McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par J

In the ongoing critical discourse about education, the status of aesthetics has always played second fiddle to the main arguments about what constitutes a relevant curriculum. Aesthetics is seen by many educators as a frivolous experience---at best a weak substitute for serious learning. This is the issue that Dewey addressed in his philosophy of aesthetics, and this is also where my focus lies in this thesis. The thesis is a personal and theoretical examination of John Dewey's aesthetic philosophy as it is principally expressed in Art as Experience . In exploring the personal implications of the aesthetic experience, the thesis …  Lire la suite

Ultra-reliable and low latency communications (URLLCs) is one of the key pillars of the 5G communications standard which is used to enable applications ranging from the smart grid to robot control. In the upcoming communication standards, more stringent requirements are being established on the end-to-end latency and reliability of data.In an effort to build upon the current advancements in URLLC and guessing random additive noise decoding (GRAND), we develop the partitioned GRAND (PGRAND) which uses the quantized reliability information from the channel to generate the most likely test error patterns. We assess the performance of PGRAND on 5G NR CA-polar …  Lire la suite

This thesis presents some new analytical tools and methods for the identification of Hammerstein and parallel-cascade systems which are of particular relevance to the study of dynamic joint stiffness. Joint stiffness plays a critical role in the control of posture and movement and it has been extensively used to describe the biomechanics of joints. Consequently, its accurate measurement is important to many research fields. Dynamic joint stiffness can be modelled as a block oriented nonlinear system having two parallel pathways: intrinsic stiffness which is due to the mechanical properties of the joint, muscles and tissues; and reflex stiffness which is …  Lire la suite

Les risques potentiels d'impact que représentent les astéroïdes proches de la Terre, ont motivé les chercheurs à trouver des techniques efficaces pour la déviation des astéroïdes. Dans cette thèse, nous avons examiné la possibilité d'utiliser les câbles spatiaux pour la déviation d'astéroïdes. Dans un premier temps, nous avons développé un modèle simplifié du système astéroïde-câble-contrepoids, constitué d'un modèle de masse ponctuelle pour l'astéroïde et le contrepoids, et d'un câble rigide sans masse. Par la suite, nous avons pris en compte des hypothèses plus réalistes dans le modèle. Les équations de mouvement du système sont obtenues en utilisant la méthode de …  Lire la suite

Located between diplomacy and military action on a scale of intervention, economic sanctions are assumed to be an effective tool to influence global politics. However, assessments of the success of economic sanctions generally indicate that, in most cases, they fail to bring about the desired outcome. Rather, economic sanctions usually hit the wrong targets with innocent civilians often paying the price instead of the ruling elites and their collaborators. Among sectors targeted by economic sanctions, measures taken against civil aviation may place people, airlines, and cities inside and outside the sanctioned country at risk, and consequently may have ramifications on …  Lire la suite

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) continually released from cancer cells into biofluids, carry actionable molecular fingerprints of the underlying disease with considerable diagnostic and therapeutic potential that could overcome barriers in real time monitoring of hard to access tumors such as brain tumors. The scarcity, heterogeneity, and intrinsic complexity of tumour EVs from brain tumors in plasma due to the brain-blood barrier present a major technological challenge. With existing technologies, we are subjected to use bioassays that comprise the core components of today’s diagnostic armamentaria. While bioassay’s complexity, delicacy, and error-prone quantification of the target concentration together with a finite number of …  Lire la suite

Nicholas Maroun Makhoul (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

Le syndrome de Birt-Hogg-Dubé se caractérise par un risque élevé de néoplasie rénale causée par des mutations dans le gène BHD codant pour le suppresseur de tumeur folliculine (FLCN). Bien que la fonction cellulaire de FLCN ne soit pas clairement compris, il a été démontré que FLCN s'associe avec la protéine kinase activée par l'AMP (AMPK), par l'intermédiaire de deux protéines partenaires de FLCN : FNIP1 et FNIP2. De plus, il a été prouvé génétiquement que FLCN et les protéines FNIP coopèrent dans la suppression tumorale rénale, mettant l'accent sur l'importance fonctionnelle de la voie régulée par FLCN/FNIP, à savoir …  Lire la suite

Gumus, Mehmet (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

La présente étude, utilisant l'enquête narrative, examine le compte rendu narratif du quotidien de sept femmes ayant émigré de l'Iran et qui ont un enfant présentant une déficience. Influencée par une épistémologie socio-constructiviste, cette enquête fait une large part à la voix de ces mères et analyse leur expérience d'un point de vue développemental. Pour étudier les données, deux approches analytiques complémentaires ont été utilisées : la catégorisation et la contextualisation. En ce qui concerne la catégorisation, les récits narratifs ont été répartis par thèmes tel que l'interprétation du rôle de la mère, la gestion des systèmes de soutien et …  Lire la suite

Ferguson, M. J. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1) genomic RNA (gRNA) dimerization appears essential for viral infectivity via, among others, facilitating gRNA strand exchange during reverse transcription, but the gRNA dimerization mechanisms remain largely unknown. What is well known about gRNA dimerization is that the dimerization process requires the proteolytic processing of Pr55gag polyprotein into smaller products. If the gag processing is blocked experimentally, it will lead to the formation of low-mobility dimers which is termed immature dimers, as apposed to high-mobility dimers (mature dimers) formed in the wild type HIV-1. Two kinds of dimers have been isolated from HIV-1 particles: Immature …  Lire la suite

This thesis examines the construction and utilization of gender in religious nationalist projects. Communalist groups sacralize gendered understandings of time, space, and community, rooted in the bifurcation of the public (masculine) realm and the private (feminine) sphere. Nationalist understandings of citizenship maintain the public and private division, but acknowledge the potential to politicize both. In this conception of citizenship, the private (feminine) is deployed to achieve social and religious change. This thesis analyzes two contemporary South Asian transnationalist groups, the Muslim Tablighi Jama`at and the Hindu Vishwa Hindu Parishad, and investigates women's participation in the nation as cultural repositories and …  Lire la suite

Cerruti, Marta (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

Cette thése décrit la Fonction de Transfert et l'Analyse de la méthode de la Fonction propre (TFEA): une méthode efficace d'évaluer stabilité de petits signaux dans les grandes installations électriques connectées. La méthode consiste en réduire l'ordre de chaque générateur qui est précisément modelé par des variables d'état m à seulement variables de deux états incluant la vitesse de rotor et des écarts angulaires. L'efficacité est réalisée sans perte d'exactitude dynamique parce que les informations des autres variables d'état (m-2) sont rendues compactes comme des fonctions de transfert dans l'état de matrice [A(ω)]2ng×2ng que dépend on fréquence. Car le compte …  Lire la suite

Using microphones and magnetic tape for recording, and, Cathode Ray Oscilloscope and Band-Pass filters for analysis, breath sounds from 10 different positions of the chest and trachea were recorded and analysed. Results showing % sound intensity in different octaves of the filters were tabulated and presented in the form of graphs for comparison. [...]  Lire la suite

Cette thèse considère le droit à l'éducation dans la langue maternelle pour les allophones au Canada du point de vue du droit international des droits humains. Il vise à déterminer si l'approche des gouvernements provinciaux de droits à l'éducation de langue pour les allophones pourrait constituer une discrimination en vertu du droit international. Afin de répondre à cette question, les droits linguistiques, le droit à l'éducation dans la langue maternelle et la discrimination fondée sur la langue sont explorées dans le droit international. Ensuite, le système de bilinguisme officiel au Canada comme modèle pour protéger les droits linguistiques des minorités …  Lire la suite

Joining of superalloy Inconel 617 using a foil interlayer with transient liquid phase bonding (TLP) was studied. Inconel 617 is a solid solution, Ni-Cr-Co-Mo alloy with an exceptional combination of high temperature strength, oxidation and carburization resistance and thermal stability. Two types of interlayer compositions for the TLP bonding process were selected. Specifically, boron containing (AWS BNi-3) and phosphorus rich (AWS BNi-6) were employed as melting point depressant (MPD) elements. Process parameters such as bonding temperature, holding time, composition and thickness of interlayer were selected for study. Two bonding temperatures, 1065°C and 1150°C, and two interlayer thicknesses with various holding …  Lire la suite

The central role of Src in the development of several malignancies including breast cancer and the accumulating evidence of its interaction with receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK), integrins and steroid receptors have identified it as an attractive therapeutic target. In the current study we have evaluated the effect of a Src/Abl kinase inhibitor SKI-606, on breast cancer growth, migration, invasion and metastasis. Treatment of human breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231 with SKI-606 caused a marked inhibition of cell proliferation, invasion and migration by inhibiting MAPK and Akt phosphorylation. For in vivo studies MDA-MB-231 cells transfected with the plasmid encoding green fluorescent protein …  Lire la suite

This thesis is an empirical assessment of the readiness of The Gambia for regional integration and is presented in two studies. The first is on the optimality of the Sene-Gambia sub-region as a currency area and the second is on trade facilitation effects of the Sene-Gambia Confederation on The Gambian economy. The first study uses three methods to determine the optimality of the Sene-Gambia as a currency area. The first method is a reduced VAR to examine the response of the Senegalese and The Gambian economies to external shocks emanating from France, the United Kingdom (UK) and United States of …  Lire la suite

Milde, M. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Mongeau, Luc (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

The morphogenetic plasticity of adult pancreatic islets of Langerhans has been implicated in the development of pancreatic adenocarcinomas and in islet transplant failure. The objective of this doctoral work was to investigate the extent of this plasticity and to characterize the unknown cell types and intracellular mechanisms involved in changes of adult islet phenotype. In the first published study, isolated adult canine islets were induced to undergo a phenotypic switch into highly proliferative duct-like structures through a two-stage process entailing beta-cell death and the dedifferentiation of the resulting cells. The transformed islets were no longer immunoreactive for islet cell hormones, …  Lire la suite

This dissertation presents a study of the urban form of the Old Town of Ghat, the historical sultanate of the Azjer Tuareg. An analysis of the public and private spaces of this collective artifact is presented in order to comprehend and document the relationship between this Saharan town's architecture and Ghatian society. This study illustrates how Ghat's vernacular architecture represents a range of culturally distinct meanings and values and how this architecture reflects Ghatian life. In order to analyze the built environment of Ghat and the pattern of use of public and private spaces, this dissertation investigates Azjer Tuareg culture …  Lire la suite

Under what circumstances does foreign donor assistance during war-to-peace transitions contribute to the strengthening of civil society and the deepening of democracy? I answer this question through a comparative study of civil society development in the Palestinian territories and El Salvador, where I conducted 130 interviews with directors of donor agencies, grassroots activists, and directors of NGOs. Divergent civil society developments in the Palestinian territories and El Salvador after the signing of peace accords in the early 1990s present a real puzzle given the pre-accord similarities in civil society organization between the two cases. Both the Palestinian territories and El …  Lire la suite

Le compostage est une méthode de plus en plus populaire pour la gestion municipale et résidentielle des déchets. Le compostage uniforme est nécessaire pour obtenir un produit homogène de haute qualité et assurer la destruction des agents pathogènes. Il est donc essentiel de maintenir une température uniforme dans tout le compost. Pour mieux y parvenir, un récipient de compost équipé d'un système de redistribution de la chaleur (HRS) a été conçu, construit et vérifié. Ce système est composé d'un échangeur de chaleur, un tube en plastique, et une bobine de cuivre rempli d'eau. La digestion bactérienne des matières organiques cause …  Lire la suite

T cells form an indispensable component of vertebrate immune function. The primary goal of effector T cells is to recognize and respond to invading threats in a highly pathogen-specific manner, while remaining tolerant toward the cells and tissues that constitute ``self''. Regulatory T cells, on the other hand, are a class of immunosuppressive cells that react to self with an important goal of preventing autoimmune responses. In both cases, these T cells need to be able to ``see’’ the foreign- or self-antigen that they are specific for, respectively, in order to exert their function in an antigen-specific manner. This exquisite …  Lire la suite

Dans différentes applications de vision, telles que la sécurité, la robotique, l'analyse sportive et la surveillance du trafic, différents composants - comme la détection d'objets, le suivi d'objets et la reconnaissance d'objets - sont combinés dans des pipelines vidéo. Cependant, les modules de ces pipelines sont sujets à des pannes occasionnelles, ce qui peut conduire à des résultats inexacts, en particulier dans des conditions de surveillance [1-3]. Ces circonstances entravent le traitement efficace de la vision par ordinateur car elles impliquent des variations excessives de la pose, de l'illumination, de l'occlusion, de l'échelle et du flou de mouvement. Il est …  Lire la suite

Les afférents vestibulaires relaient l’information relative à nos déplacements vers les neurones centraux du tronc cérébral et du cervelet. L’une des caractéristiques fondamentales des afférents est l’hétérogénéité de la variabilité temporelle des potentiels d’action. Basé sur la variabilité de leur décharge de repos, les afférents vestibulaires se caractérisent comme étant régulier ou irrégulier. Cette classification est corrélée avec leurs différences morphologiques (calice et bouton), le type de cellules ciliées (type I ou II), et la dynamique de leur réponse. Bien qu’un lien direct entre le type de cellules ciliées et le type d’afférents n’ait pas été démontré, les afférents recevant …  Lire la suite

AbstractGenetic factors and early adverse environmental events interact to contribute to thepathogenesis of schizophrenia. Here, we investigated if immune-activation duringdevelopment interacts with a susceptibility gene to produce schizophrenia-relatedphenotypes. We injected mice with a loss of function mutation in dysbindin-1, aschizophrenia-risk gene and controls with either Polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (PolyI:C), a viral mimic or saline, at postnatal days (PD)5,6 and 7. At PD60, possible geneenvironment(GxE) interaction was studied using tests of behaviours relevant toschizophrenia as well as examination of postnatal neurogenesis. Our data showed asignificant effect of genotype on spontaneous locomotion as dysbindin-1 homozygousmice displayed increased locomotor activity. Further, we observed a …  Lire la suite

Akbarzadeh, Abdolhamid (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

Background: Intake of excess saturated fats, as noted in the western-style diet, is linked with the development of metabolic diseases. Saturated fatty acids, especially in the form of palmitic acids, are known inducers of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress causing alteration of cellular functions and manifestation of metabolic diseases such as obesity. The small intestine (SI) contains fatty acid binding proteins (Fabps) that bind diet-derived fatty acids after absorption by enterocytes. In particular, Fabp2 preferentially binds saturated fatty acids. In the Pima Indian population, an FABP2 gene variant with reduced expression is associated with increased incidence of obesity and type 2 …  Lire la suite

Une analyse, basée sur la théorie des ensembles, de la faisabilité des transports de puissances d’un réseau de puissance général, avec des barres PQ, PV et d’oscillation arbitraires est présentée. La faisabilité des transports de puissances est la propriété d’un réseau définissant les limitations théoriques des injections de puissances aux différentes barres peur lesquelles un équilibre stationnaire existe. L’analyse théorique est basée sur l’étude d’une région conique de faisabilité des transports de puissances. Cette région est caractérisée par l’ensemble des hyperplans de faisabilité qui l’entourent. Chaque hyperplan définit une condition nécessaire explicite sur les injections dans les barres pour la …  Lire la suite

Leask, Richard L. (Internal/Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Nicell, Jim A (Supervisor3)  Lire la suite

Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are expected to present an electrical-to-optical efficiency over 75\% within the next two decades, so that they would constitute the main lighting technology. The current efficiencies of LEDs mainly suffer from the poor ionization of dopants in large bandgap semiconductors, such as Gallium Nitride or Aluminum Nitride. We present here another doping technique, based on the modulation of the Polarization of the material, and use time-dependent simulations to watch the system reach its equilibrium state. We will try to determine why some designs do not work, while others do. Finally, we will compare the performance of impurity-based …  Lire la suite

Pineau, Joelle (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

Schwartz, S. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Differences in the activity of various components of the endogenous opioid system under basal conditions and following ethanol exposure have been reported between strains and lines of animals showing either a high or low ethanol consumption. The objective of the present studies was to investigate the presence of differences in (a) the density of kappa opioid binding sites, (b) the content of prodynorphin mRNA and (c) the content of dynorphin peptides in distinct brain regions between C57BL/6 (ethanol-preferring) and DBA/2 (ethanol avoiding) mice. Results indicated that the C57BL/6 mice have a higher content of kappa opioid binding sites and of …  Lire la suite

A Russian species of dandelion, Taraxacum kok-saghyz Rod. is now being used in that country as a source of rubber. As the rubber produced by this plant is of high quality, it is possible that the propagation of the species in Canada might prove to be of national benefit. Seed of Taraxacum kok-saghyz has been brought to this country, and an effort is being made to determine the potentialities of the plant under Canadian growing conditions. Its proposed introduction here, as a commercial crop, raises problems of breeding and cultivation. The plants show variation in rubber content of the roots, …  Lire la suite

Runoff generation refers to the physical processes by which water travels through the landscape, moving through the subsurface or over the ground surface, ultimately arriving at the stream channel. These physical processes vary in both space and time leading to difficulties in mechanistic modelling of storm response, contaminant transport and nutrient fluxes. Runoff generation has been extensively studied at the hillslope scale and in headwater catchments. However, only recently have empirical studies begun to collect similarly detailed datasets across multiple catchments with which to examine how these processes change with scale. This study examines runoff generation from a series of …  Lire la suite

En raison de la dégradation des terres, les pressions démographiques croissantes, et de fréquentes sécheresses, les petits exploitants agricoles dans les zones arides d'insécurité alimentaire du Kenya ont du mal à atteindre les objectifs de production tout en maintenant un ensemble diversifié de cultures pour soutenir la santé / nutrition. Dans la région semi-aride de la province orientale de Ukambani plus spécifiquement, ces facteurs sont aggravés par l'érosion des sols et la variabilité climatique, rendant n'importe quel niveau de l'agriculture commerciale, une entreprise précaire. Gardant cela à l'esprit, la plupart des établissements de crédit dans ce domaine considèrent les petits …  Lire la suite

This thesis presents a cultural analysis of teenage pregnancy in a Cree community. In the last fifty years, social and material change, prompted by residential schooling and the growth of settlement life, have catalyzed a shift in teenage perceptions of parental authority and norms of social relations. Today the peer group is a pre-eminent agent of socialization, generating pressure to drink and be sexually active. The peer group also, in part, sustains the valuation of motherhood, and some indigenous norms of interpersonal communication and socially appropriate behaviour. In this contemporary context, the meanings of teenage childbearing are multiple, and different …  Lire la suite

Mcintosh, D. (Supervisors)  Lire la suite