McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par B

Le cancer métastatique ne présente que peu d'options thérapeutiques et de ce fait constitue la cause principale de décès chez les patients qui en sont atteints. Par ailleurs, les mécanismes moléculaires responsables de l'atteinte d'organes-cibles de la métastase par les cellules cancéreuses demeurent largement méconnus. La thèse qui suit présente l'identification d'un marqueur moléculaire qui apparait comme étant un facteur crucial dans l'atteinte des organes-cibles par les cellules métastatiques. En effet, la constituante de la matrice extracellulaire collagene IVα1 et α2, semble être exprimée de manière distinctive chez les cellules colonisant le foie et les poumons. Nous basant sur un …  Lire la suite

This thesis presents a method to visually detect and recognize fingering gestures of the left hand of a guitarist. The choice of computer vision to perform that task is motivated by the absence of a satisfying method for realtime guitarist fingering detection. The development of this computer vision method follows preliminary manual and automated analyses of video recordings of a guitarist. These first analyses led to some important findings about the design methodology of such a system, namely the focus on the effective gesture, the consideration of the action of each individual finger, and a recognition system not relying on …  Lire la suite

Macmillan, C. (Supervisors)  Lire la suite

Les nuages stratiformes marins sont une cible difficile pour les radars spatiaux en raison de leur proximité de la surface de la Terre, de leur étendue verticale limitée et de leur faible réflectivité. La mission "Earth Clouds, Aerosol et Radiation Explorer" (EarthCARE), une colaboration entre les agences spatiales européenne et japonaise (ESA-JAXA), est prévue pour 2018 et propose de mettre en orbite le premier profileur de nuages radar (CPR) avec capacité Doppler. On évalue la performance du CPR dans la détection de ces nuages, leurs limites et leurs vitesses de gouttelettes de bruine. Les observations de la Atmospheric Radiation Measurement …  Lire la suite

Nikolaos Provatas (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

En 2018, Québec est devenu la prochaine province à rendre obligatoire l'éducation sexuelle en milieu scolaire. Le programme propose une approche compréhensive pour enseigner l'éducation à la sexualité de la maternelle jusqu’à la onzième année. Bien qu'il existe une abondante littérature sur la sexualité en milieu scolaire pour les adolescents, il y a moins d'études qui se concentrent sur l'éducation sexuelle dans les écoles primaires. Cette étude visait à combler cet écart car elle se concentrait uniquement sur les expériences des enseignants du primaire au Québec, et fournit ainsi un aperçu opportun de recueillir des informations auprès d'une catégorie d'éducateurs …  Lire la suite

L'objectif de cette étude était d'analyser des variables impliquées lors du développement du langage dans un contexte d'interaction parent-enfant chez des enfants atteints du trouble du spectre de l'autisme (TSA) et avec un développement typique (DT). Des retards dans le développement du langage et du jeu sont répandus chez des enfants ayant des TSA. Des études antérieures ont démontré que les capacités de jeu peuvent prédire les habilités du langage chez les enfants ayant des TSA ou avec DT. La sensibilité verbale des parents, ou la tendance du parent de parler d'un objet sur lequel l'enfant concentre déjà son attention, …  Lire la suite

Hogan, James J. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Escherichia coli is a ubiquitous member of the human intestinal microbiota. Although commensal E. coli and its human host generally coexist with mutual benefits in digestion and immunity, diarrheagenic E. coli are pathogens that have acquired virulence factors that permit them to cause a wide range of enteric or diarrheal diseases in healthy individuals, resulting in more than 500 million illnesses and nearly 200,000 deaths each year. Enteropathogenic and enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EPEC and EHEC) are gastrointestinal pathogens responsible for severe diarrheal illness. EPEC and EHEC form “attaching and effacing” lesions during colonization and, upon adherence, inject proteins directly into …  Lire la suite

Au cours des dernières années, les biocapteurs ont dominé le marché des capteurs médicaux. Avec des capteurs de microcavité en mode de chuchotement en galerie (WGM) qui fournissent une détection optique sans étiquette ultrasensible, ils sont devenus des précurseurs dans les techniques de détection de particules uniques. Les modèles WGM ont réussi à obtenir des facteurs de qualité compris entre 10^6 et 10^9. Traditionnellement, les capteurs précédents non WGM obtenais des facteurs de qualité inférieurs de jusqu'à trois ordres de magnitude. De plus, de récentes technologies ont cherché à exploiter l'hybridation plasmonique-photonique dans l'espoir d'améliorer encore plus la sensibilité du …  Lire la suite

The effects of lesions and stimulation of the cortex on the level of activity and arousal of animals have been studied extensively in recent years. Lashley (1920) found that injury to the frontal cortex in rats produced increased activity, while lesions in the occipital poles resulted in decreased activity. Richter and Hawkes (1939), and Beach (1941) also observed hyperactivity resulting from frontal lesions and, less frequently, a decrease in activity with occipital lesions. [...]  Lire la suite

In 1932, Hess developed a technique whereby electrodes could be permanently implanted in the brains of intact, awake animals. The electrode mountings were small, caused no apparent discomfort, and allowed the animals complete freedom of movement. Although several other investigators independently devised their own techniques (Loucks, 1933; Chaffee and Light, 1934), subsequent work has shown Hess' method to be the most reliable (Delgado, l955a). [...]  Lire la suite

This thesis examines the role of the Manichean dualism, the pervasive colour symbolism of white as good and black as evil. It looks at the manifestation of this symbolism in representations of Christianity, and the subsequent implications for race and racism in Western society. Through images of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, I posit that the Western conflation of holiness with whiteness is a primary means through which whiteness retains hegemony. I argue that Renaissance painting has had a pivotal role in privileging the white body through its hyper-whitening of both Jesus and Mary. Both figures emerge as improbable …  Lire la suite

Luis, Miranda-Moreno, (Internal/Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Nous pouvons constater une augmentation des politiques et programmes qui ont pour mission de briser l'isolement social. La plupart de ces programmes sont centrés sur des études qui n'incluent pas le point de vue des personnes âgées. Il est primordial de considérer la perspective unique des aînés pour s'assurer que les besoins de cette population soient répondus. En utilisant une approche phénoménologique, cette étude qualitative a comme but de remplir cette lacune méthodologique, en explorant la façon dont six personnes âgées gèrent leur isolement social. Tous les participants résident en logement social à Montréal et ont été identifiés comme personnes …  Lire la suite

Sussman, Tamara (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

This study was undertaken in an effort to draw attention to social work's neglect of the area of human sexuality. Its major aim was to determine the nature and extent of knowledge available on human sexuality and to offer a tentative model of sex education for social work which would develop and integrate this knowledge for social work practice. A broad literature review revealed that an extensive, multidisciplinary contribution has been made to the existing fund of knowledge on human sexuality. This literature has tended to be biologically and psychologically based, with more recent contributions made by the social sciences. …  Lire la suite

Qui croire de soi? is a sixteen-minute work for mezzo-soprano and sixteen musicians based on six original poems (79 pages for the score). The text mainly addresses the idea of a double duality. First, the one that we can experience within our own personality, but also the one that we can feel vis-à-vis the outside world. The different states of consciousness expressed in the poems are musically echoed by association and are pairing the various impressions with personal musical memories. The language of Qui croire de soi? therefore opens to a series of stylistic allusions as well as to a …  Lire la suite

Engert, James (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) reduces bone mass by 10-30% and impairs arachidonic (AA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acid status in infants. Because AA and DHA enhance neonatal bone mass, the aim of this study was to determine the effects of dietary 0.5% AA and 0.2% DHA (w/w) prior to weaning on bone and growth. 40 guinea pigs were randomized to either a control (C) or low-protein diet (LP) during pregnancy and the C diet or the C diet with AA+DHA during lactation. Measurements included bone mass, metabolism, and strength, and erythrocyte lipid of sows and offspring from birth to 16 wk …  Lire la suite

The major issue confronting the newly elected British Labour Government in the field of international affairs after the Second World War was that of the European peace settlement. At the centre of this issue was the German problem. [...]  Lire la suite

La stratégie des Etats-Unis quant au contrôle des exportations, qui inclut les technologies des satellites commerciaux, leur données techniques, ainsi que les services de défense en tant qu'armes sujettes à des critères plus stricts de contrôle des exportations, essuie les critiques depuis des années. Ses détracteurs avancent qu'en essayant de renforcer la sécurité nationale par des restrictions au transfert de technologies spatiales à ses ennemis et adversaires potentiels, les Etats-Unis ont, malgré eux et paradoxalement, nui à la sécurité nationale en négligeant les bases de l'industrie spatiale, les centres de recherche et universitaires qui nourrissent et développent celles-ci, ainsi que …  Lire la suite

The method of A. Young for finding the set of primitive idempotents of the group algebra of the Symmetric group S is classical; it was first elaborated by G. Frobenius using the investigations of A. Young. A more developed treatment and means for obtaining bases for the irreducible representations were later given by Young. A concise acount can be found in and a very detailed treatment in.  Lire la suite

Maxwell used conjugate functions to solve problems in electrostatics. His method depended on a guessing of the suitable complex transformation for any given problem. In 1867 Christoffel, and in 1869 Schwarz discussed a general theorem in Transformations which became finally known as the Schwarz-Christoffel Theorem. [...] In this paper the essential elements of the function theory and the required electrostatics background are briefly developed or discussed and it is shown why and how the one may be applied to the other. Proofs of the invariance of charge, equipotentials, and lines of force under complex transformation, which are not usually found …  Lire la suite

Daneshmend, L. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Elkin, Frederick. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Atrial fibrillation (AF) remains the most encountered arrhythmia in clinical practice and a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Electrical, contractile and structural remodeling are important synergistic contributors to the AF substrate. Fibrosis is a hallmark of arrhythmogenic structural remodeling and occurs as a convergent pathological end-point in a variety of settings. The consequences and determinants of fibrotic structural remodeling are presently poorly understood. The overall purpose of these studies was to gain insights into the mechanisms governing the development and consequences of fibrosis, as well as the potential therapeutic value of fibrosis-targeting interventions. We have shown previously that structural …  Lire la suite

From the 1790 's, when Galvani and Volta (R. M. Green, 1953) experimented with animal electricity, until the beginning of the 20th century, there was little reason to doubt that excitation passed from nerve to muscle electrically (Kuhne, 1888). Protoplasmic continuity was assumed, despite increasing evidence to the contrary, until about the turn of the century. [...]  Lire la suite

Marta Kaminska (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

Bell, Graham (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

A large sample (N = 206) of expert instructional designers was surveyed in order to determine how developmental testing is designed and conducted. The majority of respondents indicated that they did conduct formative testing of prototype instructional materials for purposes of revising them. Both one-to-one and small group testing were recommended with both the developer and the test subjects assuming active roles during the testing sessions. Both quantitative and qualitative (including attitudinal) data are gathered with an emphasis placed on the analysis of the posttest data. Based on a review of the literature and the results of the survey, an …  Lire la suite

Tak Pan Wong (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

Experiments were carried out to determine the effect of factors, other than vitamin C, on the development of odontoblast cells in the guinea pig incisor tooth. Using the “odontoblast” method of vitamin C bioassay, it was shown that guinea pigs may be assigned to experiment at a fixed initial age or a fixed initial weight, the odontoblast development remaining unaffected. Odontoblast development was not different whether the guinea pigs were penned and fed individually or in groups of two. A natural, an artificial and a fortified source of vitamin C were assayed simultaneously by the “odontoblast” and by the “increase …  Lire la suite

The history of mineral development in the Eastern Townships of Quebec has been long and varied, with a continuous output of a variety of products for many years. Several geologicalreports on the area have been published, but with one or two exceptions, these have either dealt with the general geology of large sections of the country, with little reference to the mineral possibilities, or, in the case of economic reports, they have been devoted solely to one group of deposits as, for example, asbestos or copper (1). The object of the present work is to give as complete a geological …  Lire la suite

The area here described is situated 70 miles north of Ottawa, on the Gatineau branch of the C.P.R. near the town of Burb1dge, Quebec. It lies within the Laurentlan upland and in that part containing the famous Grenv111e Series of metamorphosed sediments. The field-work was performed in the latter part of the season of 1927, for the Bureau of Mines, Quebeo, in co-operation with the C.P.R. The work was made possible through the kindness of the Consolidated Mining and Smelt1ng Co., who held an option on the area. The object of the work was to make a study of the …  Lire la suite

In writing on the subject of social Ethics of the Prophets, I have given special attention to the Book of Deuteronomy, because it is admitted by all scholars that this book summarises all that is best and most permanent in the ethical teachings of the prophets. Consequently no treatment of the Ethics of the prophets would be adequate which was not focused on the Deuteronomic summary. It is clear that this social legislation is the result of contributions from many sources and writers living in different centuries. This fact makes the subject both extensive and cpmp1icated. [...]  Lire la suite

In practice, the reservoir net inflow is computed based upon the application of the water balance equation to the reservoir system since it is difficult to obtain direct and reliable measurements of this variable. The net inflow process has been thus found to possess a random behaviour because it is related to the stochastic nature of various physical processes involved in the water balance computation (e.g., precipitation, evaporation, etc.). Therefore, the aim of this research is to propose a forecasting method that can accurately and efficiently predict the random reservoir inflow series. The proposed forecasting methods considered were the linear …  Lire la suite

This thesis investigated the possibility of experimentally increasing intimates' use of relationship maintenance responses, the strategies thought to sustain romantic relationships. Because research has demonstrated that constructs, traits, and goals can all be primed in order to affect behavior, priming participants' relationship commitment and satisfaction, two correlates that promote such strategies, was anticipated to similarly result in changes in maintenance responding. The first three studies demonstrated greater maintenance responses in women when they first thought about their commitment and satisfaction, but saw no effects in men. In an attempt to explain this gender difference, a theory involving relationship identification, a …  Lire la suite