McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par N

In this paper I shall discuss the theory of what may be called material realism. The term "material" is borrowed fran Kant. He defined "material idealism" as "the theory which declares the existence of objects in space outside us either to be merely doubtful and indemonstrable or to be false and impossible." [...]  Lire la suite

In this thesis we will study the emergence in the work of Edmund Spenser of an idea originally Greek but primarily mediaeval. This is an examination of Spenser's view, not of nature, but of creation, for Spenser's feeling that this world is the work of a divine Creator contributes greatly to his view of nature and consequently to his poetry.  Lire la suite

Dans cette thèse, nous étudions le transport quantique dans l'isolant topologique (TI) Bi2Se3 à partir d'un modèle d'échelle atomique. Un TI est un matériau ayant une structure de bande de type isolant bien qu'on y retrouve des états hélicodaux en surface. Ces états hélicoı̈daux ont une relation de dispersion linéaire, dite dispersion de Dirac, qui traverse la bande interdite du cristal. Ces électrons voyageant selon les relations de Dirac sont contraints à se mouvoir perpendiculairement à leur spin. La structure électronique particulière de l'isolant topologique Bi2Se3 est due à une forte interaction spin-orbite et est protégée par une symétrie par …  Lire la suite

This thesis presents a comparison of the steam-side heat-transfer coefficients of condensing steam-air mixtures during film-type and dropwise condensations. Condensation took place on the outside of a vertical five-foot length of 1 1/4 inch extra-heavy copper pipe. Dropwise condensation was produced by the application of a film of octyl mercaptan to the copper surface. [...]  Lire la suite

Introduction: There is broad agreement in surgical education that we need to move away from the current time-based model of training to a proficiency-based model. One of the challenges to this lies in the ability to have valid assessments of proficiency at various stages of training. To this end, there has been success in developing fundamental assessments and curricula in general surgery training which include the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS), Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery (FES) and the Fundamental Use of Surgical Energy (FUSE). However, there are no advanced skill assessments or curricula. We describe our experience developing and validating …  Lire la suite

Butler, Professor I.S.  Lire la suite

This thesis explores the experiences of Indigenous graduate students at McGill university. Using Indigenous methods of storytelling and conversation, as well as collaging and zine-making, this research engages Indigenous graduate students in reflections around themes of Indigeneity, displacement and community. The zine contributions from participants were analyzed to find common themes of positionality through land, community and Indigenous voice. Discussions with participants highlighted common challenges that Indigenous graduate students faced in their studies and research, including navigating institutional expectations and lack of access to Indigenous guidance and knowledge within the university. Findings from the workshop contribute to a broader discussion …  Lire la suite

Frost, David L. (Advisor)  Lire la suite

This work is primarily involved in an attempt to predict, using a particular phenomenological two-nucleon interaction, the basic property of nuclear matter; the perhaps peculiar attribute, that in it the binding energy per particle and the density are independent of the number of nucleons present. [...]  Lire la suite

La séparation de sources audio vise à récupérer les signaux produits par des sources sonores individuelles à partir d'un enregistrement des sons mixés ensemble. Cette technologie inspirée de la perception est largement applicable à la musique, à la parole et aux sons naturels car ils sont souvent un mélange linéaire de sons plus simples et parce que les sons individuels sont plus faciles à interpréter que leur mélange. Une représentation structurée des mélanges sonores a de nombreuses applications musicales car elle permet un traitement avancé des sources sonores individuelles et l'analyse des enregistrements polyphoniques. La recherche sur la séparation de …  Lire la suite

Sparse representations of audio is a mature field that has evolved from decades of research that established its utility in a variety of applications, for example, audio coding, source-separation, and transformation. However, the performance of sparse approximation algorithms still depend highly on signal length, which is problematic for audio signals with durations of more than a few seconds. Furthermore, there is a need for elementary waveforms, atoms, that can effectively adapt to represent temporally asymmetric features. Atoms with temporally asymmetric amplitude evolutions have already shown promise in sparse representation applications, namely the gammatone and formant-wave-function, however, due to their origins …  Lire la suite

The ICC, which came into force in 2002, was held up by human rights activists as a force that would transform a culture of impunity into a culture of accountability. However, after five years of activity, the evidence suggests that the Court's effect has been mixed. Its ability to achieve retributive justice, broader reconciliation and restorative justice, as well as to deter future offences and promote peace has been variable, at best. Despite the Court's claim that politics are not its job, political missteps and support are adversely affecting the work of a judicious Court. Using the cases of Uganda …  Lire la suite

Pup directed maternal licking and grooming (LG) increases with corticosterone (CORT) supplimentation (Rees et al 2004). Increases in LG lead to an attenuation of the adult offspring's HPA response to stress (Liu et aI1997). Similarly, Neonatal increases in glucocorticoids lead, in adulthood, to the same attenuation of the HPA stress response (Catalani et aI1993). We hypothesize that dams exhibiting increased LG will have increased circulating CORT, and this increase will be reflected in their offspring. This thesis characterizes the HPA hormone profile adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), CORT & Corticosterone Binding Globulin (CBG) in High LG (H) and Low LG (L) litters, …  Lire la suite

The purpose of the present study was firstly, to investigate the actions of Ca++ and Na+ ions on the release and synthesis of ACh, respectively, in homogenates of cholinergic neurones, in order to gain further information concerning the role of these ions in ACh metabolism. The second purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis proposed by Birks that changes in intracellular sodium ion levels may provide a general mechanism for controlling a wide variety of metabolic processes in active cells. [...]  Lire la suite

Over the past century, dissolved oxygen concentrations (DO) in the bottom waters of the Lower St. Lawrence Estuary (LSLE) and the Gulf have decreased dramatically and led to the development of persistent hypoxia ([O2] = <62.5μmol/L) in the LSLE. Oxygen depletion has been attributed primarily to changes in ocean circulation in the northwest Atlantic Ocean and an increase in the flux of organic matter to the seafloor. Accumulation of metabolic CO2 in these waters has also resulted in their acidification and a decrease in pH (0.3-0.4 pH unit), commensurate to the variation expected for oceanic surface waters by the end …  Lire la suite

Kamen, Amine (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

Obesity is characterized by excess fat accumulation to the extent that it results in adverse health conditions. Obesity is mainly a consequence of over-eating, and there is growing evidence that the mechanisms of over-eating might reside in the brain. The neurobiological mechanisms implicated in food intake are complex and are modulated by several factors such as metabolic hormones, stress levels as well as individual neurobehavioral differences. In today's obesogenic environment, not everyone is obese, suggesting that individual vulnerabilities in biological and psychological factors for obesity might exist. It has been suggested by Cabanac and Russek that "The best way to …  Lire la suite

Svetlana Komarova (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

The conduct of commercial activities in outer space is governed both by international and national law. This broad legal regime represents directly applicable general principles, and laws and regulations of mostly indirect application. This is to be expected in view of the emergent nature of commercial space endeavours. In examining applicable national law, consideration must first be given to the effect of international treaties in place. Whether treaty provisions prescribe rules of law by their own terms is particularly important in this regard. The issue of liability for the conduct of space related activities is of prime importance for participants. …  Lire la suite

Présentement aucun modèle ne permet de prédire le diamètre moyen de Sauter d'une bulle, D32, dans une cellule mécanique de flottation à partir des variables clés de ce même procédé. Cette lacune est significative puisque la flottation est un procédé dépendant de l'aire surfacique (des bulles), le paramètre clé étant le flux d'aire surfacique de bulles, Sb, défini comme étant 6 Jg/D32 où Jg est la vélocité superficielle du gaz. La façon dont les variables clés influencent la distribution des tailles de bulles (DTB) et par conséquent Sb est une confirmation essentielle pour comprendre et optimiser le procédé.L'objectif de travaux …  Lire la suite

This qualitative phenomenological study is one of few that investigate the information-seeking behaviour of younger elementary school children. Recent cognitive research has established that there are considerable and rapid intellectual changes throughout childhood, meaning that studies and/or models outlining the information-seeking experiences of older students and adults might not identify, explain or address the unique information needs of younger elementary school students. The study, conducted over 14 weeks in Winter 2006 with 12 volunteer students from two grade-three classes within a Montreal elementary school sought to answer three research questions: 1) How do grade-three students seek information in support of …  Lire la suite

Raikhel, Eugene (Internal/Cosupervisor2)  Lire la suite

The study presented in this thesis is an investigation of M$ phi$ effector mechanisms that mediate the pathogenesis of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Since the time that the GVH reaction was first described the mechanisms underlying the development of the disease have not been characterized. We have examined the state of M$ phi$ activation in nonirradiated B6AF1 mice injected with either 60 $ times$ 10$ sp6$ (acute GVHD) or 30 $ times$ 10$ sp6$ (nonlethal GVHD) parental B6 lymphoid cells. TNF-$ alpha$ and nitric oxide (NO) generation by M$ phi$ occurs following priming by IFN-$ gamma$ and triggering by LPS. …  Lire la suite

This study concerns the isoform-specific effects of activation of protein kinase C (PKC) and protein kinase A (PKA) on sodium pump activity of HeLa cells transfected with the individual isoform subunits $ alpha$1, $ alpha$2$ sp*$ and $ alpha$3$ sp*$ of the rat Na/K-ATPase, and a truncated mutant of the rat $ alpha$1 isoform, $ alpha$1M32. The asterisks denote forms mutated to be ouabain resistant as described by Jewell, E. A. and Lingrel, J. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 16925-16930. After activation of PKC it was observed that (i) the activity of the endogenous (human) $ alpha$1, the rat $ …  Lire la suite

In the feline cerebral cortex flurazepam and ethanol potenitated the inhibitory effects of iontophoretically-applied GABA and electrically-evoked inhibition (believed to be mediated by GABA). This effect is specific, since both flurazepam and ethanol antagonized the inhibitory effects of serotonin, dopamine and glycine. Moreover the degree of potentiation of GABA-mediated electrically-evoked cortical inhibition produced by five benzodiazepines (Ro 21-3981, flurazepam, chlordiazepoxide, medazepam and clozapine): (a) correlated with their relative affinities for the benzodiazepine receptor when all five drugs were applied with equal iontophoretic doses; (b) was not significantly different from one drug to another, when the benzodiazepines were applied in doses …  Lire la suite

Cette thèse présente un recueil interdisciplinaire d'études acoustiques, perceptives et biomécaniques sur le vibrato vocal naturel et variable dans le temps dans plusieurs genres musicaux. Le vibrato est une caractéristique complexe et multifactorielle liée à la technique de chant et à l'art, qui est contrôlée par le chanteur de manière volontaire et non volontaire.Une analyse documentaire complète des recherches existantes a mis en évidence la nécessité de disposer d'outils d'analyse avancés tenant compte de la complexité du vibrato et de sa nature variable dans le temps. Les méthodes d'analyse du vibrato existantes sont basées sur le calcul de moyennes qui …  Lire la suite

This dissertation explores the discursive voices present in a late Qing inner alchemy (neidan) compilation, the Nudan hebian. Inner alchemy is a meditation/visualization practice centered on purification of the physical body as the essential element in gaining physical immortality; therefore the physical body is of utmost importance. Yin-yang theory associates male with heaven and yang, and female with earth and yin. (Kunjue 1a) In neidan, both men and women must purge the earthly elements from their mind-body matrix to create a 'golden yang immortal's body' (Hutian xingli nudan shize 463a). This process can be accomplished by men through self-cultivation, but …  Lire la suite

Les traités modernes sont considérés comme une marque de réconciliation entre les nations Autochtones et la Couronne. La reconnaissance et l'exercice des droits à l'autonomie gouvernementale et à l'autodétermination, tels qu'ils sont compris dans la Déclaration des Nations Unies sur les Droits des Peuples Autochtones, la legislation habilitante canadienne, ainsi que les rapports et appels à l’action de la Commission de Vérité et Réconciliation, font partie intégrante de la réconciliation. Toutefois, plutôt que d’affirmer l’exercice de ces droits, les régimes fiscaux prévus dans les traités modernes et les accords parallèles pertinents compromettent activement la réconciliation par le biais de dispositions …  Lire la suite

Introduction : l'urticaire chronique (CU) est définie lorsque l'urticaire récidive durant au moins 6 semaines. Lorsqu'aucune cause ne peut être identifiée, cette condition est désignée urticaire spontanée chronique (CSU). Environ 50% des patients avec CSU sont considérés avoir une étiologie auto-immune qui peut être établie in vitro avec plusieurs tests incluant le test d'activation des basophiles (BAT) mesurant l'expression du marqueur CD63. En raison de sa chronicité, CU chez les enfants affecte considérablement la qualité de vie (QOL).Le lymphome cutané à cellules T (CTCL) représente une inflammation maligne qui est causée par les cellules T néoplasiques localisées à la peau. …  Lire la suite

Our purpose is two-fold: l) to elucidate and discuss Ibn Khâldün's attitudes towards theology. 2) to analyze and discuss Ibn Khaldun's style. Our analysis has been carried out against the background of Muhsin Mahdi's studies of Ibn Khâldün's work, especially Mahdi's thesis of the philosophic foundation of the Muqaddimah and Ibn Khaldun's "exoteric-esoteric" style. Our findings are as follows: 1) In Ibn Khaldün's opinion, theology should exist only for purposes of defence of the faith, and cannot legitimately incorporate philosophical ideas and methods. 2) Philosophy and revealed religion are equally valid, each in its own sphere. However, any attempt to …  Lire la suite

In 1947 M.M. Yan carried out an investigation in this laboratory on the solvent effects of liquid ammonia on woody materials, chiefly concerning himself with sugar maple wood. He found that liquid ammonia at 25° extracted nearly 6% by weight of maple wood, and the extract was separated into three fractions, acetamide 4%, “liquid ammonia lignin” 0.7%, and a polyuronide material 0.8%. The “liquid ammonia lignin” was investigated by Yan, and a possible formula was suggested. The nearly quantitative production of acetamide from the acetyl groups of the wood showed that the liquid ammonia cleaved any ester links that were …  Lire la suite

In this thesis, the author sets out a conceptual framework for judicial independence. From the starting point of adjudication as the basic function of the judiciary, the author embarks on an historical inquiry to shed light on the judicial determination of disputes. This inquiry reveals an ancient tradition of adjudicative impartiality stretching back to ancient Egypt. This tradition of impartiality is the unifying theme in Hobbes' theory of law. In the state of nature, each person possesses complete liberty. In order to enter into a peaceful society, persons must give up the right to decide their own disputes. Since persons …  Lire la suite

Westphal, S. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

This dissertation reexamines the assumption that regards the language of a text to be primarily discursive and propositional, signifying the antecedents to its real world, whether real or hypothetical. It will be argued that such an assumption reduces the meaning of the text to the nexus of its historical relationships. A methodological reconsideration sets out to reconceive the text of I John as a function of language, i.e., a communicative event encapsulating a series of speech acts which constitute the subjectivity of both writer and reader/hearer and which make truth claims about the world and about God though scarcely in …  Lire la suite

The recent development of culture-independent methods has revolutionized the study of complex microbial communities such as those present in activated sludge treatment systems. DNA probes that hybridize to genes coding for key enzymes that catalyze microbial processes have been widely used. Can such probes be used to quantify target genes and thus quantify the potential of a microbial community to carry out a reaction of interest? Optimal conditions for DNA extraction, probe validation, hybridization, and activity measurements were determined for the pulp and paper treatment system environment under study. Using gene probes for key denitrification genes (nirS, nirK), the correlation …  Lire la suite

The design and construction of a capacitor-discharge pulsed magnet is described. The magnet is capable of generating peak fields up to 22 T in a multi-turn solenoid coil with a 3/4" (19 mm) bore. The coil design, calculation of peak field, and an analysis of the eddy currents in the metal surrounding the coil are discussed in detail. The pulsed magnet includes a magnetometer and a data acquisition system which measure the coil field and sample magnetization. A series of magnetization curves have been obtained for a sample of Nd$ rm{ sb2 Fe sb{14} B}$.  Lire la suite

Chmura, Gail L. (Internal/Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Cette recherche s'intéresse à la façon d'évaluer les compétences grammaticales dans les cours universitaires d'écriture langue seconde (L2). Selon la littérature, les compétences grammaticales comprennent la syntaxe et la morphologie (Purpura, 2004; Weigle, 2002) de même que les formes lexicales, la cohésion et la gestion de l'information au niveau sous-phrastique, phrastique et supra-phrastique (Purpura, 2004). Par conséquent, les professeurs d'écriture devraient, lors de l'étude de textes en L2, miser sur la morphosyntaxe et sur d'autres aspects grammaticaux utiles à l'organisation de l'information et assurant la cohésion au niveau de la phrase, du paragraphe et du texte. En s'appuyant sur une …  Lire la suite

To assess the prevalence of anemia, we surveyed 10 to 14 month old infants of families with heterogeneous socio-economic backgrounds from four regions of inner-city Montreal. Capillary blood was drawn to measure hemoglobin (Hb), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), and serum ferritin (SF). A home-visit questionnaire assessed infant feeding practices and potential confounding variables. In the overall sample, the prevalence was 14.3% for anemia (Hb≥110 g/L), 9.4% for iron deficiency (SF≤10 mug/L), and 4.3% for iron deficiency anemia (SF≤10 mug/L and Hb≤110 g/L or MCV≤72 fL). There were no significant differences in iron status indices between socio-economic subgroups. Protectors of anemia …  Lire la suite

Tumoricidal activities of nitrogen monoxide (NO) are mediated mainly by its effects on iron metabolism. In the present study we used different exogenous NO congeners to investigate the effects of different redox forms of NO on iron metabolism and cellular proliferation of human K562 erythroleukemia cells. Treatment of K562 cells for 18 h with the nitrosonium ion (NO$ sp+$) donor, sodium nitroprusside (1 mM), decreased mRNA binding activity of iron regulatory factor (IRF), transferrin receptor (TfR) mRNA, TfR number and also iron uptake. However, cellular proliferation was not decreased. On the contrary, treatment of K562 cells with the nitric oxide …  Lire la suite

Benedetti, Andrea (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

Guitton, Daniel E (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

Repetitive Transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been used to treat neurological diseases as well as to understand brain-behavior relationship. However, the underlying effects of rTMS at the neuronal level have not been studied extensively enough to corroborate the findings from behavioral TMS experiments in humans. We have recorded spikes and local field potential from visual cortical area 18 of anesthetized and paralyzed cats using 10x10 multi-electrode array before and after the application of rTMS. Using 4Hz and 20Hz rTMS, we have found evidence that at the neuronal level, both the low and high frequency TMS causes suppression of evoked activity …  Lire la suite