McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par T

This dissertation is presented in the form of three essays on International Business studies. The purpose of the dissertation is to address the interdependence between the macroeconomy and finance at three levels of analysis: the conceptual level, the economic policy level, and the corporate policy level. Each essay addresses one of these levels. The empirical focus is on developing countries in general---and Latin America in particular---because in recent history these countries have experienced large economic fluctuations and major regime shifts. The introduction surveys the literature on the relationship between the financial sector and economic growth. The first essay synthesizes the …  Lire la suite

The effect of the molecular weight distribution of both the soluble and the insoluble blocks on the solution self-assembly of the amphiphilic block copolymer polystyrene-block-poly(acrylic acid) was studied. Copolymers of a variety of block lengths but with narrow molecular weight distributions were synthesized by sequential anionic synthesis. Mixing two or more copolymers of differing block length (while the second block length was identical) artificially increased the polydispersity index (PDI) of one block. Self-assembly was induced by adding water slowly to a copolymer solution until a desired solvent composition was attained. The resulting aggregates were compared using transmission electron microscopy and …  Lire la suite

The proliferation of the Internet and the convergence of telecommunication, computing, compact disc, and media technologies have paved the infrastructure for new interactive music environments. It is essential for those in the field of new media to be aware of the ramifications of these developments. Furthermore, there has been a growing interest among new media developers to provide the tools necessary to allow an end-user to take an active role in the outcome of an interactive multimedia presentation. This concept introduces the notion of end-user as artist and collaborator. This concept introduces the notion of end-user as artist and collaborator. …  Lire la suite

The Ras proteins (H-Ras, N-Ras and K-Ras4B) are monomeric GTP-binding proteins that play key roles in cell regulation. It has been proposed that correct plasma membrane localization of the Ras proteins requires 'two signals', the processed farnesylation sequence and an adjacent palmitoylation site(s) or polybasic sequence. First, to investigate potential proteinaceous binding partners for the K-Ras4B targeting sequence at the plasma membrane, an in vivo crosslinking analysis was carried out. Consistent with current suggestions that K-Ras4B interacts via electrostatic interactions with plasma membrane lipids, no indication of a K-Ras4B plasma membrane binding partner was found. In the second portion of …  Lire la suite

Maass, O. (Supervisors)  Lire la suite

Corn is one of the three most valuable cereals in the world, and at present its adoption as a grain crop in Quebec is being encouraged. [...]  Lire la suite

The functions of somatostatin, norepinephrine and epinephrine in regulation of rhythmic growth hormone secretion were evaluated in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Three experimental strategies were used: (1) the chronic cannulation model to assess the effects of stress, lateral hypothalamic stimulation, monosodium glutamate, and pharmacologic agents on growth hormone dynamics, (2) biochemical mapping of central somatostatinergic pathways involved in growth hormone regulation, and (3) an in vitro perifusion system to study somatostatin release. It is shown that exictatory and inhibitory neural inputs must be intact to maintain normal rhythmic growth hormone secretion. Growth hormone rises are generated by hypothalamic neurons that liberate …  Lire la suite

The dominant paradigm for relation prediction in knowledge graphs involves learning and operating on latent representations (i.e., embeddings) of entities and relations. These methods exploit the local connectivity patterns and homophily in the knowledge graph to make predictions. However, these embedding-based methods do not explicitly capture the compositional logical rules underlying the knowledge graph, and they are limited to the transductive setting, where the full set of entities must be known during training. Here, we propose a graph neural network based relation prediction framework, GraIL, that reasons over local subgraph structures and has a strong inductive bias to learn entity-independent …  Lire la suite

Collagenases were extracted from the skeletal muscle of winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) with Tris-HCl buffer, pH 7.4, containing 5 mM CaCl$ sb2.$ The crude extract in the active form was purified by ammonium sulfate fractionation, followed by a succession of column chromatographic steps which included ion-exchange, immobilized metal affinity and size-exclusion in the Fast Protein Liquid Chromatography (FPLC) system. The trypsin-like and chymotrypsin-like activities of the crude extract diminished with purification. A comparative study of the collagenase fraction from ion-exchange chromatography (IEX-1) and the commercial collagenase fraction from Clostridium histolyticum indicated that the two enzymes were similar with respect to …  Lire la suite

This dissertation examines the processes of perception and cognition and demonstrates their application to the creation of aesthetically and artistically significant television content. By reexamining past understandings and assumptions, the ways in which artists and media producers have manipulated the information search and processing faculties of their audiences, and thus guided the meanings they ascribed to still and moving images, are explored. To reflect the multidisciplinary nature of television aesthetics, this research is not limited to a particular academic discipline. Instead, it draws on several streams of research and scholarship (media studies, marketing, psychology, neuroscience, and the fine arts) to …  Lire la suite

There are many theories but little sound data available to explain cutaneous sensory mechanisms. The high frequency of traumatic peripheral nerve injuries and cutaneous reconstructive procedures offers the clinician a colorful spectrum of phenomena with altered sensibility; however, the processes underlying hyperpathic or paresthetic and false localization states still elude our understanding. This experimental work addresses the topic of cutaneous reinnervation subsequent to nerve injury at the trunk level or at the region of the skin receptors. For the first time, single afferent fiber recordings are utilized to study reinnervation in the glabrous skin of the primate following nerve crush …  Lire la suite

"Human Rights, Development and Non-Governmental Organizations in the Horn of Africa" explores the relationship between human rights and development in the Horn of Africa, focusing on how an in-depth understanding of this relationship can form a new basis for the work of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in this devastated region. An implicit objective is to provide NGOs with the conceptual tools to make their development activities effective. The basic premise is that a flagrant abuse of basic human rights by governments in the Horn has lain at the root of much of its people's misery, and that existing international as well …  Lire la suite

The history of colonial medical expeditions and those involved in them is usually left to medical professionals who use their expertise to decrypt the technical and scientific aspects of the activities conducted on the ground. In addition, such works do not necessarily pay attention to the general historical context in which the expeditions occurred. This study is a historical examination of five medical expeditions that Robert Koch conducted in the African continent between 1896 and 1907. It places the activities of the German scientist in the general historical context of the late nineteenth century Africa, which was described by scholars …  Lire la suite

La théorie de l'esprit (TdE) est définie comme la capacité de déduire une gamme d'états mentaux internes dont des croyances, des intentions, des désirs, et des émotions. La TdE a été prouvé comme un prédicteur positif sur la capacité des enfants de socialiser efficacement avec leurs pairs. La déficience de la TdE est associée avec du rejet de la part des pairs et des troubles psychiatriques divers. Le fonctionnement exécutif (FE) et la gestion des émotions sont essentiels pour l'utilisation efficace de la TdE. Les études précédentes ont trouvé qu'un sommeil perturbé a un impact négatif sur les deux. Cependant, …  Lire la suite

Jacquemont, Sébastien (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

Evidence obtained from in vivo and in vitro studies on chicks, rats, guinea pigs, rabbits and cats demonstrated that synthetic carnitylcholine was a potent neuromuscular blocking agent of the depolarizing type, capable of producing a non-depolarizing block. Carnitylcholine was not susceptible to the action of acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase, choline acetylase or carnitylacetyl transferase. The resistance of carnitylcholine to the action of acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase was reflected in its capacity to produce a prolonged neuromuscular block in all species studied. This compound was found to be a weak competitive inhibitor of both acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase. However, it is likely that the capacity …  Lire la suite

Telford, Dr. W. M.  Lire la suite

Des bicouches lipidiques supportées sur supports sphériques (SS-BLMs) assemblées sur des billes de silice ont été caractérisées par spectroscopie de fluorescence et par spectroscopie 1H RMN haute résolution en rotation à l'angle magique (HR-MAS). En particulier, des expériences ont été conçues pour sonder la présence d'une couche d'eau entre la surface de la silice et la membrane lipidique. Si elle existe, ces expériences pourraient aussi permettre de déterminer quelles sont ses caractéristiques, notamment son épaisseur et sa structure. Dans le cas des études de spectroscopie de fluorescence, 5(6)-carboxyfluorescéine, un fluorophore à auto-extinction, a été ajoutée à la préparation de SS-BLMs …  Lire la suite

Le vieillissement peut mener à la sarcopénie (faible masse maigre appendiculaire, ALM) et à des troubles cognitifs. Ces conditions sont associées à la perte d’autonomie, à l’incapacité et à la mortalité. L'alimentation est un facteur de risque modifiable qui peut être ciblé dans les stratégies de prévention de ces conditions. Dans l'Étude longitudinale canadienne sur le vieillissement (n=9 088, ≥65 ans), l'Étude 1 a utilisé des analyses d'arbres de classification et de régression pour identifier les seuils de dynapenie (faible force de préhension par dynamométrie; <33,1 kg and <20,4 kg) comme déterminant d’une performance physique limitée, et de sarcopénie (par …  Lire la suite

Introduction: L'obésité est une pandémie mondiale qui affecte l'habileté des gens à poursuivre une vie satisfaisante. L'amélioration de la qualité de vie des gens obèses (qualité de vie en lien avec le poids - QdV-P) est devenue un objectif complémentaire à la perte de poids. L'identification des déterminants de la QdV-P nous permettrait de développer des interventions ciblées. GdV-P a plusieurs facettes mesurables. L'identification du contenu d'une mesure peut assurer que la mesure sélectionnée consiste en des domaines qui devraient être affecté par l'intervention. De plus, il est important de vérifier que la définition du concept n'a pas changé avec …  Lire la suite

Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) have invaded a great proportion of the waters of the eastern part of North America. This mollusk may be a useful sentinel species for bioaccumulation of heavy metals and organic contaminants in aquatic ecosystems. The zebra mussel's capacity to bioaccumulate cadmium at environmentally relevant exposure and to sequester metals in metal-binding proteins, metallothioneins, was investigated. Elevated (relative to control) concentrations of Cd$ sp{2+}$ were detected in Dreissena exposed to $ ge$2 $ mu$g Cd/liter suggesting that zebra mussels cannot regulate Cd$ sp{2+}$ of trace exposure concentration. More than 85% of the measured Cd$ sp{2+}$ was bound …  Lire la suite

Le présent mémoire porte sur Renart le Contrefait, dernier opus de la littérature renardienne du Moyen Âge dont on conserve à ce jour deux versions : la rédaction A, rédigée entre 1319-1322, et la rédaction B, 1328-1342, toutes deux composées par un clerc anonyme ayant été excommunié pour « bigamie ». Réduit à l’oisiveté à cause de ses relations avec des femmes, l’auteur entretient dans son œuvre un discours misogyne qui a encore très peu intéressé les commentateurs du roman. Notre analyse propose de combler la lacune laissée par la critique du Contrefait en étudiant les mécanismes qui permettent au …  Lire la suite

The amorphization of the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O system by mechanical alloying starting from the individual oxides is examined. Several reactions concur to finally yield an amorphous matrix containing nanocrystalline copper oxide precipitates. Annealing the amorphous material leads, in a first step, to a crystalline solid solution, and, in a second step, to a low-Tc superconducting phase. Long term annealing allows the formation of the 85K superconducting phase.  Lire la suite

High energy ball milling of the Fe-Ti system is carried out over a wide range of compositions. Milling Fe$ rm sb{50}Ti sb{50}$ and Fe$ rm sb{40}Ti sb{60}$ produces a composite material with amorphous regions and nanometer-sized crystals. Milling Fe$ rm sb{67}Ti sb{33}$ leads to a single-phase amorphous alloy which absorbs hydrogen, in sharp contrast to the intermetallic compound of the same composition. The nanocrystalline samples on their part exhibit a narrowing of the miscibility gap and a reduction of the pressure of the absorption plateau. The change in absorption properties, which is due to the interaction between the nanocystals and …  Lire la suite

The study of rain and clouds, even after centuries of research, is still a subject whose theoretical basis is obscure. A major cause of this problem is the extreme variability. The multiplicative cascade models employed in the study of turbulence lead to fields presenting the desired variability over wide range of scales. The fields produced with these models havae scale invariant properties expressed by a function specifying the way each statistical moment is transformed from one scale to the other; they are multifractal. It was proposed to consider rain and clouds as turbulent fields, thus providing a physical basis to …  Lire la suite

In this thesis, we address a number of issues pertaining to the computational power of monoids and semigroups as machines and to the computational complexity of problems whose difficulty is parametrized by an underlying semigroup or monoid and find that these two axes of research are deeply intertwined. We first consider the "program over monoid" model of D. Barrington and D. Therien [BT88] and set out to answer two fundamental questions: which monoids are rich enough to recognize arbitrary languages via programs of arbitrary length, and which monoids are so weak that any program over them has an equivalent of …  Lire la suite

In this work, we define the communication complexity of a monoid M as the maximum complexity of any language recognized by M, and show that monoid classes defined by, communication complexity classes form varieties. Then we prove that a group G has constant communication complexity for k players if and only if G is a nilpotent group of class at most ( k - 1), and has linear complexity otherwise. When M is aperiodic, we show that its 2-party communication complexity is constant if M is commutative, logarithmic if M is not commutative but is in the variety DA, and …  Lire la suite

Background: Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders in the world, affecting approximately 1% of the world’s population. It can cause brain activity to become abnormal causing seizures. There are various medical risks associated with seizure onset, as well as a decrease in quality of life for patients diagnosed with epilepsy. However, when it comes to studying physiological signals in patients with epilepsy most of data used to study epileptic seizures are in the short-term surrounding the ictal period (the seizure itself). This assumes that the inter-ictal period is stable, which is at odds with the already established, …  Lire la suite

En abordant un tel sujet, il importe d'insister sur la complexité et la multiplicité des circonstances qui en forment la base. Nous désirons faire ressortir les conditions dans lesquelles se forme la législation ouvrière dans un pays neuf qui subit les épreuves de l'industrialisation. Pour connaître le "climat" qui existait lors de cette naissance, examinons de façon sommaire le développement économique et politique du Canada, en réservant une attention toute particulière à la province de Québec. [...]  Lire la suite

The first part of this paper presents a framework for the study of perceptions of violence. It is believed that most political thinkers concern themselves with four basic issues when discussing violence; the definition of the concept, the reasons for its existence, the effects it has on normal social relations and its justification as a political tool. These four categories are explicated in the first part of the paper, and the views of different social and political thinkers are examined in the context of this framework. In the second part, this framework is applied to the writings of Pierre Trudeau …  Lire la suite

Davies, David (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

Benoit, Champagne, (Internal/Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Pierre Hovington (Internal/Cosupervisor2)  Lire la suite

Founded in 1947, the review Présence Africaine has been at the cross-roads of the social, political, and cultural revolution of the Black world; it was instrumental in the coming of a literature. In this thesis, we have attempted to show the main avenues followed by literary criticism in Présence Africaine. In keeping with the unity of the review, we have placed the different problems, in the chronological order, as they were posed by the Africans. From its beginnings up to the sixties, Présence Africaine has been particularly active in defining literature in relation to the colonial situation of Africa. A …  Lire la suite

The research pursued relates to the establishment of interrelationship between various factors affecting chitin extraction, and combination of optimum levels of factors required to maximize the yield of chitin extraction. Optimization of chitin extraction was carried out using crab, lobster, and shrimp solid wastes. The study was divided into two stages: (a) optimization of chitin extractability with respect to particle size; (b) optimization of demineralization and deproteinization stages in lobster chitin extraction using Response Surface Methodology. Particle size had a significant effect on crab and lobster chitin extractability; a particle size of 2.0mm gave the highest yield in chitin extraction. …  Lire la suite

Dans le contexte de l’industrialisation, la description du milieu et des objets en vient à symboliser l’intériorité des personnages au XIXe siècle. Informé par ce contexte historique, ce mémoire part de l’hypothèse que le vêtement, telle une seconde peau, matérialise, aux yeux des protagonistes du roman réaliste, les idéaux autour desquels se construisent leurs liens amoureux et leur identité. Il a pour objectif d’analyser le rôle structurant que revêt la métaphore vestimentaire dans le roman Madame Bovary (1857) de Flaubert ainsi que sa reprise hyperbolique au XXe siècle dans Belle du Seigneur (1968) d’Albert Cohen. L’analyse textuelle qu’il propose se …  Lire la suite

Les systèmes d'ingénierie sont conçus pour résister à leur milieu opérationnel, qui comprend généralement une variété de facteurs influencés par la variabilité et les extrêmes climatiques. Étant donné que les systèmes d'ingénierie ont généralement une longue durée de vie, il devient nécessaire de tenir compte des conditions environnementales futures, qui, en raison du changement climatique, ont peu de probabilité d'être représentées dans les archives historiques. Il s'ensuit que la première étape pour adapter les systèmes d'ingénierie aux conditions environnementales changeantes est la génération d'informations fiables et exploitables sur le changement climatique. Les modèles climatiques sont les principaux outils disponibles pour …  Lire la suite

Krzysztof Pelc (Internal/Cosupervisor2)  Lire la suite

This thesis examines a number of natural and anthropogenic disturbances within marine macrophyte habitats of the Caribbean. Understanding the effects of disturbance and the patterns associated with such dynamics is fundamental to ecological studies. Dynamics of interest included: interactions between populations; interactions between life history strategies; successional regimes; and alterations of community structure including loss of trophic heterogeneity and the possibility of "alternate" states. First I explored natural physical disturbance and succession. The dominance of macroalgae in the mid-shore, between areas of seagrass, challenged "classic" succession in such communities. I therefore proposed a model that included chronic "stress" by wave …  Lire la suite

Hudson, Thomas (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

Cette étude explore les perspectives des étudiants et des éducateurs en travail social dans des universités au Ghana concernant l'intégration de la Durabilité Environnementale (DE) et de la Justice Climatique (JC) dans le programme de travail social. Il est soutenu que l'intégration de ces concepts dans l'éducation au travail social est essentielle pour que la profession favorise la gestion environnementale et la justice climatique. Cette étude utilise une approche mixte, combinant des entretiens et des enquêtes pour la collecte de données. Trois cent quinze étudiants et treize éducateurs ont été recrutés dans trois universités pour cette étude : l'Université du …  Lire la suite