McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par T

Melampsorella cerastii (Pers.) Schroet. is an organism which causes witches` brooms (Hexenbesen) in our firs (Abies spp.) and spruces (Picea spp.). It belongs to the group of higher fungi (Basidiomycetes) known as the rusts (Uredinales). The alternate hosts are various species of the Caryophyllaceae e.g. Cerastium and Stellaria (Alsine). Pycnia and aecia are produced on the coniferous host, while the uredinia and telia are borne on the caryophyllaceous host. The mycelium is perennial in both hosts, frequently living as long as the host does, and thus rendering the parasite more permanent even if the required alternate hosts are rare. In …  Lire la suite

Ventricular fibrillation is the usual fatal episode in the natural history of coronary artery disease. First described by Ludwig and Hoffa in 1849 (1), it continues to confuse the medical intellect, killing when anatomic disease is mild and stopping a good heart as readily as a damaged heart. [...]  Lire la suite

Public education in Canada is currently undergoing a period of financial restraint and fiscal reform. In spite of these restraints, schools are still mandated to provide diverse educational services, such as academic support and extensive extra- and co-curricular activities. This is placing school administration in the challenging position of funding these programs while balancing school budgets. This qualitative study, conducted with the grounded theory methodology, examined the commercial practices and perspectives of Montreal school administrators. Although there is an abundance of theoretical literature on commercialism in education, very few studies have examined these practices from the perspective of the administrators …  Lire la suite

The experimental material to be reported in this thesis represents the results of work carried out by the writer since the end of World War II. The studies arose out of three large surveys which were carried out under the direction of Dr. O.F. Denstedt of this department during the war. [...]  Lire la suite

With the advent of the nineteenth century, a new era dawned in the progress of analytic geometry. The appearance of Poncelet's, "Traite des proprietes project ives des figures", in 1822, really initiated modern geometry. Mobius, five years later, in his "Barycentrische Caleul", introduced homogeneous co-ordinates, which greatly facilitated the discussion of descriptive geometrical properties. The outstanding contributor to analytic plane geometry in this significant period, however, was Johann Pliicker (1801-68), and we may regard him as the true founder of the modern theory of algebraic curves. [...]  Lire la suite

Three-dimensional radar data for three Florida storms are used with a radiative transfer model to simulate observations at 19 GHz by a nadir pointing, satellite bourne microwave radiometer. Estimates were made of spatial sampling errors due to both horizontal and vertical variability of the precipitation. Calibrated radar data were taken as realistic representations of rainfall fields. The optimal conversion between microwave brightness temperature and rainfall rate was highly sensitive to the spatial resolution of observations. Retrievals were made from the simulated microwave measurements using rainfall retrieval functions optimized for each resolution and for each storm case. There is potential for …  Lire la suite

In this thesis, methods based on the wavelet transform are used to extend spectral methods for studying turbulent mixing. These methods are then applied to momentum and heat flux for fast response measurements taken above and within a deciduous forest at Camp Borden, Ontario. Multiscale distributions of flux event intensities are derived, presented and interpreted. Results show intensification of mixing efficiency near the canopy top, dominated by turbulent structures near a dominant scale, as reported in previous studies. There is no indication of a distinct, clearly separable population of intense 'coherent structures', as is often assumed, but rather an overall …  Lire la suite

This study investigated the underlying factor structure of second language (L2) cloze test performance as explained by a theoretical model including the following hypothetical constructs: cloze-taking ability, knowledge of language, knowledge of text content, and knowledge of contextual constraints. Eight cloze tests reflecting the posited factors were constructed and administered to 182 Francophone, university-level students. The factors were examined separately and in combination through a causal model building process. A model composed of three orthogonal factors was confirmed and accepted as the best explanation of the data. The results indicate that cloze performance is dependent upon knowledge of a specific …  Lire la suite

Le débat entre les theoreticians democrates, classiques et institutionnels, s'est souvent concentré sur le raIe des citoyens dans le processus politique. Ce projet revise les activités politiques d'un citoyen et l'apport de ce dernier à la démocratie canadienne. L'analyse de cette étude porte sur une réduction apparente de la participation de nos partis politiques par le biais d'une revue de la démocratie interpartis et des différents groupes d'intérêts. Le débat postmatérialiste/matérialiste est amené comme discussion pour expliquer la croissance des groupes d'intérêts et de lobbyistes comme moyens alternatifs d'exprimer leurs intérêts respectifs.  Lire la suite

This dissertation attempts to show that Aboriginal peoples' ways of thinking have not been recognized by early colonial European political thinkers. I begin with an examination of Kymlicka's political theory of minority rights and show that, although Kymlicka is a strong advocate of the right of Aboriginal self-government in Canada, he fails to consider Aboriginal ways of thinking within his own political system. From an Aboriginal perspective this is not surprising. However, I claim that Kymlicka opens the conceptual space for the inclusion of Aboriginal voices. The notion of "incorporation" means that Aboriginal peoples became included in the Canadian state …  Lire la suite

The central theme of this dissertation is the development of a new approach to conceptualize and quantify dependence structures of capture-recapture data for closed populations, with specific emphasis on epidemiological applications. We introduce a measure of source dependence: the Coefficient of Incremental Dependence (CID). Properties of this and the related Coefficient of Source Dependence (CSD) of Vandal, Walker, and Pearson (2005) are presented, in particular their relationships to the conditional independence structures that can be modelled by hierarchical joint log-linear models (HJLLM). From these measures, we develop a new class of marginal log-linear models (MLLM), which we compare and contrast …  Lire la suite

Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) is a biochemical marker used to monitor prostate cancer following treatment. We have analyzed serial PSA data for a cohort of men who underwent radical surgery for prostate cancer in the early 1990s. We first describe the development of a statistical model that reflects the characteristics of these data. It accommodates, via a mixture model with constrained parameters, two sub-populations of men who are and are not cured, along with the biologic pattern in the latter. We then describe how we fit this model using Gibbs Sampling. We describe how the output can be converted into …  Lire la suite

Current proposals in the United Kingdom and Canada recommend the implementation of no-fault compensation schemes for victims of medical accidents. This thesis argues that although such schemes provide an efficient method of distributing general compensation, there is nevertheless a continuing role for the tort liability mechanism. Due to the fact that tort liability is founded on an ethic of individual responsibility, the potential for public accountability of particular medical professionals will be maintained by preserving the common law action in negligence. There is also an important role for tort law doctrine in reflecting a move away from the traditional paternalistic …  Lire la suite

The global effort to reduce the environmental impact of transportation has led to a renewed interest in electric vehicle technology. One of the factors limiting the success of electric vehicles is the high cost of current battery technology. Nickel-zinc batteries could potentially offer a low cost alternative for certain electric vehicle applications. This thesis explores the potential use of nickel-zinc batteries in a recreational-scale electric vehicle through the use of powertrain modeling and simulation. A methodology was established to analyze the performance of the batteries at various temperatures and an internal resistance battery model was developed. This model was then …  Lire la suite

High latitude areas have been identified in most GCMs as regions where global warming will appear earliest and be the greatest. Since much of Canada's north is underlain by permafrost, a warming of 3-5°C could cause widespread erosion and thermokarst. The Arctic coastal zone is particularly vulnerable, as it lies at the interface between terrestrial systems dominated by permafrost, and marine systems dominated by sea ice and wave action. This study aims at understanding some mechanisms of arctic coastal erosion, such as thermoerosional niches and block failure. The final goal of this research is to identify the areas of Herschel …  Lire la suite

The coldest surface temperatures in Canada are associated with arctic air masses. These air masses form during the snow-covered and low-sunlight environment of the high-latitude northwest in the winter. This is a region that has been experiencing intense localized surface temperature warming that has not been well captured by climate models. The purpose of this study is to examine the arctic air masses of the region in detail, the larger synoptic context of changes in temperature intensity across Canada in which they are embedded, their thermodynamic properties, and secular changes that they may be experiencing.Trends in temperature anomalies relative to …  Lire la suite

The ultradian rhythm of growth hormone (GH) secretion from the anterior pituitary gland is ultimately controlled by the complex interaction of two hypothalamic hormones, a stimulatory GH-releasing factor (GRF), and an inhibitory hormone, somatostatin (SRIF). In the present study, we used the long-acting SRIF analog, octreotide, as a probe in both the normal and mutant dwarf rat to (1) further clarify the temporal nature of the SRIF/GRF interplay in GH regulation in vivo, and (2) define possible mechanisms of action of SRIF in generating the ultradian rhythm of GH secretion characteristic of the normal male rat. Administration of octreotide to …  Lire la suite

Many concerns have been voiced about the impacts of non-timber forest product harvesting on forest ecosystems, prompting the development of tools for assessing harvest sustainability. The "rapid vulnerability assessment" (RVA) is one method that predicts vulnerability of plants to over-harvesting. However, there is little consensus on how to perform an RVA or interpret the results. The objective of my research is to analyze and refine the RVA method to enhance its utility. I examine factors affecting plant vulnerability used in various versions of the RVA to create a "short list" of important factors. I then use this short list of …  Lire la suite

Studying some of the central questions in evolutionary biology, development, and genetics remains difficult due to the reliance on manual methods for handling whole organisms. Sample sizes are indirectly capped by the time and imprecision associated with manual methods, especially in the manual mounting of organisms for imaging. This can be further complicated by short developmental timelines for certain species, especially when attempting to analyze early embryonic events. For example, the discovery of rare gap gene variants in a population of Drosophila melanogaster embryos is extremely difficult using current techniques. Here we present our investigation into possible methods to handle …  Lire la suite

Contexte : Des études antérieures ont révélé que les méta-analyses omettent souvent de signaler les conflits d'intérêts (CI) financiers dans les essais contrôlés randomisés (ECR). Une étude de 2011 portant sur 29 méta-analyses a indiqué que seulement 2 (7%) d’entre-elles ont déclaré les sources de financement des ECR inclus, et qu’aucune n’a déclaré les CI financiers ou l’emploi des auteurs dans l’industrie. Une étude de 2012 a révélé que 30 % des synthèses Cochrane publiées en 2010 sur des médicaments ont indiqué les sources de financement d’une partie ou de la totalité des ECR inclus, 7 % ont indiqué les …  Lire la suite

Norin, Sergey (Internal/Cosupervisor2)  Lire la suite

L’argument fondamental de cette thèse repose sur l’idée que le sens de l’humour améliore grandement la qualité de la vie. Parmi les problèmes abordés, cette thèse examine les difficultés relatives à la prise en compte de l’humour dans la philosophie de l’éducation. Compte-tenu des conséquences de la révolution numérique et de son impact sur les sciences, la technologie et la société, une personne bien éduquée devra, à l’avenir, non pas tant se soucier des connaissances acquises par le passé que de l’évolution et de l’interaction entre la société et la nature. Plus que jamais cette personne devra savoir identifier ce …  Lire la suite

The polarographic method of chemical analysis was introduced by Professor J. Heyrovsky in a series of papers published between 1922 and 1926. The method is based on interpretation of current-potential curves obtained when electroreducible or electro-oxidizable substances are reduced or oxidized at a dropping mercury electrode. The complete cell consists of a dropping mercury electrode, and another electrode which is essentially non-polarizable. The curve obtained by plotting the external voltage applied to the cell against the resulting current is the current-voltage curve, and since the one electrode is non-polarizable, this curve is actually the current-potential curve of the dropping electrode. …  Lire la suite

The polarographlc method of chemical analysis was Introduced by Professor J. Heyrovsky in a series of papers published between 1922 and 1926. The method is based on interpretation of the currentpotential curves obtained when electro-reducible or electro-oxidlzable substances are reduced or oxidized at a dropping mercury electrode. The complete electrolytic cell usually consists of a dropping mercury electrode, an electrolyte and a quiet pool of mercury in the bottom of the cell which acts as the other electrode. [...]  Lire la suite

Initial observations on the microwave absorption spectrum of methylene chloride have been made with a double modulation spectrometer. A total of twenty-eight lines has been found in the wave-length region round 1.25 cm. Twelve of these are contained in four closely spaced triplets. This spectrum is consistent wiiih the rotational spectrum calculated from the rigid asymmetric top model of the molecule and a tentative assignment of transitions is made. affective rotational constants and moments of inertia are obtained from the observed results. The hyperfine structure observed is thought to arise from the chlorine nuclear quadrupole moments but no attempt is …  Lire la suite

La fusion au laser sur lit de poudre (LPBF) est une nouvelle méthode de production de pièces finales en AlSi10Mg par les industries aérospatiale et automobile. Ce matériau, excellent pour la fabrication de composants légers, est apprécié pour son usinabilité et son coût relativement faible. Le procédé LPBF permet de réduire les étapes de traitement, d'accroître la liberté de conception et l'efficacité d'assemblages, ce qui permet d'améliorer considérablement les produits finaux. Les différentes poudres d'aluminium sont très difficiles à utiliser, notamment en raison des difficultés liées aux petites particules présentes dans la plupart des distributions granulométriques standard (PSD). L'objectif de …  Lire la suite

This thesis investigates the relationship between host diversity and Lyme disease. There are two main hypotheses linking host diversity to Lyme disease incidence; the first, the "dilution effect" hypothesis predicts a negative relationship, while the second, the "amplification effect" hypothesis predicts a positive relationship. Research to date suggests that the diversity-Lyme disease relationship is more nuanced than either of these hypotheses, such that the observed relationship may be dependent upon the particular temporal or spatial scale of observation, among other factors. In my first chapter, I review previous theory, models, and empirical evidence relating to the host diversity-Lyme disease relationship. …  Lire la suite

Buddle, Christopher (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

An analysis of 5 minute resolution Quadra data on day 261 of GATE (0953 - 1451 GMT) is made to yield statistics of maximum area, echo top, lifetime and maximum reflectivity factor in medium-sized convective cells. The procedure generates a unique data set which is used to compare with the results of a three-dimensional cloud model and to study cloud interactions and merging processes between convective echoes. The results, obtained by tracking 140 echoes throughout their lifetime, indicate that the maximum area is log-normally distributed, 90% of the echoes being smaller than 40 km('2) and living shorter than 60 min. …  Lire la suite

This paper examines the Buddhist ritual Wesak---commemoration of the birth, enlightenment, and death (or parinibbana) of the Buddha---and its social function in creating Buddhist identity. A socio-historical survey of early Wesak rituals and case studies of Sri Lanka and North America provide examples of the development of Wesak as a ritual. This socio-political interpretation of Wesak reflects the consolidating nature of ritual through its interactions with other political and religious systems, and offers a glimpse into the emerging ecumenical form of Buddhism in North America.  Lire la suite

Le proto-oncogène erbB2 a été largement étudié pour son rôle causal dans de nombreux cancers, notamment le cancer du sein. Plus particulièrement, l'amplification et la surexpression d'ErbB2 sont des facteurs de mauvais pronostic, ce qui en fait une cible thérapeutique intéressante. Dans les modèles murins de tumeurs mammaires induites par ErbB2, le développement des mutations spontanées dans le domaine juxta-transmembranaire sont nécessaires pour induire la tumorigénèse alors que des mutations analogues sont rarement détectées dans les cancers humains. Plus récemment, un variant d'épissage de ErbB2 qui omet les 16 acides aminés du domaine de juxta-transmembranaire codé par l'exon 16 a …  Lire la suite

Introduction: La pandémie du COVID-19 a provoqué un grand une grande perturbation mondiale en raison de sa propagation rapide et de ses taux de mortalité élevés, affectant le statut socio-économique et le bien-être de la plupart des humains. En raison du risque élevé d'infection, tous les travailleurs du domaine de la santé ont été inclus dans le groupe prioritaire pour recevoir le vaccin contre le COVID-19 dès qu'il est devenu disponible, afin de protéger la main-d'œuvre et de continuer les services essentiels. Malgré la priorité pour recevoir l'immunisation, de l’hésitation et des préoccupations concernant les nouveaux vaccins ont émergé parmi …  Lire la suite

Dans cette thèse, les stimulants de taxation dirigés vers le développement du tiers-monde sent analysés et évalués. Ces stimulants comprennent les exemptions et les réductions des impôts sur le revenu des corporations, l'exemption d'impôts sur les biens d'importation, et la dépreciation accélérée. Leurs buts sont la promotion de l'investissement par les investisseurs domestiques et étrangers, l'éP.argne, l'emploi, l'exportation, et le développement régional. Les critères de base selon lesquelles ces stimulants sent évalués sont A) l'efficacité qu'ils déploient en atteignant leurs buts, B) les gains ou les pertes de revenu de taxation, C) la promotion de l'effet 'echappatoire sur les paiements …  Lire la suite

Spatial reasoning is essential to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Spatial reasoning is body-centered, or embodied, and involves how one solves spatial tasks. While studies have investigated children’s accuracy in solving spatial tasks, few have aimed to understand how children reason about solving spatial tasks. Moreover, despite women and young girls’ underperformance in spatial tasks compared to men and boys and the deficit perspective placed on young girls and women in spatial research, few studies have aimed to investigate how young girls reason about spatial tasks to address this issue. This study investigated how young girls embodied spatial …  Lire la suite

The overall crystallization kinetics of isotactic polystyrene (i-PS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and their nucleant-filled composites were examined using differential scanning calorimetry (D.S.C.). The study also included a photomicroscopic analysis of the number of nuclei formed per unit area and the spherulitic growth rate for i-PS and nucleated i-PS. The isothermal crystallization of PET and i-PS showed that in some systems the addition of nucleant caused a slowing down of the crystallization process. This is the first reported observation of the retardation of rate in the presence of particular nucleant. The results are interpreted on the basis that the nucleant is …  Lire la suite

A review of the clinical and pathological findings in 30 patients with diastematomyelia further defines the distinct pathological anatomy of diastematomyelia and further elucidates its association with a variety of other midline dysraphic anomalies. These definitions allow the formulation of an integrative, universal hypothesis on the origin of virtually all forms of spina bifida and dysraphism and cranium bifidum. The essence of the hypothesis is the formation, in early embryonic life (18-30 d.), of a sagittal cleft of the embryonic neuraxis which involves neuroectoderm, notochord, and endoderm. Incorporation of a persistent neurenteric canal is invoked to explain the origin of …  Lire la suite

Modeling social interaction is complex, influenced by a number of genetic, psychological, and social factors. While a robust autism literature continues to report deficits in multiple correlates of social behavior among human clinical populations, attempts to evaluate sociability among preclinical models using current behavioral assays have failed to produce new treatments for social deficit disorders. Here I present a novel behavioral assay, the Tube Co-Occupancy Test (TCOT) as a unique way to evaluate rodent affiliative behavior.Specifically, the TCOT is a way to measure "propinquity," or the tendency for rodents to co-occupy a tube over an extended period of time. Unlike …  Lire la suite

After the release of Nirvana's Nevermind in 1991, previously underground alternative rock burst into the mainstream and dethroned heavy metal as the dominant form of hard rock. The culture that surrounded alternative music was a politically progressive American post-punk movement that sought a more egalitarian, tolerant, and democratic world than heavy metal offered. Alternative culture saw heavy-metal style as a symbol for the masculinist values that seem to underlie the genre. Heavy-metal guitar gods—hyper-masculine virtuosic figures revered by fans for their "cool kid" personas and ability to "shred" the guitar—seemed sexist, arrogant, and apathetic. To oppose heavy metal's hierarchy, alternative …  Lire la suite

Latham, G. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite