McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par F

The purpose of this study was to examine child psychosocial adjustment (i.e., behavioural problems and self-esteem) as a function of maternal well-being, parenting competence, and maternal stress in a sample of children (8 to 16 years) with a chronic physical disorder (CPD) (n = 60) as compared to a sample of non-chronically disabled children (n = 60). While the groups did not differ on either maternal variables or child behavioural problems, CPD children had higher self-esteem than comparison group children. For both groups, mothers with high well-being, high competence, and low stress had children with fewer behavioural problems. Furthermore, mothers …  Lire la suite

Non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) account for ~85% of lung cancers, which are the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, and consist of different subtypes driven by distinct oncogenic mutations. Selective inhibitors targeting several driver receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) in NSCLC subtypes, such as those harboring activating EGFR mutations or ALK rearrangements, have led to dramatic initial responses. More recently, ROS1-translocated NSCLCs is approved to be treated with crizotinib, an inhibitor initially approved to target ALK but can also inhibit ROS1 due to the structural similarity of ROS1 and ALK RTKs. However, resistance to crizotinib inevitably arises limiting its clinical …  Lire la suite

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest family of cell-surface receptors. They transduce the signals mediated by a diverse range of signalling molecules, including ions, amines, and peptides, as well as photons, to mediate intracellular functions. These receptors play a fundamental role in many physiological responses such as cardiovascular functions. To remain responsive to their environment, cells must find a way to rapidly desensitize and resensitize their activated GPCRs. Desensitization of receptors, for instance, involves the phosphorylation of receptors by G protein-coupled receptor kinase (GRKs) followed by the recruitment of betaarrestin. This interferes with the binding of the G protein …  Lire la suite

The work described in this thesis is a part of a larger project on the metabolism of mammalian tissues in vitro and the effect of hormones thereon, which is under progress at the McGill University Clinic, Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal. The original intention had been to first establish parameters for the utilization of glucose for lipid synthesis by human adipose tissue, and then to extend the investigations to tissue from obese and diabetic patients. [...]  Lire la suite

The study reported here is part of a larger research project on the preservation of blood which has been in continuous progress in the Department of Biochemistry under the direction of Dr. O. F. Denstedt since the outbreak of World War II. During the trial-and-error phase of the research in the early 1940's, it became evident that in order to do anything about the preservation of red cells it was necessary to know what metabolic systems undergo failure, in order to endeavour to prevent or correct the impairment. Accordingly, the emphasis of the programme was diverted to a study of …  Lire la suite

It has been sixty years since the Anschluss and yet, the question why the Austrian army did not provide some form of resistance is still pondered. This thesis examines the developments of the Austrian Army during the interwar period and focuses on the defence plans compiled by the Austrian Chief of the General Staff, Field Marshall Alfred Jansa. From the moment he assumed his position in the Federal Ministry of Defence, Jansa set out to create an Army capable of defending its borders against Nazi Germany. As long as he was Chief of the General Staff, he promised that any …  Lire la suite

Pourquoi certaines primaires du Congrès ont-elles plus de candidats que d'autres ? Dans cette thèse, je soutiens que les chocs économiques augmentent le nombre d'individus se présentant aux primaires, car les chocs économiques nécessitent des solutions qui poussent les individus à s'impliquer davantage politiquement. Je soutiens que cet effet sera plus fort pour les femmes et les personnes de couleur car elles sont plus susceptibles de se présenter pour des questions politiques spécifiques, plutôt que par pure ambition politique, ce qui signifie que leur utilité à se présenter à une élection ne repose pas uniquement sur la probabilité de gagner …  Lire la suite

Alhosseini, Yasser Riaz (Internal/Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Four Western press agencies, together with the Soviet press agency TASS, have a virtual monopoly on the gathering and dissemination of international news. These agencies to a large extent determine the nature of information originating in foreign countries that reaches the peoples of the world through newspapers, radio and television. This information monopoly by itself indesirable, is particularly harmful to the developing nations that often have non independent means of obtaining information about events occurring in other countries. The "New World Order of Information and Communication" (N.W.O.I.C.) that has emerged from deliberations among the non-aligned nations and in UNESCO represents …  Lire la suite

The debate over the quality of work has been on-going for a number of years. Recently, non-standard work has figured predominantly in that debate. Some researchers have argued that the rise of non-standard work is evidence of the declining quality of work since it offers few benefits, little job security and lower incomes. Other research has indicated that it is the effect of job characteristics themselves that determine quality of work, whether in standard or non-standard employment. Other researchers have noted that it is the profile of workers in these jobs that is a good indicator of whether the employment …  Lire la suite

Cette thèse se compose de trois articles. Dans le premier, le problème des valeurs propres qui régissent la propagation d'ondes de surface longues non-linéaires est étudié lorsqu'il existe un courant u(y) sous la surface, y étant la coordonnée verticale. Nous considérons des profils de vitesse particuliers, tels que les profils de couche limite du type de similarité Falkner-Skan, y compris le cas Blasius. Les solutions singulières de l'équation de Rayleigh sont examinées afin d'approfondir notre compréhension de la limite d'ondes longues de telles solutions. Le deuxième article considère la stabilité linéaire non visqueuse d'un tourbillon de fuite en utilisant les …  Lire la suite

L’apprentissage dans le contexte des environnements informatiques pour l’apprentissage humain (EIAH) nécessite une autorégulation efficace des apprentissages au moyen de processus cognitifs et métacognitifs. L’autorégulation est particulièrement importante lors de l’utilisation de supports multimédias (textes, diagrammes, images), qui, selon les théories de l’apprentissage multimédia, requièrent davantage de processus cognitifs et l’utilisation de stratégies d’autorégulation adaptatives. Des jugements métacognitifs corrects sont importants pour la gestion du temps et une utilisation adaptative des stratégies d’apprentissage. La précision des jugements métacognitifs est aussi essentielle pour apprendre à l’aide de supports comportant des contradictions, et pour identifier les stratégies appropriées à l’apprentissage de contenus …  Lire la suite

L'asphyxie à la naissance (c.-à-d. l'apport insuffisant d'oxygène et/ou de sang aux organes pendant la naissance) est connu pour provoquer des lésions cérébrales. L'hypothermie thérapeutique (HT) est la norme de soins actuelle pour les nouveau-nés asphyxiés, mais un nombre considérable de ces patients développent des lésions cérébrales malgré ce traitement. Le sildénafil est un inhibiteur de la phosphodiestérase de type 5 et un traitement potentiel de l'asphyxie à la naissance. L’impact de lésions cérébrales sur la croissance cérébrale ultérieure de nouveau-nés asphyxiés n’a pas encore était étudié. Le premier objectif de ma thèse était de comparer la croissance cérébrale dans …  Lire la suite

Le but de cette dissertation est double: d'abord, il s'agit de tracer dans le théâtre de Paloma Pedrero une cartographie du processus de dégradation morale et sociale de certains individus dans la société contemporaine à travers duquel ils ont terminé leur vie dans la rue, un espace où ils complètent leur dégradation au point qu'ils perdent leur droit de citoyenneté et leur droit d'être une personne. Deuxièmement, on examine la potentialité du théâtre à réparer et à récupérer la dignité perdue chez les individus qui ont tout perdu dans leur vie. Pedrero est une auteure profondément impliquée dans les circonstances …  Lire la suite

Over the last years, the number of commercial space activities has increased tremendously. Technological developments have been the main reason in the emerging of new services that use space infrastructure. In order to provide these new space services, it is necessary to launch and operate spacecraft. Complying with the laws and regulations of the launching and operating activities is one of the most relevant issues that prospective spacecraft operators may face in this complex industry. This work compiles the legal sources to effectively launch and operate spacecraft destined for commercial space applications. Its goal is to identify common constraints that …  Lire la suite

A novel process to efficiently produce anhydrous, oxide free MgCl 2 feed to a magnesium electrolysis cell is presented and examined in this thesis. The process involves reducing MgCl2 activity within a fused salt mixture via complexation and reacting any contaminating oxides that are mostly MgO with HCl(g). This process would not be possible nor economical if the MgCl2 activity was not reduced via complexation. This system is modeled here by treating the complexation as decreasing the MgCl2 activity coefficient in a fused salt mixture. The chlorination was modeled thermodynamically using recently published thermodynamic data presented by Thompson et al. …  Lire la suite

La parentalité retardée est une tendance dans la société, captant une abondante attention de la part du public. Cette tendance a été corrélée avec des troubles génétiques et des effets néfastes sur la progéniture de mères et de pères âgés. Si les conséquences du vieillissement maternel sur la progéniture sont bien connues, ce n’est que récemment que les effets du vieillissement paternel commencent à être étudiés. Comme les troubles observés sont souvent multigéniques, nous proposons que leur source est une perturbation de l'intégrité de la chromatine des spermatozoïdes. Nous émettons l'hypothèse qu'en raison du processus de vieillissement, il existe une …  Lire la suite

The increasing incidence of adolescent depression calls for the study of individual difference factors that may impinge on psychosocial adjustment. Researchers have identified depressive personality styles, namely dependency and self-criticism, that represent distinct vulnerability orientations. A series of four studies was conducted to (1) examine the relation of the depressive styles to adolescent dysphoria and interpersonal functioning; (2) assess the Personality-Event Congruence Model of Depressive Vulnerability in youngsters; and (3) explore how dependency and self-criticism relate to the regulation of negative affect using an experience sampling methodology. Findings provide evidence for heightened vulnerability of adolescent self-criticism in terms of increased …  Lire la suite

Preliminary experiments indicated that an acid casein co-precipitate could be produced by extrusion from skim milk powder (SMP). In assessing the problems encountered, experiments were designed to model and optimize the coagulation/washing process using response surface methodology (RSM), to minimize residual whey components and losses of fines. This study yielded useful information relative to improving our understanding of the coagulation mechanism and the most important variables affecting the process. In addition, RSM allowed multiresponse optimization of acid casein production using unique and newly developed optimization techniques. In order to simplify the process, an extruder die was designed to assist with …  Lire la suite

Divorce has become an established phenomenon in an "age of discontinuity."* Together with altered patterns of family behaviour, new forms of wealth and modes of consumption, and the apotheosis of the individual and his right of self-determination, it has focused the attention on the de iure sorting out of financial or property issues between autonomous ex-spouses. The law can do nothing to artificially sustain the marriage, but it can assist in the adjustment which individuals must face in the event of divorce. This thesis is mainly concerned with the economic adjustment, which the spouses to a disintegrated marriage face, following …  Lire la suite

Petter, Martin (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

The computer classification of musical audio can form the basis for systems that allow new ways of interacting with digital music collections. Existing music classification systems suffer, however, from inaccuracy as well as poor scalability. Feature selection is a machine-learning tool that can potentially improve both accuracy and scalability of classification. Unfortunately, there is no consensus on which feature selection algorithms are most appropriate or on how to evaluate the effectiveness of feature selection. Based on relevant literature in music information retrieval (MIR) and machine learning and on empirical testing, the thesis specifies an appropriate evaluation method for feature selection, …  Lire la suite

The title expresses the intent of this study. Against the background of the history of prophethood in the Islamic tradition and a consideration of scholarly studies of the phenomenon, this thesis investigates some fundamental issues from the perspective of the Qur'an, a source which has been slighted in previous studies.  Lire la suite

This thesis is an examination of the text of the ta' ziyah - a dramatic stage-presentation in commemoration of the martyrdom of Husayn, as found in the Pelly edition. The major theories as to the significance of the ta'ziyah are discussed, such as those of racial-political motivation, of parallels with the ancient near-eastern Adonis-Tammuz festival, and of parallels with Christian Passion play. It is argued that the ta'ziyah is best understood as an expression of soteriological themes, but that these are derived from experiences within the internal developments of Islam. The Islamic origin of these themes is found in the …  Lire la suite

Contexte : Le premier épisode psychotique (PEP) est une maladie psychiatrique qui apparaît leplus souvent à la fin de l'adolescence et au début de l'âge adulte. La psychoéducation familiale est une facette des programmes d'intervention précoce pour les patients souffrant d'un premier épisode psychotique qui soutient l'éducation et la responsabilisation des aidants, c'est-à-dire les membres de la famille, les amis ou les conjoints qui apportent un soutien physique, émotionnel et matériel (par exemple, un soutien financier) aux patients en voie de rétablissement. La psychoéducation familiale est une pratique fondée sur des données probantes qui s'est avérée efficace pour réduire les …  Lire la suite

The role of a parasite-produced or -induced soluble immunosuppressor in experimental kala azar was examined. It was found that in vivo infections with Leishmania donovani in the hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) produce a soluble immunosuppressor, which appears in the serum of the host and which reduces the proliferation of responding populations of murine splenocytes in a one-way mixed leukocyte reaction (MLR). The production in vitro infections of murine splenic macrophages from C57BL/6J ($Lsh sp{ rm s}$), C57L/J ($Lsh sp{ rm R}$) and BALB/c strains, the suppressive activity was not contained in either parasite-conditioned culture medium or in parasite extracts or from …  Lire la suite

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), in particular quadrotors, have received increased interest recently for a variety of applications including aerial photography and payload transportation. Unlike fixed wing aircraft, quadrotors are well suited to flying in crowded urban environments due to their ability to hover as well as takeoff and land vertically. These drones are inherently difficult to fly though and typically require skilled pilots or assistive controllers. This presents significant barriers for companies looking to use quadrotors for novel applications. In response to this limitation, there has been a significant focus on developing flight controllers and flight trajectory generators to enable …  Lire la suite

The economic burden resulting from an aging population has led to the idea that we are facing an “aging epidemic.” While cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases are well-known causes of decline and death in aging individuals, impairments in motor coordination, gait, and balance also increase during aging and limit a person’s quality of life and independence. Preventing or delaying motor decline is thus imperative to improving the quality of life of our aging population.The cerebellum is critically involved in motor coordination and its Purkinje cells fire spontaneous action potentials at high frequencies. This high frequency firing is disrupted in several animal …  Lire la suite

mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin), la cible de la rapamycine chez les mammifères, est une kinase de type sérine-thréonine très bien conservée à travers les phyla, qui est responsable de la réponse aux mitogènes anabolisants et aux substrats métaboliques tel que l'insuline, les acides aminés et l'ATP. Une réduction de l'activité de TOR peut également permettre l'initiation de réponses cataboliques. Chez S. cerevisiae, le stress physique et la déficience en éléments nutritifs induisent une réponse transcriptionnelle qui nécessite des phosphatases associées à TOR ainsi que la translocation nucléaire de facteurs de transcriptions dépendant de la réaction aux éléments de stress. …  Lire la suite

Fifteen reading disabled boys classified according to reading subskill deficits formed three subgroups: Oral Reading, Associative, and Sequential. On the rationale that training procedures emphasizing accuracy and speed of response to letters, syllables, and words would improve reading skills, the children were trained daily for 2 months. Two schedules of testing and training allowed for an untrained control group and a follow-up group. An average reader sample of 45 boys were also assessed to obtain comparative data on a computerized battery of component reading skills. […]  Lire la suite

Les porteuses hétérozygotes de variants induisant une perte de fonction (pathogéniques) de BRCA1 ou BRCA2 ont un risque absolu de cancer de l'ovaire estimé entre 13 et 58 %, particulièrement pour le carcinome séreux de l'ovaire de haut grade, le sous-type le plus courant. Puisque tous les cas familiaux de cancer de l'ovaire ne sont pas attribuables à des variants germinaux pathogéniques de gènes de prédisposition connus, nous avons effectué une analyse par séquençage de l'exome entier d'une famille de cancers de l'ovaire d’ascendance canadienne-française, négative pour les variants pathogéniques communs de BRCA1 et BRCA2 afin d'identifier de nouveaux candidats …  Lire la suite

MAID is one of the topics that has raised more ethical and legal debates in recent decades. These discussions confront two opposing positions: the right of people to make free decisions, including deciding when and how to die, and the government’s obligation to protect the vulnerable and respect the sanctity of life principle. Currently, only nine legislations around the world recognize the right of patients to exercise their right to die; among these legislations are Canada and Colombia. In these countries, MAID was legalized through the decisions made by the highest courts of the abovementioned countries. In Ecuador, MAID is …  Lire la suite

The aim of the thesis is to offer an explanation for the emergence and success of the French political party the Front national. The project uses theories of political opportunity structures, neo-institutionalist approaches and a theory of ideological morphology to argue that institutions and ideologies have particular links to one another. This, in turn, leads to the argument that the FN's success can be attributed to the relationships between the institutions of the Fifth Republic on the one hand and fascist ideology in France on the other. It is argued that the gradual presidentialisation of French politics from 1958 onward …  Lire la suite

Mon projet situe le poème Apirāmi Antāti à la croisée entre la dévotion populaire Tamoule (bhakti), une forme de Tantra d'Inde du Sud connu sous le nom de Śrīvidyā, et le monde social, culturel et rituel de la caste supérieure (Brahmane) qui ont engendré le texte. En reliant une analyse intertextuelle et ethnographique, je démontre que l'apparition simultanée de thèmes Tantrique avec des thèmes de la vie familiale Brahmanique dans le texte tend vers la Śrīvidyā, une pratique qui intègre des pratiques Tantriques ésotériques avec un comportement social de la caste supérieure Brahmanique. Mon association entre Apirāmi Antāti et Śrīvidyā …  Lire la suite

"Introduction: Les traumatismes représentent une charge importante pour la société brésilienne depuis la colonisation. Le registre des traumatismes est un élément fondamental des systèmes de traumatologie. La mise en œuvre d'un registre régional des traumatismes ont débuté à Rio de Janeiro en 2013. Méthodes: Ce projet est une étude à méthodes mixtes dont l'objectif est d'analyser la mise en œuvre du registre des traumatismes dans un hôpital tertiaire public de Rio de Janeiro et de cartographier le profil de ses patients traumatisés. Résultats: Le registre régional des traumatismes a été mis en œuvre à Rio de Janeiro en 2018. L'hôpital …  Lire la suite

The major goal in the work of this thesis was to identify neurotrophic factors (NTFs) capable of rescuing atrophied nucleus basalis magnocellularis (NBM) neurons. Two neurotrophins, brain-derived neurotrophic factor and neurotrophin-3, failed to rescue NBM cholinergic neurons, while a similar dose of acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF) was able to rescue them. Notably, lesioned NBM neurons treated with aFGF displayed somata size, as well as neuritic processes (dendrites and axons) and ChAT activity in the NBM similar to sham-operated animals. NBM cholinergic degeneration was consistent with the observed memory deficits, which was also prevented by aFGF treatment. The possibility of …  Lire la suite

Les personnes âgées forment la tranche de la population mondiale dont la croissance est la plus rapide. De plus, l'augmentation de l'espérance de vie grâce aux avancées technologiques en médecine va affecter de façon considérable le système de santé. En effet, le vieillissement de la population implique une diminution des fonctions physiques. Ces diminutions influence la marche et la capacité de se déplacer de façon fonctionnelle et sécuritaire. Une intervention, destinée à améliorer la marche pourrait améliorer la santé et la qualité de vie des personnes âgées fragiles. En premier lieu, une revue structurée de la littérature a été effectuée …  Lire la suite

Morais, Jose A. (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

The Canadian dairy industry is composed of around 11,000 farms and approximately 1.4 million head, of which approximately 30 percent are heifers (Canadian Dairy Information Centre, 2018). Heifers are of great importance because they represent the future of dairy farms, and, without them, the herds could not evolve and continue producing over time. Producers select replacement heifers that have the potential to become more profitable than the existing cows that will eventually be replaced. Therefore, they should be raised to reach an adequate size and body weight for breeding, so that they can reproduce successfully, and subsequently become productive. This …  Lire la suite