McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par O

A review of studies tackling problems on marine stratiform clouds is presented. The strong effect of marine stratocumulus clouds on the top-of-the-atmosphere radiation budget is demonstrated using 5 years of Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) data. A relationship between albedo and sea surface temperature (SST) is shown to exist in two areas of the globe that tend to be covered by marine stratocumulus. Albedo increases when SST decreases and vice-versa in both regions when examined on an annual, interannual or spatial basis. The magnitude of the albedo response to a given SST change (1) varies within the regions; (2) differs …  Lire la suite

The plane parallel homogeneous (PPH) bias is defined as the difference between the plane parallel cloud albedo, calculated for homogeneous cloud optical depth distributions, and the independent pixel (IP) albedo, which allows for optical depth variability, but assumes that individual cloudy columns transfer solar radiation as plane parallel slabs (horizontal photon transport is neglected). Estimates of the PPH bias from extensive Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) observations are provided for areas similar in size to weather and climate model gridboxes. The goal is to investigate conditions and assumptions influencing the PPH bias, and to suggest methods to correct for …  Lire la suite

A study was conducted to investigate the effect of supplemental fat from flaxseed (FL) on fatty acid (FA) profile, chemical composition, energy value of colostrum and milk, and litter performance. On day 107 of gestation a total of 59 large white sows were selected, blocked by parity and randomly allotted to one of three diets, 15% flaxseed (FL), 10% fullfat soybean (SB) or a control commercial (CO) diet containing corn and soybean meal. Diets were isocaloric and isonitrogenous but differed in fat content and FA composition. Colostrum and milk were collected soon after farrowing and on day 7, respectively, for …  Lire la suite

This thesis addresses the problem of design and analysis of distributed in-network signal processing algorithms for effcient aggregation and fusion of information in wireless sensor networks. The distributed in-network signal processing algorithms alleviate a number of drawbacks of the centralized fusion approach. The single point of failure, complex routing protocols, uneven power consumption in sensor nodes, ineffcient wireless channel utilization, and poor scalability are among these drawbacks. These drawbacks of the centralized approach lead to reduced network lifetime, poor robustness to node failures, and reduced network capacity. The distributed algorithms alleviate these issues by using simple pairwise message exchange protocols …  Lire la suite

Treatment planning is recognized as a fundamental step in clinical radiotherapy. The increased availability and complexity of three dimensional (3D) computerized treatment planning systems necessitates a full verification protocol to be completed prior to the implementation of the treatment planning system in routine use. We have designed and performed a detailed experimental verification program aimed at evaluating each individual dosimetric aspect of our 3D computerized treatment planning system (Varian CADPLAN, version 2.62). The verification tests ranged in complexity from the most basic standard geometry to a simulation of a full treatment case. Results from each individual testing geometry are presented, …  Lire la suite

Peripheral Myelin Protein-22 (PMP22) is a relatively major component of peripheral nerve myelin. Either missense mutations or duplication of the PMP22 gene can be the cause of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1 A (CMT1A). The control of PMP22 expression could be a basis for treatment. The aim of my research is to understand the regulation of the PMP22 gene in a transgenic mouse model. Initially, -8.5 kb 5' flanking sequence of the rat Pmp22 gene was used to drive reporter gene expressed in transgenic mice. This construct confers tissue specificity, weak developmental regulation, weakly detectable levels of expression in the dorsal …  Lire la suite

A cardinality constraint in an optimization problem limits the number of nonzeroentries in each element of the solution set. Traditional methods, such as branch-andbound,can reduce the number of feasible points to search. That said, many ofthe proposed methods to solve mathematical programs with cardinality constraintsstill have a computational complexity which is exponential. Previous work has reformulatedcardinality constrained mathematical programs (with dierentiable constraintsand objectives) as mathematical programs with complementarity constraints(MPCCs) which preserve the global and local minimizers of the original problem.Similar to previous work with MPCCs, this gave way to regularization approacheswhich allow standard NLP solvers to be eectively used. In …  Lire la suite

Submodular function optimization plays a critical role in numerous applications. Traditionally, most research has focused on submodular set functions—i.e., submodular functions which can be defined over finite-dimensional binary vectors—where submodular minimization is known to be solvable in polynomial time. More recently, attention has shifted to submodular functions defined on broader domains, such as integer-valued vectors with bounded entries—referred to here as a discrete box. Recent works propose efficient, polynomial time algorithms for minimizing submodular functions on this more general domain. However, many real-world problems defined over discrete boxes involve non-submodular objectives. Notably, challenging NP-hard problems like quadratic unconstrained binary optimization …  Lire la suite

La Dystrophie Musculaire de Duchenne (DMD) est une maladie létale causée par le dysfonctionnement du gène codant pour la dystrophine située sur le chromosome X. La surexpression de l'utrophine (protéine analogue à la dystrophine) dans les muscles déficients de la dystrophine, peut prévenir l'effet néfaste liée à cette anomalie. Notre but est de sur-exprimer l'utrophine chez des patients atteints de la DMD afin de défier l'absence de la dystrophine. Pour cela, des protéines à doigts de zinc (ZFP) ont été synthétisées et leur capacité à activer le promoteur A de l'utrophine a été testé. En même temps, la nucléase à …  Lire la suite

Buchinger, Fritz (Internal/Supervisor)  Lire la suite

The nuclear mass is a fundamental property of a nucleus because it defines the binding energy which represents the sum of all internal interactions. Masses provide insight into nuclear structure effects and are influential in describing heavy element nucleosynthesis via the rapid neutron-capture (??) process. More nuclear data, including masses, on the neutron-rich side of stability is needed to improve upon the current understanding of the ?? process. The Canadian Penning Trap (CPT) mass spectrometer is located at the CARIBU facility where intense beams of neutron-rich nuclei are created. To take advantage of the unique beams available at CARIBU an …  Lire la suite

A method has been described by which the total population of regenerating cutaneous nerves can be studied, and has been sequentially applied to free skin grafts in the rabbit. It has been shown that both myelinated and unmyelinated fibers regain their normal caliber quite early. However, a regenerating fiber population imbalance was found throughout the study. This was demonstrated by an increased number of nerve bundles, an increase in the number of unmyelinated fibers, a decrease in the number of myelinated fibers, and an absence of end corpuscles in the grafts. It is concluded that nerves enter the graft very …  Lire la suite

Ce mémoire a pour but d'explorer l'importance de la performativité comme catégorie thématique et esthétique centrale dans la littérature et le cinéma issus de la migration en Allemagne. Pour ce faire, je me concentre sur trois œuvres de différentes périodes : Hexenzauber (1980) par Haldun Taner, Mutter Zunge (1990) par Emine Sevgi Özdamar et Lola und Bilidikid (1999) par Kutluğ Ataman. Mon argument est que la thématisation de la performance dans ces œuvres sert, du moins en partie, à réfléchir sur des questions de traduction ou de transfert interculturels, questions centrales pour la situation des migrants. Dans le premier chapitre, …  Lire la suite

Peyrache, Adrien (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

Cette thèse, intitulée « Towards a Minor Black Atlantic: The Aesthetics of Minority Discourse in Niger Delta and Black Maritime Poetry » (« Vers un Atlantique Noir Mineur: L'Esthétique du Discours Minoritaire dans la Poésie du Delta du Niger et de la Maritime Noire »), décrit l'esthétique du discours minoritaire dans la poésie des écrivains du Delta du Niger et de la Maritime Noire. J'y interprète les textes Labyrinths of the Delta (1986) et Delta Blues and Home Songs (1998) de Tanure Ojaide, Whylah Falls (1990) et Execution Poems (2001) de George Elliott Clarke, The Oil Lamp (2005) d'Ogaga Ifowodo …  Lire la suite

Groundwater quantity allocation and quality protection in Canada largely proceed in a fragmented fashion. Each jurisdiction pursues the management of its water resources and the aquatic environment separately as well as independently of other jurisdictions. This approach is at odds with the unity of the natural environment and the inter-connectedness of groundwater resources. The challenge facing Canada is to make the law recognize and be more responsive to the unity of the aquatic environment and water resources. An active federal role in uniting and coordinating the efforts of the provinces in this regard is crucial if this challenge is to …  Lire la suite

This study examines Colombian teachers' use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) as teaching and learning tools from a social cognitive perspective. Personal and environmental factors were studied in order to understand what predicts the use of computers and the Internet within the population of Colombian teachers. The variables used as predictors for use of ICTs were chosen following Ertmer's (2005) description of first—and second—order (internal and external) barriers for technology integration, as well as Becker and Riel's (2000) categorization of teachers' professional engagement levels. These variables are self-efficacy beliefs regarding technology use for pedagogical purposes, beliefs about the perceived …  Lire la suite

Gold, Ian (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

With the advance of civilization throughout the ages -the progress of science and invention, the growth of cultureand art, the steady rise in standards of living, and the everdiminishing distances separating the various peoples of thisearth - there has been an unceasing change in the philosophiesof life. As the demands and the conditions of life havechanged, so too have our conceptions concerning it#Nowhere has this been more noticeable than in thefiaLd of education; particularly in the past century, duringwhich time, our philosophy of education has undergone many radicalchanges. This is especially true about the philosophyof that branch of education which …  Lire la suite

With the advance of civilization throughout the ages - the progress of science and invention, the growth of culture and art, the steady rise in standards of living, and the ever diminishing distances separtating the various peoples of this earth - there has been an unceasing change in the philosophy of life. As the demands and the conditions of life have changed, so too have our conceptions concerning it. [...]  Lire la suite

In 1914 the most devastating and horrible orgy of bloodshed that the world had ever known broke out in the form of the World War. No corner of the earth escaped the effects of this mighty conflict, and as a result of it, the lives of millions of people were blotted out and the generations to come seriously affected. This Great War was fought 'to make the world safe for democracy' and though no one even dreamed of it---safe also for Dictatorships.[...]  Lire la suite

Cette thèse étudie les divers facteurs qui ont conduit au coup d'état militaire au Chili le 11 septembre 1973, qui a renversé le gouvernement démocratiquement élu de l'Unidad Popular de Salvador Allende. De façon plus précise, elle tente d'expliquer pourquoi les militaires chiliens ont réussi à mettre un terme à cette expérience de transformation systémique, - à ce qu'on appelait la "voie Chilienne vers le socialisme." Étant donné que cette thèse est une analyse du changement social, il est nécessaire de prendre une approche qui est à la fois historique et théorique. La première partie de ce travail tente de …  Lire la suite

Des questions relatives à la mesure, à la consistance et aux déterminants de la conformité des patients diabétiques ont été examinées dans deux études. Dans l'étude 1, la validité de l’auto-rapport en tant que mesure de la conformité a été démontrée relativement a quatre des exigences d'un régime: le contrôle du poids, l'analyse, !'expression de symptômes et la sécurité. Les degrés de conformité calculés en tenant compte de la compréhension qu'ont les patients des exigences du régime différèrent substantiellement de ceux obtenus à l'aide des critères utilises par les médecins traitants. Les niveaux de conformité des patients étaient inconsistants de …  Lire la suite

Discrimination of a word-final stop consonant voicing contrast, /bid/-/bit/, by 12 infants (6-8 and 10-12 months) and 6 adults was investigated in a category-change conditioned headturn procedure across three stimulus conditions: full cue (FC), burst and closure cues neutralized (BCCN), and vowel duration neutralized (VDN). Adults performed at ceiling levels for all three conditions. No infant age differences were observed. However, there was some evidence that infants benefitted from the presence of redundant acoustic cues (FC $>$ BCCN, but FC $ le$ VDN). Infants performed significantly better with the VDN stimuli indicating that final release burst information is more salient …  Lire la suite

Macaulay, Ann (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

The Trk family of receptor tyrosine kinases is involved in synaptic plasticity and behavioral memory in mammals. Here, we report the discovery of a Trk-like receptor, termed ApTrkl, in Aplysia. We show that it is expressed in the sensory neurons, the locus for synaptic facilitation, a cellular model for memory formation. Serotonin, the facilitatory neurotransmitter, activates ApTrkl. Activation of ApTrkl leads to activation of ERK. Finally, inhibiting activation of ApTrkl with the Trk inhibitor K252a blocks serotonin-mediated activation of ERK, and a form of cell-wide long-term facilitation. Thus, transactivation of the receptor tyrosine kinase ApTrkl by serotonin is an essential …  Lire la suite

Les principales puissances spatiales prévoient de retourner sur la Lune, d’extraire des ressources lunaires et d’un jour se servir de la Lune comme tremplin pour se rendre sur Mars et d’autres corps célestes. Face à ces ambitions, le cœur du droit de l’Espace a été conçu à une époque de compétition spatiale entre deux États avec des idées parfois sans vision à long terme de l’exploration spatiale. Cette thèse oppose le paradigme sans contraste du droit spatial issu de la guerre froide à la réalité complexe des aspirations spatiales de 2023 et au-delà. Elle suppose que le droit de l’Espace …  Lire la suite

Les municipalités canadiennes s'apprêtent à implanter de grands programmes de réhabilitions et de remplacements des systèmes d'aqueducs et égouts gravement détériorés. Les ingénieurs, entrepreneurs, centres de recherches en génie civil, ainsi que le public affirment que ces travaux ont des impacts négatifs sur la société. Ce mémoire fait état de ces impacts qui incluent, entre autres, l'endommagement des infrastructures avoisinantes, le dérangement de la circulation, la perte d'accessibilité aux entreprises, les risques en santé chez le public et les ouvriers, mais aussi la pollution et l'endommagement environnemental. Présentement, en pratique, il n'y a aucune méthode pour évaluer ces impacts sociaux, …  Lire la suite

Dans ce memoire, une analyse sur la relation entre certaines desinences verbales du Mohawk est proposee a l'interieur du cadre d'analyse pour les langues "polysynthetiques" developpe dans Baker (1993). Il est montre que la desinence aspectuelle "statique", qui affecte les formes d'accord, peut etre traitee comme un predicat contenant un quasi-argument. Cette caracteristique rend compte du changement d'accord sur le verbe principal lorsque le morpheme statique s'allie avec celui-ci pour former un predicat complexe et ce, conformement aux principes qui regissent l'accord dans la langue. Nous defendons ensuite l'hypothese que la presence des prefixes modaux depend de la presence d'un …  Lire la suite

Methods of evaluating the relative phase of energy samples taken in a microwave field are considered. It is shown that all such methods in present use involve comparison with some standard of phase shift, using a null method. Two circuits considered in detail are the conventional wave interference method and the Robertson “Homodyne” method. In the Robertson method signal energy is split into two paths. In the carrier path the original signal frequency traverses a calibrated phase shifter. In the sideband path the signal is converted into double sideband suppressed carrier energy and traverses a path into which are introduced …  Lire la suite

Kris J J Jacobs (Internal/Cosupervisor2)  Lire la suite

Estall, Jennifer (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

Germline mutations in the genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2 have been implicated in hereditary breast cancer (HBC) and hereditary breast and ovarian cancers (HBOC). A large-scale multi-center genetic linkage analysis revealed that while linkage to BRCA1 and BRCA2 was evident in the majority of HBOC families, the large proportion of HBC families remained unaccounted for by either of these genes. These findings supported the hypothesis that other novel breast cancer susceptibility genes could account for the unexplained clustering of female breast cancer cases in the HBC families. Previous studies have identified common BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in the French Canadian (FC) …  Lire la suite

In modern times, social media platforms provide accessible channels for interacting and sharing information about important real-time events. However, these platforms are also regularly targeted by coordinated information attacks. Twitter has publicly released datasets of confirmed fake accounts under their Information Operations program to allow researchers to study these attacks. These accounts are commonly known as Internet trolls. In this thesis, we study three of the troll datasets from the Twitter Information Opera tions program, whose origin has been traced to Russia, China, and the Internet Research Agency (IRA). We first augment each dataset with a carefully sampled control group …  Lire la suite

It is a very well-known fact that numerous alkaloids contain as a substituent methylenedioxy and/or methoxy groups. Many of these substances possess a characteristic physiological activity and therefore are extensively used in medicine. The significance of these compounds bas provided an impetus for extensive synthetic research by various schools to prepare new related substances of improved biological activity. The fact that many physiologically active substances are oxazines, led us to believe that the combination of a dialkoxybenzene ring with an oxazine nucleus, might give rise to or increase biological activity. In the present work the object was to study the …  Lire la suite

Brown, Peter Gilbert (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

Les solutions institutionnelles peuvent permettre à la société de répondre collectivement de bon nombre de ses défis environnementaux plus urgents. Une solution institutionnelle, gouvernance collaborative, dépend de la participation volontaire des intervenants non-étatiques. Cependant, les sources de légitimité pour les nouveaux institutions telles que la gouvernance collaborative restent floues, tandis que la façon dont la légitimité pourrait être amélioré est mal comprise. La prémisse de cette thèse est que la légitimité, à partir d'un interprétation sociologique, est une caractéristique fondamentale des institutions qui doit être compris dans son contexte, mais peut également être mis en forme par l'agence de personnes. …  Lire la suite

Exaggerated sympathetic responses to acute stress are associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Interestingly, CVD is more prevalent in young men than premenopausal women, yet sex differences in muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) during acute stress are inconsistent. However, sex differences in MSNA during the recovery period immediately following acute stress have yet to be established. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that MSNA would be greater in men than women during recovery from two acute stressors: the cold pressor test (CPT; 3-min immersion of a limb in ice-water) and apnea (maximal voluntary breath-hold). We tested 9 men and 9 women …  Lire la suite

This study examines the situation and activities of Hindu temple women (devadasis) in the 9th-13th centuries, as revealed in Tamil inscriptions. These temple women, unlike their male counterparts or the devadasis of more recent times, were not primarily identified as temple servants, with professional expertise or ritual responsibilities, but were instead defined with reference to a particular status, predicated on relationship with a temple. This relationship was secured through the donations that temple women made to temples. In the course of the Chola period, the status of "temple woman" became increasingly well-defined and the numbers of temple women increased, while …  Lire la suite

Gerard Manley Hopkins has long been accorded an honorable place among the English Poets of the last century. But until recently his value as a critic went unrecognized. With the full publication of his writings, however, there has been an increasing respect for his pungently expressed comments on his contemporaries. One critic has advisedly pointed out that from his letters “one could extract a handbook of critical aphorisms worth more to those who are now writing, than imitative study of what was peculiar in Hopkin’s verse,”. W. H. Gardner, perhaps the most balanced and thorough of Hopkins’s critics, after a …  Lire la suite

Although radio-frequency (RF) methods have been used for decades in many heating and drying processes, there is still a need for more engineering design data related to the design of the applicators and the performance of these systems before costly prototypes are built. Energy, temperature, and the effect produced by the high frequency field parameters on biological materials need to be examined with regard to their effects on the resulting processing requirements. Wheat-seed infection by a fungus such as Fusarium graminearum can considerably lower the seed germination and the quality of the harvest. A study was thus conducted to determine …  Lire la suite

The number of United Nations interventions in civil conflicts has increased since the end of the Cold War. Traditional peace-keeping has proved ill-suited to deal with them; second-generation, multi-task peace-keeping operations have emerged as a substitute. These new operations have strained UN resources and the willingness of nations to provide troops is not as forthcoming as it used to be. Therefore, the UN has shared in recent years the burden of conflict resolution with regional organisations and ad hoc coalitions. This thesis studies multinational interventions in three conflicts (Somalia, Haiti and Bosnia) and asks what lessons can be drawn with …  Lire la suite

The mechanical microenvironment within a tissue drives fundamental cell behaviours including cell survival, proliferation, and migration, that ultimately direct healthy tissue homeostasis or pathologic progression. Cells sense a variety of biophysical cues, such as externally applied strain, extracellular stiffness, and surface geometry; all of which regulate more complex processes such as cellular contraction, a tissue relevant phenomenon important in both development and disease. Local cell contraction provides a set of cell-scale mechanical cues, including tissue strain and stiffness; but how these local mechanical microenvironments drive global tissue contraction is undefined. In this work, I (1) develop and characterize a stiffness-tunable …  Lire la suite

Guiot, Serge R. (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

Agnes Laut (Ontario, 1871 – New York, 1936) was a Canadian journalist, novelist, financial advisor, and a farmer who became closely involved with United States-Mexico relations during the Mexican Revolution (1910-1921). This research analyses Agnes Laut's editorial work, travels, and publications about Mexico and its social strife. Furthermore, it explores her role as coordinator among US civic and religious associations aiming to relieve Mexico's social troubles through humanitarian aide. This thesis is a first approach to the study of the impact of foreign civic society and philanthropic organizations in revolutionary Mexico.  Lire la suite

The provision of urban services is one of the most important issues in the process of urbanization. However, more than half of the urban population in developing countries does not enjoy any of these services yet. The public sector has been unable to provide services to the ever-increasing urban population. This failure has been met by the involvement of the private sector in the provision of services: nevertheless, private services are only provided to those who can afford them. The urban poor, who are the majority of the population in urban centres, are not able to afford those services. In …  Lire la suite

Background: The effectiveness of medical treatment for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is still lower than the observed with drug-susceptible TB.Objectives: To estimate the effect of adjunctive pulmonary resection, either of any extent, total (pneumonectomy) or partial lung resection (lobectomy, segmentectomy, or wedge resection), on treatment success and death during therapy in patients with MDR-TB. We studied the presence of effect modification by the following variables: number of group A drugs, additional fluoroquinolone resistance, level of experience of the center, timing of surgery relative to the culture conversion date, as well as bilateral and/or cavitary disease.Methods: We conducted an individual patient data …  Lire la suite

Introduction: Bipolar Disorder (BD) is a chronic mental illness associated with functional decline, mortality, and significant health care costs; furthermore, specific general medical conditions have been found to occur disproportionately within BD patient populations, among them, migraine is one of the most studied. Migraine has a global prevalence of 10%, and it is a disorder with elevated direct and indirect costs, the later mostly derived from its association with mood and anxiety disorders. Specifically, the reported prevalence of migraine in the BD population ranges from 24.8% to 39.8%, rates that are considerable higher than those found in the general population. …  Lire la suite