McGill University Thèses et mémoires publiés en 1956

The Euclidean distance between two points P,Q of the Euclidean n-dimensional space En is a real valued function f(P,Q) of P and Q with the following properties. Definition. A real valued function f(P,Q) of the ordered couple of points P,Q of the En that has t he properties (1), (2) is called norm distance. Usually the norm distance satisfies (3) as well (symmetric norm distance).  Read more

The propagation of their own kind seems to be the fundamental aim of all forms of life. It is equally true that competition, of whatever nature it may be, threatens to curtail the overwhelming increase of any one kind of life. In other words, there is a struggle for existence -- a struggle that attains a tremendous magnitude in the lives of orgasims living as parasites on others. A parasite that exploits its host to the point of extinction is, itself, in danger of annihilation. Hence, the only motto for any successful parasite is the well being of its host.  Read more

A quarter of a century has elapsed since the first steroid hormone was isolated. Since then, there has been a profound and significant advance in our knowledge of the biogenesis of these steroid hormones and their ultimate fate in the living organism. Less progress, however, has been made in understanding the mode of their physiological action. Studies during the last decade have pointed to a more or less common pathway of steroid biogenesis and metabolism.  Read more

Root maggots attacking cruciferous crops were prevalent in Europe during the early part of the nineteenth century. One of the most serious of these pests, the cabbage root maggot, Hylemya brassicae (Bouché), was first reported in 1829 in England and it was first found in North America in the Boston area, U.S.A., in 1835. [...]  Read more

The mineralogy of the soil has in recent years received considerable attention, and much progress has been made in the separation and identification of minerals in this field. The emphasis on mineralogical identification is due to the fact that a given mineral is not sufficiently characterized by its chemical composition alone. The bulk of the minerals in the soil may be considered to be of varying chemical composition, therefore, any given chemical analysis can be interpreted in many different ways as mixtures of two or more of these minerals.  Read more

In 1951, M. Deutsch (2) was able to show that a group of positrons, injected in a gas, did not all behave the same way before annihilation; that different decay periods were observed, and that some of these periods did not vary if the pressure in the gas was allowed to change. This phenomenon was explained by assuming another phase in the positron history: its existence in a bound state with an electron, just before annihilation. The system escapes the influence of the surroundings and can undergo annihilation with its mean life essentially independent of ambiant pressure.  Read more

The ultimate goal of metal cutting research is the construction of a general theory of metal cutting which will predict the machining characteristics of any metal. Usually the first step in the evolution of a general theory is the construction of explicit relationships between the measurable quantities encountered in the simplest operations, and the second is the development of mathematical techniques for dealing with more complex operations. This paper is directed at the first step and consists of a study of orthogonal cutting of a specific material, namely 26ST aluminum.  Read more

Six trophic hormones have been extracted from the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland. The secretion and storage of these hormones takes place only in the acidophilic and basophilic cells of the anterior lobe; the chromophobe cells are believed to be inactive in these respects. It has been established that somatotrophin (STH- growth hormone) and prolactin (lactogenic hormone) are secreted by the acidophils (1-11), while thyrotropin (TSH- thyroid stimulating hormone) and the two gonadotropins (FSH- follicle stimulating hormone and LH- luteinizing hormone) are secreted by the basophils (13-22).  Read more

Cameron, T. (Supervisor)  Read more

The study of the mineralocorticoid aspect of adrenal cortical activity has been accelerated in recent years by the isolation of aldosterone (1-5). That this aspect of adrenal cortical activity may be altered independently of its other aspects has been well demonstrated by the numerous published studies relating to the sodium-retaining factor recovered from the urine in various disease states (6-15).  Read more

The experiments to be presented consist of an attempt to extend the observations of Dickens and Greville on the effects of anoxia and lack of substrate on the subsequent carbohydrate metabolism of brain tissue. Dickens and Greville (1933) working with brain slices, and Elliott and Henry (1946) with suspensions, showed that deprivation of both oxygen and substrate for relatively short periods caused a marked inhibition of the subsequent anaerobic glycolysis, while respiration was inhibited to a lesser degree.  Read more

The history of education in the Province of Quebec begins with the convent schools of the French regime and the efforts of the Jesuite to teach the Indiana some rudiments of the white man's civilization. With the conquest of 1759, the influence of the English settlers who poured in from New England made itself felt, and each community as it sprang up established its own school and, when it could, hired one of the itinerant teachers who drifted from one settlement to another.  Read more

The nature of the propagation of electromagnetic energy in periodically-obstructed waveguides has been studied. The experimental results were considered mainly in relation to several types of analogous structures, common in the analysis of lumped circuits, but one attempt was made to relate them to electromagnetic field theory. Preliminary experiments were made on rectangular waveguides but most of the experiments were on a cylindrical guide obstructed by plane irises. The stop bands and pass bands of the structure were located by measurement of the natural resonances of a short section of the guide closed by metal end plates. These same experiments …  Read more

The fifteenth century brought to the live of Scottish people the beginning of economic, religious, and social change. Slow to be influenced by the Renaissance that had awakened Europe, Scotland was nevertheless stirring uneasily under the bonds and restrictions of the Middle Ages, and was reaching toward the promise of a freer, more enterprising existence. Gradual though the change was, it touched every aspect of Scottish life, and like all changes, it had to contend with the old order before it could be accepted.  Read more

The discovery of the neutron by Chadwick in 1932 (27), and the production of artificial radioactivity two years later by Curie and Joliot (33) made possible the investigation of a completely new field. Fermi investigated the possibility of producing artificial radioactivity by neutrons, and he soon announced (49) that the bombardment of aluminum and fluorine by neutrons induces such radioactivity. Within a short time, Fermi et al. (51) succeeded in inducing artificial radioactivity in a large number of elements by neutron irradiation.  Read more

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.  Read more

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 …  Read more

Hunt and Taveau (19o6} were the first to demonstrate its depressor action. Dale (1914}, with the help of his colleague Ewins, identified it in some samples of ergot and studied its pharmacology extensively. In his classical report, he described its evanescent action and suggested that it is hydrolysed rapidly in the body. He also described that it has two kinds of actions: (1) muscarinic and (2) nicotinic. The muscarinic action, a depressor effect on the effector cell, is exerted at the postganglionic endings of the parasympathetic; and its nicotinic action, which consists of an initial stimulation followed by an inhibition …  Read more

There is no clear written evidence as to when it was decided among the Muslim League circles that Mr. Jinnah's name should be suggested to His Majesty's Government for appointment as Governor-General of Pakistan. The Congress had proposed Lord Mountbatten's name as joint Governor-General of both Dominions. Many people thought that the Muslim League also had in mind a common Governor-General. It looks as if Lord Mountbatten was under the same impression.  Read more

Geochemical methods in mineral exploration are devised to locate and pin-point zones containing more than normal amounts of the elements which result from the weathering and scattering of primary mineral deposits, minerals in wall rock and alteration zones. These geochemical "anomalies" are known as secondary dispersion patterns, the character of which depend upon the agent of dispersion, whether mechanical or physico-chemical, and the nature of the materials through which the process of dispersion takes place.  Read more

The present investigation was undertaken with two objectives in view, firstly, to study the possibility of transforming diacylamides into N-halogen derivatives by the interaction with alkaline potassium hypobromite reagent, and secondly, to investigate the transformation of the cyclic imides into β-amino acids in the Hofmann rearrangement reaction. Since the latter reaction may involve the formation of N-halogen compounds as intermediates, it seemed desirable to prepare several of the unknown N-halogen derivatives or the cyclic imides.  Read more

The sorption of sodium, potassium and lithium hydroxides from aqueous solutions on Purves (periodate) spruce lignin has been investigated by measuring the sorption isotherms and heats of sorption at room temperature. At low concentrations, equivalent amounts of each alkali were sorbed (approximately 1.5 milliequivalents alkali per gram lignin). At higher concentrations different amounts were sorbed. The integral heats of sorption showed the same general trends. The results indicated that the process is chemisorption on acidic hydrogen groups in the lignin. The mechanism of the sorption process is discussed.  Read more

It is now over a century since Ludwig’s faaous discovery (1851) in which he demonstrated that the secretory pressure developed in the occluded submaxillary duct exceeded the carotid blood pressure. With this simple experiment Ludwig proved that the secretion is a process sui generis and not a simple filtration of plasma water and solutes through the glandular cells. However, most of the early workers on salivary secretion confined their studies chiefly to the investigation of the organic matter (protein and mucin) in saliva, and there was considerable debate as to the mode of elaboration of this organic material (Heidenhain, 1868, …  Read more

Crowell, C. (Supervisor)  Read more

In the manufacturing operations of a jobbing shop, the planning and scheduling of the operations present conditions which are quite unlike the ones associated with a mass production plant. To begin with, the job shop cannot plan accurately the future operations on the basis of a sales department. The sales forecast may be of some value in establishing the budget but its true usefulness ends there. The operations of the job shop are governed by the number of work orders received. In most cases these orders are received following the aggressive selling efforts of the sales department.  Read more

The designer of a baffled, shell-and-tube heat exchanger experiences little trouble in estimating the tube-side beat transfer coefficients and pressure drops. On the shell-side however, two major problems must be overcome before these values can be determined. First, the flow pattern around the baffles and through the tube-bundle is difficult to determine accurately and leakage paths through the baffle clearance-holes and around the tube-bundle periphery make it difficult even to determine the mass-flow through the active portion of the exchanger.  Read more

The Middle Ordovician Tetagouche group is divided lithologically into four divisions: Rhyolite, Quartz-feldspar porphyry, Greenstone, and Slate. Except that members of the Slate and Greenstone divisions are scattered throughout the group, the rock divisions apparently are superposed in the above order. The porphyry is believed to be the intrusive equivalent of the rhyolite. The Greenstone division comprises greenstone, spilite, and minor ironformation. The subgreywacke-graptolitic shale-greenstone association indicates deposition in a eugeosyncline in an epineritic environment. The regional metamorphism is low grade (greenschist facies).  Read more

The term “humour” is one which is applied in a general sense to refer either to a work of art or to a characteristic which may occur in any kind of writing. Similarly, the term is used to describe a teller of funny stories or one of man's natural endowments, his sense of humour. As an art form humour has been less analysed than its counterpart, tragedy, and until recently little attention had even been paid to the nature of the laughter which accompanies humour. For this reason, and before beginning a study of the work of Stephen Leacock, it …  Read more

The concept of natural law has been a recurrent and prominent one from the dawn of rational thought up to the modern era. It is essentially a consideration of the problem of the One and the Many, the problem of discovering something which is constant in the midst of change, and serves to measure it, the problem of establishing and justifying ethical standards in their relation to the essential nature of man and of things. The concept of natural law has been advanced, at various times, and even at the same time, as a theological, a philosophical, a moral, a …  Read more

The present research is one of a series concerned with the oxidative breakdown and the sulfonation of lignin. Sulfonation and oxidation are useful because they might give information regarding the chemical nature of lignin, and the particular reagents selected are those used widely in industry. The sulfonation was carried out in a fashion similar to the sulfite cooking process for removing lignin from cellulose in the pulp and paper industry, and the oxidants used, chlorine dioxide or alkaline hypochlorite are both bleaching agents used widely in the same industry.  Read more

Calculations using second order perturbation theory are made of the probability at or near threshold of ionization or excitation of K electrons accompanying beta decay, in order to compare the effectiveness of the shaking and collision mechanisms. The two mechanisms are found to be about equally important. In the case of positron decay interference between the two modes greatly reduces the transition probability. An earlier calculation, that of Feinberg , using first order perturbation theory with a static interaction between the beta particle and the atomic electron, led to the result that the collision effect is negligible compared to the …  Read more

A non-relativistic correction to the radiative transition rate in nuclei due to the presence of extranuclear K- shell electrons is calculated. It is found that this effect is negligible in all types of multipole transitions, for small atomic numbers. The highest correction is in fact less than 0.1%; this occurs in the electric dipole transition rate at threshold energy and low atomic number. In magnetic multipole transitions, the correction increases with atomic number.  Read more

This problem was undertaken with the purpose of investigating the possibility of rendering visible an otherwise invisible phenomenon which occurs with pathogenic T. pallidum in the presence of syphilitic sera. Cain (1953) described a microscopic agglutination test which agreed rather well with the Treponema Pallidum Immobilization Test of Nelson and Mayer (1949) , and it was felt that there was a possibility this might be moved from the realm of the microscope to that of a macroscopic tube-type agglutination similar to the Widal test.  Read more

Reinhold Niebuhr is probably one of the most influential and wall loved iconoclasts on the American theological scene today. His reputation has been gained chiefly by his attempt to reconcile the realms of action and ideals, to bring the world of means back to the world of ends, and to convince those who would concern themselves with ends of the sterility of their values when they become an end in themselves. He has said that there is "no social evil, no form of injustice whether of the feudal or of the capitalist order, which has not been sanctified in some …  Read more

The severity of the Canadian winters has, in the past, and does now, affect the construction business. Not only does it lower the efficiency of the working men, it affects the quality of the finished product. This is particularly noticeable in concrete construction where: 1.The formwork is erected more carelessly. 2. Batching weights are less accurate due to human failure and frost affecting the moving parts of the scales. 3. Placing and vibrating are poorly done due to the men being cold.  Read more

The decapod fauna of Ungava Bay (17 species, 3,000 specimens collected) is shown to be similar to that of the shallow water areas of West Greenland. Four species are reported for the first time from Ungava Bay: Sergestes arcticus and Pasiphaea tarda, ordinarily from deeper and warmer water, and Eualus macilentus and Sabinea septemcarinata. Systematics of each species is treated under occurrence, world distribution and taxonomy. Lengths of most species of shrimp showed that a greater size was reached in females than in males. Maturities with respect to size when first mature, egg size and times of hatching and spawning …  Read more

Replacement therapy provided the first element of knowledge of the nature of adrenocortical secretion. The earliest view on this secretion assumed the existence of a single adrenocortical hormone, called "cortin" (5}. Attempts were made to extract, isolate and characterize this principle from the adrenals. ROGOFF et al. round that aqueous extracts of adrenal tissue have the property of maintaining life in adrenaleotomized animals. ( 6) SWINGLE et al. in 1931 (7) demonstrated unequivocally that the fraction soluble in usual lipid solvents possesses a far greater potency.  Read more

The redfish (Sebastes marinus L.) is a member of the family Scorpaenidae, the members of which are commonly called rockfishes. This family has a very wide distribution and is confined to salt water. The majority of the recorded species are found in the temperate Pacific waters, while only a few species occur in the North Atlantic. Of these, the species of most economic importance is the redfish (S. marinus L.). There is considerable confusion in the literature as to the number of species of Sebastes which occur in North Atlantic waters.  Read more

The true innovation of the Keynesian General Theory is the theory of liuqidity preference. From it all the other 'revolutionary' conclusions are derived. What we intend to do in this paper is to have a brief look at what it is that Keynes actually said, and to draw some conclusions from it that the Keynesians have not drawn, or at least, not drawn explicitly. We shall not attempt to judge or to criticize the General Theory; but in the definition of its contribution we shall be very much at odds with the Keynesian tendency of thought.  Read more

Psychology almost unconsciously accepted from her philosophical parent a conceptual and semantic heritage which has led her eager devotees to ask many poorly conceived questions and to stumble upon many semantic stones. From an early Grecian mixture or careful observation and armchair speculation came some of the basic, present-day conceptual categories of psychology -- intellect, reason, memory, will, affect, etc. These categories underwent little real change throughout the long middle ages and renaissance except to become a more heavily-connotated and deeply ingrained frame of reference, for philosopher and layman alike, in the contemplation of matters psychological.  Read more

In recent years, increasing numbers of conflicting reports (to be commented on in the section devoted to a review of the literature) have appeared in the world literature regarding the effect of chlorpromazine on epilepsy and on the seizure activity seen in the electroencephalographic tracings of epileptic patients. These have ranged, with regard to epilepsy, from one extreme position in which the drug is advocated as a therapeutically efficacious method of treatment, to the other extreme in which it is held accountable for having precipitated epileptic seizures in patients with no previous history of similar distrubance who are undergoing treatment …  Read more

One of the problems underdeveloped countries have to face is the instability of export prices and their dependence on foreign trade. The problem is particularly acute where exports consist of relatively few primary commodities. The past few years have given a striking demonstration of the catastrophic consequences of the dependence by any country on the production and export of a few major commodities, particularly in periods of war or preparation for war. Indonesia, for example, is dependent upon two major exports, tin and rubber, for approximately two-thirds of its foreign exchange earnings.  Read more

The purpose of this investigation was to study the urinary corticosteroid pattern in adrenal cortical and anterior pituitary disease. Patients with both adrenal cortical hyperfunction and hypofunction were investigated in the untreated disease state, after hormonal therapy and also in two cases after surgical treatment. Normal subjects were studied for purposes of comparison. The qualitative and quantitative differences in the patterns were thus evaluated under various physiological conditions.  Read more

In a paper published in 1883 Ogston had this to say of the "micrococci": "Yet when the animal (injected with "micrococci" taken from a suppurative infection) is subjected to microscopic scrutiny, we find that at the seemingly unimportant injection site an enormous and appalling growth of deadly organisms, in numbers that would be but faintly computed by millions, while the blood which we would naturally have supposed to be richly inhabited, is so poorly provided with the organism that it is clear that the chemical intoxication by the ptomaine, not the vital injection of the germ, has been the cause …  Read more

Many radioactive isotopes in the rare earth region have recently been studied. These were commonly produced by bombarding the stable isotopes with particles of sufficient energy. The isotopes of cerium of mass greater than 135 have been studied fairly extensively. However, little was known about Ce135 and therefore it was thought worthwhile to make an attempt to get more information about this isotope. Some previous work in the rare earth region was done in this laboratory. The methods of chemical separation used in this project are similar to those reported previously except for minor alterations. Lanthanum and cerium targets were …  Read more

Within the last decade the use of anhydrous ammonia as a source of nitrogen for plants has gained considerable popularity in the United States of America. Several workers have investigated crop response to gaseous ammonia in comparative studies between the gas and solid nitrogenous fertilizers. Field and laboratory studies involving the capacity of the soil to retain ammonia-nitrogen applied as a gas or in solution have also been conducted. Still other workers have investigated the effects of varying concentrations of ammonia-nitrogen upon soil microorganisms and the nitrifying capacity of soils.  Read more

The earliest observations that the adrenal medulla produces a substance which is added to the blood stream and has powerful effects on muscular tissue in general, expecially the heart and vascular system, were made by Oliver and Schafer in 1895, (1). [...]  Read more

The Williamson's Diamond Mine is at Mwadui, Tanganyika Territory (British East Africa), longitude: 30°30' east, latitude: 3°30' south, 235 miles south of the equator. (See maps pp.la-2a). It is approximately 60 miles south of Lake Victoria ,and 420 miles due west of Mombasa harbor in Kenya Colony; it is 18 miles north-north-east from the administrative center of Shinyanga in the district of the same name. The mine area occupies approximately 9 to 10 square miles, and lies at an elevation of 4,000 ft above sea level.  Read more

In recent years the development of radio communication and of allied techniques such as radar and television has involved the use of higher and higher frequency signals. This trend has arisen, either from the need of more channels in the useful frequency spectrum, or, as in radar, from the need of directional antenna systems of reasonable size. In tubes of conventional design the upper limit of the useful frequency range is set by considerations of transit time of electrons, radiation losses and inductance of leads.  Read more

Recent investigators in the field of plant embryology show a tendency to seek more detailed knowledge of the developmental process as it occurs in a variety of plants. Several features combine to make members of the Liliaceae ideal for study and they have been the subject of intensive cytological, genetical and embryological investigation. It was considered desirable to study Medeola, particularly since Maheshwari (1946a) raised the question as to whether a previous report on the development of the embryosac was correct, and suggested a reinvestigation. Accordingly this study of Reproduction in Medeola virginiana was undertaken.  Read more