McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par R

Les essais de Marivaux sont peu connus. Rarement publiés, il faut les chercher dans les recueils d'"oeuvres complètes". Il ne faut pas s'étonner, car ces essais, publiés sans vraie continuité, ne sont en fait, que des pièces détachées. La Vie de Marianne et Le Jeu de l'Amour et du Hasard allaient les reléguer dans l'ombre. [...]  Lire la suite

Imaging the sky at millimeter wavelengths has, over the last half-century, contributed richly to our understanding of the nature and evolution of theuniverse, with such valuable prizes still to be found as the miniscule polarization signature left by a period of cosmic inflation. As future experiments seek to detect ever fainter signals, they require ever higher sensitivities. Modern detector and readout technologies regularly achieve photon-noise-limited levels of performance; consequently, improvements are to be made by increasing the number of detectors performing measurements, rather than by improving the individual performance of each. Operation of such high numbers of detectors is done …  Lire la suite

Les détecteurs à inductance cinétique sont des capteurs résonateurs supraconducteurs dont la capacité de mise à l'échelle en fait une technologie attrayante pour la prochaine génération d'expériences astronomiques à grande échelle en longueur d'onde millimétrique.Ne nécessitant aucun matériel de multiplexage supplémentaire, leur simplicité cryogénique leur permet de servir de base à des conceptions d'instruments sur puce complexes, telles que les spectromètres en banc de filtres. Ce type d'instrument, qui observe le ciel millimétrique avec un plan focal comportant de nombreux spectromètres haute résolution, offre la possibilité de réaliser des cartographies tomographiques des émissions de raies du gaz moléculaire, retraçant la …  Lire la suite

The proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9, PCSK9, belongs to the proprotein convertase (PC) family. Human mutations in the gene encoding PCSK9 lead to either familial hyper- or hypocholesterolemia, resulting from a gain or loss of function, respectively. Mice lacking PCSK9 are viable and show a 42% decrease in plasma cholesterol levels. The enzyme triggers the degradation of the low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) through a partially unknown mechanism. PCSK9 is very abundant in the liver and intestine during development and adulthood. Hepatocytes have a capacity to reproduce themselves and, upon injury, can repopulate the liver. For a better understanding of …  Lire la suite

A Mo, a Nb and a Ti steel were tested in torsion to study the characteristics of dynamic and postdynamic recrystallization. To characterize dynamic recrystallization, continuous torsion tests were carried out between 850 and 1050$ sp circ$C at strain rates of 0.02, 0.2 and 2s$ sp{-1}.$ Quenches were performed to investigate the grain refinement produced by dynamic recrystallization. Interrupted torsion tests were performed between 850 and 1050$ sp circ$C and at strain rates between 0.02 and 2s$ sp{-1}$ to study the characteristics of postdynamic recrystallization. Quenches were performed after increasing holding times to follow the evolution of the postdynamic microstructure. …  Lire la suite

RasGAP-SH3 binding protein (G3BP) is a player in the ras signal transduction pathway and is involved in mRNA turnover. G3BP is a multifunctional protein affecting cell growth, cell stress responses, and cell transformation. The goal of this study was to define ex vivo function(s) of G3BP in several systems. We developed two RNA interference methods to knockdown G3BP in murine cell lines. We observed that the partial plasmid-mediated RNAi knockdown of MmuG3BP1 does not affect muscle cell differentiation. To improve efficiency, we successfully developed lentiviral-mediated RNAi against MmuG3BP1 resulting in significant knockdown in NIH-3T3 cells. We also developed vectors for …  Lire la suite

This dissertation concerns the multilingual structure found in the fictitious works of French writer Raymond Queneau (1903-1976) by examining the different languages of genres that occur in this author's first novel, Le Chiendent (1933). The distinctive style of literary discourse and the diversity in the languages of interspersed genres found in this novel are examined. The stylistic analysis is inspired primarily by the Bakhtin theory and aims to shed light on Queneau's language-related practices in a fictitious context. The author's linguistic theory is then examined in order to better understand the philosophy that underlies this innovative practice. The dialogic function …  Lire la suite

Les antihypertenseurs sont l’un des groupes de médicaments les plus prescrits au monde, ayant une prévalence allant de 8 à 35% de la population adulte. Il existe cinq grandes classes, incluant les diurétiques thiazidiques, les inhibiteurs calciques, les inhibiteurs de l’enzyme de conversion de l’angiotensine, les antagonistes de récepteurs de l’angiotensine, et les bétabloquants. Malgré le fait que ces antihypertenseurs soient prescrits depuis plusieurs années, nous en savons très peu sur la prévalence de ces médicaments et leur sécurité à long terme, particulièrement pour les diurétiques thiazidiques et les inhibiteurs calciques. L’objectif global de cette thèse est donc de déterminer …  Lire la suite

This thesis studies the discursive behaviour of Canadian federal political parties with regards to immigration and integration issues. It seeks to test the empirical acuity offered by brokerage and issue ownership theories to explain the parties' electoral strategies in these domains. It examines the evolution of partisan discourse in relation to these themes over time, with special attention paid to the merger of right parties. It also studies the impact of certain real-world events, such as the referendum on Quebec secession in 1995 and the terrorist attacks of September 2001, on party positions. It thus proposes a quantitative and qualitative …  Lire la suite

This dissertation is based on a total of one year of ethnographic field research that took place between 2008 and 2010 in an oil-rich region of northwestern Russia, the Nenets Autonomous Okrug (NAO). It explores the ways of life and interactions between four groups living and/or working in the NAO: Nomadic Nenets reindeer herders; sedentary Nenets villagers; predominantly Russian settlers who arrived in the NAO during the Soviet days to explore the okrug’s oil and gas potential; and currently employed Russian oil workers who extract oil from deposits discovered by Soviet prospectors. Following and engaging in discussions with each of …  Lire la suite

Lorsqu’elle mit fin à cinq décennies d’occupation soviétique, l’Estonie comprenait une importante minorité russe. Dans le but de se distancier de la Russie et de « corriger » les torts causés aux Estoniens par le régime soviétique, l’État estonien mit en place des politiques nationalistes qui affectèrent ces Russes ainsi que les autres non-Estoniens. Les membres de la minorité russe durent donc redéfinir leur position en Estonie alors que leur présence et leurs liens à la Russie étaient perçus comme problématiques par le peuple estonien et par l’État. Depuis que l’Estonie est devenue candidate à l’accession à l’Union européenne, on …  Lire la suite

Victor-Levy Beaulieu's novels all centre around the search for the sacred, a quest for meaning and the Absolute which is accomplished through self-degradation and transgression. In order to define and analyse the need for the sacred that motivates Beaulieu's characters (a need that is at the very heart of the literary project of both the prolific Quebec author and his fictional alter ego, Abel Beauchemin), we will focus on the following novels: La nuitte de Malcomm Hudd (1969), Un reve quebecois (1972) and Oh Miami, Miami, Miami (1973). By means of an analysis of three essential aspects of Beaulieu's writing---the …  Lire la suite

A new high-precision atomic mass measurement technique based on a tandem Penning trap system is described. Data from the mass measurements of rubidium and strontium are analyzed to reveal what information desirable for nuclear physics can be extracted and to indicate the limitations in the presently employed set up at the ISOLDE facility at CERN. The possibility of substantially improving the Penning trap collection efficiency through the use of a Paul (radio-frequency quadrupole) ion trap as a collection device for preparing the radionuclides before the measurement system is then presented. Results from engineering tests on the performance of the Paul …  Lire la suite

One important area for application of space robotics is autonomous on-orbit servicing of failed or failing spacecraft. An important aspect of these operations is the autonomous capture of the client satellite based on information obtained from a vision system. In this work, we describe laboratory experiments that verify the feasibility of autonomous capture of a slowly spinning non-cooperative satellite by a redundant serial manipulator. The main autonomous capture problem is divided in two separate tasks: the generation of a Cartesian trajectory to achieve the capture and the control of a manipulator to realize the generated Cartesian trajectory. Strategies that utilize …  Lire la suite

A hallmark of DNA methylation is the fact that 60 to 80% of CpG dinucleotide sequences in the vertebrate genome are methylated at the 5th-position of cytosine while the remaining unmethylated sequences are nonrandomly distributed throughout the genome generating a pattern of methylation that is both tissue and gene specific. Several lines of evidence suggest that methylation patterns correlate with the expression level of eukaryotic genes and that DNA methylation plays an important role in regulating the state of differentiation of mammalian cells. The methylation of DNA is catalyzed by the DNA methyltransferase (DNA MeTase) enzyme, which transfers a methyl …  Lire la suite

L'athérosclérose est une maladie qui se développe localement où le flux sanguin est perturbé. Les cellules endothéliales sont soumises en permanence à des contraintes mécaniques et leur réponse a été reliée au développement et à la progression de l'artériosclérose. Différentes chambres d'écoulement ont été développées in vitro afin d'étudier la réponse des cellules endothéliales aux forces de cisaillement et de grandes avancées ont été faites afin de mieux comprendre les réponses cellulaires à l'écoulement sanguin. Ces modèles ne peuvent reproduire adéquatement la complexité des conditions présentes in vivo. Ainsi, afin de déterminer le lien entre les forces hémodynamiques et la …  Lire la suite

Endothelial cell dysfunction has been linked to atherosclerosis through their response to hemodynamic forces. Flow in stenotic vessels creates complex spatial gradients in wall shear stress. In vitro studies examining the effect of shear stress on endothelial cells have used unrealistic and simplified models, which cannot reproduce physiological conditions. Endothelial cells were grown and exposed for different times to physiological steady flow in straight dynamic control and in idealized asymmetric stenosis models. Cells subjected to 1D flow aligned with flow direction and had a spindle-like shape when compared to static controls. Endothelial cell morphology differed in the spatial wall shear …  Lire la suite

Warshawsky, Hershey (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Les résultats obtenus nous montrent que la présence du DNA modifie le comportement de la colchicine; modification qui peut être amenée par la fixation réversible de 11 alcaloide sur le DNA. Cependant il nous a été impossible de quantifier le phénomène, indice que la quantité fixée est très faible. A la suite des études statistiques nécessaires à la standardization du travail expérimental sur Tenebrio molitor L., materiel biologique peu utilisé, nous avons pu observer que la colchicine, malgré sa fixation sur le DNA, n’empêche pas ce dernier de se reproduire dans les 24 h. suivant l'injection sauf après utilisation de …  Lire la suite

Myeloid cells are important reservoirs of HIV-1 infection. In response to pathogenic agents, macrophages secrete inflammatory cytokines which can stimulate viral replication and contribute to AIDS pathogenesis. Two promonocytic cell models were used to investigate the relationship between NF-$ kappa$B dependent cytokine gene expression, differentiation, and HIV infection: the U937 and PLB-985 cell lines and their chronically infected counterparts U9-IIIB and PLB-IIIB. Chronic HIV-1 infection of U9-IIIB cells did not generally lead to constitutive transcription of cytokine genes. However, when co-infected with Sendai virus or stimulated with lipopolysaccharide, the induction of IFN$ beta$, IL-1$ beta$, IL-6 and TNF$ alpha$ mRNA …  Lire la suite

The nature of the propagation of electromagnetic energy in periodically-obstructed waveguides has been studied. The experimental results were considered mainly in relation to several types of analogous structures, common in the analysis of lumped circuits, but one attempt was made to relate them to electromagnetic field theory. Preliminary experiments were made on rectangular waveguides but most of the experiments were on a cylindrical guide obstructed by plane irises. The stop bands and pass bands of the structure were located by measurement of the natural resonances of a short section of the guide closed by metal end plates. These same experiments …  Lire la suite

Demopoulos, George (Advisor)  Lire la suite

The vibrations caused by road imperfections, which are transmitted to a car frame through the suspension, are one of the major sources of ambient noise inside the passenger compartment of an automobile. A solution to this problem is the addition of feedback-controlled actuators between the suspension attachment points and the car frame. These actuators can be driven to provide an active control of the vibrations, thus reducing greatly the magnitude of the forces exerted on the car frame at the suspension attachment points. In order to implement a robust yet effective controller, a model of a ¼ car suspension (suspension …  Lire la suite

The splotch (sp) mutation has been identified as a mutation in the paired box gene, Pax-3. Heterozygous mice carrying this mutation are phenotypically normal, with the exception of a white spot on their bellies. Homozygous embryos do not live to birth, and suffer from a wide range of developmental defects, all of which result from delayed neural tube closure, or inadequate neural crest cell migration. Most notably, homozygotes have an increased rate of spina bifida with or without exencephaly. Retinoic acid (RA), which has been shown to be very important in the development of a number of systems, was shown …  Lire la suite

The gene capicua is required for the establishment of dorsal-ventral polarity in the Drosophila melanogaster ovary. Loss of capicua function in the follicle cells results in dorsalization of both the embryo and eggshell. The most prominent dorsal features of the Drosophila eggshell are the dorsal appendages. We show that loss of capicua function results in the ventral ectopic specification of dorsal appendage-producing follicle cell fate. This cell fate change is due in part to the ectopic expression of genes such as mirror and Broad-Complex in capicua mutant ovaries. When either mirror or Broad-Complex are ectopically expressed independently of loss of …  Lire la suite

Recent experimental studies have thrown considerable light on some of the mechanisms acting to produce the picture of irreversible shock. These have emphasized the importance of the liver (104), the capillary “pool” (12,105), and bacterial toxins probably originating from bacteria in the portal system, and prior to this the bacterial flora of the intestines (33,37). There are, however, very few studies on the possible role or roles played by the lungs during the shock process to be found in the literature. A few authors have written on the pathological picture (69,77) which may or may not be present; others have …  Lire la suite

The railways have always attracted attention in Canada because of the part they have played in the development of the country. So closely has their development been linked with thatof the nation that the history of the railways has almost been the history of Canada. It was the railways that opened up the West, and it was the railways that brought the Maritime Provinces and British Columbia into Confederation and forged one country out of several scattered settlements. But it is the present, not the past, that counts in the final analysis. It is the position the railway industry holds …  Lire la suite

PKC Apl II, a novel PKC in Aplysia californica, is required for reversal of depression, the cellular analog of behavioral dishabituation. The neurotransmitter 5HT activates PKC Apl II in sensory neurons and can induce the reversal of depression. Here we investigated the ability of 5HT to activate PKC Apl II and the molecular pathway involved. Reversal of depression can occur at concentrations as low as 1.6 μM. We observed that activation of PKC Apl II, as measured by membrane enrichment, can occur at similar concentrations (1 μM). Furthermore we observed differences in membrane enrichment in the processes compared to the …  Lire la suite

Cette dissertation explore les implications socio-culturelles du contenu et du contexte de la théorie de Vygotsky sur le "langage égocentrique" des jeunes enfants. Alors qu'on a longtemps pensé que le "langage égocentrique" était un cliché instantanné de l'enfant en transition cognitive, le contenu et le contexte du "langage égocentrique" a rarement été investigué. C'est dans le contexte d'un groupe social plus étendu que l'enfant produit les expressions définies comme étant le "langage égocentrique" et, en tant que tel, le contexte et le contenu de ces expressions doivent être évaluées de façon à acquérir une vision adéquate de l'enfant en tant …  Lire la suite

This thesis contains the results of climatological observations taken during the summers of 1963 and 1964 in a deciduous forest at Mont St. Hilaire, Quebec. I wish to express my gratitude to those who have aided me during the course of this project. [...]  Lire la suite

Barbados has the distinction of a one crop economy, that crop being sugar cane. This situation has existed for over 500 years, and during the latter part of this period, particularly since 1924, the cane breeding section of the Department of Agriculture has carried on extensive work in developing high yielding varieties of sugar cane especially suited to the island. The nature of investigation has, however, being virtually confined to this one direction, and study of the other important growth factors such as edaphic and especially climatic control has lagged far behind. Fortunately in 1959 a microclimatic station was set …  Lire la suite

L'ADN est un modèle unique pour la construction de nano architectures et s'est avéré pour être un cadre polyvalent et flexible pour l'organisation de matériaux fonctionnels. La diversité de ces constructions fondées sur l'ADN peut remonter directement à la création et la mise en œuvre de la molécule d'ADN double croisé, un motif structural contenant deux ADN hélicoïdales domaines reliés par deux points de croisement. La jonction de la double liaison fournit la rigidité et l'adressabilité nécessaire pour créer des systèmes étendues de tuiles et comme une entité distincte, l'expansion des structures dans de multiples dimensions auparavant impossibles. Cependant, la …  Lire la suite

An equal-order co-located Control Volume Finite Element Method (CVFEM) for the prediction of multidimensional combined conduction, convection, and radiation heat transfer in emitting, absorbing, and isotropically scattering media has been formulated, implemented, and tested. The focus of this work is on a CVFEM for the prediction of multidimensional radiation heat transfer in participating media, and the amalgamation of this method with available CVFEMs, and their extensions, for conduction and convection heat transfer. In the proposed CVFEM, the calculation domain is divided into two-node linear, three-node triangular, and four-node tetrahedral finite elements in one, two, and three dimensions, respectively. Each element …  Lire la suite

The behavior of transgenic mice with impaired type II glucocorticoid receptor function was examined in a nonspatial learning task, the forced swim test, as well as in a spatial memory task, the water maze. Antidepressants have been shown to alter behavioral performance in these paradigms, as well as HPA axis activity in these animals. Transgenic and B6C 3F1 mice were therefore chronically or acutely injected with desipramine (10 mg/kg) or fluoxetine (10 mg/kg) for the forced swim test. Both drugs were chronically administered for the water maze. Transgenic mice exhibited impairments in the forced swim test that could be secondary …  Lire la suite

Retinoids are derivatives of vitamin A with demonstrated therapeutic potential for the treatment of breast cancer. The efficacy of retinoids in vitro and in vivo correlates with the expression of the estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha). The role of ERalpha in mediating RA-induced sensitivity is not understood and is further complicated by the recent discovery of ERalpha. This dissertation explores the transcriptional, as well as proliferative, response to RA in human breast cancer cells expressing ERbeta or ERbeta. First, ER-negative breast cancer cells were stably transduced with ERalpha-deletion mutants using retroviral technology. We compared the effect of the ERalpha wild-type, ERalpha-deletion …  Lire la suite

This research has two objectives. First, mental health problems among refugee children were studied in terms of the intensity and the form of the symptomatology, and in terms of school performance. Second, the characteristics of the refugee process which influence the manifestation of these problems were identified as specific stressors stemming from the pre-migratory and post-migratory experiences of the refugees. The research was conducted among 156 refugee children, born in Southeast Asia and Central America. The methodology was based on both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Results indicate that the manifestation of emotional problems and the principal risk and protection factors …  Lire la suite

Various new thiazolyl-and pyridylthioureas were synthesized and their reactions studied. I Attempts to prepare several N-phenyl-N-2-thiazolyl­carbodiimides by the treatment of the thiazolylthioureas mentioned above with lead oxide lead to the formation of new , unexpected products, N-phenyl-N,N-di-{2-thiazolyl)guanidines. I Similarly, treatment of N-phenyl-N-2-thiazolylthioureas with I ethyl chloroformate produced N-carbethoxy-N-phenyl-N-2-thia­, zolylthioureas or O-ethyl-N-phenyl-N-2-thiazolylisoureas, instead of the corresponding carbodiimides. The action of oxidizing agents on mono N-pyridyl­thioureas resulted in the formation of N-pyridylureas, [1,2,4] thiadiazolo[2,3-a]pyridinium salts or pyridylguanidine sulfides, but not thiazolopyridines. Contrary to the claims in the literature, 2-amino­pyridine I-oxides do not form substituted thioureas with am­monium thiocyanate, but only thiocyanate salts …  Lire la suite

It is sometimes said that the Quebec model of cultural integration constitutes a third way between the French model (republican integration) and the Canadian model (bilingual multiculturalism) for addressing issues relating to immigration. The present thesis analyses that hypothesis by reviewing the history of laws related to language and religion, especially as they concern the integration of immigrants, in France, English Canada and Quebec. In parallel to those legal histories, the thesis presents some statistical data, notably to better understand the motivations of legislators and to assess the degree of conformity between social change and the policies these legislators have …  Lire la suite

[...] The aim of this work is twofold. Firstly, a tentatively critical review of the mechanisms involved in the regulation of vascular smooth muscle reactivity as a basis for an interpretation of the above mentioned phenomena will be made. Secondly, we shall present an account of our experimental approach to this problem involving "in vivo" and "in vitro" studies of vascular reactivity to angiotensin and norepinephrine in the rat. [...]  Lire la suite

Since the mid-2000s, international and Chinese development policies have made Honghe Prefecture, located in Yunnan Province, China, a new frontier for renewable energy development in the China-Vietnam borderlands. In this dissertation, I investigate livelihood changes occurring for lowland ethnic minority communities inhabiting Honghe Prefecture, along a section of the Red River valley where hydropower dams and energy crop plantations schemes have been recently implemented. Development policies promoting such schemes overlook how these projects trigger exclusion and uneven access opportunities for local populations. My thesis fills this gap by scrutinizing how changes in access regimes are evident within the on-farm and …  Lire la suite

Urbanization is known to have a negative impact on biodiversity. However, it is possible to increase bird species richness in cities through local actions such as increasing vegetation density and diversity. My first objective was to compare bird density and diversity on the island of Montreal among four urban habitat types: low-density and medium-density residential sectors, and residential and natural parks. A second objective was to determine the presence of bird species assemblages within these four urban habitats and a third was to explore associative relationships among six mainly shrub-nesting bird species and the vegetation they use. Point counts were …  Lire la suite

Interactions between the various intracellular loops and nucleotide binding domains (NBDs) of P-glycoprotein (P-gp), and the extent to which they contribute to protein structure and transport mechanism are widely unknown. Analogy to bacterial members of the ABC transporter family suggests that the nucleotide binding domains interact with a specific site on an intracellular loop and with each other, as a cooperative dimer, in order to energize the transport functions. To investigate this hypothesis, we have used a cysteine scanning mutagenesis strategy on four potentially interacting regions of P-gp. We have analyzed the biological activity of the different mouse P-gp cysteine …  Lire la suite

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the sexually-transmitted etiologic agent of cervical cancer. Despite screening programs, cervical cancer remains too common, particularly in developing countries. Various correlates of prevalent infections have been identified. However, the determinants of incident infections have never been studied. Data were collected during a prospective cohort study conducted in Brazil. Incidence density rates of infection were calculated and determinants of incident infection were identified using Cox regression models. Analyses were done for HPV types classified into low-risk and high-risk depending on their association with cervical neoplasia. The incidence density rates were 9.3 and 7.6 per 1000 women-months respectively …  Lire la suite

Introduction. Oncogenic human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are the central causal agent of cervical cancer. Vaccines were developed, and are currently being tested in phase II/III trials. The host immune response is type-specific, and likely not all oncogenic types will be targeted by vaccine formulations. A theoretical concern is that infection with less prevalent oncogenic HPV types may replace the disease prevented by a vaccine against the most common oncogenic HPVs. This underscores the importance of having a better understanding of the epidemiology of infections with multiple HPV types, in terms of their dynamics and risk factors. The objectives of this project …  Lire la suite