McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par F

The hippocampus is an evolutionarily conserved temporal brain structure that is crucial to normal mammalian learning and memory formation. Although a wide variety of genes and signalling pathways have been identified as contributors to hippocampal learning and memory, few studies have comprehensively studied changes in gene expression across time. Here, we used microarray analysis to screen the rat genome and identify individual genes differentially expressed in the hippocampus as a function of learning across time. In order to measure gene expression at specific time points following learning, we first designed a hippocampus-dependent task that quickly trains animals. This task is …  Lire la suite

Suppose we are given a mathematical theory. Is there an effective procedure which will enable us to decide, for any sentence of the theory, whether or not the sentence is valid in that theory? This is referred to as the decision problem for that theory. If it is answered in the affirmative we say that the theory is decidable. If the answer is negative, then we say that the theory is undecidable. There are essentially two methods with which to attack this problem; the direct method and the indirect method.  Lire la suite

Gap junctions are membrane channels between closely apposed cells that allow for intercellular exchange of small molecules. These channels are formed from a family homologous proteins known as connexins (Cx). In the present study we studied connexin trafficking within the cell with particular emphasis on 1/ the mechanisms of gap junction formation and removal and on 2/ the early events associated with connexin biosynthesis. The mechanisms of gap junction formation and removal were studied by treating Normal Rat Kidney and BICR-MlR$ sb{ rm k}$ rat mammary tumour cells with ilimaquinone (IQ), a novel and reversible inhibitor of protein secretion. The …  Lire la suite

Gonzalez, Andrew (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

The effects of electric shock accompanying correct responses have been studied extensively by Muenzinger (e. g. 1934a; 1934b) and others (e. g. Tolman, Hall, and Bretnall, 1932; Drew, 1938; Wischner, 1947; Prince, 1956). In general, these investigators have found that electric shocks, administered in connection with correct responses, have a facilitating affect on learning. This finding is contradictory to the law of effect and drivereduction theories, which assume that noxious stimuli accompanying a response tend to decrease the probability of occurrence of that response.  Lire la suite

La cinétique et la qualité cristalline d'un nouveau système de cristallisation réactive menant à la formation des phases de sulfate de calcium avec la génération simultanée de l'acide chlorhydrique (un acide fort, jusqu'à 9 M) ont été étudiées. Les études entreprises dans cette recherche sont reliées à un nouveau procédé de régénération de l'acide chlorhydrique présentement en développement pour des applications industrielles dans des opérations hydrométallurgiques des métaux non-ferreux. Cette thèse considère les aspects suivants: (a) la cinétique de cristallisation du sulfate de calcium α-hémihydraté (HH); (b) la cinétique des transitions de phase du sulfate de calcium; (c) les effets …  Lire la suite

Methods have been developed for the isolation of the two molecular sizes of the γc-globulin from bovine CSF, bovine colostrum and human CSF. These fluids were concentrated in Visking dialysis tubing under pressure and the filtrates concentrated by ultrafiltration. While γc-globulins were the only antigens in the Visking tubing (Vt) filtrates that could be detected with anti-CSF sera, three other proteins were revealed by disc gel electrophoresis. The smaller form of the colostral γc-globulin was separated from these impurities by filtration through Sephadex G-75. Its molecular weight was found to be about 15,000 by gel filtration. The larger γc-globulin was …  Lire la suite

Parathyroid hormone and Chromogranin A (CgA), are the two major secreted products of the parathyroid gland. CgA is the major member of the granin family of acidic glycoproteins which are expressed in all endocrine and neural cells. Granins are thought to play a role in secretory granule formation and targeting of peptide hormones and neurotransmitters to granules of the secretory pathway. The CgA gene is a single copy gene, that has been characterized in human, bovine, mouse and rat where it was found to be composed of eight exons with conserved exon-intron boundaries. It has been found that several of …  Lire la suite

It is not easy to anyone to write in an impartial manner on any topic involving one's own country. One is quite liable to fall victim to his own prejudices, pre-conceived opinion, likes and dislikes, and, -to use a Marxist concept, to be influenced by one's own social and economic background. This task, however, becomes even more difficult if we consider that the present Hungarian regime and its official organs abroad never are overanxious to publish the truth. Moreover the history of Hungary, and especially the history of the Hungarian Labour movement is, from time-to-time, re-written according to the psychological …  Lire la suite

L'occurrence très fréquente d'efflorescences en eau douce constitue une importante menace à la santé humaine et environnementale. Les microcystines sont les cyanotoxines les plus communes et la caractérisation microscopique d'efflorescences toxigènes pose souvent un défi. Ce projet de recherche vise à développer et évaluer des approches axées sur l'amplification en chaîne par polymérase (ACP) pour améliorer le suivi des cyanobactéries toxigènes dans les lacs d'eau douce du Canada. Des études préliminaires évaluant l'utilité, dans la détection quantitative par ACP (qACP) de souches de Microcystis actives ou inactives en production de microcystine, d'une série de gènes codant pour les sous-unités de …  Lire la suite

Pendant la pandémie de COVID-19, la thérapie cognitivo-comportementale (TCC) à distance était une option de traitement omniprésente et efficace dans les soins tertiaires. Bien que de nombreux services soient revenus à la prestation en personne, le TCC à distance continue d'offrir une alternative flexible aux personnes qui peuvent être confrontées à des obstacles à l'accès aux soins. Au Canada, où la diversité linguistique et la dispersion géographique peuvent limiter l'accès à des services spécialisés tels que la TCC, le maintien de l'option de prestation à distance peut être essentiel pour assurer un accès plus équitable aux soins. Cette étude a …  Lire la suite

L'œuvre « Wilujeng » (pour grand ensemble) cherche à traduire la syntaxe musicale du gamelan Javanais en une pratique occidentale à un niveau épistémologique et ontologique. La motivation vient de réflexions portant sur les contextes socioculturels et politiques impliquant l'appropriation culturelle et l'altérisation non-occidentale. En effectuant des traductions d'idées musicales, « Wilujeng » examine les éléments musicaux suivants: (1) le matériau textuel, composé de la poésie Tagalog par Anna Patricia Rodriguez et le texte traditionnel « Ladrang Wilujeng »; (2) l'instrumentation, déterminée à partir de celle du gamelan et le recours à des abstractions de paysages sonores de forêts; (3) …  Lire la suite

clk-1 mutants of the nematode C. elegans have been phenotypically characterized in previous work and found to have decreased rates of development and of periodic adult behaviours, such as defecation, pumping and swimming (Wong et al., 1995). In this study, the defecation periods in older wild type and clk-1 mutant worms were found to be similar despite their differences in young adults. Transgenic strains which express high levels of clk-1 were characterized phenotypically. Over-expression of the clk-1 gene has no observed effect on physiological rates as measured conventionally in young adults but rather has an effect on defecation rates in …  Lire la suite

Pregnant women are considered a high-risk group for serious influenza illness and influenza-related complications. The World Health Organization and many high-income countries currently advise vaccination of pregnant women with inactivated influenza vaccine in any trimester. Although the primary goal of influenza vaccine recommendations is to directly protect pregnant women from influenza disease, recent observational studies have suggested that maternal influenza immunization could additionally protect against adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth and fetal death. The biologic plausibility of such findings depends on there being an adverse effect of maternal influenza disease on fetal health, but high‐quality evidence for this …  Lire la suite

Cartan's method of equivalence is used to prove that there exists two fundamental tensorial invariants which determine the geometry of systems of n ($ ge$ 2) second order ordinary differential equations. These invariants allow us prove that there exist a unique equivalence class of second order equations which admit a Lie point symmetry group of maximal dimension, the dimension being $n sp2 + 4n + 3$. For third order systems of ordinary differential equations, we prove that the possible dimension of the point symmetry group is bounded by $n sp2 + 3n + 3$. As well we find that there …  Lire la suite

The flow of fibre suspensions has interested many workers, both from a theoretical and practical viewpoint. Pulp flow in a paper mill, transportation of coal in oil, and wheat in water are examples of the importance of two-phase flow in which solids are suspended in liquids. Since new applications of solid-liquid flow will also continue to occur, a basic understanding of the flow properties of suspensions is important. [...]  Lire la suite

Sludges formed by lime treatment of acidic mine effluents are a widespread environmental hazard. One treatment option is to recover the toxic and potentially valuable contained metals. A method has been reported to selectively recover the metals by leaching with a complexing agent, diethylenetriamine (DETA). In this thesis a novel method has been developed to recover metals from the metal---DETA complexes by direct electrowinning. Copper was studied initially as a test system due to the relative ease with which it is recovered in conventional sulphate electrowinning. The main industrial interest, and hence the main focus of the work, is in …  Lire la suite

The primary purpose of this study was to explore the differential gambling patterns of underage adolescents in order to identify the specific characteristics and determinants that influence the appeal of the lottery and their lottery playing behaviour. This study was an exploratory investigation of the structural characteristics of lottery products that are particularly appealing to youth (e.g., monetary value, attribute of the ticket, type of game, prize structure, advertisements, colour of ticket, etc.). This research consisted of three phases. Phase I consisted of the inclusion of 5 focus groups (47 children, age 12--19) designed to provide qualitative information on adolescent …  Lire la suite

The goal of the current research design was to determine whether childhood maltreatment is a significant risk factor in the development of gambling problems. Moreover, the aim was to address the cumulative effects of risk factors by assessing a broader range of adversities from a developmental psychopathology perspective. This study included 1,324 young adults (42.8% males; 57.2% females) attending college, with ages ranging from 17 to 22 years. Participants completed self-report measures on gambling and substance use problems, childhood maltreatment, psychological symptomology, stress, and resilience. Approximately 36.5% of the sample met criteria for a substance use disorder, 4.0% reported problems …  Lire la suite

Au cours des dernières années, le féminisme est devenu extrêmement populaire sur Tumblr, un réseau social. Des adolescents et des jeunes adultes ont utilisés le site pour discuter du féminisme avec les autres, s'informer le sujet et le redéfinir pour leur génération. Dans cette thèse, j'examine le phénomène du «Tumblr feminism». Je l'utilise pour s'opposer à l'idée que le féminisme est terminé, ainsi que de montre des exemples positifs d'activisme en ligne pour répondre aux critiques de la pratique qui dit qu'elle est paresseuse et inutile. Je situer le «Tumblr feminism» dans le contexte du postféminisme et du néolibéralisme, contrastant …  Lire la suite

The polarization of protons elastically scattered on nuclei is calculated in an approximation using optical analogy. The Fraunhofer diffraction pattern is made asymmetrical with respect to the direction of incidence or the beam and the resulting polarization computed. Only one parameter is used to fit the curves to the experimental results. Coulomb interference is taken into account but transparency properties are neglected. The positions of the maxima and minima are well predicted but due to the transparency in many cases the magnitude of polarization is not in the right range. The existing experimental results of scattering on carbon are analyzed …  Lire la suite

The cross sections of elastically scattered 99 Mev protons have been measured absolutely to 3%. Detailed description of corrections applied to the cross sections are presented, including the measurement of the nuclear reactions in a NaI crystal due to protons incident at different energies. Work on the variables affecting a NaI counter resolution for high energy protons is also reported. The inelastic scattering differential cross sections from a number of levels in C12 and in A127 have also been determined. Spins and parities for some carbon levels are suggested from tne small angle behaviour of the scattering. [...]  Lire la suite

Demographic processes shape the patterns of genetic diversity, leaving a mark that persists over generations. Over the past decade demographic inference has gained popularity, driven by software like PSMC that can rapidly infer population size history from whole-genome sequences. These methods effectively interpret the inverse instantaneous coalescence rate (IICR) as the trajectory of population size changes, assuming an isolated, randomly-mating population. With population structure introducing biases and with the unreliability of estimates in the recent past, the validity and interpretability of single-population inferences have been extensively discussed since the introduction of these methods. Still, model validation is not yet a …  Lire la suite

Le vieillissement cognitif est marqué par des changements dans la mémoire épisodique, notre capacité à nous souvenir d’événements passés situés dans le temps et l’espace. Des données récentes remettent en question une vision uniquement déclinante du vieillissement cognitif et suggèrent que les adultes âgés modifient leur manière de représenter les expériences passées. Les études de neuroimagerie indiquent que lors de tâches de mémoire épisodique, les adultes âgés s’appuient de plus en plus sur les régions antérieures de l’hippocampe et du cortex préfrontal, qui soutiennent l’encodage et la récupération de représentations générales et globales. De plus, les preuves comportementales montrent que …  Lire la suite

Autobiographical memory research has accepted that remembering past and imagining new experiences share the same cognitive and neural substrates. According to this line of work, simulating events relies on episodic memory processes to bring together a wide array of details pertaining to an autobiographical experience and form a coherent mental representation. Recent theories also implicate semantic memory processes in the construction of autobiographical events and suggest that these processes provide content derived from prior knowledge when constructing these simulations. The aim of this thesis is to examine the influence of different aspects of prior knowledge – schematic event knowledge and …  Lire la suite

Le virus de l’anémie infectieuse du poulet (CAV) est un petit virus, non-enveloppé, à ADN simple brin qui se réplique dans les thymocytes et les érythroblastes des jeunes poulets. Il provoque une anémie grave qui est souvent mortelle. Son génome circulaire se transcrit qu’en un seul ARNm qui code pour trois protéines : Vp1: la seule protéine de la capside, Vp2: une phosphatase à double spécificité, et Vp3: un facteur de virulence appelé apoptine. L'apoptine est remarquable pour sa capacité à induire l’apoptose indépendamment de p53, dans les cellules cancéreuses humaines, ainsi que celle d’inhiber le complexe promoteur de l'anaphase/cyclosome …  Lire la suite

DCharts, a formalism for modeling and simulation of complex reactive software systems, is proposed and studied. The DCharts formalism is based on UML statecharts and DEVS, but provides better modularity and expressiveness. DCharts semantics is rigorously defined in both an operational way and in a denotational way. Abstract, textual, and visual syntax for DCharts are presented. SVM, a DCharts simulator implemented in Python, is presented. It accepts textual model descriptions and simulates them. Multiple types of simulations, as well as real-time execution, are discussed in detail with examples. Model verification is supported by means of repeated simulations in SVM and …  Lire la suite

The airplane has one great advantage over all other forms of transportation: only a short time is required to construct the facilities necessary for its operation over a wide range of the earth’s surface. China is a vast nation: the huge size of the country and the resulting distances combine with the total absence of modern transportation to create a particularly strong demand for air transport. This is an urgent need, especially since the country' s economy, industries and trade cannot develop without transportation.  Lire la suite

Accurate determination of solar flux at the top of the atmosphere (TOA), which can only be made from satellite observations, is essential for climate studies. In the present study, we developed a new technique to derive the solar fluxes at the TOA and at the surface from operational meteorological satellites. Two key steps in the technique are the narrowband to broadband (NTB) conversion and deriving the net solar flux at the surface from TOA observations. We developed a new NTB conversion algorithm from ScaRaB observations and radiation transfer model simulations. In deriving the net solar fluxes at the surface from …  Lire la suite

Upper-tropospheric and lower-stratospheric (UTLS) water vapor plays an essential role in controlling the outgoing longwave radiation. Convection can affect UTLS water vapor through cross-tropopause transport and by modulating the tropopause temperature. However, this mechanism remains poorly quantified due to a lack of observations above convective storms. In this thesis, we aim to understand the role of convection in shaping the UTLS humidity structure by developing a novel retrieval method.Firstly, we develop a cloud-assisted retrieval method to obtain thermodynamic fields above a thick cloud layer using hyperspectral infrared observations. Based on the Optimal Estimation approach, this method iteratively retrieves temperature and …  Lire la suite

'The rate of living' hypothesis of aging speculates that the metabolic rate of a species ultimately determines its life expectancy. Using the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans as model system, mutation in twp-1 (t&barbelow;ime w&barbelow;arp) gene was found to significantly delay biological timing and remarkably increase mean and maximum life span. The rate of living in twp-1 is dramatically delayed in all the biological processes we tested, including rates of rhythmic adult behaviors, development, and reproduction. Oxygen consumption, which indicates metabolic rate of an organism, is reduced to approximately two-fold in twp-1 mutant. According to my study, twp-1 and dauer genes, …  Lire la suite

The melting and crystallization behavior of linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) is of great scientific and industrial importance. It depends strongly on polymer molecular structural characteristics and processing conditions, and determines polymer application properties. In this work, we study three different types of LLDPE polymers: metallocene-based LLDPEs (m-LLDPEs), Ziegler-Natta-based LLDPEs (ZN-LLDPEs), and m-LLDPE blends. A generalized equation is introduced to clarify conceptual definitions of polymer melting temperatures. It incorporates the effects of comonomer volume, crystal length, folding surface free energy and enthalpy of fusion. It is successful in describing the characteristic melting temperatures of various alpha-alkene-ethylene copolymers. The proposed equation is …  Lire la suite

Cette dissertation examine le.développement des théories chinoises de la littérature au début du vingti.ème siècle: ce qui a été consideré comme littérature, le rôle de l'écrivain et du lecceur et la fonction de la littérature dans la société. Le but central ici c'est de retracer les théories occidentalistes et exposer leur liaison avec les développements théoretiques du début du siècle. Cette thèse démontre équalement que, globalement, les théories chinoises modernes sont profondément ancrées dans les poétiques chinoises traditionelles. En caractérisant les théories chinoises traditionalles, elle compare celles-ci avec le modèle mimétique de la littérature occidentale. Dans cette dissertation, la déscription …  Lire la suite

This thesis explains the evolution of the criticism in Chinese on Wu Jingzi's novel The Scholars (Rulin Waishi). It discusses more than one hundred items of criticism which evolve from embryonic form in the eighteenth century and nineteenth century through the formation of literary criticism. as an increasingly institutionalized discourse in the first half of the twentieth century. [...]  Lire la suite

Le cancer du poumon reste la principale cause de mortalité par cancer dans le monde, représentant 18 % de tous les décès par cancer. L'exercice physique a des effets bénéfiques sur la survie au cancer et, dans le cas du cancer du poumon, il existe des preuves d'une réduction relative de 25 % du risque de cancer du poumon entre les personnes ayant le niveau d'activité physique le plus élevé et celles ayant le niveau d'activité physique le plus faible. L'inflammation a été associée à un risque accru de cancer, mais le rôle de l'exercice sur la fonction immunitaire et …  Lire la suite

La disposition des boues en excès constitue un fardeau environnemental et économique important pour les usines de traitement des eaux usées, et la commercialisation de nouvelles technologies pour réduire la production de ces déchets a augmenté au cours de la dernière décennie. L'ozonation des boues activées (AS) est l'une des principales technologies commercialisées; cependant, un manque de connaissance sur le procédé d'ozonation restreint notre capacité à prédire la performance des installations futures et empêche la commercialisation de la technologie en Amérique du Nord. Cette recherche vise à décrire les effets de l'ozone sur l'inactivation de la fraction de la biomasse …  Lire la suite

Athletes have been found to be at a greater risk (13.5%) of developing eating disorders (EDs) compared to the general population (4.6%). Recently, media attention on athletes with EDs has substantially increased. Given the considerable role of the media in shaping our thoughts, attitudes, and behaviours, the purpose of this study was to examine dominant discourses surrounding newspaper media portrayals of athletes with EDs. Data were collected using the NexisUni Academic database to search for newspaper articles from January 1, 2021 to June 7, 2022. We included 154 newspaper articles for analysis. We performed a critical discourse analysis to examine …  Lire la suite

Merlis, Timothy (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

Les gouttelettes lipidiques (LDS) sont des vésicules intracellulaires impliquées dans le dépôt des triglycérides (TG) et l'ester de cholestéryle (CE). Bien que LDs sont utilisées pour le dépôt, ils jouent également un rôle dynamique dans le métabolisme cellulaire. LD suraccumulation dans le foie provoque la maladie non alcoolique du foie gras (SNA) et la stéatohépatite non alcoolique (NASH), ce qui entraîne souvent un dysfonctionnement hépatique. Nous avons identifié la protéine tumorale D52 (TPD52) comme une nouvelle protéine de lié à la surface de LD. Par l'immunofluorescence et Western blot, TPD52 a été trouvé sur LD dans les deux cellules HepG2 …  Lire la suite

Chicken genomic DNA containing 5 kb of the 5$ sp prime$ end of the growth hormone (GH) receptor gene and 12 kb of the region up-stream was cloned and a restriction map was constructed. Using subcloned fragments as probes, a HindIII polymorphism was detected in both egg layer and in meat-type chickens. This polymorphic site was mapped at 7 kb up-stream of the coding region of the GH-receptor gene and a PCR assay for the polymorphism was developed to facilitate genotyping of large numbers of chickens. Alleles of the GH-receptor gene and the GH gene were analyzed for association with …  Lire la suite

Refractivity fields estimated from weather radars provide high resolution information on near-surface thermodynamic conditions that are critical for understanding and forecasting storms. However, quantitative applications of the radar-estimated refractivity fields, such as data assimilation and operational radar network implementation, have been hindered by the lack of quantitative knowledge of data quality. This thesis addresses the essential challenge of the refractivity estimation, namely the problem of the noisy phase measurements of ground targets, by understanding and quantifying their causes and resulting effect on refractivity estimation. The uncertainties of refractivity introduced by a variety of processes causing changes in the measured phase …  Lire la suite

L'évolution de la communication numérique a rendu notre vie plus simple et plus pratique que jamais. Les développements rapides des normes de communication sans fil fournissent un accès plus rapide et plus fiable aux informations à tout moment et en tout lieu pour les utilisateurs mobiles. La prochaine norme sans fil de la cinquième génération (5G) devrait prendre en charge des débits de données jusqu'à mille fois plus rapides que les systèmes de transmission actuels en utilisant de nombreuses nouvelles technologies de transmission, et les transmissions non orthogonales ont été considérées comme faisant partie intégrante de 5G.Ce projet de recherche …  Lire la suite

The third generation (3G) smart phones have been widely commercialized in many parts of the world, and they have become popular communication devices, which aim to provide fast and reliable wireless transmission in people's daily life. Code-division multiple-access (CDMA) offers many key advantages including secure data transmission, resistance to jamming and interference, total bandwidth usage, which have made CDMA a key technology used in the current 3G standards. In addition, single-user demodulation and decoding (SUD) have been adopted by the receiver of 3G CDMA systems due to the low implementation complexity, and the combined throughput of such system is known …  Lire la suite

Afin d'obtenir l'adhésion du GATT / OMC, les pays candidats sont prêts à passer par le processus d'adhésion prolongée et rigide, et signaler leur sincérité et le respect par la mise en œuvre la libéralisation des échanges avant même l'adhésion. À leur tour, les concessions et les engagements pris lors des négociations pour l'entrée garantie gains commerciaux après l'adhésion. Cette observation est confirmée par une analyse de groupe sur une cinquantaine de pays de 1952 à 2004. Les impacts des membres du GATT / OMC et le processus d'adhésion rigoureuse sont importants non seulement statistiquement, mais aussi économique. Ce document …  Lire la suite

It is found experimentally that total cross sections increase with energy. Partonic total cross sections can be calculated in perturbative QCD provided the coupling constant is small, though multiloop diagrams must be included at high energies. Such calculations are difficult and can usually be carried out only in the leading-log approximation. The resulting BFKL Pomeron violates the Froissart bound, which forbids total cross sections asymptotically to grow faster than the square of the logarithm of energy. To restore unitarity and the Froissart bound, subleading contributions of all orders must be included. Unfortunately existing techniques for computing Feynman diagrams prove to …  Lire la suite