McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par O

Elevated glucoconicoid levels have becn shown to inhibit synaptogenesis, enhance susceptibility to excitotoxic insults and impede normal central nervous system (CNS) development. Though virtually every cell in the hippocampus expresses relatively high levels of both MR and GR, the various cell fields differ considerably in their sensitivity to glucoconicoids. This thesis examined the cellular expression of MR and GR using in situ hybridization in animal and human models known to encompass changes in hippocampal neuron plasticity and/or survival. Entorhinal cortex lesioning (ECL), a well characterized model of reactive synaptogenesis in the rat, was found to cause a transient yet robust …  Lire la suite

An immunocytochemical procedure for the human glucocorticoid receptor (GR) was developed herein in order to assess its level and subcellular distribution in a well-studied system of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells (CEM), in which sensitive and resistant subclones have been established, and in different tissue preparations (lymph node biopsies, bone marrow aspirates and peripheral blood) from patients with various forms of leukemia or lymphoma. In the absence of preincubation with steroid, the GR was localized predominantly in the cell cytoplasm and to a weaker extent in the nucleus of CEM cells. Following incubation with glucocorticoid, an increase in nuclear GR …  Lire la suite

Research has demonstrated the link between helplessness cognitions and the development of anxiety and depression. However, there is a paucity of research on the origins of such thinking styles in children. There is mounting evidence for an interactive influence between the polymorphism within the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) and early life adversity on the risk for anxiety, depression and their intermediate phenotypes. We hypothesized that children with one copy of the S allele of the 5-HTTLPR gene and an insecure attachment would manifest increased helplessness and stress reactivity when faced with a challenge. The data are …  Lire la suite

This thesis examines the place of female customers and employees at the T. Eaton Company of Canada between 1869 and 1976. The central argument is that the word "witness" conveys well the nature of their place in this, one of the most important retail firms in Canadian history. Women were witnesses for the Eaton's and its development. They attested to and consolidated the company by collectively supporting it in huge numbers, whether as customers or personnel. Women were also key eyewitnesses of Eaton's, of its merchandise and marketing, its stores and catalogues. As the word "witness" suggests, visuality was central …  Lire la suite

Les programmes de vaccination bien établis ont entraîné la diminution et même l'élimination des maladies évitables par la vaccination. Néanmoins, des baisses notables de l'acceptation vaccinale ont été signalées au cours des 20 dernières années. Malgré la diminution dans l'acceptabilité de vaccins infantiles, la plupart des enfants sont partialement immunisé. Par conséquent, on peut soutenir que les enfants qui ont une couverture vaccinale partielle ou avec des retards selon l'âge représentent une population plus grande et peut-être plus importante à étudier que ceux qui ne reçoivent aucun vaccin. Ainsi, l'objectif général de ma thèse est d'identifier les déterminants associés au …  Lire la suite

The study of the direct role of the pituitary gland in metabolism is obscured by the intricate maze of interrelationships with other endocrine glands. Hence many apparently characteristic signs of hypophyseal deficiency are in reality due to secondary degeneration of dependent glands, particularly the thyroid and adrenal cortex. As a result of tbe rapid advance in our knowledge of the trophic hormones of the anterior lobe of the pituitary, we are now able to identify, with some degree of certainty, some cardinal signs of hypophyseal deficiency. These are in general more obvious within a few days after hypophysectomy, in contra-distinction …  Lire la suite

Von Eschen, Donald (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Sengupta, Raja (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

Stress-activated protein kinases (SAPKs) were previously implicated in the phosphorylation of the neurofilament heavy subunit (NFH). This study presents direct evidence that stress-induced phosphorylation of NFH in both differentiated PC12 cells and cultured sensory neurons is inhibited by CEP-1347 (KT7515), a specific inhibitor of SAPK activation. In addition, long-term treatment of unstressed sensory neurons with CEP-1347 decreased the phosphorylation state of NFH in neurites. CEP-1347 differentially inhibited the activation of various SAPK isoforms in neuronal cell body and neurite fractions. Specifically, activation of a 55 kDa SAPK isoform in the neurite fraction was highly sensitive to CEP-1347 inhibition, with an …  Lire la suite

Resin transfer moulding (RTM) is a promising composite manufacturing method capable of producing high quality parts while meeting the rising demand for cost effectiveness. A collaborative research project involving academia, industry, and government in the Montreal area is under way to optimize RTM and help transfer this technology to local industries. As a technology demonstrator, the leading edge slat of the Bell 407 helicopter is being redesigned using composite materials and RTM. This thesis presents the mould design, part design for manufacturability, and actual production of half-length prototype parts. The mould and part designs were carried out concurrently taking into …  Lire la suite

Plusieurs composés pharmaceutiques tel que le 17a-ethinylestradiol (EE2), l'ingrédient actif des contraceptifs oraux, ne sont pas efficacement éliminés lors du traitement des eaux usées et se biodégradent peu dans l'environnement. Au cours de ce projet de maîtrise, des techniques analytiques ont été développées afin de mesurer de faibles concentrations d'EE2 et la biodégradabilité d'EE2 a été étudiée en utilisant cinq types de bactéries. Une identification préliminaire des produits de dégradation a également été effectuée. Une méthode d'extraction en phase solide a été développée afin de préconcentrer les échantillons avant l'analyse par HPLC. L'optimisation de la méthode a permis d'obtenir une …  Lire la suite

The unique properties of the fluorine atom have long been exploited in medicinal chemistry for various purposes. Low polarizability and high polarity of fluorine leads to fluorine-fluorine interactions; a trait that also correlates to perfluorinated compounds. This phenomenon of preferential fluorine-fluorine interaction is termed the fluorous effect. While originally used as a purification method based on a triphasic system, this novel characteristic of perfluorinated compounds provides a plethora of opportunity for formation of interactions on the microscopic scale. Our primary goal was to apply this effect to liposomes for oligonucleotide drug delivery in hopes of improving particle physical and functional …  Lire la suite

Seuntjens, Jan Peter Frans (Internal/Cosupervisor2)  Lire la suite

Les transposons sont des éléments génétiques qui peuvent se déplacer dans et entre les génomes et se trouvent dans tous les organismes. La famille Tn7 de transposons bactériens est particulièrement intéressante car leurs mécanismes de sélection de site-cible hautement régulés ont permis la propagation réussie de ces éléments à travers le règne bactérien. Unique à l'élément prototypique Tn7 est la capacité de cibler les plasmides conjugaux lors de leur réplication. L'élément prototypique Tn7 code cinq protéines. TnsA et TnsB sont conservés chez la plupart des membres de la famille et forment une transposase hétéromérique. Avec l'adaptateur AAA + ATPase TnsC, …  Lire la suite

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic disorder that can be taken as the prototype to study the molecular and pathological modus operandi of chronic autoimmune inflammation. While the exact cause of RA is unknown, the disruption of immune tolerance is a central driver in the pathogenesis of this disease. It has been proposed that the immune system is prematurely aged in RA patients and that features of immunosenescence, such as the decline in T cell generation and diversity, contribute to the initiation and perpetuation of RA. Several features of premature aging have been recently identified in hematopoietic stem and progenitor …  Lire la suite

The author suggests using lessons from Game Theory to improve the negotiation process and to construct more fitting agreements upon the breakdown of the family unit in the cases of separation or divorce. Currently many settlement agreements are inappropriate for the parties for a variety of reasons, including not establishing the parties' true interests during the negotiations. Furthermore, an inappropriate agreement may not be reopened by the court, given strict procedural and jurisprudential requirements. Game Theory lessons promote communication, cooperation, and forgiveness without allowing either party to be manipulated. These elements, already found in Collaborative Law, favour incorporating the lessons …  Lire la suite

The outbreak and continued progress of the Irish rebellion of 1641 played a significant role in the birth and development of domestic newsbooks in England between 1641--49. This thesis examines the manner in which these periodicals reported the insurrection to their readers. As relations between king and parliament deteriorated during the winter of 1641--42, the attention awarded to this uprising by these publications helped to ensure that Ireland became a popular concern. Weekly chronicles of Irish affairs continued unabated after the onset of civil war in England. Amid fears that Ireland could be utilized by Charles I in his struggle …  Lire la suite

The occurrence of the Monteregian Hills in the vicinity of Montreal, Province of Quebec, has for many years presented an interesting structural and petrographical problem to geologists. This paper is in continuation of the work done by Carlyle, being a description and investigation of further dykes encountered in the western portion of the Canadian National Railways' Tunnel beneath Mt. Royal. [...]  Lire la suite

The pain experienced by the patient in the hospital bed differs in many respects from that inflicted upon the subject of a laboratory experiment. The fact that both are called "pain" indicates more the broadness of this designation than the number of similarities between the two phenomena. On the one hand, clinical pain is characterized by its persistence, its high intensity which may fluctuate over time, and the fear aroused in the patient concerning its origin. The principal sources of laboratory pain, on the other hand, have been pin prick, pinch, electric shock and thermal radiation: all of very short …  Lire la suite

The present work attempts to determine the feasibility of the accelerometer as an end-point control sensor for the basic oxygen steelmaking process. In this study, two series of laboratory scale BOF simulations were performed. In the first series, the accelerometer was sampled at low frequency to obtain an amplitude-time relation that can be related to the rate of decarburization during the oxygen blow. In contrast, the accelerometer was sampled at high frequency in the second series in order to discern the presence of specific vibrational frequencies that can be related to the process. As a final aspect of the research …  Lire la suite

Contexte: Plusieurs études post-mortem ont révélé que le cerveau des personnes atteintes de dépression majeure (DM) ont une densité gliale plus faible et une expression réduite de la protéine acide fibrillaire gliale (GFAP), un marqueur astrocytaire. Cependant, aucune étude n'a évalué si la DM est associée à des changements dans les densités ou les morphologies d’astrocytes au sein de différentes régions cérébrales et en utilisant d’autres marqueurs que la GFAP. Cette thèse visait à caractériser l'hétérogénéité régionale de la densité et de la morphologie des astrocytes au sein d’échantillons cérébraux d'individus sains et dépressifs, en utilisant un marqueur astrocytaire sous-utilisé, …  Lire la suite

Patricia Conrod (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

Physical activity (PA) is a low-cost accessible intervention that may help breast cancer survivors (BCS) achieve optimal physical and mental health. However, few BCS meet current recommendations for PA. The objectives of this pilot study were four-fold. The first objective was to compare two 12-week community-based interventions on PA levels, self-esteem and depression and anxiety symptoms in BCS. In one intervention, BCS received a free membership to the Curves training program, and in the other, BCS participated in an independent lifestyle program (LET) that encouraged leisure activities using Canada's PA Guide to Healthy Active Living. The second objective was to …  Lire la suite

To determine the frequency of and risk factors for falls and fall-related injury, a one-year prospective follow-up study of 417 community-dwelling persons aged 65 years or older was conducted. Following an initial at-home interview, each subject was telephoned every four weeks for 48 weeks to collect data on falls experienced since the last contact. Data were also collected on exposures which could fluctuate over time. The response rate to the initial interview was 75%, and 90% or more of study participants completed each of the 12 follow-up interviews. Twenty-nine percent of subjects fell during follow-up; 61% of fallers fell once …  Lire la suite

Les études portant sur le nationalisme ont traditionnellement ignoré la question des genres, du moins dans une large mesure. Or, une mouvance intellectuelle et féministe récente affirme de plus en plus que tous les nationalismes impliquent clairement cette distinction entre les genres, et explore l'impact de ce phénomène auprès des femmes. Dans la présente thèse, j'analyserai comment l'emphase placée sur les mères dévouées en tant que symboles de la nation dans le cadre d'idéologies nationalistes peut, lorsque codifiée en droit, engendrer des effets néfastes pour ce qui concerne l'autonomie reproductive des femmes. À cet égard, les cas de la République …  Lire la suite

This thesis will examine the role of Islamist political parties and what effect their interpretation of national identity has played in dividing the people of Sudan, resulting in two civil wars. It will examine the manifestations and interpretations of Islam and pan-Arabism among the various Islamist parties of Northern Sudan, exploring the ethnic and religious factors which influence Islamist political groups, as well as their social bases which are tied to economics, language, and the conception of a distinctly "Arab" or "African" culture. This thesis will argue that the predominance of these Islamist political parties in the Sudanese government combined …  Lire la suite

The derivational morphology of Munsee Delaware, an Eastern Algonquian language spoken in southwestern Ontario, is analysed and described. Chapter I presents general information about Delaware, including a summary of grammatical information necessary for the understanding of word structure. The theoretical constructs assumed are summarized. A distinction is made between primary derivation, in which suffixes are attached to roots (and affixes) to form stems; and secondary derivation, in which suffixes are attached to stems to form new stems. Inflectional affixes are attached to stems which are formed in primary or secondary derivation. Chapter II discusses verb-forming suffixes ('finals') added to roots …  Lire la suite

Existing academic literature describes that domestic social program spending is comparable with foreign development aid contributions but no conceptual connection between the two kinds of spending is made explicit by the Government of Canada. This paper analyzes literature on social policy and two international development studies (IDS) concepts - development economics and dependency theory - for conceptual similarities in the Canadian context. The paper then examines the case of Employment Insurance (EI) and Atlantic Canada’s experience with EI. Atlantic Canada was selected as a case because it has comparatively high levels of unemployment and high rates of EI use. This …  Lire la suite

The Commonwealth Preferential System is a discriminatory trading arrangement, governing trade among the territories of the British Commonwealth, which favours goods of Commonwealth origin through tariff preferences ( relatively low import duties), and in some cases, quotas and negotiated price schemes. [...]  Lire la suite

The Nuvvuagittuq greenstone belt is an Eoarchean/Hadean succession preserved along the eastern coast of Hudson Bay in the Northeastern Superior Province, Quebec, Canada. It is essentially composed of three major lithological units: 1) mafic cummingtonite-amphibolite, known as the "faux-amphibolite", which is the dominant lithology of the belt, 2) ultramafic and mafic sills that intrude the faux-amphibolite, and 3) chemical sedimentary rocks comprising a banded iron formation (BIF) and a silica-formation. The faux-amphibolite has a basaltic to andesitic composition. It is composed of variable proportions of cummingtonite + biotite + quartz, ± plagioclase ± garnet ± anthophyllite ± cordierite and ranges …  Lire la suite

How HIV-related disease and medication affect the capacity to metabolize drugs was investigated in 110 HIV-positive patients including 43 with AIDS. The probe drugs acetaminophen (APAP), dextromethorphan (DM), and caffeine were used to assess the in vivo activities of glucuronidation/sulphation, cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2D6 and N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2). Genotypes, determined using PCR-based amplification and restriction fragment length analysis, were assigned for the latter 2 polymorphic pathways. Forty-five patients comprised the longitudinal component of the primarily cross sectional study. Urinary analyses for probe drugs and their metabolites and the compiled medical and treatment histories of the subjects were effected. The distribution …  Lire la suite

As researchers such as Gray (2013) and Paiz (2015) have established, textbooks within the industry of English Language Teaching (ELT) have historically done a poor job of incorporating queer content. The industry of ELT textbooks is lucrative with a global reach, so the impact the books have is very significant. In the name of profits, it is common to see the most conservative version of a textbook used for all markets, which means that LGBTQ representation is virtually invisible (Gray, 2010). It may be done in the name of cultural sensitivity, but as Kimberlé Crenshaw (1991) says in her landmark …  Lire la suite

The trade of a country is concentrated when the range of commodities which it exchanges or the range of markets within which it conducts its exchanges is very limited. In any study of the structure of a country's trade, it is relevant to know whether that trade is concentrated in either or both ways. [...]  Lire la suite

Macmillan, C. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite