Beirut modernism: theoretical framework and case study

The main question that this research poses is: Where does Lebanese modernist architecture stand in terms of modernist architecture in general terms? The proliferation of modern architecture in Lebanon between the 1940s and the 1970s has been significantly neglected as a subject of research, documentation, analysis and criticism. This research attempts to fill a gap in the theoretical framework of understanding modern architecture in Lebanon. The research first establishes a rudimentary understanding of modernism in general terms, then explores the various theoretical approaches that the architectural discourse utilizes to address modernism in locales such as Beirut, namely “Orientalism”, “Critical Regionalism” and “Third World Modernism”. The research then explores the history of the development of architecture in Lebanon in three phases from 1860 till 1920, when Lebanon was under Ottoman rule; then from 1920 till 1943 when Lebanon was under the French Mandate, and then from 1943 till 1975 which are the modernist years after independence. The research will then focus of the modernist architecture of Beirut in a broad sense, then on Hamra District in a more specific venue, and then at the architecture of Hamra Street to get a more intimate picture of the development of modern architecture in the city of Beirut. In light of this investigation, a phase of reassessment of modernism itself is attempted, as well as a reassessment of the three modes of understanding, i.e. orientalism, critical regionalism and third world modernism. The findings of this reassessment are then considered in an attempt to establish a preliminary theoretical framework for understanding the development of modern architecture in Beirut

Waveform narrowing : a constraint-based framework for timing analysis

Thèse numérisée par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal

The Lung Microbiota and Lung Cancer: A Growing Relationship

The lung is home to a dynamic microbial population crucial to modulating immune balance. Interest in the role of the lung microbiota in disease pathogenesis and treatment has exponentially increased. In lung cancer, early studies suggested an important role of dysbiosis in tumor initiation and progression. These results have helped accelerate research into the lung microbiota as a potential diagnostic marker and therapeutic target. Microbiota signatures could represent diagnostic biomarkers of early-stage disease. Lung microbiota research is in its infancy with a limited number of studies and only single-center studies with a significant methodological variation. Large, multicenter longitudinal studies are needed to establish the clinical potential of this exciting field

Liquid biopsies and minimal residual disease in lymphoid malignancies

Minimal residual disease (MRD) assessment using peripheral blood instead of bone marrow aspirate/biopsy specimen or the biopsy of the cancerous infiltrated by lymphoid malignancies is an emerging technique with enormous interest of research and technological innovation at the current time. In some lymphoid malignancies (particularly ALL), Studies have shown that MRD monitoring of the peripheral blood may be an adequate alternative to frequent BM aspirations. However, additional studies investigating the biology of liquid biopsies in ALL and its potential as an MRD marker in larger patient cohorts in treatment protocols are warranted. Despite the promising data, there are still limitations in liquid biopsies in lymphoid malignancies, such as standardization of the sample collection and processing, determination of timing and duration for liquid biopsy analysis, and definition of the biological characteristics and specificity of the techniques evaluated such as flow cytometry, molecular techniques, and next generation sequencies. The use of liquid biopsy for detection of minimal residual disease in T-cell lymphoma is still experimental but it has made significant progress in multiple myeloma for example. Recent attempt to use artificial intelligence may help simplify the algorithm for testing and may help avoid inter-observer variation and operator dependency in these highly technically demanding testing process