McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par C

Dans ce mémoire, nous cherchons à montrer que les chansons de Georges Brassens, malgré le fait qu'elles puissent appartenir à un art « mineur », possèdent tout de même une valeur littéraire bien réelle. Cette valeur se justifie entre autres par son recours à des procédés intertextuels tels que la citation, l'allusion, la référence, la parodie et la satire, que l'on pourrait considérer comme un gage de littérarité. Par le passé, les théoriciens de l'intertextualité se sont surtout employés à étudier cette notion dans un contexte littéraire, mais nous tentons ici de transposer les fondements établis par ces derniers dans …  Lire la suite

Jardim, Armando (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

I examined the distribution of stable isotope ratios of nitrogen $( delta sp{15}$N) and carbon $( delta sp{13}$C) in fish and aquatic invertebrates. Animals are enriched in $ delta sp{15}$N compared to their diet and I hypothesized that among-lake variation in the $ delta sp{15}$N of a top predator should reflect variation in the length of the food chain leading to it. A comparative study of a biomagnifying contaminant, mercury, confirmed that the presence or absence of certain key organisms such as pelagic forage fish and the crustacean Mysis relicta determined among-lake variation in mercury in lake trout, a top …  Lire la suite

Bell, Graham (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

This thesis investigates the environmental impacts of controlled-environment urban agriculture (CE-UA) in Canada, focusing on high-tech urban lettuce farming as a case study. Given the projections indicating a global population increase to 9.7 billion by 2050, and over 70% of people residing in urban areas, the pressure on food systems, exacerbated by urbanization, necessitates sustainable solutions. Agriculture already contributes significantly to environmental pressures, with cities playing a notable role due to their population density and consumption patterns. CE-UA holds promise in mitigating the environmental impacts of food production and enhancing food system resilience. The expanding population, the effects of climate …  Lire la suite

Sayeed, K. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Langevin, Rachel (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

This thesis is dedicated to a in depth study of the notion of pleasure such as it appears in Charles Baudelaire's Les Fleurs du Mal. Focusing upon a very restraint core of poems, the analysis unfurls according to the methodic tools provided by Michael Riffaterre, literary theorician and critic, in his Semiotics of poetry. Basing myself on a shrewd selection of texts, number of which were almost completely left out by baudelairean studies, my goal was to highlight the semiotical span owned by the different illustrations of pleasure in our poet's work. Weaving significant threads, first between signs and then …  Lire la suite

The Santillan-Mackey model of the tryptophan operon was developed to characterize the anthranilate synthase activity in cultures of Escherichia coli. Similarly, the GABA reaction scheme was formulated to characterize the response of the GABAA receptor at a synapse, and the Hodgkin-Huxley model was developed to characterize the action potential of a squid giant axon. While the Hodgkin-Huxley model has been studied in great detail from a mathematical vantage, much less is known about the preceding two models in this regard. This work examines the stiffness of all three models; a novel perspective for both the Santillan-Mackey model and the GABA …  Lire la suite

The compound 2-(4-phenylpiperidino)cyclohexanol (AH5183), a potent inhibitor of vesicular acetylcholine (ACh) uptake, blocks the nerve impulse stimulated release of ACh from the superior cervical ganglion of the cat in a use dependent manner, but not until 14% of the initial ganglial ACh content has been released. The first objective of this work was to determine if blockade of ACh release was associated with a depletion of vesicular ACh. By using black widow spider venom (BWSV), a secretagogue which induces vesicular exocytosis, it was shown that depletion of vesicular stores did not likely occur as a result of AH5183 blockade. Furthermore, …  Lire la suite

Introduction : Le transport des patients blessés vers un niveau de soins approprié reste un défi complexe. Dans notre système de traumatologie, les paramédics sont majoritairement limités aux soins de soutien de base et effectuent le triage sur le terrain guidé par un algorithme qui prend en compte le type de blessure et le temps de transport estimé vers un centre de traumatologie de niveau 1 (L1TC). Cette étude évalue l'effet de ce protocole de triage en comparant la mortalité des patients transportés directement vers un L1TC et de ceux initialement transférés depuis un autre établissement.Méthodes : Cette étude rétrospective …  Lire la suite

The removal of the lignin portion of wood for the production of pulp, particularly for the manufacture of high grade paper and rayons has in the past century become of increasing technological interest. Although a considerable number of processes are known, probably the sulfite process has been the most investigated. The complexity of the structure of wood as a whole, and the lignin portion in particular has led to a large number of divergent views on the chemistry of this process. [...]  Lire la suite

The present process employed in the manufacture of GR-3 type synthetic rubber is that of emulsion polymerization. This method has the advantage of being easily controlled as well as possessing a faster rate of reaction than either bulk phase or solution polymerization (1, 2). The GR-S system discussed herein is made up of monomer, water, catalyst, modifier and emulsifying agent, which, upon agitation at a moderate temperature, results in the formation of a heterogeneous mixture. This complicates investigation of the locus of polymerization. The ease of control is due, in part at least, to the heat transfer from one medium …  Lire la suite

A clay-contaminant compatibility study was performed using: (a) two materials: a kaolinitic clay and a 90% fine sand/10% bentonite mixture (S/B); (b) concentrated solutions of two heavy metals--Pb and Zn; and (c) a flexible wall (triaxial cell) and a rigid wall (consolidation cell) permeameter. Compatibility was analyzed in terms of changes in the measured coefficient of hydraulic permeability (k) due to percolation of the concentrated heavy metal solutions, and in terms of the capacity of compacted clays to retain heavy metals. Testing procedures and sample characteristics were kept as similar as possible for two apparatuses as a means of comparing …  Lire la suite

Vivre en groupe présente de nombreux avantages pour les individus, tels que l'accès à l'information sociale ou la protection contre les prédateurs. La fonction et l'évolution de la socialité et de l'utilisation de l'information sociale ont reçu une attention considérable au cours des dernières années. Cependant, les mécanismes neuronaux sous-jacents à ces processus n'ont pas été aussi largement examinés à travers les taxons, ce qui est crucial pour comprendre leur évolution dans les vertébrés. Dans cette thèse, j'ai exploré les mécanismes neuro-endocriniens du groupement et les mécanismes neuraux de l'utilisation de l'information sociale du guppy Trinidadien (Poecilia reticulata), une espèce …  Lire la suite

Birds are one of the best studied animal groups in the world but are also amongst the most endangered. The wealth of ecological information has shown habitat protection to be vital to bird biodiversity, but habitat loss and degradation continue to defeat conservationists. Community-based biodiversity conservation efforts have been recently recognized as an important option for safeguarding ecosystems while reducing land use conflicts arising from the material, cultural and spiritual needs of local inhabitants. Community involvement is particularly critical for conservation in anthropogenic habitats. Few studies have linked the ecological impacts of community land use practices with the auto-ecological requirements …  Lire la suite

Plus de 45 ans après l’adoption de la Loi 101, la fragilité de la langue française au Québec demeure un sujet de débat public. Toutefois, il est encore peu compris comment les politiques linguistiques visant à promouvoir le français peuvent exacerber les inégalités sociales, notamment chez les Québécois·es noir·es anglophones. À ce jour, peu de recherches ont examiné de manière approfondie l’impact de la récente Loi 14 (anciennement le projet de loi 96) sur cette population, particulièrement à Montréal, où se concentre la majorité des anglophones de la province. Ce mémoire s’appuie sur des données empiriques pour analyser les relations …  Lire la suite

In recent years our knowledge of ore deposits, and of the conditions under which they were deposited, has been augmented by experimental investigations of sulphide, and to a lesser extent, arsenide, oxide, selenide, and telluride systems. The physical conditions of formation for the gold-silver tellurides were examined in detail in the present study. These minerals have a wide geographic distribution and occur in several geological environments. The spectacular ores at the gold and silver mining camps of Cripple Creek, Colorado, Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, and Sacarambu and Offenbanya in Transylvania consisted of telluride mineralization. Gold-silver tellurides are also present as minor …  Lire la suite

Recent evidence supports the notion that both paternal and maternal mental health play a role in shaping the developmental trajectory of the child. While the adverse effects of maternal depression and anxiety on the child are well-documented, the role of the father requires further investigation. It is unclear, for example, whether or not the impact of paternal mental health varies depending on symptom type, level of severity, or timing with regards to the child’s developmental stage. Detailed characterization of paternal mental health factors may be particularly critical during middle childhood (6-8 years old), when the child needs to develop a …  Lire la suite

Asymmetric localization of messenger RNA (mRNA) is a post-transcriptional means of regulating gene expression. It is an important mechanism used early in development by a wide range of organisms to convert cellular asymmetry into complex patterns of cell fate. Some of the best-known examples of asymmetric transcript localization occur during the formation of the egg in Drosophila melanogaster. For example, during mid-oogenesis gurken mRNA, which encodes the Drosophila homologue of the vertebrate Transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-alpha), becomes asymmetrically localized to the presumptive dorsal anterior region of the oocyte. Localized gurken mRNA is translated, resulting in local activation of the …  Lire la suite

Madame Bovary des sa première apparition en 1857 fit grande impression. Tout en restant dans la tradition littéraire française, il apporta - chose tout à fait nouvelle - un réalisme débordant. Son sujet lui valut aussitôt un succes de scandale, mais par la suite c'est son style si soigneusement travaillé qui l'établit comme le chef d'oeuvre de l'art réaliste. Steegmuller a dit que son illusion extraordinaire de la vie, fruit de la familiarité de Flaubert avec l'ambiance et de son choix méticuleux des détails à inclure et présenter n'a jamais été égalée dans aucun autre roman.  Lire la suite

The adaptation of the poultry industry to accommodate the needs of large scale production has resulted in the division of the industry into specialized units of meat and egg production. Egg production constitutes the major phase, from the aspect of both the percent of the total investment in the industry which is devoted to it and the number of flocks that is kept for egg production. It is to be expected then, that research study in the poultry field has until recently been devoted mainly to the problems associated with large-scale egg production. [...]  Lire la suite

Granulins are small cysteine-rich peptide growth factors that, in mammals, are derived from a common glycoprotein precursor (progranulin) containing one half and seven non-identical tandemly repeated granulin domains. While there is evidence for only one progranulin gene in mammalian genomes, work presented in this thesis demonstrates that granulins form an extended gene family in teleost fish. Two zebrafish genes that constitute likely co-orthologues to mammalian progranulin, progranulin-a and progranulin-b, encode precursors that encode 10 and 9 copies of the granulin motif, respectively. Two additional genes in zebrafish, designated progranulin-1 and progranulin-2, each give rise to precursors consisting of one and …  Lire la suite

Botulism is a foodborne intoxication caused by ingestion of Clostridium botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT). Preliminary studies focussed on the production of polyclonal antisera against BoNT/E by immunizing a rabbit with botulinal toxoid type E. The antiserum was subsequently used to detect BoNT/E using the slot blot immunoassay where samples were applied to a slot blot filtration manifold and drawn by vacuum through a membrane. The membrane was then immunologically processed before chemiluminescent detection. However, the antisera lacked specificity and cross-reacted with closely related clostridia strains. The specificity of the antisera was increased by adsorbing cross-reactive antibodies from whole antisera with affinity …  Lire la suite

There is increasing evidence that CUX1 can act as an oncogene in various cell types. First of all, it was found to be overexpressed in different human tumors, such as in uterine leiomyomas, breast tumors and pancreatic tumors. Both p75 and p110 were also found to be overexpressed in tumor cell lines of different origins. My research project has focused on characterizing the oncogenic potential of short CUX1 isoforms through the study of transgenic mice. The first model we used was to overexpress p75 CUX1 under the control of the cytomegalovirus enhancer-chicken β-actin promoter. Interestingly, these mice developed polycystic kidneys …  Lire la suite

Buckeridge, David (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

Antibiotic misuse and overuse increase health care costs while promoting antibiotic resistance. The identification of physician characteristics predictive of poor antibiotic prescribing could enable targeted educational interventions before physicians' entry into practice. The objective of this study was to assess whether physicians' medical school training, licensure examination scores, and time in practice could predict antibiotic prescribing behaviour. A historical cohort consisting of 912 physicians who obtained certification in 1990--1993 and subsequently entered fee-for-service practice in Quebec, and the 4,258,362 patients they saw during 1990--1998 was used. Multivariate logistic regression analyses for clustered data were performed. Foreign medical graduates were more …  Lire la suite

Nave, Jean-Christophe (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

Dans cette thèse, nous démontrons comment une combinaison d'analyse des équations aux dérivées partielles (EDP), d'analyse de Fourier et de preuves assistées par ordinateur (PAOs) permet de traiter de façon rigoureuse les EDP et les équations non locales sur les espaces euclidiens. Plus précisément, elle introduit une méthodologie générale pour aborder des problèmes complexes, tels que l'existence de solutions, l'existence de branches de solutions, la stabilité spectrale (par le contrôle du spectre), et d'autres défis connexes posés sur un espace euclidien. Cette étude est présentée à travers trois manuscrits qui établissent le cadre analytique de la méthodologie, ainsi que des …  Lire la suite

The stringent demands for accuracy in radiosurgery impinge on all aspects of the radiosurgical procedure. A computer program, used to determine target coordinates from planar stereotactic image pairs, has been developed. Digital subtraction angiography images, obtained with a localizer attachment affixed to the stereotactic frame, are analyzed with the program for the localization of certain malformations. During treatment set-up verification, the center of the radiation distribution is determined using portal linear accelerator images of the collimated radiosurgery beam, with the patient in the final treatment position and without removal of the radiosurgical collimator. A custom portal localizer attachment has been …  Lire la suite

In recent years, nanostructured and amorphous metals have become more prominent in scientific research. Their unique characteristics and their vastly superior mechanical properties have lead to emerging technical applications however the use of these materials is only in its infancy. To further growth the industrial applications for these advanced materials, joining processes capable of maintaining the unique aspects of the microstructure are required. Joining of two beveled plates has been accomplished by use of the Cold Spray process. This process uses a converging diverging nozzle to accelerate micron sized powder towards a substrate. The strength of the resulting joint has …  Lire la suite

La thérapie assistée par les psychédéliques est une approche en plein essor pour gérer les troubles de santé mentale tels que le syndrome de stress post-traumatique, les troubles de consommation, l'anxiété de fin de vie et la dépression résistante au traitement. Cette approche thérapeutique fait actuellement l'objet d'essais cliniques approuvés par la FDA aux États-Unis et à travers le monde. La pratique thérapeutique implique l'administration prudente d'un composé psychédélique tel que la MDMA, les champignons de psilocybine, la LSD et la kétamine, en conjonction avec des psychothérapies plus traditionnelles, y compris la thérapie cognitivo-comportementale et la pleine conscience. Dans ce …  Lire la suite

Two research problems involving the class of discrete-time signals bounded in magnitude are addressed in this thesis. The first problem concerns robust stability of systems with repeated, structured, linear time-varying, and induced-ℓinfinity-norm bounded perturbations. The second problem consists in the design of an ℓ₁-optimal controller that allows for flexible management of the tradeoff between the ability of a system to attenuate disturbance signals versus its expected worst peak-to-peak amplification. Original solutions to both problems are provided and their efficiency is assessed with examples and applications.  Lire la suite

Manufacturers use Automated Fibre Placement (AFP) as a fabrication process for large and complex composite parts. An AFP machine consists of a computer-controlled robotic arm with a head at the end capable of constant placement of uncured pre-impregnated carbon fibres grouped together to form bands called tows. AFP shows great potential to transition from hand layup to an automated technique with a lot of flexibility in terms of fibres orientation, stacking sequence, thickness and allows fibres to be used in double curvature regions. Fibre path scheme is dictated by both part geometry and steering capability to ensure good quality parts. …  Lire la suite

À l'échelle mondiale, la consommation nocive de substances chez les jeunes est un problème de santé publique dont l'impact varient en fonction du genre. Selon une étude sur la charge mondiale de morbidité, la prévalence de la consommation de substances a augmenté de 76 % entre 1990 et 2019 chez les jeunes en Afrique, y compris au Ghana. Malgré le fardeau croissant de la consommation de substances, les interventions de prévention en milieu scolaire son peu nombreuses. Étant donné l'influence des pairs sur les comportements des jeunes, les interventions qui s'appuient sur leurs réseaux sociaux peuvent être efficaces. L'objectif de …  Lire la suite

Nitrous oxide (N2O) produced from agricultural activities must be determined if management procedures to reduce emissions are to be established. From 1994 to 1996, N20 emissions were determined under continuous corn and corn-legume rotations in different soils of Quebec. Continuous corn was studied on four sites, two from a long-term experiment, a Ste. Rosalie heavy clay (Humic Gleysol) and a Chicot sandy loam (Gray-Brown Luvisol), at 0, 170,285 and 400 kg N ha-1, and two from a corn rotation study, a Ste. Rosalie clay (Humic Gleysol) and an Ormstown silty clay loam (Humic Gleysol). Treatments in the rotation study included …  Lire la suite

Magnesium is a member of the alkaline earth metals (Group IIA of the Mendeléef Classification) but in many ways it has closer resemblance to zinc and cadmium (Group IIB). It is a light white metal of atomic number 12 and atomic weight 24.32. There are six known isotopes. Those with atomic weights 24, 25 and 26 are naturally occurring in the percentages of 79, 10 and 11. Those with atomic weights 23, 27 and 28 are radioactive. [...]  Lire la suite

On a décrit souvent la vie raffinée et cultivée de l'élite francaise, mais le but de cette thèse est, au contraire, de présenter et de discuter un écrivain qui s'attache à décrire la vie de la partie de la plus déshéritée du peuple français d'aujourd'hui.  Lire la suite

My PhD work focuses on the study of the layer-specific targeting of photoreceptor (R-cell) axons in the developing Drosophila visual system. More specifically, I have studied the roles of two molecules, the receptor tyrosine kinase Off-track (Otk) and the transmembrane protein Semaphorin1a (Sema1a) in R-cell axon guidance and target selection. The Drosophila adult visual system is comprised of the compound eye and the optic lobe. The compound eye is comprised of ~800 ommatidia, each containing eight different R-cells. As the visual system develops, R-cells project axons through the optic stalk toward two different layers of the optic lobe. R1-6 axons …  Lire la suite

Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) has a variety of substrates that implicate roles for this enzyme in metabolism, cell proliferation, and development. The beta isoform of GSK3 may also have a significant role in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. Tau, a phosphoprotein that normally binds to and promotes the stability of microtubules, is hyper-phosphorylated in the brains of individuals with AD. While a number of protein kinases have been identified that phosphorylate tau in vitro, co-transfection experiments have demonstrated the phosphorylation of tau by GSK3beta in both fibroblasts and COS cells. A greater understanding of the interaction of GSK3beta and tau …  Lire la suite

Mbaye Diouf (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

The aerospace research and industry sectors are relying increasingly on numerical simulations to gain insight into aerodynamic flows. However, the complexity of these flows and the broad range of scales they exhibit still represent a serious challenge to the current generation of computational methods. This thesis presents developments to high-order accurate (> 2nd order) schemes aimed at addressing these limitations. The topic is tackled from the perspectives of enhanced resolution and adaptive error-control. Firstly, an extension of the Lifting-Collocation-Penalty (LCP) scheme to spatially-varying polynomial approximations is presented. This formulation is used to perform efficient polynomial-adaptive computations of compressible flows. The …  Lire la suite

This research presents a new, more efficient computational scheme for complex periodic flows, and brings forward two novel ideas. The first consists in the use of a Fourier space time representation in conjunction with a high-order spatial discretization. The second is based on the efficient treatment of the resulting set of equations using a fast, implicit solver. This thesis describes the formulation and implementation of the proposed framework. Firstly, a high-order spectral difference scheme for the Euler equations is introduced. Secondly, the non-linear frequency domain method resolving the unsteady behavior of the flow is discussed. Thirdly, a mathematical and experimental …  Lire la suite