McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par O

Characteristics of the flow field and of impingement surface heat transfer for round, turbulent jets were studied experimentally. The effects on the flow field and heat transfer of nozzle geometry, i.e. nozzle length, l(,n)/d(,n), and nozzle entrance configuration (contoured and sharp-edged), and semi-confinement were investigated. In addition, the role of suction on the development of flow was considered. Effects of nozzle geometry on the flow field and on heat transfer are to divide the nozzles tested into two groups; the long (10 (LESSTHEQ) l(,n)/d(,n) (LESSTHEQ) 50) nozzles with similar characteristics and modest differences between them, and the short (l(,n)/d(,n) = …  Lire la suite

Introduction: La fragilité ajoute de la complexité au traitement des maladies cardiovasculaires. À mesure que la population mondiale vieillit, il devient de plus en plus important d'évaluer avec précision la fragilité et la vulnérabilité des patients âgés. La sarcopénie est une composante du syndrome de la fragilité qui peut être évaluée par diverses méthodes. L'évaluation de la fragilité et de la sarcopénie n'est souvent pas possible chez les patients très malades qui sont alités et incapables d'effectuer des tâches physiques. L'échographie musculo-squelettique s'avère utile dans l'identification de la sarcopénie, un marqueur de fragilité. L'épaisseur du muscle quadriceps (EMQ) - un …  Lire la suite

In open pit mining, a major geotechnical challenge involves the excavation of the steepest possible slope angle to achieve the lowest stripping ratio while ensuring maximum ore recovery. This generally means a good overall profitability since waste rock removal is kept to a minimum. However, steepening pit slopes may induce failures, which may disprove the economic benefits that were initially aimed at and which may also result in loss of life, damage to equipment and environment. As a result, the selection of slope angle is a critical decision that can have far-reaching effects on the economics and operation of the …  Lire la suite

This thesis constitutes an investigation into contemporary writing--both fictional and philosophical. More specifically, it is a comparative analysis of the work of British novelist Angela Carter, and French philosophers Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari, in the light of the concept of synthetic authenticity. It is divided into three chapters, "Becomings", "Events", and "Machines", and each chapter presents the work of both Carter and Deleuze and Guattari, respectively, in light of one of these topics. Chapter Two, however, focuses closely on Angela Carter's first novel, Shadow Dance, as it relates to the concept 'event'. And Chapter Three focuses on Carter's novel …  Lire la suite

La douleur chronique touche 11 à 38 % des enfants et des adolescents, dont la douleur musculosquelettique étant l'un des types de douleur les plus courants. Dans la population pédiatrique, la douleur est beaucoup plus complexe en raison de différents facteurs de développement. Comprendre la douleur chronique chez les jeunes est important, car environ 20% des enfants et adolescents aux prises avec de la douleur chronique continuent de souffrir à l'âge adulte. L'évaluation adéquate de la douleur offre une première étape pour mieux la comprendre et améliorer sa gestion. Plusieurs outils et approches ont été développés et validés pour l'étude …  Lire la suite

This is a study of a Latin American community centre in Montreal based on two years of participant observation. The Centre is one of many locales where immigrants spend their time and come to understand a new city, its history, people, and institutional systems. As such, it is a place where social identity is actively negotiated and frequently reinvented, highlighting the constructed and dynamic qualities of ethnicity in contemporary Western society. The study dialectically considers small- and large-scale influences on the Centre and its members. While structural limits often foster social marginalization which must be recognized and addressed, cultural production …  Lire la suite

This thesis examines women's access to property ownership in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, tracing women's property rights from the pre-communist period to the present transition to a market economy. Focusing on housing and investment property, it finds that women have a high degree of equality in household property ownership. This equality is due in part to gender equality under socialism as well as to traditions of equal inheritance. The thesis then considers women's property ownership in the context of the current 'anti-feminist' movement that encourages Czech and Slovak women to focus their energy on the domestic sphere. It suggests …  Lire la suite

Bossen, Laurel (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Leary, Stephanie (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

Since its publication in 1981, Cronica de una muerte anunciada, has been in general interpreted in terms of tragedy. The death of Santiago Nasar, which is due to the rigid observance of a code of honour concerning women's virginity before marriage, appears to be absurd. Nonetheless, in my opinion, the death of Santiago Nasar acquires meaning the moment the victim is symbolically reborn in the love that eventually will join the disgraced couple. My interpretation, which relies on both historiography and narrative, is supported by an evaluation of the narrator's role in this fictional world. Significantly enough, the narrator is …  Lire la suite

The neurohormone melatonin (MLT) is implicated in the regulation of sleep and anxiety. MLT activates two G-protein coupled receptors, MT1 and MT2, whose differential roles in sleep and anxiety remain to be defined. The aim of this thesis was to characterize the single role of MT2 receptors in sleep and anxiety. We have therefore explored the putative hypnotic and anxiolytic-like effects of the novel MT2 receptor partial agonist UCM765. The systemic administration of different doses of UCM765 in rats produces hypnotic effects with high doses while a low dose elicits anxiolytic-like activity. In particular, in sleep, the activation of MT2 …  Lire la suite

La sénescence cellulaire fait référence à un processus produisant un arrêt du cycle cellulaire qui peut résulter d'une pléthore de stress cellulaires. Les cellules sénescentes se caractérisent par leur profil pro-inflammatoire et prothrombotique, ainsi que par leur incapacité à proliférer même en présence de facteurs mitogènes. Elles peuvent cependant influencer les cellules voisines par le biais de ce que l'on appelle collectivement le phénotype sécrétoire associé à la sénescence (SASP), caractérisé par la sécrétion de cytokines, chimiokines, protéases, facteurs de croissance et lipides spécifiques. La présence transitoire de cellules sénescentes dans le cœur peut s'avérer bénéfique, alors que l'accumulation à …  Lire la suite

Photoproduction events in ep collisions with photon virtuality Q2, the negative squared four-momentum of the exchanged photon, less than 1 GeV2, and at least two jets of high transverse energy have been studied in the photon and proton center-of-mass range Wgp of 134 < Wgp < 277 GeV with the ZEUS detector at HERA. The data sample was collected during the 1996 and 1997 running periods with an integrated luminosity of 38.7 pb-1 allowing for a precise measurement of differential cross sections in a kinematic regime unreachable for experiments at current e+e- colliders. For the determination of these differential cross …  Lire la suite

Two empirical studies are presented which investigated Sexpert, a rule-based expert system for the treatment of couple sexual dysfunctions. The following hypotheses were evaluated: (1) couples' attitudes towards computerized psychotherapy would improve subsequent to an interaction with Sexpert, (2) couples would find Sexpert more engaging than other sources of information, (3) couples interacting with Sexpert would report learning more about their relationship than those exposed to other sources of information, and (4) Sexpert could influence the sexual behavior of volunteer couples. The research hypotheses were tested in 2 studies (81 & 77 couples respectively) which compared the effects of Sexpert, …  Lire la suite

Contexte: Le pronostic des patientes atteintes du cancer de l'ovaire épithélial séreux de haut degré de malignité (COSHM) demeure obstinément faible et une connaissance moléculaire plus profonde de la maladie est nécessaire pour améliorer les stratégies de traitement. Les biomarqueurs de survie, tels que les mutations dans les gènes BRCA1 et BRCA2, ainsi que des profils d'expressions de gènes aberrants, ont été liés à un meilleur taux de survie chez les patients souffrantes de COSHM traitées en première ligne avec une ablation chirurgical (AC) suivit de chimiothérapie. Récemment, l'utilisation de chimiothérapie avant la chirurgie, la chimiothérapie néoadjuvante (CN), est de …  Lire la suite

The carbon fork developed for this thesis is a lightweight fork intended for the road racing athletes and amateurs. The work performed for this thesis includes geometrical and structural design of the fork but also concentrates on developing and optimizing a manufacturing process to create a complete solution for composite fabrication using vacuum assisted resin transfer moulding (VARTM). In the past many research projects concentrated on structural design and finite element analysis but failed to show satisfactory practical results due to poor manufacturing method for prototypes. This thesis emphasizes the development of the fabrication process. The stages for this thesis …  Lire la suite

The present investigation validated a time-sampling method of scoring formalin-induced pain-specific behaviours. The method improves efficiency by at least a factor of five, and also provides measures of other aspects of behaviour, without the loss of statistical power of the results. Formalin-induced behaviours were examined over the entire range of commonly used formalin concentrations, for a prolonged period of time. The pain response increased dose-dependently up to 2% formalin in the first phase and up to 10% in the second phase if behaviour was scored for at least 90 minutes postformalin. Significant residual pain occurred only at 10% formalin. When …  Lire la suite

Pain and depression are universally linked: people with depression often complain of pain, and those suffering from persistent pain are at an increased risk for depression. The present investigation explores the potential role of progesterone metabolism in both pain and depression. The first manuscript describes the effect of olfactory bulbectomy (a model of depression in the rat linked to changes in progesterone metabolism) on formalin-induced pain. Pain was increased in bulbectomized rats in the second phase of the formalin test. Two-week treatment with amitriptyline did not affect pain responses, while fluoxetine was antinociceptive in both olfactory bulbectomized and control rats. …  Lire la suite

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease characterized by the destruction of pancreatic beta cells. The only current treatment is lifelong intensive insulin replacement therapy. Technological advances in the last few decades have allowed for increases in treatment satisfaction and efficacy both in the sphere of multiple daily injection therapy and continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion therapy. However, all current methods require carbohydrate counting, a widespread prandial bolus management technique, that is both tedious and error-prone and contributes to disease burden. Despite the advancements, most pediatric, and adult populations living with type 1 diabetes fail to reach glycemic targets, particularly of …  Lire la suite

The mixed leucocyte reaction and the delayed hypersensitivity antigens histoplasmin and tuberculin purified protein derivative were used in combinations to test the clonal selection theory in vitro. When histoplasmin was added to mixed leucocyte cultures containing sensitized cells from one donor, there was always an additive blastogenic effect. Experiments using different proportions of histoplasmin positive and negative cells in mixed cultures indicated that the response to histoplasmin was a specific one, and depended on the number of sensitized cells present in the cultures. Preincubating positive or negative donor cells with histoplasmin prior to setting up mixed cultures led to the …  Lire la suite

The thesis is focused on the first three novels of Esther Tusquets: El mismo mar de todos los veranos (1978), El amor es un juego solitario (1979) and Varada tras el ultimo naufragio (1980). It is inspired by the central theme of the three novels--the Spanish middle-class woman's search for identity--and it aims at showing that the female protagonists' search for identity and their failure in the process is inextricably linked with General Franco's dictatorial policy of imposing traditional norms and values on the Spanish people between 1939-1975. The introduction summarizes the novels, explains the objectives of the thesis and …  Lire la suite

This dissertation investigates the phenomenon of the reworking of children's narrative, generally termed "fairy tales," within the framework of Spanish post-Civil War fiction. It is focused on selected novels by four contemporary women writers whose works are representative of the phenomenon under study. They are: Carmen Laforet (Nada 1944), Ana Maria Matute (Primera memoria 1959), Esther Tusquets ( El mismo mar de todos los veranos 1979) and Carmen Martin Gaite (Caperucita en Manhattan 1990 and La reina de las nieves 1994). The first three chapters examine generic issues as a preliminary step towards the explanation of the significance of fairy …  Lire la suite

The present study was done to determine whether the muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) function and expression could be regulated by two different factors: (a) thymopoietin (TPO)$ sp *$, a nicotinic antagonist and (b) MyoD, a myogenic transcription factor. Exposure of rat neonatal muscle cells in culture to TPO on a long-term (days) and short-term (minutes) basis resulted in the inhibition of $ sp{125}$I-$ alpha$-bungarotoxin (BGT) binding. Short-term pretreatment with TPO also led to a decrease in carbachol-stimulated $ sp{22}$Na uptake; however, long-term exposure resulted in an enhanced carbachol-stimulated uptake. Chronic treatment also resulted in greater muscle cell morphological development. …  Lire la suite

The planning of this study started with the author's personal observations from available reading material that in industry, some problems appear to be persistent. For instance: (a) rapid market and technological changes constantly tend to render many manufacturing plants economically and technically obsolete. [...]  Lire la suite

Cette étude examine l’impact de l’intelligence artificielle (« IA ») sur les travailleur.euse.s peu qualifié.e.s.L’accent est mis sur les employé.e.s des centres d’appel, un groupe professionnel dont le risqued’automatisation est particulièrement élevé. Leurs discours sont recueillis puis analysés au moyen d’uneméthodologie de théorie enracinée constructiviste et d’entretiens semi-structurés dans un centre d'appelautrichien. Les résultats indiquent que l’introduction d’outils technologiques sous-performants a entraînéune augmentation du travail émotionnel chez les agents. Cette augmentation du travail émotionnel sembleliée à l’incapacité des agents à intégrer leurs propres problèmes individuels dans le contexte social plus largedes effets de l’IA sur le marché du travail, et …  Lire la suite

La compréhension des processus électrochimiques à l'interface des membranes et des milieux biologiques est d'une importance critique pour la conception de matériaux réactifs pour des applications dans des contextes biologiques. Cette thèse décrit l'étude de deux amphiphiles ferrocénylés incorporés dans des vésicules lipidiques et les changements profonds de la structure membranaire résultant de l'oxydation du ferrocène. Les amphiphiles ferrocénylés sont uniques parmi les fonctionnalités sensibles à l'oxydoréduction, car les changements observés dans leurs structures d'ordre supérieur sont uniquement la conséquence d'un processus de transfert d'électrons et non d'un clivage de liaison favorisé par l'oxydoréduction. Cet effet est d'abord décrit pour …  Lire la suite

Koski, Kristine G. (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

Skeletal muscle fatigue and insufficient power output were two biological constraints impeding the application of this endogenous energy source for support of the failing ventricle. Our ability to manipulate muscle phenotypic expression by a transforming and continuous low frequency electrical stimulation and the development of synchronizable pulse-train stimulators have overcome these historical obstacles. This thesis addresses the hypothesis that fatigue-resistant transformed skeletal muscle can support the failing circulation. The work is divided into two major sections involving animal laboratory and clinical human experimentation. In acute dog models of heart failure we have demonstrated the feasibility of transformed latissimus dorsi muscle …  Lire la suite

Himal, Dr. Harry S.  Lire la suite

In the following pages an attempt is made to demonstrate how the system of slavery fits into the concept of man in the Qur'an. This thesis is an humble attempt to clarify the Qur'anic position on slavery which has often been misinterpreted or misunderstood by modern Muslim writers. Modern men have an aversion towards some of the social practices of ancient times, one of which is slavery. [...]  Lire la suite

In the following pages an attempt is made to demonstrate how the system of slavery fits into the concept of man in the Qur'an. Thia thesis is an humble attempt to clarify the Qur'anic position on slayery which has often been misinterpreted or misunderatood by modern Muslim writers. Modern men have an aversion towards some of the social practices of ancient times, one of which is slavery. [...]  Lire la suite

Platonic Philosophy as a whole is a movement upwards. It is the approach to an ideal, to an absolute end which exists of its own right. It does not offer a system in which all the component ideas are located in a specific place, and it does not force us to study these separately and then bring them together into an artificial whole. We can consider Plato's Philosophy from different points of view: his Ethics, his Epistemology, or his Politics, but every one of these points of view is so concerned and intermingled with the rest that an isolation of …  Lire la suite

De nombreux produits d'usage courant ont été conçus en modifiant des produits déjà existants. L'évolution constante des tendances du marché actuel et la demande croissante des clients pour des produits de qualité forcent les entreprises à effectuer des modifications fréquentes en vue de créer de nouveaux produits. Les défis associés à la modification de produit ont incité beaucoup d'entreprises à développer une stratégie de conception adaptative permettant de créer de nouveaux produits en améliorant de manière incrémentielle les produits existants. Ce mémoire propose un système d'aide à la décision visant à appuyer les gestionnaires en développement de produits dans l'analyse …  Lire la suite

Les solutions de polymères réticulés par nanoparticules et les hydrogels attirent l'attention dans de nombreux domaines de l'ingénierie et de la biomédicaux en raison de leur réponse unique aux stimuli environnementaux, de leur surface élevée, de leur dispersibilité des particules et de leurs propriétés accordables. Les NP de silice incorporée dans la matrice polymère augmentent les propriétés mécaniques par des interactions attirantes entre les NP et les polymères ou par des changements structurels dans le réseau polymère entourant les NP. Cette thèse se compose de deux parties: la première partie explore l'interaction fondamentale entre les NP de silice et les …  Lire la suite

Le bruit affecte tous Ies canaux de communication, ce qui se traduit par des erreurs dans les messages transmis. Il y a donc un besoin pour les techniques de correction d'erreurs. À quelques exceptions, près toutes les techniques de correction d'erreurs qui utilisent la rétroaction dans le canal font l'hypothèse que celui ci est sans erreurs pour en faire l'analyse. Cette thèse étudie l'effet de la rétroaction dans le canal sur deux techniques de correction d'erreurs, la méthode hybride ARQ type II généralisé et la méthode du ARQ sélectif. On y présente des expressions pour l'efficacite du debit, la probabilité …  Lire la suite

Girard-Lauriault, Pierre-Luc (Internal/Cosupervisor2)  Lire la suite

Kenya has a rich and controversial history of HIV vaccine-related research and incidents between researchers, participants and authorities have highlighted pertinent and endemic ethical, legal, social and political issues. The role of the state during these events and in wider vaccine research is unexamined and misunderstood; yet, the state is a deeply involved and dominant party. My thesis provides a coherent explanation of the role of the state in vaccine research and links recurrent ethical issues to the multiple and competing interests the state has in this activity. I develop multiple roles for the state as a Facilitator, Guardian, Participant, …  Lire la suite

When teachers initiate the process of student-kept portfolios in high school language arts, they draw upon implicit beliefs about knowledge, learning, and teaching. This study shows that why we use portfolios is as important as how we use them. I begin by exploring the century old history of teaching high school English wherein we can identify a contrast to portfolios, what we call traditional education. The ethical, classical, grammar based and non-academic traditions have shaped our definition of the subject, as well as the content. By examining where portfolios come from in the history of teaching English, we can then …  Lire la suite

The function of law is to give expression to justice, but the perfect achievement of this purpose is one which human law can never fully attain. Perfect justice is an attribute of God, and of God alone, and because law is made by man, there must always be a gap between the actual works of man and the perfect achievement of the will of God. [...]  Lire la suite

Alzheimer's disease is a devastating neurodegenerative disease, affecting millions of families every year. Decades of research has widened our understanding of the biochemistry, the pathology, as well as genetic and lifestyle risks factors underlying the disease. Nonetheless, after over 30 years of biochemical research, this knowledge has not transformed into successful therapeutic strategies. Virtually, all drug candidates whether an antibody or small molecule have failed to show clinical efficacy. A potential explanation for these failures could be that a significant proportion of fundamental Alzheimer's disease research has focussed on animal models harboring mutations found only in very rare and aggressive …  Lire la suite