McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par É

Cancer cell metabolism is often characterized by a shift from an oxidative to a glycolytic bioenergetic pathway, a phenomenon known as the Warburg effect. miR-378* is embedded within PPARGC1b which encodes PGC-1beta, a transcriptional regulator of oxidative energy metabolism. We show that miR-378* acts as a molecular switch involved in the orchestration of the Warburg effect in breast cancer cells via interference with the PGC-1beta/ERRgamma bioenergetics transcriptional pathway. Moreover, we identify that the expression of miR-378* is regulated by the breast cancer oncogene ERBB2, and that its expression in human breast cancer correlates with disease progression. Furthermore, we uncover that …  Lire la suite

One of the most significant and least analyzed aspects of the Riddah or "apostasy" which occurred in the last years of Muhammad's life and in the caliphate of Abu Bakr (632-634) is the fact that the most adamant opposition to the incipient religious-economic political system of Islam in all regions of Arabia except al-Bahrayn and 'Uman was directed by the so-called "false prophets," four of whom are known by name: al-Aswad (Yemen), Tulayhah b. Khuwaylid (B. Asad), Sajah (B. Tamim), and Musaylimah b. habib (al-Yamamah). The most significant of these "false prophets," and the one on which the most infonnation …  Lire la suite

Introduced in the early twentieth century, mass production created the conditions for rapid expansions in modularity and repetition to the building industry. Since the 1960s, and with the integration of information technologies, digitization brought the possibility of customization. Diversity, difference, and individuality could now be implemented with the same ease as mass production. Accordingly, building components could be mass customized, allowing for optimal variances to respond to differing local conditions, and enabling the production of uniquely shaped and sized structural components. Ever a vital sector in the building industry, housing has witnessed a renewed surge of interest in the last …  Lire la suite

The science of histochemistry is of primary importance in understanding natural phenomena, for it is a science which permits the visualization of the chemistry of a cell component in relation to the cell itself, to the organ of which the cell is a part, and often to the body as a whole. The histochemist is therefore often able to understand the intimate relationships of biological systems better than the chemist or biochemist who is involved with the study of isolated systems.  Lire la suite

In an era when Southeast Asian cities are seeing unprecedented growth and expansion, it is critical to examine the impacts of these rapid transformations on the livelihoods of everyday residents. In Hanoi, state-led efforts to reshape the capital into a modern metropolis redefine membership in the city: informal livelihoods—branded as ‘uncivilised’ in the Vietnam state’s modernisation discourse—come under pressure through policies aimed at organising pavement spaces. As such, the state is not only reimagining Hanoi’s built environment but also who belongs in the city, and who does not. In this dissertation, I investigate the complexities of Hanoi’s approach to urban …  Lire la suite

In chapters I and II, we show that the group G of invertible, non-singular transformations of a Lebesgue space is perfect, simple, and has no outer automorphisms. Some related results are obtained for the subgroup of measure preserving transformations and for the full group of an ergodic transformation. Further results are given with the underlying Lebesgue space replaced by a homogeneous measure algebra. It is also shown, in chapter III, that ergodic transformations are algebraically distinguishable from non-ergodics. Chapter IV introduces the notion of a fibered ergodic transformation. A fibered analogue of Dye's theorem is proved. In chapter V the …  Lire la suite

The condensation of acetaldehyde with a variety of aromatic and heterocyclic ring compounds in the presence of sulphuric acid has been studied to determine its versatility as a method for the synthesis of unsymmetrically disubstituted ethanes. Such ethanes are source materials for vinyl compounds, useful for the manufacture of synthetic rubbers and plastics. A number of new compounds have been reported and a number of older syntheses have been improved. In general, it has been found that benzene, alkyland alkoxyl-substituted benzenes give satisfactory yields of ethanes, whereas the more reactive phenols, amines, and heterocyclic compounds give only resinous products, and …  Lire la suite

La lombalgie est une condition courante dans le monde. À long terme, elle a des impacts majeurs sur la santé physique, mentale et sociale. Afin d'améliorer la santé des individus ayant une lombalgie, il serait nécessaire d'avoir des interventions visant à améliorer les soins interdisciplinaires ainsi que d'utiliser un outil plus fiable pour l'évaluation des patients. L'objectif global de cette thèse est d'optimiser, via des données probantes, la pratique des professionnels en soins de santé primaires pour la gestion des lombalgies. Différents éléments liés à l'évaluation des résultats cliniques et à la pratique de l'interdisciplinarité ont été ciblés dans cette …  Lire la suite

Contexte: L'asthme entraîne une morbidité importante et réduit la qualité de vie lorsqu'elle est mal contrôlée. L'identification des caractéristiques cliniques et psychosociales qui influent sur contrôle de l'asthme à long terme peut aider à faire concorder les programmes de gestion de l'asthme aux besoins des individus. Objectif: Étude 1: Estimer la mesure dans laquelle le statut des symptômes, les croyances concernant les médicaments, l'auto-efficacité, l'émotion, et l'utilisation des soins de santé permettent de prédire le contrôle de l'asthme perçu sur une période de 16 mois dans une population des soins primaires. Étude 2: Estimer la mesure dans laquelle le statut …  Lire la suite

The shear behaviour of unidirectional AS4/3501-6 graphite/epoxy material is fully characterized for both the in-plane and the out-of-plane shear. A comprehensive study of testing methods for in-plane shear is performed and the three-rail shear test is chosen. A two-dimensional finite element analysis is performed in order to analyze and improve the performance of the three-rail shear test specimen. Through finite element analysis, the optimal specimen configuration is determined by inserting slots at the positions where there are stress concentrations. The results are verified by three-rail shear tests performed for both the standard un-notched and the new notched specimens. The notched …  Lire la suite

Marino, Faleh Tamimi (Internal/Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Recent research indicated that certain neurons (brain cells) can regulate bone metabolism and that their damage results in weaker bones. But little was known about the potential that increased activity by these neurons might have on bone. A family of drugs frequently used to treat Alzheimer disease, Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, is known to stimulate a group of neurons that play a major role in maintaining memory. While these drugs have been widely used in the treatment of Alzheimer disease and other forms of dementia since the mid-1990s, their potential effects on bone biology had not been explored. This thesis presents a …  Lire la suite

Afin d'être préservés, les nouveaux souvenirs doivent être soumis au processus de la consolidation, pendant lequel ces souvenirs sont sensibles à toute modification. Ce processus nommé consolidation cellulaire, a lieu pendant les premières heures suivant un apprentissage, et implique la stabilisation de certains changements au niveau des connections synaptiques. Les souvenirs peuvent également être consolidés au niveau des réseaux neuronaux, lors de la consolidation systémique. La consolidation systémique est un processus prolongé qui implique une réorganisation graduelle des réseaux neuronaux qui sous-tendent l'expression de la mémoire. Ainsi, un souvenir dépend initialement de l'hippocampe mais devient progressivement dépendant de structures corticales …  Lire la suite

Au cours des dernières décennies, la méditation de la pleine conscience n’a cessé de conquérir l’intérêt populaire. Présentée comme une technique pour augmenter les capacités cognitives, soigner les maladies mentales, et même stimuler les profits, la pratique de la pleine conscience génère un enthousiasme grandissant, encouragé d’autant plus par une volonté d’être en phase et ancré dans le moment présent. De par sa réputation en tant que source de «déconditionnement», la pleine conscience offre, à ceux qui la pratiquent, la promesse de les libérer d’un capitalisme effréné et des facteurs de stress qui y sont associés. Et si le contraire …  Lire la suite

Contexte: Le trouble déficitaire de l'attention avec hyperactivité (TDAH) est un trouble neurodéveloppemental qui touche près de 5 % de la population mondiale. Il est donc important de trouver des traitements efficaces pour permettre aux jeunes d'atteindre leur plein potentiel. Bien que les interventions pour les enfants avec un TDAH ont montré une amélioration du fonctionnement, les interventions manquent d'efficacité de longue durée, en ce sens que les bénéfices du traitement peuvent s’atténuer ou se perdre sans un suivi approprié.Objectifs: Ce projet vise à examiner les caractéristiques individuelles et sociodémographiques des enfants atteints de TDAH qui ont été suivis dans …  Lire la suite

The structure of phiX174 replicative form (RF) DNA isolated at 9 minutes after infection from phiX-infected Escherichia-coli cells was investigated. This DNA contained gaps which could be filled in in vitro using [alpha-32P] deoxynucleoside 5'-triphosphates, T4 DNA polymerase and T4 DNA ligase. Treatment of the "gap-labelled" RF II DNA with R. Hind restriction endonuclease and competition-annealing analyses were used to locate the gaps on the phiX genome. The following observations were made: 1. The location of the gaps found in the viral strand was restricted to the cistron A region on the phiX genetic map. 2. The gaps in the …  Lire la suite

The oxidation of starch and cellulose with alkaline hypochlorite is of considerable industrial interest. Starches oxidized with this reagent have wide application in the sizing of textile fibers and paper. Alkaline hypochlorite is also widely used in the bleaching of cellulose pulp. In this study, starch rather than cellulose was chosen, as in cellulose the factor of inaccessibility might have introduced unnecessary complications. The first object of this work was the isolation of the oxidized starch and byproducts in highest yields possible, so that most of the oxidant could be accounted for.  Lire la suite

The discovery by Ross and Hill that wood goes quantitatively into solution when treated with aqueous formaldehyde followed by 72% sulphuric acid was rather unexpected, because use of the acid by itself left a high yield of the lignin in an insoluble, discoloured form known as Klason lignin. The generally accepted view is that Klason lignin has undergone a considerable chemical change involving an inner condensation that rendered it incapable of solution in standard solvents for lignin, such as hot sodium bisulphite. Lignin appears to be built, at least to the extent of about 70%, of oxygenated phenylpropane building stones, …  Lire la suite

Hydroxamate siderophore receptor FhuA is a TonB-dependent outer membrane protein of Escherichia coli composed of a C-terminal 22-stranded beta-barrel occluded by an N-terminal globular cork domain. During transport of siderophores into the periplasm, FhuA is proposed to undergo conformational changes that may form a pathway across the barrel. To probe structural changes, site-directed cysteine mutants of selected amino acids in the cork domain (L109C and Q112C) and in the barrel domain (S356C and M383C) were created within the putative siderophore transport pathway. Molecular modeling predicted that double-cysteine mutants FhuACys109,356 and FhuACys112,383 would form disulfide bonds, thereby tethering the cork and …  Lire la suite

This study draws on previous research (e.g., Labov, 1969; Carranza & Ryan, 1975; Brennan & Brennan, 1981; Alford & Strother, 1990) which has revealed and confirmed the many language stereotypes and biases in existence in the United States The present study differs from earlier investigations in that it specifically addresses the current-day attitudes of American English speakers toward a selection of accents that include both native (U.S. regional) and nonnative (foreign or ethnic) accents of English. The purpose of the present study was to determine the evaluative reactions of an American-born audience toward accented English speech. Fifty-three American college students …  Lire la suite

In the Massoretic text of the Hebrew Bible, Numbers 10: 35-36 are preceeded and followed by unusual diacritical marks. The design and· precise location of these marks have been the subject of sustained discussion and debate. Though defined by Jewish law as part of its program to preserve the integrity and sanctity of the Torah text, various descriptions of the marks are known. […]  Lire la suite

The study presented in this thesis constitutes part of a larger program of research on the biochemistry of progressive muscular dystrophy (PMD). Investigations concerned with the problem of PMD were inaugurated in the Department of Biochemistry, at McGill University in 1957. From the time of its inauguration to the present, the various aspects of this research program have been under the direction of Dr. E. A. Hosein. PMD, in humans, is characterized by the degeneration and atrophy of striated muscle (1), and is accompanied by a number of non-specific biochemical abnormalities which have been shown by numerous investigators to extend …  Lire la suite

The significance of creatine and creatinine in the neuromuscular system was suggested by observations which are now over one hundred years old. The substance to which Chevreul (1, 2) gave the name creatine was obtained by him in 1832 from extracts of meat. Within the next fifteen years, Liebig (3) was able to show that creatine is a normal constituent of the muscles of mammals, birds and fishes. He described many of the chemical characteristics of the compound, and made the important observation that creatine, when heated with mineral acids, loses a molecule of water and is converted into the …  Lire la suite

[...] This study was undertaken to develop new media, preferably of known composition; to study the metabolism of the orgenism when grown in these media; to elucidate the mechanism of streptomycin production, and finally to develop new methods of extraction and purification of streptomycin to obtain a product of higher purity, lighter color, and lower toxicity.  Lire la suite

The purpose of this study was to apply the Post-Modern aesthetic model proposed by Wetzl-Fairchild (1990) and a data collection method (verbal protocol) in order to establish a useful methodology for studying the aesthetic experience of a viewer in an art exhibition. I studied the interaction between a contemporary exhibition and professionals variously familiar with the artworld. I find that Fairchild's model is useful as a theoretical framework in coding the protocols and confirm that the think-aloud protocol can provide accurate data with respect to the cognitive activity of an art viewer. I suggest that the viewers' context became the …  Lire la suite

Van de Ven, Theodorus G. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

In this thesis, the effect of geometrical roughness of a non-deformable road surface on the mobility performance of a pneumatic tyre is investigated. A system function which represents the theoretical relationship between the drawbar-pull and the random traction surface geometry is developed in the frequency domain, associated with the energy conservation law. Prior to the analysis, measurement of road profile is achieved using an ultrasonic distance detector, and characterization of the stochastic road profile is evaluated by a power spectral density function. Further to this, the resulting drawbar-pull and tractive efficiency for a given slip rate, applied torque, tyre characteristics …  Lire la suite

Many farmers apply manure in the fall (autumn season), but without an actively growing crop in the ground, the nitrogen (N) in the manure is susceptible to over-winter losses. Periods of freeze-thaw cycling can exacerbate N losses by stimulating soil microbes to transform reactive substrates like soil mineral N into nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas. The uptake of reactive N from fall-applied manure by a fall-sown cover crop may reduce over-winter N losses. The objective of my research was to investigate the effect of combining fall manure application with cover cropping on soil N dynamics over winter and …  Lire la suite

Background: Soft tissue sarcomas are tumors of the mesenchymal tissues, which are complicated to treat due to their varying characteristics and clinical evolution. After initial treatment, there is a risk of developing local recurrence and/or metastasis. The current surveillance guidelines are based on expert opinion and consensus. However, little evidence exists to support the interval and duration of monitoring.Objective: This systematic review aims to evaluate the incidence and time-to-event outcomes of local recurrence, metastasis, and survival of extremity myxofibrosarcoma, liposarcoma and synovial sarcoma. In addition, the study will aim to identify all significant risk factors that have been found to …  Lire la suite

Rice (Oryza sativa Linn) stands out as the major food crop for about a half of human race. It ranks third after wheat and maize in terms of worldwide production. In many parts of West-Africa, Oryza glaberrima Steud is the variety popularly grown. Hybridization between Oryza sativa and Oryza glaberrima for desirable qualities led to development and production of new varieties of rice. After harvesting rice is usually processed before it can be distributed to consumers. One of the most popular processing operations commonly practiced in Nigeria and other African countries is parboiling involving soaking of raw rice in water, …  Lire la suite

This study examined the effect of choristers' vocal production and seating arrangement on evaluations of choral blend and overall choral sound. Two singing modes were studied: (1) "soloistic" singing, in which choristers attempted to maintain normal solo vocal production; and (2) "blended" singing, in which choristers tried to maximize homogeneity of ensemble sound. Seating arrangements examined were: (1) random sectional seating, and (2) sectional seating according to "acoustic matching" of voices Crossing the 2 factors produced 4 experimental conditions. An ad hoc choir, composed of 22 university voice majors, was recorded singing 4 choral pieces under each experimental condition. Thirty-seven …  Lire la suite

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether music students could be systematically trained, by means of a guided listening course, to improve the reliability and validity of their evaluation of solo voice performance. Fifty-four music students were randomly and evenly divided into two groups. The treatment group took an 8-hour home study guided listening course, which focussed on twelve criteria of vocal production, derived from a previous study with expert voice teachers. At the end of the course, treatment subjects rated, on a seven-point Likert scale, twelve criteria and "overall score" for each of 25 performances of the …  Lire la suite

Twin-Field Quantum Key Distribution (TF-QKD) enables secret key generation beyond the repeaterless Pirandola–Laurenza–Ottaviani–Banchi (PLOB) bound by exploiting interference at an untrusted intermediate node. The performance of the protocol strongly depends on the optical states used for encoding. Weak coherent states are experimentally convenient but contain multiphoton components that increase the phase-error bound and limit secure transmission distances, while non-Gaussian encodings such as vacuum–single-photon superpositions improve performance at the cost of experimental complexity.In this thesis, we investigate whether general single-mode Gaussian states, including displaced, squeezed, and thermally mixed states, can enhance TF-QKD while remaining experimentally feasible. Using an entanglement-based framework that …  Lire la suite

Five strains (9L, 642A, 714, 5688T and 3384Y) of Histophilus ovis were investigated with respect to iron acquisition. All strains used ovine, bovine and goat, but not porcine or human, transferrins (Tfs) as iron sources for growth. In solid phase binding assays, total membranes from only two (9L and 642A) of the five strains, grown under iron-restricted conditions, were able to bind Tfs (ovine, bovine and goat, but not porcine or human). However, when the organisms were grown under iron-restricted conditions in the presence of bovine Tf, total membranes from all strains exhibited Tf binding (as above); competition experiments demonstrated …  Lire la suite

It has long been considered that the best way to study certain physiological aspects of insects such as their nutrition and response to various host plants would be to develop aseptic synthetic diets. According to Friend (1958) such a diet should satisfy in its physical and chemical characteristics the insects requirements, be in an edible form, and contain the optimum amount of essential nutrients. [...]  Lire la suite

Nernst attributed the reversible potential to a balance between the osmotic pressure of the ions in solution on the one hand, and the "electrolytic solution pressure" of the metal on the other. No consideration was given to the condition of the metal surface. Blum and Rawdon (2) extended this theory to include the change of solution pressure with the crystalline subdivision of the metal surface. The forces which cause the atomic orientation or crystalline structure must be attractive, and must, therefore counteract the tendency of the metal to pass into solution as metal ions.  Lire la suite

Biography, it appears to me, is as old as the conscious experience of man and has its roots in the instinct of self-preservation: “and even the behaviourists might allow” that it is this instinct that' consciously or unconsciously motivates man to struggle in defiance of total annihilation by either natural or social forces to preserve himself and his heritage. One of the ways in which it expresses itself is in the desire to commemorate outstanding individuals whose lives have been found to be remarkable and useful in society.  Lire la suite

The water extract of timothy grass pollen (WSG) was fractionated by a combination of different methods, i.e. salt precipitation, ion-exchange chromatography and gel-filtration on Sephadex. The most active fraction (C-IV) was found to be 100,000 times more potent than WSG and contained all the skinactive components of WSG. Fraction C-IV contained 3 of the 7 antigenic components of WSG, as demonstrated by immunoelectrophoresis. WSG gave two groups of precipitin lines with rabbit anti-WSG antiserum, which were identified as the 'outer' and 'inner' bands on immunodiffusion; the antigenic components of fraction C-IV were shown to belong to the 'inner' groups of …  Lire la suite

This study is a preliminary attempt to chart out the manifold ways Ottomans envisioned and imagined the Euro-Christian world during early modern times. Through the study of a selection of various sources ranging from pseudo-historiographic warrior epics to lyric poetry, the main objective will be to expose the multivocality and ambivalence of Ottoman texts dealing – exclusively or partially - with the Western cosmos. By a careful analysis of the narratological structure of specific Ottoman works, the degree to which Euro-Christians had permeated the minds (and souls) of Ottoman-Muslims will be evaluated. The examination of recurrent stock images, stereotypes, and …  Lire la suite