McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par R

Bourbeau, Jean (Internal/Cosupervisor2)  Lire la suite

This study on the influence of auditory stimuli on motor systems was divided into 4 experimental series. The first one consisted in studying in Man the changes in excitability of spinal motoneurones in response to sounds using monosynaptic testing (H-reflex). The results showed an audio-spinal potentiation occurring 80 msec after the onset of the tone, attaining a peak at 100-120 msec and lasting on average 200 msec. The second study aimed at establishing how this audiospinal influence could be integrated to repetitive hopping at the preferred frequency (2.05 Hz) in synchrony with dance music. The muscular activity responsible for landing …  Lire la suite

Microarray expression analysis was carried out to identify genes with a role in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). The U133A Affymetrix GeneChipRTM was used to determine the expression patterns of the 3p25.3-ptel genes represented on the microarray in 14 primary cultures of normal ovarian surface epithelial (NOSE) samples, 25 frozen malignant ovarian tumor samples and four EOC cell lines. Seven genes with differential expression patterns in the tumor samples compared to the NOSE samples were identified as candidates for further analysis, starting with ARPC4, SRGAP3 and ATP2B2. Although none of the candidates had been previously studied in ovarian cancer, several had …  Lire la suite

Depuis la mort de George Sand en 1876, sa renommée littéraire a beaucoup baissé. Aujourd'hui elle est connue à deux titres surtout: comme romancière et comme une femme qui a mené une vie extrêmement libre - libre même parmi les moeurs plutôt affranchies de son époque. Mais i1 y a un autre côté, ou inconnu ou oublié par la plupart du public d'aujourd'hui. C'est l'auteur dramatique, le dramaturge qui, vers la fin de sa vie, a joui d'un succès considérable. C'est dans son théâtre que j'essayerai dans les chapitres suivants de trouver et de mettre à jour quelques sources, et …  Lire la suite

This thesis examines the role of the Bank of England during the Peninsular War. Between 1807 and 1814, Britain was involved in a war in the Iberian Peninsula against Napoleonic France. Due to changes in the British monetary system in the late eighteenth century, the Bank of England became increasingly attached to the British state and its ability to wage war. This, however, often led to arguments between the Bank and the government. Despite this, this thesis will demonstrate that the Bank of England saw itself as self-consciously part of the British state and was a vital part of the …  Lire la suite

A continuing challenge in occupational hygiene is that of estimating exposure to the multitude of airborne chemicals found in the workplace and surrounding community. Occupational exposure limits (OELs) have been established to prescribe the acceptable time weighted average for many different chemicals. Comparing the OELs to the measured workplace concentration allows occupational hygienists to assess the health risks and the need for control measures. Hence, methods to more effectively sample contaminants in the workplace are necessary to ensure that accurate exposure characterizations are completed. Evacuated canisters have been used for many years to collect ambient air samples for gases and …  Lire la suite

This thesis comprises a review of studies on the diffusion of recommended guidelines on preventive practices and three papers evaluating the preventive practice patterns of general practitioners in Torino, Italy. The first paper presents estimates of preventive practices and perceived effectiveness of preventive interventions. Patterns of practice were found to be consistently similar to those in other studies. The second and third papers explore an array of determinants for ten primary and secondary preventive interventions. An analysis of determinants indicates that complex patterns of behaviours are rather condition-specific, while the application of techniques is influenced to a varying extent by …  Lire la suite

New consumer considerations regarding mining impacts and pollution issues have highlighted the need to innovate alternative media for the horticultural industry. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether novel hydroponic substrates based on hemp (Cannabis sativa) bast fibre could perform similarly to existing substrates. Hemp bast fibres have been shown to be strong, durable, and resistant to decay. In order to determine the viability of bast fibre as a substrate we conducted two sets of experiments. Firstly, physical- and chemical properties of hemp bast fibre, as well as two other popular horticultural substrates, coco coir and rockwool, were …  Lire la suite

Shao, Yixin (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

Yidan Lu (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

Tritryps diseases, including Human African Trypanosomiasis, Chagas disease, and Leishmaniasis, are debilitating infections caused by kinetoplastids that threaten the lives of millions of people and livestock. In these microorganisms, mitochondrial transcripts undergo a unique uridine insertion/deletion RNA modification to become translatable and functional. This RNA editing pathway is mediated by a multiprotein complex known as the “editosome”, which has features that underpin its suitability as a validated drug target, such as its essentiality for the parasite’s viability, absence in the host organism, multiple enzymes constitution, and conservation among disease-causing kinetoplastids. Unfortunately, no enzyme-specific inhibitor has been found within the entire …  Lire la suite

Contexte :La prescription sociale est une approche en santé qui vise à orienter les individus vers des ressources communautaires afin de répondre à des facteurs non médicaux influençant leur bien-être. Elle permet aux patients d’accéder à un soutien social, une aide financière, des activités récréatives et des services essentiels, en complément aux soins cliniques, dans le but d’améliorer leur santé globale et leur qualité de vie. Ce modèle est largement utilisé en soins primaires pour aborder les déterminants sociaux de la santé. Toutefois, en dentisterie, cette approche reste relativement nouvelle et peu explorée. À l’Université McGill, les étudiants en médecine …  Lire la suite

The condensation of benzene with acetaldehyde has been studied in the presence of a variety of condensing agents with a view to increase the yield of 1,1-diphenylethane by means of a more effective and more economical condensing agent than concentrated sulphuric acid. The dlphenylethane is a source material for styrene useful for the manufacture of synthetic rubber and plastics. The yield of 1,1-diphenylethane from the benzene-acetaldehyde condensation has been improved from 40-50 per cent obtainable with sulphuric acid to 70 per cent with boron trifluoride.[...]  Lire la suite

The Office of War Information's influence on the portrayal of Japanese-Americans in motion pictures provides an unusual opportunity for a case study of the implementation of a motion picture propaganda policy. OWI's motion picture program included the production and theatrical distribution of government films and the review before release of feature films produced by the Hollywood studios. The OWI policy on Japanese-Americans is examined to show how it called for three conflicting views. In government films, implementation of the policy became a problem of film technique for government filmmakers. In Hollywood films, the policy was implemented by a special OWI …  Lire la suite

In much of the work devoted within recent years to the study of atherosclerosis, great emphasss has been placed on the biochemical changes associated with the disease - particularly changes in the lipid and lipoprotein composition of the blood. Studies of the structure of the arterial wall and of the structural changes occurring during the development of atherosclerotic lesions have been relatively neglected. Atherosclerosis is, however, a focal disease. In studying the pathogenesis of the lesions, and in attempting to account tor their localization, one must consider not only the composition and pressure of the fluid bathing and passing into …  Lire la suite

The construction and operation of a vacuum ultracentrifuge are described. The duralumin rotor carries up to 96 cc of material for centrifugation. It is driven by a two phase induction motor supplied by a 1 kw audiofrequency generator, also described. The rotor is suspended from the armature, in vacuo, by a flexible stainless steel shaft. The whole rotating system is supported by an electromagnet. With this drive the rotor has been accelerated to 30,000 RPM in 13 minutes, with 1 kw power input. With 400 watts input and no attention from the operator, the speed remained within 3.1% of this …  Lire la suite

Les intrigues entremelees et sans lien apparent du Marchant de Venise contribuent a rendre la caracterisation de la piece difficile, tant selon le genre que la structure. L'ambiguite du personnage de Shylock, entre comique et tragique, ne fait que renforcer cette incertitude. Certains se sont deja tournes vers Aristote et la Poetique pour construire leur etude litteraire du cannon shakesperien, mais jusqu'ici rares sont ceux qui ont tente de comprendre specifiquement Le MV en s'appuyant sur la taxinomie de la poetique classique ancienne. J'essaie de faire cela, et cette approche me semble enrichir la comprehension de certaines des caracteristiques problematiques …  Lire la suite

Le syndrome antiphospholipide (SAPL) est une maladie autoimmune caractérisée par la présence d'auto-anticorps antiphospholipides (aPL) dirigés contre des protéines liant les phospholipides anioniques dont la β2-glycoproteine I (β2GPI), ainsi que par des manifestations cliniques incluant la thrombose et la perte foetale récurrente. Les patients souffrant du SAPL possèdent des lymphocytes T sensibles au β2GPI mais leurs origines restent inconnues. Nous posons donc l'hypothèse que des souris immunisées avec β2GPI humain produiraient des lymphocytes T sensibles au β2GPI endogène. De surcroit, nous proposons que l'oxydation, la réduction, ou la liaison du β2GPI aux phospholipides affecterait l'identification du β2GPI par les lymphocytes …  Lire la suite

The objective of this thesis is to examine different issues concerning the allocation of real loss and reactive power components to individual bilateral contracts in the context of deregulation and competition in electric power systems. In a competitive environment, real loss and reactive-power allocation is an ancillary service provided by the transmission providers or by the Independent System Operator (ISO). Under a monopoly, the price charged for these services was embedded in the overall electricity tariff which recovered the costs associated with this and all other ancillary services. Under competition, however, real losses and reactive generation may have to be …  Lire la suite

The purpose of this investigation is to use an adiabatic approximation in considering two distortions of the triton core in the hypernucleus ^H4. Firstly, the core is allowed a uniform radial expansion and contraction due to the presence of the ^ particle. Secondly, the core can assume an ellipsoidal shape from its original spherically symmetrical form, the volume remaining constant, to first order. The results indicate that both distortions are significant. The maximum reduction of the r. m. s. radius of the core is 24.2%, with a consequent reduction of 12.6% for the mean value of the well depth for …  Lire la suite

This thesis applies the consensus paradigm to an important problem in model-based vision, that of primitive extraction. Primitive extraction is the process of finding geometric primitives in geometric data. Such data are obtained directly by active sensors such as laser rangefinders, by processes that operate on passive sensor data to create depth information such as stereo vision, or by simple edge detection and thresholding of intensity images. A geometric primitive is a curve or surface which can be described by an implicit function. We show that the best solution to this problem is at the global optimum of a cost …  Lire la suite

The Sutton Mountains form the principle western tectonic element of the Appalachian Mountain system of Southern Quebec and a northern continuation of the Green Mountains in Vermont. In the area under study the Sutton Mountains are underlain by a fairly-uniform assemblage of schists of the lower greenschist facies which are generally referred to as the Sutton Schists. Thin quartz layering and a uniformly-developed schistosity, generally parallel to this layering, form a bread anticlinal arch, the Green Mountain - Sutton Mountain anticline, in which several schistosities and associated lineations are developed. The schists grade to the east and to the west …  Lire la suite

The design details of an automatic scanning and measurement system for 12 mm are outlined and the performance of the completed system evaluated. [...]  Lire la suite

The fertilized egg, in its development, may take one of three possible courses. It may develop normally; it may deviate from the normal course as the result of intrinsic or external forces to produce a congenital anomaly; or it may abort or resorb. In marnmalian systems the course of development is determined by the interaction between the fetal genotype and its environment. The fetal environment, which is its mother's uterus, is in turn determined by the interaction between the maternal genotype and environment. [...]  Lire la suite

This work focuses on the special problems in the context of drafting the corporate charter and bylaws for American corporations the stocks of which are mainly owned by the members of one family. Although the ownership structure would also allow a partnership organization, there can be good reasons for choosing the corporate structure. Nevertheless, the family owners will want to preserve a partnership-like structure and a maximum amount of ownership influence. However, the three-tiered structure of the corporation (board of directors, officers, and shareholders) and their individual functions are fixed by a "statutory model" that the courts tend to adhere …  Lire la suite

Activation or "arousal" of the EEG is ordinarily thought to be brought about by stimulation, usually by various sensory modalities, of the reticular activating system; this in turn exerts a diffuse influence upon the electrical activity recorded from the entire cortex (Magoun, 1955). [...]  Lire la suite

This summary of criticism will be concerned with two aspects of work on Faulkner: first, the articles and chpaters of books relating to As I Lay Dying; secondly, those concerned with polarity and antithesis characteristic of his novels. [...]  Lire la suite

Over the last several years this inquiry has focused on the impact of a media literacy curriculum on the literate behaviour of several groups of at-risk high school students. One of the characteristics of many of these students is that they possess low levels of literacy, in addition to being unmotivated to engage in the academic activity of schools. These characteristics result, in a large part, from assessment practices based almost exclusively on the ability to generate certain forms of print texts. Because at-risk students have not been particularly successful in these contexts, assumptions are made as to their intellectual …  Lire la suite

Wallace Stevens (1879-1955) is probably the greatest and most prolific exponent of purist estheticism in all of American letters. Born in Reading, Pennsylvania, his first book of poetry, Harmonium (1923) won him the respect and admiration of his fellow writers, but brought him little popular acclaim and less remuneration. His career as a poet spanned four decades, the 1923 volume being followed by Ideas 2( Order (1935); The Man with the Blue Guitar (1937); Parts of â World (1942); Transport to Symmer (1947); The Auroras gt Autumn (1950); The Necessary Angel (a collection of essa7s, 1951); The Collected Poems of …  Lire la suite

Bicaudal-C, a Drosophila gene, is required for centripetal follicle cell migration in the egg chamber and anterior patterning of the embryo; its exact functions are unknown. BICAUDAL-C carries five KH domains required for in vitroRNA-binding and for in vivo activity. Here, I show that Bicaudal-C functions, through RNA-binding, to regulate oskar expression during mid-oogenesis. Females carrying mutations in Bicaudal-C in the regions encoding its KH domains display premature, ectopic translation of OSKAR at the anterior of their stages 8--10 oocytes; this likely accounts for the disruption of anterior patterning in embryos of Bicaudal-C/+ females. Also here, I propose that oskar …  Lire la suite

Contexte : Les médicaments à base d'incrétine, qui comprennent les agonistes du récepteur du peptide 1 de type glucagon (GLP-1 RA) et les inhibiteurs de la dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4), sont des médicaments antihyperglycémiques de deuxième ou de troisième intention utilisés pour traiter le diabète de type 2. De nouvelles preuves expérimentales suggèrent que les médicaments à base d'incrétine peuvent atténuer la croissance des cellules cancéreuses de l'endomètre. Des études de laboratoire ont montré que le traitement de cellules endométriales humaines avec des médicaments à base d'incrétine peut ralentir le taux de croissance des tumeurs de manière dose-dépendante. Cependant, les recherches …  Lire la suite

Bioactive surface coatings have retained the attention of researchers and physicians for their versatility and range of applications in the field of orthopedics, particularly in the context of infection prevention. Antibacterial metal nanoparticles (mNPs) are a highly disputed, but promising therapeutic, with equally vast application opportunities. The current research aims to construct a polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) on semiporous titanium disks using alternating thin film coatings of chitosan and alginate using the Layer-by-Layer (LbL) self-assembly technique, along with the incorporation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) or titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2NPs), for antibacterial and osteoconductive activity.LbL PEM deposition was validated using Quartz Crystal …  Lire la suite

World War II has come to a close, and the leading democracies of the world have started to reconvert towards a peace time economy. Many objectives have been put forward, and are in the process of accomplishment, but a Tax policy which will effectively contribute towards these objectives is still lacking. Although taxation, and particularly business taxation, as a part of the Fiscal Policy program, has been the subject of much discussion, and several proposals have been advanced, much revision will have to be undertaken to incorporate the discussions and proposals in the Full Employment peace Time Economy towards which …  Lire la suite

An elaborate network of genes defines the genetic profile along the anteroposterioraxis of certain individuals in the Diptera family, establishing a robust pattern that differsslightly between species. Differences in the segmentation gene pattern of Drosophilaand Anopheles suggest that the parameters defining their networks evolved differentlyfrom the last common ancestor onwards. The study of the evolution of thenetwork, defined by a set of differential equations, using our genetic algorithm revealsa phenotypic pathway that explains these dissimilarities while conserving thenecessary conditions for viable species. This computational search through a modeland parameter "hyperspace" using the genetic algorithm predicts homologies betweendifferent stripe modules for …  Lire la suite

The purpose was to examine the effect of shaft stiffness on puck velocity and response characteristics of the stick during performance of a slap shot. Six elite male ice hockey players performed 6 slap shots with 4 sticks of different shaft stiffness designated as medium (13 N/m), stiff (16N/m), extra (17 N/m) and pro stiff (19 N/m). These four levels represent the range in stiffness of sticks available to hockey players. The mechanics of the slap shot were evaluated by recording ground reaction forces and kinematics from high speed filming and a radar gun. Data were analyzed with a 3-way …  Lire la suite

Carret, Anne-Sophie (Internal/Cosupervisor2)  Lire la suite

Presented in this thesis is a novel systematic approach to determine the general characteristics and stability of an EDFL, and a thorough experimental investigation of a mode-locked dual-wavelength EDFL. The novel method to characterize an EDFL consists of performing an extensive set of measurements, and from these measurements a set of parameters is calculated. These parameters quantifiably describe the laser in terms of its temporal and spectral characteristics, signal power and wavelength variations, and number of occurrences for which the laser ceases its multi-wavelength operation. An experimental investigation of a free-running mode-locked dual-wavelength EDFL with different signal wavelength spacing and …  Lire la suite

Dawson, J. F. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Using a variational method with a six-parameter wave function, a study is made of a possible bound state of a three-particle system, consisting of two hyperons and one nucleon (L-L-n). The hyperon-nucleon and hyperon-hyperon potentials are inferred from the phenomenological nucleon-nucleon potentials of Gammel and Thaler (1), by neglecting K-meson exchange and assuming global symmetry of the pion coupling. Both tensor and spin-orbit forces are neglected. The results of the calculations indicate that the system L-L-n is most likely unbound.  Lire la suite

Cartwright, Glenn (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Hedge funds report performance information voluntarily. When they stop reporting they are transferred from the "live" pool of funds to the "defunct" pool. Consequently, liquidated funds constitute a subset of the defunct pool. I present models of hedge fund survival, attrition, and survivorship bias based on liquidation alone. This refines estimates of predictor variables in models of survival, leads to attrition rates of hedge funds to be roughly one half those previously thought, and produces larger estimates of survivorship bias. Survival models based on liquidated funds only, lead to an increase in survival time of 50 to 100 percent relative …  Lire la suite

The highly varying course of MS has made it difficult to establish accurate prognoses about its natural history. The reliability of neurologic impairment grades obtained by clinical examinations of patients is becoming recognized as important. Current statistical methods in natural history studies of MS are essentially classical survival and linear models, applied to clinical data and with mortality, impairment, and secondary progression of MS, as outcomes. However, more sophisticated modelling attempts, in particular ones that account for the fluctuating course of MS, are rare. Stochastic and time series models are two such recent methods that have been proposed. As more …  Lire la suite

The composition of the top few inches of the soil, with which the agriculturist is mainly concerned, consists of a mineral framework of inorganic particles varying in degree of subdivision and in chemical composition. These particles are coated with a hygroscopic layer of organic matter in the colloidal state, in various stages of decomposition, the whole in close association with inorganic aggregates in a similar state. The spaces between the particles are occupied by the soil atmosphere and the soil solution. The soil is biologically very active and provides the habitat for an extensive microbial population, comprising bacteria, actinomycetes, fungi, …  Lire la suite