McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par B

The discipline of urban geography as a specialized and integral part of geography has shown strong development only since the end of World Uar II. Very few articles published in this field antedate this period, but since the end of the war a great proliferation of urban studies has been made. This bas been in keeping with the rapid growth of urban areas since that time, in contrast with earlier development. However, even in this short period of twenty years, the approach to urban geography has undergone great changes. [...]  Lire la suite

[...] A further study of epileptogenic foci was undertaken at the suggestion of Doctor Wilder Penfield, who has contributed numerous worthy investigations and observations in the study of epilepsy which have greatly increased our understanding of the disease process. It was originally planned to compare epileptogenic with non-epileptogenic lesions particularly in reference to the presence or absence of evidence of progressive tissue destruction. In the course of this study, however, new observations were made in epileptogenic foci, and these are submitted as further pathological alterations in epileptogenic lesions. A comparative study of epileptogenic with non-epileptogenic cicatrices referable to the presence …  Lire la suite

Purpose. To examine the outcome of a 6-month treatment with carvedilol or metoprolol on peak and submaximal exercise performance and ventilatory efficiency in patients with heart failure (HF). Methods. 27 patients with HF were randomized to receive either metoprolol or carvedilol for 6 months and compared with 12 healthy controls. Maximal exercise capacity was assessed at baseline and after 6 months with a symptom limited incremental treadmill protocol (RAMP). Submaximal exercise was determined to be the portion of exercise below a respiratory exchange ratio of 1.0. Peak heart rate (HR), oxygen uptake (VO2), and ventilatory equivalent for O2 and CO2 …  Lire la suite

Les réseaux sociaux et les technologies de communication numérique ont profondément transformé la politique démocratique en modifiant l'engagement, la participation, et l'activisme politiques. Cette thèse examine les réalités, les processus et les conséquences de notre nouvel environnement politique, façonné par le numérique. Elle aborde trois questions clés: 1) Qui façonne les conversations politiques en ligne? 2) Comment les communautés et identités numériques se mobilisent-elles politiquement? et 3) Quelles sont les implications de la politique numérique sur la mésinformation?Le premier article, Who Composes the Conversation? An Evaluation of the Distinctiveness of Digital Activists, introduit le concept d'Activistes numériques et analyse systématiquement …  Lire la suite

The Lyndon's Group FZx is of great interest to algebraists due to its unique properties. Using Van Kampen diagrams and results already proven for conjugate elements in FZx by Myasnikov and Remeslennikov, this thesis proves that the conjugacy problem in the Lyndon's group is solvable. The concept of being conjugately residually free is introduced and it is shown that a single free extension of a centralizer of a free group is conjugately residually free.  Lire la suite

Nature-based tourism is proposed as a conservation strategy in both the developed and developing world, yet few empirical studies exist examining how the conservation process is achieved. An emerging nature-based tourism industry in Black River, Jamaica was studied to determine the factors involved in creating a symbiotic tourism-environment relationship. The tourism-environment relationship brings into play many stakeholders and at the local level these include the tour developers, conservation authorities, the natural environment, the host population and the visiting public. In this study, surveys of tour developers, conservation authorities and the host population indicate that Black River nature-based tourism is degrading …  Lire la suite

Pour bien développer des programmes de vaccination contre les pandémies de grippe, la compréhension des éléments de voisinage qui influence la vaccination est essentielle. Très peu d'études ont été effectuées en utilisant un registre d'immunisation dans le but d'explorer les déterminants du voisinage relatifs à la vaccination. En utilisant des données individuelles, des données de recensement, de sondages et des données administratives pour estimer la population à risque, une étude écologique des déterminants de voisinage lors de la vaccination de la grippe pandémique A/H1N1 fut effectuée. En utilisant la régression logistique, en tenant compte de l'autocorrélation spatiale, les déterminants socio-économiques …  Lire la suite

Damiano, Pasini, (Internal/Cosupervisor2)  Lire la suite

Nineteen cultivars and fourteen breeding lines were evaluated for partial resistance to crown rust Puccinia coronata race 264. Multivariate statistical methods such as principal component and cluster analyses were employed to identify significant resistance parameters and to group oat genotypes with similar rust resistance characteristics. This involved two separate investigations consisting of two experiments each, the first experiment conducted under field conditions and the second conducted under growth bench conditions. From both of the investigations a group of oat genotypes with high partial resistance to P. coronata race 264 was obtained. These are OA 712-17, OA 712-33, Glen, Woodstock, QO …  Lire la suite

Despite the increase in the use of cold-formed steel (CFS) in mid-rise construction (up to 5 storeys), the North American cold-formed steel standards AISI S400 and S240 do not provide a standard design procedure for CFS sheathed and framed shear walls for use in such constructions. The main objective of this research was to develop a design procedure for CFS sheathed and framed shear walls to achieve higher strength and ductility and resist the larger forces expected in mid-rise construction. The design procedure proposed for inclusion in the AISI S400 and S240 standards.Full-scale experiments have been performed using a shear …  Lire la suite

In 1763 the French possessions in Canada were surrendered to Great Britain, which thereafter; ruled all the northern portion of the continent. Within fifteen years the greater part of this vast territory had seceded, and formed the new nation of the United States of America. The British colonies were henceforth limited to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, PrinceEdward Island and Quebec, and the unsettled lands to the west. A century after the capture of Quebec from the French these remnants of the British American empire had developedfrom a scattered group of unimportant and unwanted colonies into a great Dominion - the …  Lire la suite

L’un des objectifs majeurs de la nanoscience est la réalisation de dispositifs électroniques ne mesurant que quelques couches atomiques d’épaisseur. Le graphène représente un candidat prometteur pour répondre aux exigences de miniaturisation de l’industrie des semi-conducteurs, grâce à ses propriétés optoélectroniques exceptionnelles. Cependant, l’absence de bande interdite intrinsèque limite son utilisation dans les applications électroniques, où un contrôle précis des propriétés électroniques est essentiel. Bien que diverses stratégies, telles que l’hétérostructuration et le dopage chimique, aient été explorées pour induire une bande interdite dans le graphène, obtenir une uniformité et une évolutivité demeure un défi majeur.Les polymères conjugués bidimensionnels (2DCPs) …  Lire la suite

One of many corrosion problems confronting engineers is the failure of metal structures caused by specific corrosive attack at welds. Such attack is especially dangerous when more rapid than the normal corrosion rate of the material, and usually occurs in the following forms: (a) Specific attack of weld metal; (b) Specific attack of parent metal adjacent to a weld deposit; (c) Intergranular corrosion of weld or parent metal in stainless steel due to "sensitization".  Lire la suite

The model plant Arabidopsis thaliana has been very successful thus far as a tool for understanding and studying the genetics of plant development. Analysis of its sequenced genome revealed the occurrence of duplicated chromosome blocks, resulting in duplicated genes. Duplicated genes, high in sequence and/or structure similarity, form gene families. One such family, of BRX-like genes, is presented in this thesis. All members contain a characteristic "BRX" domain that is required for BRX activity in planta. BRX (BREVIS RADIX), is a novel regulator of root growth in Arabidopsis. However, analyses of Arabidopsis single and double mutants with other gene family …  Lire la suite

Experimental carcinogenesis, or the experimental production of tumors in animals, is a relatively new field of research. Its beginning dates from 1915 when the Japanese workers Yamagiwa and Itchikawa first succeeded in producing papillomas and true malignant growths on the ears of rabbits after continued application of tar. This important observation at once raised the question as to the nature of the component or components in tar which were responsible for its carcinogenicity. The English workers, Kennaway, Cook and their associates, attacking the problem with this question in mind, finally succeeded in isolating 3,4-Benzpyrene which is now recognized as the …  Lire la suite

Catheter associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) are the second most common type of hospital acquired infection in North America with over a million cases reported each year. This high incidence rate, together with the dissemination of antibiotic resistant uropathogens has resulted in much interest in the development of preventative measures within the research community. The consumption of Vaccinium macrocarpon, the North American cranberry, has been linked with the prevention of bacterial infections in the urinary tract for over 100 years. The McGill Biocolloids and Surfaces Laboratory has shown that cranberry derived materials (CDMs) can inhibit bacterial adherence to surfaces, impair …  Lire la suite

Cheese ripening is a costly and lengthy process. Increasing the enzyme pool in the cheese curd has been shown to accelerate the cheese ageing process, enhance flavour and texture. The characteristics of two lactic acid bacteria attenuated by pulsed electric fields were studied in a milk system and in cheese slurry. The potential of accelerating cheese ripening via the addition of starter cultures attenuated by pulsed electric fields (PEF) was studied. Pulsed electric field treatment was performed in a static treatment chamber using bi-polar waveform with a field intensity of 20 kV and 2 mus pulse width. The number of …  Lire la suite

The ability of animals to detect signals from the environment is regulated by the sensory systems. One of these sensory systems, the accessory olfactory system, controls various social behaviours in mice, such as mating and aggression, which are crucial to their survival. The vomeronasal sensory organ (VNO) contains vomeronasal sensory neurons (VSNs) that detect chemosignals and relay the information to the central nervous system. VSNs project axons that form synapses with dendrites of second order neurons in structures termed glomeruli within the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB). Several axon guidance molecules that control the targeting of VSN axons to specific sub-regions …  Lire la suite

The human adenovirus E4orf4 protein is toxic in human tumor cells and yeast. In both cases, interaction of E4orf4 with the Balpha/Cdc55 regulatory subunit of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) appears to be critical for cell killing; however, the effect of E4orf4 binding on PP2A is not known. Balpha is one of several B subunits that form holoenzymes with A and C subunits and regulate PP2A substrate specificity. In the present studies the effects of E4orf4 on PP2A activity was examined, as well as the role of PP2A in E4orf4-mediated cell death. Previously it was shown that binding of E4orf4 had …  Lire la suite

The late imperial architecture of Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach presents works (Entwurf einer historischen Architektur, Karlskirche and Hofbibliothek; 1712-1722) in which the intentions manifested are expressions of the political programs of the emperor Karl VI. In this imperial rhetoric, the accent is placed on the confirmation, through time, of the authority. Allegory appears as confirmation, through time, of the authority. Allegory appears as a proper means to convey the public manifestations of this propaganda. Whether at an urban scale, with Karlskirche, or at a more private, smaller scale, as in the Entwurf, Fischer is shown to master the integration …  Lire la suite

Out-of-Autoclave (OOA) manufacturing answers the growing need of the aerospace industry to process components of larger sizes at reduced costs. Recent prepreg materials have been developed specifically for OOA manufacturing and feature increased in-plane permeability through the presence of dry-fibre paths for efficient evacuation of gases. However, the differences in impregnation and resin kinetics attributed to OOA prepregs with respect to autoclave prepregs may affect the compaction behaviour in complex shape laminates. This thesis presents the results of an investigation of important design and processing parameters on the quality of complex shape laminates manufactured by OOA methods.L-shape composite laminates were …  Lire la suite

L'utilisation d'une méthode Flux Reconstruction (FR) de type ordre élevé conservant l'entropie et stable pour la simulation des écoulements turbulents compressibles est proposée. En premier, la performance et la précision de la méthode Nonlineary Stable Flux Reconstruction (NSFR) pour les simulations à échelle résolue et sous-résolue d'écoulements turbulents compressibles en cisaillement libre sont étudiées. Les schémas sont largement vérifiés pour la simulation numérique directe (DNS, Direct Numerical Simulation) du cas d'écoulement traditionnel Taylor-Green Vortex (TGV). Plusieurs simulations sous-résolues de ce cas sont menées pour évaluer la performance de la méthode NSFR pour la simulation des grandes échelles (LES, Large Eddy …  Lire la suite

During the· evolution of diapsids, the tarsus underwent considerable structural change. An analysis of the mechanics of each kind of tarsus based on x-ray studies of locomotion and studies of the structure of the pelvic limb in extant diapsids indicates that the early structural changes are related to the development of an intratarsal joint and consolidation of the metatarsus. Primitively, warping of the distal tarsal row was an integral part of the functioning of the tarsus. Key changes in the origin of the lizard tarsus were changes in the joints that eliminated the need for this movement of the distal …  Lire la suite

The Pacific Giant salamander, Dicamptodon tenebrosus, from the Pacific Northwest of North America has variable numbers of supernumerary chromosomes, from 0 to 10, per individual. B chromosome frequency among populations varies geographically such that salamanders from the most southern and northern regions have lower average numbers of B chromosomes than salamanders in the middle of the range. This variation in B frequency may be correlated with both historical and climatic factors. To assess how the supernumerary chromosomes originated in D. tenebrosus, B chromosome DNA was isolated by microdissection and amplified by degenerate oligonucleotideprimed PCR. The B DNA hybridized similarly to …  Lire la suite

This thesis questions the widespread proposition that the civilian standard of proof in civil matters is considerably higher than the corresponding standard in the Common Law. Instead, it is argued here that the "odd differences" in the formulae employed to describe it "are merely a matter of words". Conceptually, both legal traditions combine the subjective element of a belief in the truth with the objective requirement of warrant for this belief in the evidence presented. The trier's belief that a certain statement is true has to be reasonably inferable from the evidence. In both traditions the standard is not fixed …  Lire la suite

La possibilité d'avoir plus d'une relation amoureuse dans la pratique polyamoureuse introduit le potentiel d’une hiérarchie entre ces relations. À cet égard, deux approches sont émergent : le polyamour hiérarchique et le polyamour non-hiérarchique. Dans le polyamour hiérarchique, un individu a un partenaire primaire avec lequel il est généralement très lié et qui est priorisé par rapport aux partenaires secondaires ou tertiaires. D’autre part, les polyamoureux non-hiérarchiques refusent une telle hiérarchisation des partenaires. Je contribue au corpus de littérature sur le polyamour en enquêtant qualitativement sur pourquoi la hiérarchie est un sujet débattu et comment les membres de la communauté …  Lire la suite

A comparison of psychiatric and fictional descriptions of family interactions demonstrates a striking isomorphism between their conceptual structures. An analysis of the differences in descriptive methods of the two disciplines shows that the literary descriptions, in their global exhaustive detail and their implications concerning the relationship of language to emotion and cognition, provide a more complete account of human interactions. This comparison has been inspired by recent developments in Linguistics and the Philosophy of Art and offers a new approach to the relationship between psychiatry and literature. The traditional approach consists of viewing literary works as unconscious expressions of the …  Lire la suite

Shariff, Shaheen (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

Tributyltin compounds have been used on a global scale for many decades now, and thus have become global environmental contaminants. These compounds are highly toxic, and deleterious effects on numerous organisms have been demonstrated. Yet, little is known of the molecular mechanisms of tributyltin's extreme toxicity. To obtain a better understanding of such mechanisms, a luxAB gene-fusion library of Escherichia coli was screened for changes in gene expression upon cellular exposure to tributyltin. Two clones, designated TBT1 and TBT3, were thus found, both showing an increased light emission in the presence of added tributyltin. Northern blotting analyses confirmed a marked …  Lire la suite

Spontaneous mutations occur in all genomes as the result of normal cellular mechanisms and interactions with the environment. In addition to their important contribution to genetic diversity and evolution, spontaneous mutations are associated with several genetic disorders and certain cancers. Spontaneous mutational events comprise an impressive heterogeneity of DNA alterations which can be categorized into two major classes: "moderate" and "potent" mutations. Spontaneous moderate mutations are defined here as comprising mutations with a subtle (i.e. leaky, reversible) effect on the encoded phenotype of a gene. In contrast, potent mutations can severely and permanently alter a gene's phenotype and may result …  Lire la suite

Les isolateurs sismiques sont utilisés de plus en plus couramment pour la conception des nouveaux ponts ou pour la réfection des ponts existants. Or, ces isolateurs sont relativement nouveaux au Canada. En général, ils protègent la structure du pont en découplant le mouvement du sol du mouvement de la structure et en augmentant la période de vibration afin de réduire les accélérations transmises à la structure. Ces appuis sont conçus pour des déplacements admissibles spécifiés. La norme canadienne des ponts (CSA-S6) adresse les déplacements sismiques et thermiques, mais n'offre aucune directive sur la combinaison de ces déplacements. L'objectif de ma …  Lire la suite

The problem of fine grinding is that problem connected with the reduction of a rock material to a size such that the valuable mineral it contains may be satisfactorily extracted. Fine grinding is perhaps the most significant process in any milling operation, and forms a commensurate percentage of the unit milling cost. There has been for many years a wide divergence of opinion as to what constitute best operating conditions in a grinding plant. This divergence of opinion was mainly due to a lack of suitable methods of measuring the true efficiency of fine grinding operations. The efficiency of a …  Lire la suite

Long before the publishing of Verlaine's Poetes maudits , it has been written and thought, in various circles and contexts, that writers of genius were doomed to an unhappy life. Nevertheless, it was only about 1760--1770 that the conditions allowing for the emergence of a myth of the unhappy writer were gathered. This myth affirms the christlike vocation of the author and associates greatness to unhappiness. This thesis seeks to understand this mythical phenomenon within a historical perspective. The first part recounts the three principal families of topoi associated, before 1770, to authorial unhappiness. These three series are those of …  Lire la suite

Bost, Charles-André (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

L'écosystème marin de l'Arctique risque grandement d'être affecté par les changements climatiques, notamment en ce qui attrait la dynamique des populations animales aquatiques. Les oiseaux marins pourraient servir d'indicateur de ces changements, puisqu'ils sont intiment liés à la faune aquatiques. Le guillemot de Brünnich (Uria lomvia), un oiseau plongeur nichant en colonie, est un bon candidat d'espèce indicatrice des milieux marins de l'Arctique. Par exemple, des informations récoltées à la colonie même (succès reproducteur, présence à la colonie) pourraient être corrélées avec l'abondance des proies, nous fournissant ainsi des indices sur l'état de santé de l'écosystème marin. Il en va …  Lire la suite

An analysis of Québec crop production reveals an inadequate volume of crops yielding vegetable protein byproducts of suitable biological quality for poultry feeding, Climatic adaptability is a foremost prerequisite in any crop whose production could be encouraged to meet this deficiency. The horsebean (Vicia Faba L.) has already been grown to a limited extent in Québec and the Maritime Provinces, and would appear to offer some promise in this development. It is a leguminous plant which is well adapted to a cool humid climate, the seed possesses fairly high protein content (25 - 27 per cent), and it gives a …  Lire la suite

In a first study, the rate of excretion of lbeta-hydroxyandrostenedione was investigated using two pools of human late pregnancy urine and was found to be 0.8 and 1.0 microgram per day. In the second part of the thesis the metabolism of 3H-dehydroisoandrosterone was investigated in human fetal adrenal maintained in monolayer culture and the factors regulating the growth of the cells and the formation of dehydroisoandrosterone sulfate were studied. Dehydroisoandrosterone was metabolized to androstenedione and androstenediol to a small extent in both primary and initial subcultures of human fetal adrenals. Dehydroisoandrosterone was extensively converted to its sulfate only in primary …  Lire la suite

Considering that civil aviation safety is one of the most important elements in all aviation-related activities, this thesis presents the state of compliance of aviation safety in the Russian Federation. In the former Soviet Union, the authorities made sure that the rest of the world knew that its territory was impenetrable. In the 1980s, their attack on the civilian flight KE 007 of the Korean Airlines, which lead to the crash of the aircraft and the death of innocent civilian passengers, demonstrated that when it came to guarding their territory, they showed little concern for the lives of innocent civilians. …  Lire la suite

The organization and structure of the leghemoglobin (Lb) genes in soybean have been investigated. Using molecular cloning techniques, a Lb-cDNA recombinant molecule, pLb1, was prepared and characterized. Hybridization of this clone of genomic DNA revealed the presence of at least seven Lb genes in the soybean genome. The arrangement of these genes appeared to be the same in DNA isolated from infected or uninfected tissues. The plasmid pLb1 was also used to isolate three Lb sequences from a genomic library constructed in (lamda) Charon4 vector. Nucleotide sequence analysis showed that one Lb gene, present on an 11.5 kilobases (kb) Eco …  Lire la suite

Researchers recognize the need to better understand the factors influencing indigenous land use in order to design sustainable tropical forest management programs. A key relationship that has been long overlooked in peasant societies is the one between communal labor access through social networks and land acquisition/accumulation. This study examines land distribution and labor patterns in traditional agriculture of a lowland and a upland community on the Maranon River near Iquitos, Peru. Data were gathered through household interviews (n=76) and field visits (n=396) between June and November 2001. Results reveal marked variations in access to land and communal labor between and …  Lire la suite

The work presented in this thesis arose as one of the problems associated with the Canadian Forage Seeds Project (C.F.S.P.). This organization was founded in 1952 with the aim of ensuring a supply of basic seed stocks of improved varieties of forage crops. The American counterpart to the C.F.S.P. has enjoyed spectacular success, and certified seed of improved varieties forms a considerable part of total seed production. [...]  Lire la suite

Precast concrete structures are not widely used in severe seismic regions due the limited knowledge of the response of these systems to reversed cyclic loading. A series of four precast concrete wall panels were tested to evaluate their response to reversed cyclic loading. These units represent the wall panels of a typical single storey precast concrete structure. In order to achieve improved ductility and energy absorption characteristic, it was found that the horizontal sliding of the wall panel along the grout-wall interface must be controlled. Due to the reversed cyclic loading and the increased wall panel participation from limiting the …  Lire la suite