McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par N

Genetics is concerned with inheritance, genomics with the study of genomes. Bioinformatics provides the tools to study the interface between the two. If a particular locus in the human genome could have 100 discrete alleles, then the genome (comprising an estimated 80,000 genes), could harbor 8 million different alleles. To record information about each of these alleles in a meaningful and systematic fashion is a task for the Mutation Database domain of bioinformatics. The HUGO Mutation Database Initiative is an international effort to capture, record and distribute information about variation in genomes. This initiative comprises a growing number of Locus-Specific …  Lire la suite

Cette thèse pourrait, en quelque sorte, être considérée comme un manifeste.D'une part, en tant que citoyenne du monde, je me sens profondément interpellée par les injustices sociales devenues des fléaux sur terre – et elles sont nombreuses. D'autre part, je suis reconfortée par les individus et les groupes qui s'orientent vers les changements sociaux qui sont positifs et durables. Une fois de plus, et en toute reconnaissance, il en existe plusieurs.Reposant sur la recherche exhaustive effectuée par plusieurs piliers qui ont consacré leur vie à l'avancement de la cause de l'éducation, l'essence de cet ouvrage propose une “Pédagogie à l'Action …  Lire la suite

The current media and scholarly discourse surrounding the management of the perilous nuclear-laced landscape of post 3/11 suggests that this discourse benefits the neoliberal state but fails to adequately address the key role played by nonhuman actors, specifically animals and plants. Perched at the intersection of media ecology, Japan, cultural, and animal studies, this project zooms in on the relations between these actors and reveals them as objects of biopolitical management—manifest through withdrawal (of care)—played out against the green screen of resilience-thirsty neoliberal states of precarity. The first chapter questions the notion that a group of refuseniks looking after abandoned …  Lire la suite

Historically discrete multiplicative cascade models have been developed to mimic some of the characteristics of fully-developed turbulence. Some of these models have been found to be of much more general relevancy and have been used to simulate and analyse many different kinds of simple geophysical and other scaling fields. The desire to describe more complex processes has led to the invention of multivariate multiplicative cascade models. Of these the simple "complex cascade model" is considered in detail in this thesis. The background theory of Levy random variables and discrete scalar cascades is covered and a description of the various existing …  Lire la suite

The purpose attempted in this paper is to stress some analogies and differences in the approach to the problem of real rights in vessels and aircraft at both the national and international levels. This problem is perhaps the most complex one ever embodied in the form of an international convention. This is due to the fact that individual legal systems regard real rights in movables as one of the most exclusive domains of their legislative and jurisdictional power.  Lire la suite

Hasan, Mainul (Internal/Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Many liver diseases such as Alcoholic Liver Disease and Hepatitis C are associated with the production of autoantibodies. One of these autoantibodies is Rheumatoid Factor (RF), which binds to IgG and can aid in host defense. Since little is known about the role of RF in liver disease, we characterized the production of this autoantibody in three murine models of liver damage using alcohol, anti-Fas antibodies and carbon tetrachloride. RF was induced in response to chronic alcohol consumption as well as intraperitoneal injection of anti-Fas antibodies. RF was not produced in response to treatment with carbon tetrachloride for four weeks. …  Lire la suite

Brown, Claire (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

There are some examples where conformational restriction has been introduced into nucleotides with the sole purpose of increasing the thermodynamic stability of the duplex or triplex between the modified oligonucleotide and its complement. This thesis explored the hypothesis of incorporating a cyclopropane moiety into the internucleotide linkage. This research demonstrates the successful synthesis of a novel cyclopropanated sulfonamide dinucleotide 19.(DIAGRAM, TABLE OR GRAPHIC OMITTED...PLEASE SEE MAI) This novel molecule has been synthesized by reacting an $ alpha, beta$ unsaturated phenylselenoyl nucleotide derivative 7 with an active methylene sulfonamide nucleotide 17 under Michael addition conditions. Binding studies concerning the cyclopropanated sulfonamide …  Lire la suite

Pastures occupy a large part of the total land area of the world. According to the 1931 International Year Book, 24.4 per cent of the total land area in twenty-six countries of the world, were classed as pasture in 1930 (Table I, Appendix). This area in pasture was 1.6 times the area of the total arable land. Great Britain had the highest and Australia the lowest percentage of the total area in pasture, having 56.8 and 0.3 per cent respectively. Canada had 4,002,000 hectares or 9,888,942 acres, which represented 15.8 per cent of the arable land and only 0.4 per …  Lire la suite

The octanol-water partition coefficients (log Kow) of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol and pentachlorophenol were determined as functions of pH, ionic strength, and aqueous metal content. For both chlorophenols, the log Kow exhibits pH dependence in the range pKa-1 < pH < pK a+2. At lower and higher pH values, the Kow behaviour of the chlorophenols is independent of pH. Our data, in conjunction with those of Westall et al. (1985), indicate that a linear relationship exists Our data, in conjunction with those of Westall et al. (1985), indicate that a linear relationship exists between log Kow and log ionic strength of the aqueous …  Lire la suite

Parvenir à un consensus en utilisant des systèmes distribués est un problème fondamental. Lors d'un problème de consensus, l'idéal serait que tous les nœuds d'un réseau ce convergent, soit vers une certain quantité ou une fonction de sa valeur en utilisant seulement une communication locale. Lors d'un problème de consensus de valeur maximale, l'objectif de ces communications est la convergence de tous les nœuds vers leur valeur initiale maximale. Il y a deux algorithmes qui parviennent à résoudre le problème de consensus de valeur maximale: random pairwise max et random broadcast max. Une limite superieure de la moyenne de temps …  Lire la suite

A period of depression is a period of unrest for every class of people. The capitalist in his attempt to cut down expenses often arouses the enmity of labor, sometimes rightly, sometimes wrongly. Labor in its attempt to obtain what it considers fair wages, hours, and living conditions must necessarily organize. Separately, like a twig the workingman is weak, but collectively, like the bunch of sticks, labor can not easily be broken. The present great depression has hastened the growth of the Committee on Industrial Organization, commonly called the C.I.O. Briefly the C.I.O. is a labor organization, seeking to insure …  Lire la suite

Three systems for filtering polluted river water for use in subsurface irrigation have been designed, operated and evaluated. One system consisted of filtering the water through filter basins covered with grass. The second system used geotextiles in filter basins. The third system consisted of flooding a section of a field. In this system, the water was filtered as it moved through the soil towards the subsurface drainage/irrigation drain pipes. It was found that grass filter basins are very efficient in removing sediment from river water. Grass filter basins having drain pipes placed in trenches 30 cm wide backfilled with sand …  Lire la suite

Complexes of the bovine whey protein alpha-lactalbumin and oleic acid that have been reported to have cytotoxic effects against tumor cells but not against healthy cells are of potential interest as new ingredients for functional foods. Understanding the relationship between the structures of the protein and lipid in alpha-lactalbumin-oleic acid complexes, as mediated by the conditions employed in their preparation, and their efficacy as cytotoxic agents against tumor cells is an important prerequisite for the production of such ingredients. The overall aim of the present study was to advance our understanding of this relationship by characterizing alpha-lactalbumin-oleic acid samples prepared …  Lire la suite

The kinetics of moisture loss and solids gain during osmotic dehydration of blueberries under different conditions of temperature (37--60°C), concentration of the sucrose solution (47--70°Brix) and contact time between fruit and sucrose solution (0.5--5.5 h) were studied, and modeled based on Fick's law of unsteady state diffusion. The rates of moisture loss and solids gain were also related to temperature and sucrose concentration. The second stage convective drying behavior of osmo-dehydrated blueberries was evaluated in a forced air cabinet dryer (temperature: 50°C, relative humidity: 14%, air velocity: 0.6 m/s) with a cross-flow tray arrangement. Osmotic dehydration pre-treatments included different combinations …  Lire la suite

Up to now, existing studies suggest that there is a dearth of literature on faculty perceptions about performance evaluations, in particular for education professors. Through mixed methods and equity theory of management, the present study identifies the perceptions of education professors about performance evaluations at Canadian universities' education faculties. It outlines which performance appraisals related to tenure and promotion processes across Canadian universities' education faculties function as workplace demotivators. Based on interview and survey findings, this study reveals that education professors are frustrated with the ambiguity of departmental appraisal standards and merit expectations, and the procedural shortcomings of student course …  Lire la suite

Phytosterols occur naturally in the non-saponifiable material of plant oils. Sitostanol, the saturated derivative of beta-sitosterol, is found in negligible concentrations in plant sources and, hence, is almost absent from typical Western diets. Tall oil extracts, on the other hand, contain about 20% (w/w) sitostanol. Phytosterols have been shown to lower plasma total cholesterol levels in animals and humans while sitostanol exhibited stronger reducing effects. Several studies have suggested that phytosterols lower plasma total cholesterol levels by either inhibiting cholesterol absorption or altering the activities of enzymes critical in cholesterol metabolism and excretion. However, results obtained demonstrate inconsistency regarding the …  Lire la suite

This thesis presents methodological contributions to the modeling of regimes in the time or space domain of economic data by introducing a number of algorithms from engineering applications and substantially modifying them so that can be used in economic applications. The objective is twofold: to estimate the parameters of such models, and to identify the corresponding boundaries between regimes. The models used belong to the class of Finite Mixture Models and their natural extensions for the case of dependent data, Hidden Markov Models (see McLachlan and Peel 2000). Mixture models are extremely useful in the modeling of heterogeneity in a …  Lire la suite

Cette thèse de doctorat comprend 4 projets. Le premier explore le rôle du polymorphisme génétique du VIH dans la sélection des mutations de résistance. Au cours des tests de sélection, nous avons évalué comparativement le délai dans lequel les mutations de résistance émergent dans la protéase et la transcriptase inverse des sous-types de VIH-1 et de VIH-2. Des analyses génotypiques et phénotypiques ont été utilisées pour déterminer le délai d'émergence et le niveau de résistance des mutations, respectivement. Le polymorphisme naturel du VIH-2 semble faciliter la sélection des mutations de résistance aux inhibiteurs de protéase (IPs). L'acquisition des mutations de …  Lire la suite

This study deals with the French action civile, whereby the victim of a criminal offence may participate, as civil party, in the criminal proceedings brought against the offender, and there claim reparation from such offender if he can prove that he has suffered loss or damage directly resulting from the offence. This procedure differs from what obtains in the common-law jurisdictions, where a crime victim's participation in the criminal trial is limited to being a witness for the prosecution, and can only bring an action for damages before the civil courts. In addition to examining the requirements for the admissibility …  Lire la suite

From 1834 to 1836 the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope was in a state of fermentation that was to bring about, in the whole of South Africa, changes which were as great as they were unforescen - The emancipation of slaves and the compensation of their owners. The English Parliament voted for the latter purpose, a sum of 20,000 pounds but unfortunately, that amount proved insufficient to pay the compensation in full, with the result that grave disatisfaction was caused everywhere, espacially in South Africa where the slaves numbered 35,000.  Lire la suite

Majority of anti-cancer drugs have been reported as chromophores that can transfer the energy of absorbed light to neighboring metabolites. This group of drugs has been categorized as conventional photosensitizers (PS); while the tumor therapy modality that combines the use of PS with light to generate toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been termed photodynamic therapy (PDT). Moreover, recent researches and clinical studies have been reported to be currently investigating optimal combinations of PS, light sources and ligands for the efficient treatment of various cancers. On the one hand, clinical advantages of conventional PS such as the achievement of localized …  Lire la suite

Verdery, Richard N. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Strachan, Ian Brett (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

La forêt boréale circumpolaire est un important réservoir de carbone (C) contenant 88 pétagrammes (Pg) de C dans la biomasse végétale et 471 PgC dans le sol lui-même. Dans les secteurs boréaux d'Amérique du Nord, les feux sont les principaux agents de renouvellement des forêts, avec un cycle d'environ 100 ans. De récentes études suggèrent que la sévérité et l'intensité des feux sont en hausse, due aux effets amplifiés des changements climatiques dans les latitudes élevées. La présente étude vise à documenter les échanges de dioxyde de carbone (CO2), de vapeur d'eau et d'énergie dans une forêt dominée par le …  Lire la suite

Belly dance was used as a novel paradigm for exploring motor control of voluntary trunk movements. Motion capture and electromyography were combined to record segmental motion and muscle activation patterns. A variety of different trunk isolation movements varying in tempo, range of motion and pelvic movement trajectories, were recorded to explore how the human nervous system controls complex, segmentally specific rhythmic trunk motion. Results from the first study confirmed predictions from anatomical studies that different portions of the lumbar spine extensors could have independent functions, and established that belly dance could serve as a useful paradigm for exploring paraspinal muscle …  Lire la suite

In recent years, with the development of DNA tests and genetic knowledge, there has been a growth of genetic counseling services and research in Canada and Japan. Although the uniqueness of genetic services in medicine lies in the preliminary assessment of the entire family rather than a single patient, few attempts have been made by social scientists to examine the technical and social construction of family trees and medical pedigrees. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze how the family data taken by genetic counselors are transcribed as medical pedigrees and used by associated health care workers in different …  Lire la suite

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the use, role and function of medical pedigrees as part of extended networks of genetic practices. Integral to my argument is a description of geneticisation (i.e., the redefinition of family problems as genetic in origin), grounded in a set of detailed case studies of the development and use of visual tools in genetic practices. In recent years, medical sociologists have tended to link geneticisation to medicalisation (i.e., the social control by doctors over patients accompanied by the translation of social problems into medical issues). I argue that the twin notions of geneticisation …  Lire la suite

The objective of this study was to determine the two-year predictors of current smoking (smoked one or more times in the past year) and of ever smoking (lifetime use of cigarettes) among grade 4 students in multiethnic, low-income, inner-city neighborhoods in Montreal. Baseline and two-year follow-up data were collected from 501 children (54.3% girls) who, at baseline, were never-smokers. At the two-year follow-up, 22.0% reported ever smoking, including 7.6% who were current smokers. Gender-specific multivariate logistic regression analyses identified friends smoking (odds ratio (OR) = 3.0 95% confidence interval (1.2--7.1)) and sibling smoking (OR = 6.6 (1.7--22.2)) as independent predictors …  Lire la suite

Previous studies on the impacts of cattle on the aquatic environment have mainly focused on cold water systems with high intensity grazing, and may be of limited relevance for assessing impacts of cattle grazing on low gradient, low intensity sites such as those in eastern Ontario. The present study looks at changes to the aquatic habitat following the removal of cattle from a watercourse. Biomonitoring was completed at an aquatic restoration site over a four year period encompassing pre- and post-implementation conditions. The initial results indicated modest improvements in the habitat and in the benthic macroinvertebrate and fish communities following …  Lire la suite

In this thesis, composed of two separate articles, we studied the frequency of COPD exacerbations and assessed the effectiveness of inhaled corticosteroids in preventing a first exacerbation of COPD. We used an inception cohort of COPD patients, formed from the computerised databases of Saskatchewan. The rate of COPD exacerbations was 11.5 per 100 person-years. It increased with age and was 50% higher in men than women. Use of inhaled corticosteroids in the year prior to the index date and current use were associated with a small increase in the risk of a first exacerbation (adjusted RR = 1.27, 95% CI: …  Lire la suite

It has long been known that infection by pneumococci resulted in the development of a type specific immunity to the organism. Until recently, specific serum therapy has been the only means of effectively combatting pneumococcal infections. The advent of antibiotics, however, has now given us another potent therapeutic weapon, and has thus greatly modified the therapy of diseases of pneumococcic etiology. It has thus become of considerable interest and importance to determine whether the presence of various antibiotic drugs in the body modified or influenced the natural immunity response on the part of the host. It was in an attempt …  Lire la suite

L'urbanisation est un phénomène qui n'a cessé de croître de manière continue depuis l'apparition de l'ère industrielle. À mesure que les populations citadines augmentent, les besoins et les demandes liés à l'expansion urbaine augmentent également. Ceux-ci incluent l'approvisionnement en infrastructures capable de répondre à la fois aux besoins de la population et à satisfaire sa qualité de vie, tout en projetant prudemment vers l'horizon afin d'anticiper la croissance urbaine. Cependant cette continuelle expansion de terrain aménagé présente graduellement des défis aussi bien aux planificateurs qu'aux opérateurs. C'est pour cette raison que les ingénieurs optent pour l'exploitation des espaces souterrains comme …  Lire la suite

Frigon, Dominic (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting represents a potentially sustainable route for green hydrogen production, but its efficiency is limited by slow oxygen evolution and the scarcity of scalable photoanode materials. Bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) is one of the most promising visible light photoanodes however short carrier diffusion lengths and severe bulk recombination have restricted its utilization to thin films (<1 μm), limiting light absorption and practical scalability.This thesis explores thick bismuth vanadate and vanadium pentoxide mixed heterojunction films and experimentally evaluates how PEC performance is influenced by film composition, microstructure, and bandgap. Films were deposited by spin coating using variable concentration precursor …  Lire la suite

Gobbi, Gabriella (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

High contact stresses are largely responsible for wear in polyethylene components of knee prostheses. As a result, an increase in the contact area of the femorotibial joint at high flexion angles is needed to decrease high contact stresses. At first, a morphometrical study was performed on 12 cadaveric distal femurs. A laser range finder device digitized their articular surfaces. A non-iterative algebraic algorithm was developed to reconstruct the medial and the lateral condyles in the sagittal plane by means of two circular arcs. The average geometry of all of the femoral condyles tested was then used to perform a parametric …  Lire la suite

The purpose of this study was to determine how much phosphorus could be lost from soils in Quebec. Samples of four soil series and 3 sediment samples from the St. Esprit watershed, Quebec, Canada were treated with KH2PO 4 solutions of 0, 50,100, and 500 mg kg--1 of soil. The relationship between water-extractable phosphorus (soluble phosphorus) and Mehlich III available phosphorus was determined at water: soil ratios 100:1, 200:1, 500:1. Measurements were made on a LACHAT QuickChem AE instrument (based on EPA method 365.3; USEPA, 1983) after 4 hours of shaking. More than 90% of the soluble phosphorus was released …  Lire la suite

This thesis examines the views held by Muh&dotbelow;yi al-Din Ibn al-`Arabi on shari`ah, based for the most part on his magnum opus, al-Futuh&dotbelow;at al-Makkiyyah. It explores his attitude towards the shari`ah as practical religious law and his teachings concerning its sources and interpretation. Despite being misunderstood on account of his s&dotbelow;ufi background and his well-known criticism of the fuqaha' Ibn al-`Arabi's teaching, in fact, advocated a strict and consistent orientation to the shari`ah. This thesis shows how, on the one hand, his criticism of the jurists was due to their inability to achieve the high standards that he set for …  Lire la suite

This thesis studies al-Ghazali's theory of knowledge, particularly his concept of knowledge of God in his three later works: "The book of Knowledge" of the Ih&dotbelow;ya', al-Munqidh, and Iljam al-`Awamm. From his conception of knowledge of God the first book of the Ih&dotbelow;ya ', to his criticism of various approaches to attaining the knowledge of God in the Munqidh, to his assertion of the best method for attaining the knowledge of God in the Iljam, the aim of the current study is to find out which faculty of man's perception, according to al-Ghazali, is the most appropriate for accessing Divinity. …  Lire la suite

This thesis is a study of Ibn Qayyim's approach to the fatwa as defined in his $I sp{c}l bar am al$-$Muwaqqi sp{c}in.$ This treatise deals primarily with the role of the mufti/ the procedure of issuing a fatwa and the necessary sources for a fatwa. Lawful application of these criteria ensures a proper and viable fatwa. Ibn Qayyim, however, highlights the misuse of fatwas, specifically those on hiyal. By questioning this misapplication, Ibn Qayyim hoped to redefine the entire use of the fatwa in Islamic jurisprudence. This argumentation is supplemented by a section addressing the dynamic essence of the fatwa. …  Lire la suite

The availability of phosphorus from the anoxic hypolimnia of lakes to epilimnetic plankton was investigated by experimental studies on eight lakes in Ontario and Quebec. Availability was determined with a short-term bioassay based on the standardized retardation of planktonic uptake of phosphorus tracer in the presence of orthophosphate; availability was also estimated by SRP (soluble reactive phosphorus) analysis, since approximately 90% of SRP was available in anoxic waters. Iron concentrations were high in some hypolimnia, but should become diluted after mixing with surface water. When iron concentrations after mixing exceeded 0.20 mg/L, aeration lowered availability and SRP. Therefore, samples from …  Lire la suite

Les processus de formation et de maintien de la mémoire requièrent la synthèse et l'acheminement de nouvelles protéines au niveau de la synapse, point de contact spécialisé entre les neurones dans le cerveau. Ce processus est étroitement régulé par les mécanismes de contrôle de la traduction et notamment à travers l'utilisation de protéines se liant à l'ARN qui peuvent inhiber ou stimuler la traduction des ARN messagers (ARNm) au niveau de la synapse. On estime qu'un dérèglement du contrôle exercé par les protéines liant l'ARN sur la traduction, pourrait perturber le processus de codage de l'information au niveau de la …  Lire la suite

Armstrong, Professors Lundgren, W. (Supervisors)  Lire la suite

Bird, J. Brian (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

The study sought to identify the effects of deficit irrigation on the yield and quality of tomatoes. A greenhouse experiment was conducted during the summer of 1999 and repeated in winter 2000 using nine treatments. Two threshold soil moisture deficit levels, 65% and 80% depletion of plant available water, were factorially combined with 5 irrigation timing patterns: (i) no water stress (ii) stress throughout season, (iii) stress during flowering and fruit set, (iv) stress during fruit growth and (v) stress during fruit ripening. The treatments were set up in a randomized complete block design with 4 replicates. Crop yields, maximum …  Lire la suite