McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par R

Lightboll, W. (Supervisors)  Lire la suite

Particle accelerators such as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) create a state of matter in which quarks and gluons are deconfined which is called the quark-gluon plasma. The time evolution of this plasma is currently widely thought to be described by relativistic dissipative hydrodynamics using only a very small shear viscosity; the bulk hadronic matter is thus considered to be a nearly perfect fluid. We offer the first systematic exploration of bulk viscosity and it's coupling to shear viscosity using a high order model of dissipative hydrodynamics.This is done using an estimation method used to predict the value of the …  Lire la suite

Cyberpunk's attempt to imagine the futures that the expanding communications networks will shape, as explored in Sterling's Islands in the Net and Stephenson's The Diamond Age, discovers that the boundaries between the machine and human, the natural and artificial, and the past and present have never been as clear as the modern realist schematic has drawn them. Gothic literature represents transgressions of these boundaries as threatening to the self, and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is the node where the gothic is dismembered and sutured into science fiction, and the modern self faces its monstrous double. Yet if boundaries are represented as …  Lire la suite

Gunn, K. L. S. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

This thesis explores three fundamental issues in the phonology and morphology of Ethiopian Semitic languages: mobile morphology, reduplication and epenthesis. In each chapter I draw on comparative evidence from different Ethiopian Semitic languages, an approach which provides greater insight into how the languages vary with respect to these three issues, and how the issues themselves are best analyzed. The first issue is that of 'mobile morphology' a term I coin to describe the ability of a particular morphological category to be realized on various segments within a stem. The two major types in the South Ethio-Semitic languages are palatalization and …  Lire la suite

With the emergence of Optimality Theory, where the burden of explanation is placed almost entirely on constraints, we have observed in the phonological literature a de-emphasis on the role of structural relationships that hold within and across segments. In this thesis, counter to the current trend, I argue that the most explanatory approach to phonological processes requires reference to highly-articulated representations. I explore a number of phenomena found in the first language acquisition of Quebec French and argue that these phenomena are best captured in an analysis based on structurally-defined markedness, headedness in constituent structure, and relationships between segmental features …  Lire la suite

A Canada wide questionnaire survey collected data from 168 dietetics trainees and 23 preservice program coordinators regarding perceptions of preservice practice. First, to what extent were trainees and coordinators aware of and involved with the Competencies for the Entry Level Dietitian? Second, how prepared were trainees for practice? Third, what was the depth and breadth of learning opportunity in competencies of assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation? Fourth, what were the number of learning opportunities in competencies of professional practice and communication? Further, did perceptions vary with format of preservice practice (integrated or internship) or respondent type (trainee or coordinator)? Results …  Lire la suite

With the advent of high speed interconnects, signal integrity issues resulting from incident electromagnetic fields are becoming a significant challenge for circuit designers. It is necessary therefore to be able to efficiently and accurately simulate interconnect networks affected by this type of interference in order to have a clear picture of how the signal on the interconnect is affected. Since models for interconnect networks affected by incident electromagnetic fields tend to be very large, traditional circuit simulation techniques require a significant CPU cost. In order to address this problem, this thesis introduces a model order reduction technique that allows for …  Lire la suite

It is the purpose of this thesis to report on and evaluate anti-combines enforcement in the period 1945-58. This period has been chosen for two reasons. First, in no period of similar duration has so much serious effort been directed to the problem of dealing with restrictive and monopolistic trade practices. [...]  Lire la suite

A low-temperature atomic force microscope has been designed and built. The instrument will operate at liquid helium temperatures, and will be used to investigate a number of phenomena observable only at low temperatures, including flux pinning mechanisms in superconductors, as well as domain structure dynamics in microfabricated ferromagnetic particles. This thesis provides a general review of force microscopy, including a summary of the forces to which the instrument is sensitive, as well as the most common modes of operation of the force microscope. An overview of our newly constructed low temperature microscope is then presented, examining each of the components …  Lire la suite

Low temperature magnetic force microscopy studies of superconducting niobium films have been undertaken with the goal of studying the interplay between artificial pinning centers and magnetic vortices. Measurements were performed using a custom built low temperature magnetic force microscope, capable of operation at temperatures ranging from 4.2 K to room temperature. Special attention has been paid to optimizing the instrumentation through a detailed study of the noise characteristics, with particular emphasis placed on achieving a large signal-to-noise ratio and corresponding high force gradient sensitivity. Magnetic force spectroscopy data has been used to deduce the critical temperature of the superconducting samples, …  Lire la suite

Conflicts of interest (COIs) from industry funding and other financial relationships with researchers can influence the conduct, interpretation, and reporting of biomedical research. Reporting guidelines recommend that COIs from pharmaceutical industry funding and author-industry financial ties be disclosed in published research reports. Authors of systematic reviews and meta-analyses, however, are not required to describe COIs from trials included in reviews. The present research is comprised of two studies that aimed to investigate the extent to which COIs from drug trials are reported in systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in (1) high-impact biomedical journals and (2) the Cochrane Database of Systematic …  Lire la suite

The use of a heated fine wire as a delicate detector of fluid velocity and pressure has been known for many years. King, in an intensive series of experiments and theoretical examination, developed the hot-wire anemometer and indicated the linear relation between the heat lost by a hot wire in a moving stream of air and the square root of its velocity, at high velocities. The hot-wire microphone, a sensitive means of detection of acoustic waves was brought into prominence by Tucker and Paris. With grids of fine platinum wires mounted in the necks of suitable resonators they were able …  Lire la suite

The purpose of this study has been the investigation of the influence of manual massage, applied directly over the site of injury in a peripheral nerve, on the rate of downgrowth of the regenerating axons into the peripheral segment of the nerve. There have been a number of reports in the literature on allegedly successful or unsuccessful attempts to stimulate the rate of peripheral nerve regeneration. As regards the use of massage in this connection, many investigators have stressed the value of its application to denervated muscles, in order to maintain them in as healthy a state as possible for …  Lire la suite

A crucial element affecting individuals' responses to a health threat is how certain or uncertain they feel about whether that health threat will occur. Moreover, individuals differ in the degree to which they are affected by uncertainty. I propose that state and trait differences in uncertainty interact to predict psychosocial responses. The first manuscript shows that a higher intolerance of uncertainty (IU) leads to greater information-seeking about a health threat. The second manuscript shows that this relationship is moderated by perceived situational uncertainty (SU) and also affects worry. Specifically, individuals with higher IU seek the most information and worry most …  Lire la suite

The processing of pain in the nervous system is now known to have an important immune component, including T cells of the adaptive immune system. T cells have been shown to release endogenous opioids, and although it is well known that opioids have effects on T cell populations, very little attention has been given to the converse: how T cells may affect opioid regulation. During pregnancy, there is a shift in T-cell functioning, and it has been reported consistently that many female chronic pain sufferers have an attenuation of symptoms during pregnancy. Additionally it has been shown that rats display …  Lire la suite

The nucleotide sequence of the cnjA cDNA (formerly pC1) from the ciliated protozoan Tetrahymena thermophila was determined. This gene was previously found to be conjugation specific and to peak in expression just prior to or at pachytene in meiotic prophase I. The cnjA message is initiated from four transcription start sites, one minor and three major, and encodes a putative protein (CnjA) of 779 amino acids. The protein has a calculated molecular weight of 89.5 kDa and is mainly hydrophilic with an estimated pI of 9.3. CnjA was found to share no sequence similarities with any known protein to date. …  Lire la suite

La méthylation de l'ADN et les modifications post-traductionnelles des histones sont des éléments de régulation nécessaires pour le développement normal et la bonne fonction des cellules. On sait que les modifications d'histones déterminent partiellement la localisation des ADN méthyltransférases (DNMT). Par exemple, le domaine PWWP des DNMTs de novo (DNMT3A, DNMT3B) interagit normalement avec la méthylation de la lysine 36 de l'histone H3 (H3K36) pour guider la localisation des DNMTs. Les îlots CpG (CGI) sont généralement pauvres en H3K36me2/3 et enrichis de marques répressives associées aux complexes répressifs PRC1 (H2AK119ub) et PRC2 (H3K27me3). Malgré l'antagonisme entre H3K27me3 et H3K36me2/3, nous …  Lire la suite

Oertel, H. (Supervisors)  Lire la suite

Leguminous seeds are generally highly nutritious and have been used in the human diet for many centuries. The peasants of Asia and elsewhere grow leguminous seeds on small plots of land for their own consumption. The seeds are allowed to dry in the fields and are stored for use throughout the year. Dried seeds are either ground finely for use in baking or the whole seeds are boiled and used to make soups and curries. It has been known for centuries that seeds of the same variety may display variation in their cookability. The producer of commercial pea soups today …  Lire la suite

Mitchell, Claudia A. (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

Cette thèse de style manuscrit rassemble quatre articles centrés sur l'observation et l'analyse des initiatives de réforme dans l'est du Canada. Trois de ces articles traitent de NEXTschool, une tentative visant à faciliter un changement systémique dans les écoles secondaires anglophones du Québec. NEXTschool vise à accroître l'engagement des élèves et à adapter les structures éducatives aux objectifs d'apprentissage du 21e siècle. Le quatrième document examine une tentative de réforme similaire qui s'est avérée infructueuse, en considérant pourquoi le changement n'a pas été réalisé dans ce cas. Les quatre documents traitent des réformes facilitées par la conception, une approche visant …  Lire la suite

L’Apocalypse de St-Jean se conclut en comparant les figures de «Babylone» (Rome) et la «nouvelle Jérusalem» (les disciples du Christ). Il dépeint «Babylone» comme un prostituée et marchande d’esclaves riche, violente, et idolâtre et aussi comme quelqu’une qui a persécuté les fidèles. Dans une tournure de la justice poétique, elle est condamnée à mourir pour ses crimes dans le «spectacle» ou «jeux» de gladiateurs, une punition et divertissement typiquement romain. Mais la «Jérusalem» apparaît comme un nouveau Eden urbaine. Sa récompense est de devenir la femme de «l’Agneau» (Jesus Christ, ressuscité et glorifié). Cette image ne reflète pas seulement des …  Lire la suite

Demon possession and exorcism are major themes in the gospel of Mark. Since the Enlightenment, Mark's Western audience has often found them to difficult to interpret, especially in the case of possession itself. The author of Mark assumed that his audience would understand the idea of possession, an assumption that does not necessarily hold true for modern audiences. This study aims to provide some idea of what possession means in Mark. It proceeds with exegesis of Mark's possession pericopes and situates them within the context of ancient beliefs about demons and possession. Critical consideration of modern cross-disciplinary research related to …  Lire la suite

The study of the mineralocorticoid aspect of adrenal cortical activity has been accelerated in recent years by the isolation of aldosterone (1-5). That this aspect of adrenal cortical activity may be altered independently of its other aspects has been well demonstrated by the numerous published studies relating to the sodium-retaining factor recovered from the urine in various disease states (6-15).  Lire la suite

This investigation examines cell proliferation in the pancreas of the Syrian golden hamster. Three main themes are pursued. First, normal pancreatic growth and development is reviewed. Emphasis is placed on histogenesis and trophic stimuli. Secondly, modulation of pancreatic growth is examined. A new method for producing partial pancreatic duct obstruction using a technique of cellophane wrapping is described. The histologic alterations induced by wrapping are the same as those associated with the early changes of chemical pancreatic carcinogenesis--duct epithelial hyperplasia, metaplasia and nesidioblastosis. Morphometric, immunocytochemical, autoradiographic and G.I. hormone analysis are also utilized to characterize this model. Importantly, experimental nesidioblastosis …  Lire la suite

Mouse biliary glycoproteins (Bgp) are members of the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) family, a subfamily of the immunoglobulin superfamily. Nine similar but distinct mouse Bgp cDNA clones have been isolated and characterized. These Bgp isoforms encode polypeptides that contain multiple Ig domains, a single transmembrane domain and a short or long intracytoplasmic domain. Sequence analyses have demonstrated that Bgp isoforms are generated through complex alternative splicing of a single gene and allelic variation. Mouse Bgp proteins are highly expressed in the epithelial cells of the liver and the intestine and are implicated in diverse cellular functions including cell adhesion and bile …  Lire la suite

Synapse formation involves multiple coordinated events between the presynaptic and the postsynaptic nerve that ultimately results in the expression of the appropriate neurotransmitters at the presynaptic nerve terminal and the matching neurotransmitter receptors on the opposing postsynaptic membrane. For my thesis research, I investigate different aspects of neurotransmitter receptor gene expression, an early step in the process of synaptogenesis. Specifically, I focus on two different neurotransmitter-gated ion channels that are expressed on neonatal rat peripheral neurons: the serotonin 5-HT3 receptor (5-HT3R) and the neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR). The 5-HT3R is expressed on both nodose sensory neurons and sympathetic neurons. …  Lire la suite

Les conditions dans lesquelles les individus transgenres sont incarcérés aux États-Unis sont devenues inquiétantes pour certains activistes et experts. Plusieurs formes d'abus à l'égard des prisonniers transgenres sont identifiables, dont l'humiliation, le harcèlement, les agressions, et le déni de droits variés. Vue la petite échelle du corps d'étude qui existe à présent sur les conditions d'incarcération des personnes trans*, mon projet explore des comptes rendus détaillés de prisonniers trans* féminines à travers les États-Unis afin de recueillir des données sur les traumatismes physiques et psychologiques qu'elles/ils subissent, ainsi que d'autres aspects de leur(e)s vies tel que la réalisation des sexes, …  Lire la suite

In elementary texts, chemistry is defined a.s the study of the transformations which matter undergoes. Early chemistry, indeed, concerned itself entirely with the properties of matter, and methods for effecting its transformation. Soon, however, attention was focused on the actual mechanism of reaction and it was found necessary to consider not onlymaterial changes, but accompanying energy changes. [...]  Lire la suite

The kinetics of the oxidation of gaseous propionaldehyde have been investigated from 120 to 170°C by a static method. The reaction is a chain process and is similar to the oxidation of acetaldehyde. The rate is proportional to the square of the aldehyde concentration, and independent of that of oxygen. The apparent heat of activation is 15,400 calories per gram molecule. The following mechanism is suggested for the oxidation of aldehydep {...]  Lire la suite

L'adversité en début de vie a un impact profond sur le développement neurologique, prédisposantles individus à une série de maladies chroniques à l'âge adulte en raison de l'altération desmécanismes de réponse au stress. Cette thèse examine les voies neurobiologiques qui relientl'adversité précoce à la détérioration de la qualité de vie, en se concentrant sur le rôle desbiomarqueurs du stress tels que les cytokines pro-inflammatoires (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8), lesglucocorticoïdes (cortisol, cortisone) et les endocannabinoïdes (AEA, SEA, OEA, PEA, 2-AG).En caractérisant les réponses hétérogènes à l'adversité à l'aide de ces biomarqueurs, nous visons àidentifier les individus à risque et à évaluer l'efficacité …  Lire la suite

L’exploration des caractéristiques des paysages énergétiques complexes est un défiimportant dans la simulation informatique des systèmes moléculaires. Une vue simplifiée etplus perspicace du système est souvent obtenue en localisant et en cartographiant lesminimums d’énergie libre et ses barrières. Dans cette thèse, on propose d’utiliser uneapproche principalement utilisée dans le domaine de l’économie, appelée «Problème du Bard’El-Farol», afin d’explorer des systèmes de modèles présentant un large intérêtphysico-chimique: les modèles de spin.Le «Problème du bar d’El-Farol» relève desapproches de «raisonnement inductif» ou de «rationalité limitée» de la modélisation de ladynamique du marché. À la base, il y a un algorithme d’apprentissage automatique …  Lire la suite

The experiments to be presented consist of an attempt to extend the observations of Dickens and Greville on the effects of anoxia and lack of substrate on the subsequent carbohydrate metabolism of brain tissue. Dickens and Greville (1933) working with brain slices, and Elliott and Henry (1946) with suspensions, showed that deprivation of both oxygen and substrate for relatively short periods caused a marked inhibition of the subsequent anaerobic glycolysis, while respiration was inhibited to a lesser degree.  Lire la suite

A function shall be called a number theoretic function, if its variables are non-negative integers, and its values are non-negative integers. A number theoretic function shall be called primitive recursive if it can be obtained from the initial functions I, II, III by a finite number of substitutions and primitive recursions. In constructing the primitive recursive functions the following initial functions and definition schemes shall be used.  Lire la suite

Shah, Jai (Internal/Cosupervisor2)  Lire la suite

Spherical polymer membranes, 3 mm in diameter were prepared by interfacial polymerization. Modifications of this method to incorporate lipid and protein are described. Cation and water permeabilities were measured. Lipid incorporation caused a marked decrease in cation and water permeability. The addition of valinomycin to the lipid-complexed membranes resulted in a selective increase in rubidium but not sodium or water permeability. Analysis of the amount of lipid incorporated indicates a multimolecular lipid structure rather than a single bilayer. The cation and water flux values for the lipid-complexed membranes is comparable to values for biological membranes. Incorporated Na+-K+ activated ATPase retained …  Lire la suite

Morales, Carlos (Supervisor)  Lire la suite