McGill University Thèses et mémoires publiés en 1988

The radiation heat transfer from an argon and a nitrogen transferred-arc column to a cylindrical enclosure was measured. The rate of heat transfer was successfully correlated in a non-dimensional manner, with respect to the arc length within the enclosure and the enclosure diameter for the section of the arc column located within the enclosure, and with respect to the arc length outside the enclosure and the enclosure diameter for the section of the arc column outside the enclosure. It was discovered that tangential injection of a particulate feed material into the cylindrical enclosure led to the formation of destabilizing lump-like …  Read more

The phase transitions of some orientationally-disordered solids (plastic crystals) have been studied by DSC, and variable-temperature-IR and -Raman spectroscopy. The adamantane derivatives, 1-bromoadamantane (1-C$ sb{10}$H$ sb{15}$Br) and 2-chloroadamantane (2-C$ sb{10}$H$ sb{15}$Cl) were found to have two phase transitions, at 283 K and 312 K for the former and 227 K and 242 K for the latter; 2-bromoadamantane (2-C$ sb{10}$H$ sb{15}$Br) and 1-chloroadamantane (1-C$ sb{10}$H$ sb{15}$Cl) only exhibited one phase transition each, at 281 K and 245 K, respectively. Only one phase transition was found for 9-bicyclononanone (9-C$ sb9$H$ sb{14}$O) at 299 K. Oxanorbornane (C$ sb6$H$ sb{10}$O), a liquid, was found …  Read more

This thesis analyses transformations in pediatrics during its history as an organized medical specialty. Pediatricians emerged in a period of high infant and child mortality and poor public health to fight disease and treat difficult feeding problems. After mortality rates began to decline they turned to prevention, supervising the normal growth and development of healthy children. However, as prevention absorbed an ever larger proportion of their time, they became bored and dissatisfied. During the 1970s, competing groups of child health care providers such as pediatric nurse practitioners and family practitioners exacerbated pediatricians' difficulties. Worried about their possible disappearance as primary …  Read more

In the Bible certain objects appear in association with an individual character or characters and in particular narrative events. Rabbinic exegesis places these objects in new and innovative contexts. That is, the Rabbinic exegetes speak of the object's origin, history and fate: the circumstances under which the object was created, how it came into the possession of a Biblical character, its destiny, and, in some cases, its role in the Messianic era. This thesis examines Rabbinic interpretations of eight Biblical objects: Adam's garments, Abraham's ram, Solomon's throne, the staffs, asses, altars and wells used by various characters, and a divine …  Read more

Sonenberg, Nahum (Supervisor)  Read more

This thesis examines the hypothesis that the parotid gland is a target organ for vitamin D. Employing methods previously used to characterize 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D$ sb{ rm 3}$ (1,25(OH)$ sb{ rm 2}$D$ sb{ rm 3}$) receptors in established target tissues, classical receptors for this sterol were demonstrated in acinar cells of normal rat parotid gland. Submandibular gland, lacrimal gland and pancreatic acinar cells did not contain 1,25(OH)$ sb{ rm 2}$D$ sb{ rm 3}$ receptors. Vitamin D deprivation caused a decrease in the rate of production of pilocarpine-stimulated and auriculotemporal nerve-stimulated parotid saliva, which persisted when serum concentrations of calcium, parathyroid hormone …  Read more

Direct solution for three dimensional electric or magnetic field vectors throughout the frequency spectrum is accomplished by a finite element formulation which includes displacement and conduction currents, and requires no special treatment for material interfaces. Analysis of bus bar and Bath cube eddy current problems demonstrate the capabilities of the method. Spurious components in solutions to vector field problems are shown to corrupt deterministic solutions. These corruptions are identifiable with spurious modes familiar to high frequency modal analysis. Spectrally correct mixed order finite elements are demonstrated to retrieve accuracy in deterministic analyses. The formulation may be limited by computer round-off …  Read more

A permeable highly sensitive heat flux meter has enabled the first measurements of rapidly changing local heat transfer at a moving surface with and without throughflow. This sensor was tested for turbulent confined impinging single and multiple slot jets, with throughflow and impingement surface motion both separately and in combination. Impingement surface motion, variously claimed to increase or decrease convective transfer rate, decreases Nusselt number. At industrially used conditions this decrease for slot jets is by as much as 25%. Convective heat transfer for both single and multiple slot jets at H/w $ leq$ 8 is enhanced by throughflow according …  Read more

The Erhardt Developmental Prehension Assessment (EDPA) was designed as a measure of hand function for use with developmentally and physically disabled children. In this study the inter-observer reliability of the EDPA, and the concurrent validity of the EDPA with the fine motor scale of the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales (PDMS) were evaluated. The EDPA was initially revised by standardizing the procedures for administering the test and developing an objective scoring system. Thirty developmentally disabled children ranging in age from 3 to 18 months were tested in this study. The results indicate that the EDPA has high levels of inter-observer reliability, …  Read more

The purpose of this study was (i) to generate proteolytic enzyme-derived fragments of murine alpha-fetoprotein (AFP); (ii) to characterize some of their physicochemical and immunological properties; and (iii) to isolate the fragments from proteolytic digests of mouse AFP. Significant differences in digestion patterns produced by the limited proteolysis of AFP were apparent. Proteolysis under denaturing conditions was most efficient and yielded smaller peptide fragments of narrower molecular weight range. Similar findings were observed for larger scale digests using milligram amounts of AFP. Some of the cleavage products were found to possess antigenic properties of the parent AFP molecule as demonstrated …  Read more

This thesis is concerned with the experimental determination of the fundamental flame characteristics in a dust-air mixture and the influence of turbulence on flame propagation. Experiments were carried out in a tube having a 0.19 meter inside diameter and a length of 0.93 meter, and 1.86 meter with both ends closed. A dispersion system was developed giving a good quality uniform dust suspension. A comparative method for the estimation of dust flame characteristics, based on well defined methane-air flame characteristics, was developed and employed to estimate the characteristics of a flame propagating in a cornstarch dust-air mixture. A systematic study …  Read more

Abstract Not Available.  Read more

This thesis treats some of the problems related to the good drawings D$ sb{ rm n}$ of the complete graph K$ sb{ rm n}$. The first of these problems is obtaining all the non-isomorphic good drawings D$ sb{ rm n}$ of K$ sb{ rm n}$. After conjecturing that any good drawing D$ sb{ rm n}$ of K$ sb{ rm n}$ has at least one crossing-free Hamiltonian Circuit, an algorithm generating all the non-isomorphic good drawings D$ sb{ rm n}$ of K$ sb{ rm n}$ is developed. The second problem, determining the existence of a rectilinear drawing D$ sb{ rm n}$ …  Read more

Isotope shifts of twenty-two isotopes of strontium, $ sp{78}$Sr to $ sp{100}$Sr excluding $ sp{99}$Sr, and three isomers of strontium, $ sp{83 rm m,85m,87m}$Sr, have been measured using laser spectroscopy. The nuclear spins, magnetic and quadrupole moments, have been extracted from the data for all odd isotopes. The changes in mean square charge radii have also been evaluated for all isotopes and isomers. The changes in mean square charge radii, which are compared to the predictions of the droplet model and Hartree-Fock plus B.C.S. calculations, show a pronounced shell effect at the closed neutron shell at N = 50 and …  Read more

As Mennonites take up the challenge to clarify their stance vis a vis the creation, the question arises as to whether there are dimensions or tendencies in the writings of their eponym that can assist them in the articulation of a theology that is world-affirming. The teachings of Menno Simons regarding the Incarnation, "the world" and "the flesh" reflect the ambivalent attitude toward the world which has characterized the Christian Church over the centuries. In his doctrine of regeneration, however, there is evident a profound hope concerning the possibilities for "this world". His commitment to a faith which transforms life …  Read more

This dissertation offers a revaluation of Walter de la Mare's poetry; it counters two common critical misconceptions; escapism and lack of development. The overall pattern of imagery in the poetry reflects de la Mare's understanding of reality. It outlines a universe of four interpenetrating "worlds": this world, the other world, the child world and the adult world. This pattern is used as a frame of reference. Key poems are closely read so the complexity beneath apparent simplicity is pointed up. The poetry divides into three chronological stages, with two peaks of maturity. In the early peak, The Listeners (1912) and …  Read more

The validity of the theories of quantum corrections to the electrical conductivity, namely weak localization and enhanced electron-electron interaction, has been tested quantitatively in well characterized, free-electron-like Mg-Cu and Mg-Zn metallic glasses containing various amounts of Ag and Au through measurement of the electrical resistivity between 1.5K and 20K in magnetic fields up to 5.6T. It is found that the theories give an excellent description of the magnetoresistance at low fields, in both the weak and strong spin-orbit scattering limit but that at higher fields they break down. The electron spin-orbit scattering and dephasing rates have been deduced. Above 4K …  Read more

The kinetic relationship between the activities of multifunctional enzymes from folate-mediated one-carbon metabolism were examined. Formyltetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase catalyzes the main disposal reaction for excess one-carbon units produced in the liver. The enzyme, which catalyzes also a hydrolytic reaction, was purified from porcine liver and a radioactive assay was developed to measure both activities simultaneously. These and other kinetic measurements established that the dehydrogenase and hydrolase are kinetically independent activities of a single type of polypeptide. NAD-dependent methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase-methenyltetrahydrofolate cyclohydrolase is found in all transformed mammalian cells and catalyzes sequential reactions with channeling of the metabolic intermediate. However, these activities are …  Read more

A data structure editor is presented for use in an integrated, fragment-based programming environment. This editor employs high resolution computer graphics to present the user with an iconic representation of the internal storage of a running program. The editor allows the creation, modification, and deletion of data structures. These abilities allow the user to quickly sketch data structures with which to test incomplete program fragments, alleviating the need for driver routines. To keep the user cognizant of events inside his program, a technique for automated display management is presented allowing the user to keep the most important objects in the …  Read more

This thesis concerns the possible existence of central nervous system (CNS) chemosensitive mechanisms influencing sympathetic activity. The thesis is based on observations of sympathetic neuron and cardiovascular responses to CNS ischemia, systemic hypoxia and systemic hypercapnia. Investigation of the pressor response to cerebral ischemia in the cat indicates that it is mediated by superficial regions of the ventral medulla also involved in the pressor response to central hypercapnia. Experiments concerning the sympathetic response to systemic hypoxia in the CNS-intact sino-aortic denervated cat revealed a two-component response of the firing rates of single sympathetic preganglionic neurons (SPN), the mass activity of …  Read more

I studied the onshore migrations of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) in the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence to test the predictability of the distributions and catches of a migratory predatory fish relative to physical oceanographic processes and the distributions and abundances of its prey. To survey daily fish distributions and abundances by species, hydroacoustic signal discriminant methods were developed which classified schools of cod, capelin (Mallotus villosus), and mackerel (Scomber scombrus) with 93% success. Physical oceanographic processes along the 150 km of coastline studied were characterized by Ekman-type upwellings and downwellings forced by alongshore winds at periods $>$3 d. Physical …  Read more