McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par R

This dissertation offers a history of the prewar period known in French literature as the “crisis of the novel” (1880-1914) from the viewpoint of an iconic character in fin-de-siècle novels identified here as the ill artist. Focusing on the novels of Joris-Karl Huysmans, André Gide, and Marcel Proust, the analysis will emphasize the central role played by the character in the renewal of the genre at the turn of the twentieth century. It will be argued that the ill artist, favoured by many writers of the era to explore the limits and possibilities of the novel in their own fiction, …  Lire la suite

Millien, Virginie (Internal/Cosupervisor2)  Lire la suite

La capacité des nanostructures à confiner des électrons à des niveaux discrets d'énergie leur confère un attrait prometteur de nouvelles applications en chimie, en optique et dans le traitement de l'information. Cependant, ces nouvelles possibilités ne sont pas exemptes de défis colossaux liés à l'accession et à la caractérisation d'objets à l'échelle nanométrique. L'objectif général de cette thèse est d'étendre l'utilisation de la microscopie à force atomique (MFA), une technique connue pour résoudre la force d'atomes individuels sur une surface, au chargement d'un électron célibataire à des nanostructures variés. Mon but spécifique était de développer une technique pour mesurer par …  Lire la suite

The intention of this thesis is to show, through the example of Marguerite Duras's L'Amant, various issues raised by the new autobiography, an autobiography influenced by the epistemological changes that have brought on postmodernity. The absence of certainty found in the postmodern era brings about a new conception of individuality, truth and referentiality and forces traditional autobiography to question its premises. Through the writing process and taking into account the plurality of the postmodern ego, the limits of memory and the relativity of truth, L'Amant tries to fill the emptiness left by this absence.  Lire la suite

Rousseau, Cecile (Internal/Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Vincent, Charles (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

The association between hypertension and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) led to the emergence of pre-clinical and clinical findings that identified the renin angiotensin system (RAS) as a potential pathway to be considered in the pathogenesis of AD. Since various components of RAS are found to be altered in AD, it is possible that this dysregulation may contribute to many neuropathological dysfunctions, as well as the hallmark of AD, progressive cognitive decline. Correspondingly, a subset of antihypertensive medications, known as angiotensin receptor blockers that antagonize the RAS’s angiotensin II type 1 receptors (AT1Rs), reduce the onset and progression of AD. Prior work …  Lire la suite

Plus longtemps que le Franqais, le Canadien a gardel'ame simple, mystique et quelque peu superstitieuse de sesancetres. Descendant des paysans et des artisans franqaisqui quitterent la Normandie, la Vendee et la Saintonge auXVII9 siecle pour venir s'etablir sur les bords du Saint-Laurent, le Canadien est reste attache a une vie de traQitions.De pare en fils il s'est transmis ses terres, sesmoeurs, ses croyances et ses souvenirs. Cependant la viemoderne, vie d'individualisme et de mecanisme, commence aprendre ~ied dans les villages les plus eloignes des grandscentres, et bientot le tison de ~oel, l'eau de Paques, le"petit bal a l'huile", seront choses …  Lire la suite

Un principe fondamental des neurosciences implique que le fonctionnement du cerveau est contraint par sa structure, une relation se manifestant à travers plusieurs échelles spatio-temporelles. Par exemple, l'activité neuronale locale est directement influencée par des structures distantes faisant partie du même réseau cérébral. Cette architecture permet également l’émergence de différents motifs d'activité cérébrale qui coordonne la communication dans ces vastes réseaux. Une meilleure compréhension de ces interactions entre structure et fonction cérébrale pourrait clarifier comment différentes régions du cerveau contribuent à la cognition et au comportement ainsi que leur implication dans divers processus pathologiques.La neuroimagerie, en particulier l'imagerie par résonance …  Lire la suite

Alonso-Ovalle, Luis Fernando (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

The vast majority of real-world data is stored using relational representations. Unfortunately, many machine learning techniques are unable to handle rich relational models. Probabilistic Relational Models (PRMs) are an extension of the Bayesian network frame work which allows relational structure to be fully exploited. They are a formalism based on relational logic for describing probabilistic models of structured data which also allow us to model uncertainty in the relationship between objects and the attributes of those objects. In this thesis we present an implementation of PRMs which allows defining conditional probability distributions over mixtures of discrete and continuous variables. This …  Lire la suite

This research investigates the use of a deformable model representation in the context of an active exploration process. The exploration process is used to acquire data, fuse measurements from different viewpoints, and construct shape models. Until now, approximate shape models, e.g. superellipsoids, have been used to represent objects in an active exploration strategy. Although these models provide an adequate characterization of 3D shape for many tasks, a more detailed representation is needed when it comes to tasks that require discrimination of similar objects. In this thesis, we explore the use of a class of deformable models, developed by Pentland and …  Lire la suite

Localised accumulation of body fat significantly influences the development of obesity related co-morbidities and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Medium chain triglycerides (MCT) have been suggested to modulate body fat distribution. Phytosterols (PS) have demonstrated unequivocal cholesterol-lowering effects. A healthy dietary solution combining MCT and PS could thus become first-line obesity and CVD prevention. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate the effects of a functional oil (FctO) rich in MCT and PS on blood lipid levels and body adiposity, compared to olive oil. Twenty-three hypercholesterolemic, overweight men, were randomly assigned, in a single-blind crossover study, to consume a …  Lire la suite

During the 1910s, there was an increasing concerted effort on the part of Canadian artists to create art and literature which would affirm Canada's sense of nationhood and modernity. Although in agreement that Canada desperately required its own culture, the Canadian artistic community was divided on what Canadian culture ought to be. For the majority of Canadian painters, writers, critics and readers, the future of the Canadian arts, especially poetry and painting, lay in Canada's past. These cultural conservatives championed art which mirrored its European and Canadian predecessors. Their domination of the arts left little room for the progressive minority, …  Lire la suite

In order to investigate the structure/function relationships of the prolactin (PRL) receptor family, two complementary approaches were employed: that of site-specific mutagenesis and chimeric receptor constructs with the homologous growth hormone (GH) receptor. We initiated our studies by first attempting to define structural features in the extracellular domain that were involved in ligand-receptor interactions. Binding studies of transiently expressed rat PRL receptor mutants established that the first four cysteine residues conserved among all members of the cytokine/GH/PRL receptor superfamily are crucial for ligand binding and contribute to the structural integrity of the receptor protein. Moreover, charged residues within the first …  Lire la suite

Histological examination of the brains of experimental animals subjected to convulsive seizures shows an evidence of tissue damage which could be the result, to some extent, of increased vascular permeability. Diapedesis of red cells, edema and nerve cell damage in acute stages, and perivascular hematogenous pigment, nerve cell deficit and gliosis around the blood vessels in chronic conditions are examples of such changes. More direct evidence was obtained in experiments in which trypan blue was used to test the permeability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in various pathological conditions - among others, in the electrically-induced epileptic seizures.  Lire la suite

Fagotto, Francois (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

All eukaryotic cellular mRNAs (except for organelle mRNAs) are blocked at their 5$ sp prime$ end by the cap structure m$ sp7$GpppX (where X = any nucleotide). The cap structure plays a multifunctional role in both the nucleus and the cytoplasm. Two polypeptides of molecular mass of 20 and 115 kDa in HeLa nuclear extracts were shown to recognize and be crosslinked to the cap structure of eukaryotic mRNAs in a cap-dependent fashion. Their cap binding properties have been characterized, although their function in the nucleus is unknown. Previous studies have shown that cap function in the cytoplasm is mediated …  Lire la suite

Taurine transport in purified brush-border membranes from rodent kidney is concentrative and driven by the Na('+) gradient and transmembrane potential difference. The high-affinity, low-capacity carrier is specific for (beta)-amino compounds. Inherited, strain-dependent influences on taurine reabsorption were investigated in the C3H/HeJ strain, a low excretor of taurine in urine and the C57Bl/6J strain, a high excretor. Although both strains transport taurine similarly at the luminal membrane, impaired exit at the baso-lateral membrane of renal epithelium in the hypertaurinuric strain results in increased intracellular levels of taurine and subsequent backflux into the urine. The kidney is an important arbiter of taurine …  Lire la suite

Despite advancement in the field, energy storage technology has plateaued in recent years. With Li-ion batteries likely reaching the peak of their capability, researchers are developing new technologies such as supercapacitors and other hybrid energy storage devices. Current electrodes for supercapacitors consist primarily of carbon material, such as activated carbon, graphite, graphene, and functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (f-MWCNT). f-MWCNTs are a promising nanomaterial due to their high power density, low cost, low toxicity, high stability, good electrical conductivity, and high active specific surface area (area per mass). The major disadvantage of MWCNT supercapacitors is their lower energy density relative to …  Lire la suite

La pluspart des systèmes quantiques à plusieurs corps qui intéragissent fortement satisfont l'ETH (eigenstate thermalization hypothesis) qui est souvent utilisée pour justifier l'utilisation de la mécanique statistique pour décrire les propriétés thermales de systèmes quantiques. L'ETH n'est par contre pas toujours respectée. Une question de grand intérêt est alors de déterminer quels mecanismes sont responsables pour l'émergence de propriétés non-thermales observées au sein de certains systèmes quantiques. Dans ce travail, une méthode permettant de construire des systèmes quantiques Hamitoniens qui pour lesquels il existe certains états quantiques prédéterminés ayant des propriétés non-thermales est proposée. La méthode est basée sur un …  Lire la suite

Canola (Brassica napusL.) seeds have a high oil content (> 40 %), the lowest saturated fat concentration (6.8%) among the vegetable oils, plus low erucic acid and glucosinolate levels, making this crop highly valuable in the oilseed industry. Québec, a province where little canola is currently produced, has considerable potential to expand canola cultivation and, in doing so, strengthen the provincial agricultural sector. However, at this time there are no well-founded fertility recommendations for canola production in southwestern Québec; there is a lack of sufficient data on canola responses to nitrogen (N), sulfur (S) and boron (B). Therefore, field studies …  Lire la suite

Audio coding paradigms depend on time-frequency transformations to remove statistical redundancy in audio signals and reduce data bit rate, while maintaining high fidelity of the reconstructed signal. Sophisticated perceptual audio coding further exploits perceptual redundancy in audio signals by incorporating perceptual masking phenomena. This thesis focuses on the investigation of different coding transformations that can be used to compute perceptual distortion measures effectively; among them the lapped transform, which is most widely used in nowadays audio coders. Moreover, an innovative lapped transform is developed that can vary overlap percentage at arbitrary degrees. The new lapped transform is applicable on the …  Lire la suite

Neuronal growth cones guide the growing axons toward their target to establish precise neuronal connections during embryogenesis. The growth cone expresses cell surface receptors for recognizing guidance and targeting signals. It also possesses the intracellular signal transduction machinery to convert the extracellular signals into the reorganization of cytoskeletal structures in controlling growth-cone movement. Previous studies identified the SH2/SH3 adapter protein Dock as a key component of an evolutionarily conserved signaling pathway that transduces signals from cell-surface receptors to the growth-cone cytoskeleton to regulate growth cone motility. My M.Sc. studies (Ruan et al., 1999) demonstrated that the Ste20-like Serine/Threonine kinase Misshapen …  Lire la suite

Establishment of precise neuronal connections requires the proper guidance and targeting of growing axons during embryogenesis. The growth cone, a sensori motor structure at the leading edge of the axon, expresses cell surface receptors for recognizing guidance and targeting signals. It also possesses the intracellular signal transduction machinery to convert the extracellular signals into the reorganization of cytoskeletal structures in inducing directed movement (guidance) or the cessation of movement (targeting). Accumulated evidence points to the importance of protein tyrosine phosphorylation in growth cone signaling. The signaling cascade linking tyrosine phosphorylation into the changes in growth cone motility, however, remains largely …  Lire la suite

In mammals, circadian rhythms are generated by transcriptional-translational feedback loops consisting of a set of clock genes and their protein products. Among them, Bmal1 is a critical clock gene in generating and maintaining circadian rhythms. Moreover, orphan nuclear receptors REV-ERBs and RORs were known to respectively repress and activate Bmal1 transcription. In our study, we further demonstrated that: (1) REV-ERBalpha might be the main regulator in maintaining Bmal1 oscillation in thymus. (2) Rorgamma mRNA is constant in muscle and testis, and rhythmic in liver, while Rorgammat mRNA is only expressed in thymus, at constant levels. Moreover, the expressions of these …  Lire la suite

Language input plays an important role in child language acquisition. Children encounter language input in different social contexts: They sometimes are directly addressed by caregivers and sometimes overhear conversations between others. For children growing up in bilingual environments, they receive input in two languages. In many cases, a bilingual child is exposed to one language more often than the other which are usually referred to as the child’s dominant and non-dominant languages. Bilingual caregivers are also commonly observed mixing languages when talking to their child. How language input that varies in both quantity and quality interacts with child language development …  Lire la suite

The research presented in this thesis is part of a larger undertaking concerning the site, mode of synthesis and secretion or serum lipoproteine and their constituants, which is being carried out under the direction or Dr. D. Rubinstein,in the Department or Biochemistry, McGill University. [...]  Lire la suite

Livers from rats fasted 48 hours or rats bearing the ascitic form of Novikoff hepatoma have an increased Mg++ or Ca++ - stimulated ATPase activity. Mg++ - Na+ - K+ - stimulated ATPase activity is not affected by the two conditions either in level of ATPase activity or with respect to the interaction of Na+ and K+. The elevated liver ATPase activity is inversely related to the glycogen content. Conditions which deplete liver glycogen such as starvation, glucagon injection, in vitro incubation or the presence of the ascitic form of Novikoff hepatoma, results in an increase in the Mg++ - …  Lire la suite

This study was undertaken as a continuation of the investigation of the preservation of blood started at the beginning of World War II in the department of biochemistry at McGill University by Collip and Denstedt. At that time the only reliable method for testing the viability of the cells in a preserved sample and the efficiency of a preservative solution, or method was the laborious biological procedure of transfusing the preserved cells and following the rate of elimination of the donor cells in the recipient. [...]  Lire la suite

This work deals with investigating the pure tone thresholds of unanesthetized guinea pigs by means of the averaged evoked response. Two types of evoked response were seen - the large, rapidly habituating myogenic response i.e. Preyer Reflex Evoked Response (PRER) and the smaller, slowly habituating neurogenic response i.e. Evoked Cortical Response (ECR). The two evoked responses were shown to be different. Only the ECR (mean latency 37 msec) was used in evoked response audiometry. Audiograms were drawn up for each animal and a composite audiogram determined. The composite audiogram compares favorably with the audiograms drawn by the behavioral investigators. Pure …  Lire la suite

There is an inherent tension in the relationship between religion and democracy. While religion generally adheres to a single ultimate set of values, democracy requires political tolerance and the recognition of the coexistence of several truths. This is why, both intuitively and according to influential theories of modernization, the separation of religion and the state has been seen as a pre-condition for successful democratization. Yet a comparison of Israel and Turkey challenge the validity of such alleged "truths." This is because existing theories cannot adequately account for the dynamic nature of the state-religion relations. Israel, which assigned a formal role …  Lire la suite

The main feature of European politics in the early twentieth century was the rise of a restless, ambitious Germany, searching for her "place in the sun", ready to challenge the supremacy of Great Britain at sea and hoping to unite the Continent against her. To meet this situation, the British took steps to strengthen their naval position and to cultivate the friendship of other European Powers. In April, 1904, Britain signed an agreement with France, clearing up many problems that had stood in the way of better relations between the two countries, and she hoped to conclude a similar agreement …  Lire la suite

At the time of Confederation the original provinces of Canada were separated from tbe isolated oolony of British Columbia on the Pacific coast by a vast hinterland some two thousand miles in length. This region oontained little more than a mere handfu1 of inhabitants and was feeb1y administered by the Hudson's Bay Company. Clearly, if British North Americawas to be consolidated from east to west, some visibly effective governments wbose authority oould readily be recognized and enforced was needed in this territory to provide for its settlement and development. Consequent1y, in the British North America Act of 1867, prevision was …  Lire la suite

Peters, Terry (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Hypnagogia est une composition pour neuf instruments et dispositif électronique a été écrit pour l'Ensemble de Musique Contemporain de l'Université McGill. La pièce s'inspire des cycles du sommeil humain et explore les concepts de groove, de répétition, d'interaction, d'improvisation contrôlée et de formes cycliques variées. Ce mémoire emprunte les théories de la perception du groove, de la prévisibilité et de la spectromorphologie en guise de cadre d'analyse pour Hypnagogia.  Lire la suite

Gladue reporting was introduced by the Canadian judiciary over twenty years ago as a response to the overcriminalization and incarceration of Indigenous people. Gladue reports are a form of pre-sentencing reports that provide contextualized backgrounds of Indigenous offenders, emphasizing the ongoing impacts of settler colonialism and systemic factors that may have contributed to their involvement with the criminal justice system. The responsibility of Gladue writers in the Gladue reporting process is significant; the translation of a client’s story into this legal (and inherently colonial) document can influence judicial decisions and the course of a person’s life. Despite the significant role …  Lire la suite

Meal pattern and eating behaviour in animals and humans are learned over time and involve both innate/biological and environmental factors. It has been shown that animals can learn to anticipate certain outcomes following a behaviour (instrumental conditioning), i.e. anticipatory hunger/satiety. First reported by Jacques le Magnen in 1957, rats learn to eat a smaller amount of food that is followed by a short period of food deprivation than of a food followed specifically by a long fast. High-fat diet (HFD) and obesity directly affect the hippocampus and hence learning and memory processes. Mechanisms are elusive, but key mechanisms proposed are …  Lire la suite

Ethler-Blais, J. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Using second trimester amniotic fluid (AF), the objectives of this study were two-fold: 1) to investigate the relationship between AF glucose and insulin levels as a predictor of macrosomia and 2) to create a risk profile for macrosomia (LGA> 90th percentile) using a combination of AF glucose and insulin concentrations. Amniotic fluid samples were obtained from non-diabetic women (n = 542) undergoing age-related amniocentesis (12th to 22nd week). AF glucose was quantified using a standard hexokinase assay and AF insulin was quantified using the Beckman Access ultrasensitive assay system. Although LGA infants were found to have significantly higher concentrations of …  Lire la suite

Contexte: La tuberculose (TB) est encore une des plus importantes causes d'infections de mortalité et morbidité entre des adultes. Il y a presque 10 millions de nouveaux cas de tuberculose annuellement, et la TB latente (LTBI) et la plus importante source des nouveaux cas actifs. Les médecins de famille ont été identifiés comme jouant un rôle important dans le traitement de la LTBI; cependant, le vrai rôle qu'ils jouent et son impact doit être analysé en profondeur. Objectif: Estimer le taux d'achèvement du traitement chez les personnes recevant un traitement de la tuberculose latente lorsque le traitement est prescrit par …  Lire la suite

The meniscus is essential for normal knee function. Previously considered unimportant, removal was performed when injured. This frequently led to degenerative arthritic changes. Today surgeons attempt to repair or minimally resect torn menisci, however many patients are encountered with irreparable tears or previously removed menisci. In these patients meniscale transplantation may prevent degenerative arthritis from developing. Problems facing transplantation are ability to store tissues and prevent disease transmission. To overcome this, freezing and irradiation effects were examined on 60 rabbits undergoing medial meniscal transplantation. Fresh, frozen, and frozen-irradiated allografts were followed up to 17 months, 10 other rabbits underwent meniscectomy …  Lire la suite

This study on the metabolism of the avian erythroeyte is part of the investigation on the preservation of blood undertaken at the beginning of World War II in the Department of Bioehemistry at McGill University by Collip and Denstedt. As the investigation progressed it beeame apparent that the viability of the preserved erythrocyte is intimately related to the metabolic state of the cell. In other words, the 108s of viability is eaused by the failure of the energy yielding meehanisms of the cell. [...]  Lire la suite

If studied in its broadest sense, that is, as the invention or creation of pure imagination, the fantasy in the Philosophic Tales of Voltaire reveals two structures, one unconscious and one conscious.On the unconscious level, fantasy creates three visions of the world which approximately reproduce the divisions of time: past, present, and future. The framework of these imaginary worlds is strengthened by the creation of myths, images, and symbols which all pertain to a voltarian imagery. In addition, there is an evolution of fantasy which follows closely the evolution of the author's life and thought.On the conscious level, Voltaire uses …  Lire la suite

Though resemblance between lesions induced experimentallY in animals and those characterizing diseases in man is no warrant of a common aetiology and pathogenesis, there is a distinct probability that there are certain aetiologic and pathogenetic factors in common. [...]  Lire la suite