (25-hydroxyvitamine D: 25(OH)D) de 40 nmol/L et 50 nmol/L. Ces concentrations de 25(OH)D ont été conçues …  Lire la suite

La thèse interprète t analyse et évalue l'œuvre philosophique· d'Adolf Reinach et son r8le dans le développement de la jeune phénoménologie. Les suppositions ontologiques et 6pistemologiques de Reinach sont élucidées à travers une analyse de ses théories des états de choses, de l'intentionnalité et des jugements, d 'abord développés par Reinach pour les jugements et subséquemment utilisées dans son analyse de problèmes éthique et juridique. Une analyse et une évaluation de sa philosophie juridique se concentrent sur l'analyse des "actes sociaux", "déterminations", et les distinctions entre les sphères morale et juridique. On constate que la position, philosophique de Reinach ne …  Lire la suite

Les hormones thyroïdiennes (T_3 et T_4) sont essentielles au développement humain et à la régulation du métabolisme. Leur production est contrôlée par des hormones cérébrales via une boucle d'asservissement. En circulation, les hormones sont soit libres, soit liées à des transporteurs plasmatiques qui contribuent à stabiliser leur concentration. Nous développons un système de 9 équations différentielles prenant en compte à la fois la production, mais également l'accrochage et le décrochage des hormones thyroïdiennes aux transporteurs. Nous introduisons également deux modèles simplifiés : un modèle de 3 équations ne prenant pas en compte l'accrochage aux transporteurs plasmatiques et un modèle de …  Lire la suite

A substantial quantity of literature exists which portrays Canadian legislative and administrative processes in general terms. The object of this study is to examine and assess the political, social, and economic considerations which led to the passage by Parliament of a particular Act and to describe in detail the manner in which it is administered. [...]  Lire la suite

Persistent refugee migration, especially over the past decade, has resulted in an increase of xenophobic and anti-immigrant rhetoric in public discourse across the global West. This project explores how such hostile sentiment is countered and responded to in a set of exemplary graphic novels depicting refugee and migrant experiences. Each of the examined works employs distinct aesthetic and formal strategies of representation to access and explore the complex realities of displacement through narrative. The close-reading of these strategies reveals the integral role of fictionalization for the depiction of refugees in both fictional and nonfictional texts. The first chapter focuses on …  Lire la suite

Mutations in the PHEX gene are responsible for X-linked hypophosphatemia, the most prevalent form of inherited rickets in humans. PHEX is an endopeptidase that is expressed in bone and parathyroid gland and shown to cleave parathyroid hormone [PTH]. To determine whether PHEX is regulated by PTH we used two models: (1) 5/6 nephrectomized [5/6 Nx] rats which exhibit significant hyperparathyroidism and (2) 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D]-treated rats, which are characterized by marked hypoparathyroidism. We demonstrate that 5/6 Nx elicits an increase in PHEX mRNA and protein abundance in rat tibia whereas 1,25(OH)2D causes a decrease in both tibial parameters. In addition, …  Lire la suite

1. A new method has been developed for the extraction of lignin from maple wood with a yield of ca. 10-11% by a hydrogenation-hydrogenolysis procedure, and a method devised\ for its separation from accompanying carbohydrate materials This lignin has been designated as hydrol lignin. 2. Investigation of the hydrol lignin has shown it to be essentially aromatic in character. 3. Hydrogenation studies of hydrol lignin have indicated a marked similarity of behaviour to wood under the same conditions of hydrogenation.[...]  Lire la suite

Moraes, Christopher (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

Following its activation by NGF the receptor tyrosine kinase TrkA activates several signaling pathways. Its subcellular localization appears to dictate which pathways become activated. Although clathrin-mediated endocytosis plays a role in this targeting, molecular components that specifically regulate Trk internalization have not been explicitly identified. I will present evidence that GIPC1 can act to couple TrkA to the endocytic machinery. GIPC1 is able to associate with the endocytic proteins AP-2 and Eps15 in a NGF-dependent manner. Over-expression of GIPC1 in Cos7 cells blocked internalization of the transferrin receptor while its over-expression in PC12 cells also inhibited internalization of TrkA. Lastly, …  Lire la suite

Considerable experimental work on the plasma properties of semiconductors and semimetals has been interpreted using a classical electron-gas model (L60). It is partly the purpose of this thesis to find under what limitations this model will result from a quantum - mechanical calculation that includes band structure. Besides this, the conditions under which a quantum-mechanical electron-gas model produces the right wavevector dependence of the dielectric constant are found. [...]  Lire la suite

Reverse engineering is one of the most useful tasks in the analysis of binary files, for the recovery of old software, vulnerability analysis, malware detection, or to prove copyright infringement. Reverse engineering of binary files, however, is a time-consuming, labor-intensive and expensive task. However, with advances in machine learning, it has become possible to automate certain parts of the reverse engineering process, such as retrieving function names from binaries. This opens up a new area of research for researchers in the field of software security. In this thesis, we propose BETAC, a deep learning model that automatically generates explanatory names …  Lire la suite

Objectifs: Ce travail vise à développer et valider un algorithme d'IA pour la délimitation des tissus en chirurgie gynécologique robotisée du cancer.Méthodes: Des vidéos de chirurgies robotiques pour le cancer gynécologique ont été collectées et cataloguées. Les horodatages de chaque phase chirurgicale ont été enregistrés. Des cas de structures anatomiques telles que l'uretère, le nerf obturateur, le ligament IP et les artères iliaques internes et externes ont également été documentés. Chaque image a été étiquetée par un chirurgien selon la méthode du masque polygonal. Avec ces données, un algorithme chirurgical de vision par ordinateur a été créé utilisant une formation …  Lire la suite

The importance of developing relevant ovarian cancer models led us to test the applicability of a system comprised of epithelial ovarian cancer cell lines. The high frequency of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and rearrangements of chromosome 17 in ovarian tumors provide evidence of a role of chromosome 17 genes in ovarian tumorigenesis. Oligonucleotide microarray expression analysis was applied to assess the expression profiles of 864 probe sets that map to chromosome 17. The TOV112D ovarian cancer cell line, a spontaneously immortalized and tumorigenic ovarian cancer cell line derived from an endometrioid histopathological subtype, which has been shown to exhibit LOH …  Lire la suite

Despite decades of dedicated research, individuals and groups at risk for suicidality are not easily identified and prevention and management of suicidal tendencies present considerable clinical challenges. The well-documented heterogeneity and multifactorial character of suicidal behaviors has also faced us with unique research challenges. In order to understand the many components involved in suicidal diathesis and its complex dynamics, we used a multidimensional approach investigating independent, additive contributions of factors across risk domains simultaneously, in addition to moderating and mediating influences. Using a powerful study design and a population-based cohort of young individuals, we assessed independent contributions of personality traits; …  Lire la suite

LC-QTOF tandem mass spectrometers behave according to user controlled switching parameters, duty-cycle and repetition rate, which guide the selection of peptides and the timing of their fragmentation. Using a novel algorithm which analyses all spectra simultaneously, it has been found that the majority of available peptides are not fragmented with the current switching scheme. Unfortunately, it is not practical to experiment with the mass spectrometer to determine optimal switching parameters. In this study, simulation coupled with intensity surface analysis was used as a method of evaluating mass spectrometer performance. Algorithms that mimic the mass spectrometer were created in order to …  Lire la suite

Sunday, Jennifer (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

The United Nations Convention on International Multimodal Transport of Goods of 24th May 1980 is an appropriate answer to the legal and political problems raised by through carriage and containerisation. Traditionally, when goods were transferred from one mode to another they were also transferred to a new legal regime. There was no coherent legal regime governing carrier liability for goods moving in multimodal transport. The Convention creates a new liability system and confer international legal sanction on the responsibilities and immunities flowing from the multimodal transport contract. The Convention compromises between the needs of developing countries--who called for provisions on …  Lire la suite

For many years past, investigations have been carried out in an attempt to determine the structure of lignin, a constituent of nearly all plants. The importance of lignin and the role which it plays in plant life is not yet clearly understood. But its significance from the industrial and economic aspect can hardly be overestimated. For in the processes developed for the isolation of cellulose from various woods and grasses, there are obtained simultaneously large quantities of lignin. This lignin waste amounts to approximately one ton out of every four tons of wood used in the manufacture of sulfite pulp. …  Lire la suite

Over sixty years ago the first chemical investigations were reported on waste sulfite liquor from the pulping of wood, but despite a large volume of research in the intervening period, the sulfonation reaction and its products remain an intriguing unsolved problem. The very great complexity of the starting material, plus the susceptibility to chemical change exhibited by the lignin in the wood, have been major obstacles to the acquisition of knowledge in this field.  Lire la suite

In Latin America, women's ability to participate in the paid workforce on equal terms as men is constrained by many cultural and political obstacles, and this reinforces women's unequal citizenship status. Even though unions have rarely supported women's rights historically, and are currently losing political power in the neoliberal economic context, I argue that union women have a crucial role to play in the social struggle to expand women's labor rights. Building on theories about the social construction of citizenship, I develop an original theoretical framework suggesting that civil society acts on three levels to expand citizenship rights: the individual …  Lire la suite

En 2020, les polyuréthanes (PU) se classaient au 6ème rang des plastiques les plus produits dans le monde. Bien que les PU soient utilisés dans diverses applications, telles que les revêtements, les adhésifs, les produits d'étanchéité et les mousses, leur production implique généralement des diisocyanates, des composés cancérigènes, mutagènes et reprotoxiques. De plus, la synthèse des diisocyanates nécessite souvent du gaz phosgène, un gaz hautement toxique. Face à ces préoccupations, il existe une demande croissante de polyuréthanes sans isocyanate (NIPU) comme alternatives plus sûres. Une voie prometteuse pour les NIPUs consiste à produire des polyhydroxyuréthanes (PHU) par la réaction de …  Lire la suite

The poetry of Gérald Leblanc puts forward the idea of a cosmopolitan Acadian society that manifests itself in the small city of Moncton. While cosmopolitanism is generally attributed to large cities, Michael Cronin believes that other forms of cosmopolitanism are possible which function on a smaller scale. His concept of micro-cosmopolitanism highlights the existence of diversity at all scales (large and small). Clint Bruce establishes a link between micro-cosmopolitanism and the themes of language and the city of Moncton in the poetry of Leblanc. My thesis starts from there to explore the works of Gérald Leblanc through selected themes: the …  Lire la suite

The year 1965 marked the beginning of the International Hydrological Decade. This project, covering the next tan years, has as its major conoern an assessment of the water resource of the earth. At present, it is estimated that some 21.4 million km.^3 of the world's water resouree is locked in ice or permanent snow. This represents approximately 9% of all fresh water on the earth or in the ataosphere. The estimates, of course, vary widely from author to author, but in any case the position of snow and ice in the fresh water balance of the globe is anything but …  Lire la suite

Input-output stability theory plays a vital role in robust and optimal control. However, most methods that analyze closed-loop input-output stability or synthesize stabilizing controllers have only exploited two popular results, the Small Gain and Passivity Theorems. These results under-represent the power of input-output stability analysis since the Small Gain Theorem often demands conservative controller gains to ensure stability, while sources of passivity violations abound. Most significantly, neither apply to interconnections involving open-loop unstable systems.To fully exploit the potential of input-output stability theory, a return to George Zames' seminal work introducing conic sectors is proposed. The Conic Sector Theorem contains both …  Lire la suite

Wihler, Thomas (Internal/Cosupervisor2)  Lire la suite

Malowany, A. S.  Lire la suite