McGill University Thèses et mémoires publiés en 1993

The effect of turbulence enhancement at the nozzle exit on fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics was investigated for confined jets from sharp-edged nozzles. Average turbulence intensity of the jet flow was characterised by integrating the local turbulence intensity values over the width of the nozzle and at several axial positions from the nozzle exit to the near approach to the impingement surface. Average impingement heat transfer was obtained by integrating the local Nusselt number over an area of the impingement surface relevant to the process engineering application of impingement drying of paper. Of the several simple methods of turbulence …  Read more

Cell adhesion molecules are thought to have an important role in neoplastic progression as they are likely to be involved in the multiple steps of the metastatic cascade. We have focused on two adhesion molecules, E-cadherin and CD44, looking for changes in their expression in human colon cancer. The intercellular adhesion mediated by E-cadherin has been shown to be altered in cancer. We have investigated the expression of E-cadherin in normal and tumorigenic colorectal mucosa by immunohistochemistry. Tumor samples showed a down-regulation of expression correlating with the degree of tumor dedifferentiation. The second adhesion molecule, CD44, has been previously associated …  Read more

The objectives achieved in this thesis are: (1) to develop a new method for measuring the most important acid buffering mechanism within a soil ecosystem-mineral weathering and (2) to test a soil acidification simulation model against actual field data to determine which soil acidifying or buffering mechanisms seem to be understood and which mechanisms need more detailed analysis. First, a new method was developed that allows for quantification of H$ sp+$ consumption due to weathering and H$ sp+$ consumption due to cation exchange. Initial results yield mineral weathering rates that are well within the range of results obtained by other …  Read more

This thesis is concerned with the Shadhiliyya Sufi Order as it is found in Tunis. The work discusses the development of the Order and the role of its central institution (the zawiya) in a modern setting. The largest part deals with the ritual prayer of the Order--in particular the ahzab (s.hizb). In dealing with both the ritual/experiential context, and the literary content and form of the prayers, the intention is to bring to light the significance of the ahzab, and to begin to accord them their proper place in the study of Sufism. Research is based on historical sources, manuals …  Read more

This thesis argues that the small claims court adjudication process cannot adequately manage consumer problems because: (1) contrary to intentions, it reinforces rather than reduces the inequality of bargaining power existing between individuals and large corporations, (2) it is only a remedial institution which does not permit consumers to have input into the laws which govern their relations with businesses, and (3) it neither adequately addresses widely experienced consumer problems, nor does it legitimize the concerns of individuals from different cultural, religious, economic or other backgrounds. A root cause of many consumer problems is that the legal regime has institutionalized …  Read more

This study uses daims data from a provincial health care insurance plan to examine the ability of certain physician and practice characteristics to predict compliance with thyroid function testing (TFT) guidelines. The characteristics examined are the practitioner's gender, year of birth, university or country of graduation, type of practlce (solo or clinic), location of practice (metropolitan, urban, or rural), geographical area of practice (census division). CCFP certification, patient caseload, and proportion of patient caseload tested for thydroi functioning. This study found significant variation in the degree of compliance wlth TFT guidelines. On average, physician-ordered thyroid function tests complied wlth guidelines …  Read more

Injection of 2mg of estradiol valerate (EV) to cycling female rats causes cell death among the hypothalamic beta-endorphin population that results in increased mu-opioid receptor binding in the hypothalamic MPOA. We suspect that the subsequent opioid suppression of the GnRH system is responsible for the constellation of defects that occur in pituitary LH production and release. In order to determine the mechanisms by which a defective GnRH pattern affects pituitary LH functions, we quantitated LH-beta and alpha mRNA in EV-injected animals using Northern blot analysis. To determine whether estradiol has direct effects at the pituitary level, we studied estradiol implanted …  Read more

Research has shown that young minority children often like other racial groups as much or more than their own-group, while young majority children express dislike for children of other racial groups and prefer children who are similar to themselves in race and language. As majority children grow older, their tolerance for children of other races increases, in part, because of changes in cognitive level. The study investigated the pattern of development of attitudes associated with cognitive maturity among a group of black children. Measures of racial attitudes and preferences were related to cognitive maturity as assessed by measures of conservation …  Read more

Using SCUBA and an in situ method of quantifying substrate characteristics, I describe patterns of zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) distribution along the St. Lawrence and Hudson Rivers and in Oneida Lake, New York, and develop empirical models for their abundance. Calcium-poor waters originating from rivers draining the Canadian Shield resulted in a lack of zebra mussel along the north shore of the St. Lawrence River east of Montreal until Portneuf despite an abundance of suitable substrate. Calcium concentrations of 15 mg/L or less were found to limit the distribution of zebra mussel. The entire south shore from Cornwall, Ontario to …  Read more

This qualitative study investigates patients' awareness of the relational work done by nurses. Relational work, a component of many women's jobs, is the work involved in dealing with, and managing, feelings and emotions. It is said to be invisible because it is unnoticed, undervalued, or taken for granted. Patients expect relational care but few classify it as work. They value it personally but do not see how it contributes to medical or technical work in the hospital. Patients attribute the skill involved in doing this work to personality, link the motivation for doing it to altruism, and overlook the constraints …  Read more

The goal of this study was to investigate the real self-image, ideal self-image, and self-image disparity of maltreated adolescents, both acting-out and nonacting-out, as compared to nonmaltreated adolescents. Participants included 58 adolescents between the ages of 13 and 17 with groups approximately matched for age, IQ, and mental age. The maltreated group consisted of children who had been neglected, physically abused, and/or psychologically abused. Children in both maltreated and nonmaltreated groups were classified as acting-out or nonacting-out based on reports of truancy, substance abuse, disrespect for authority, violent outbursts, and trouble within the legal system. The primary findings of the …  Read more

This is a study about the political economy of redemocratization in less developed countries (LDCs). It investigates the politics and economics of restructuring government corporations, as the Philippines returned to representative democracy in 1986. It does so by adopting an expanded version of theories of rent-seeking to explain choices and implementation of privatization policies. The study challenges most works on privatization which primarily attribute slow progress to economic constraints. Instead, it argues that reformist pressures and implementation barriers obtain from explicit calculations of material and political gain by rent-seeking groups. Private and state-based rentiers significantly determine the substantive content as …  Read more

Eisenberg, A. (Supervisor)  Read more

Atrial Natriuretic Factor (ANF) is a cardiac peptide hormone that has been implicated in the regulation of blood pressure. The physiological role of ANF was investigated by generating transgenic mice (designated MT/ANF) that overexpress ANF in the circulation as well as at several ectopic sites, most notably in the pituitary and adrenal glands. Systolic blood pressure was significantly decreased in MT/ANF mice, but was not accompanied by any changes in heart rate, hematocrit, body weight, water or food intake, urine output, or sodium or potassium excretion. The decreased blood pressure of transgenic mice therefore appears to be independent of the …  Read more

Twenty 112 scale reinforced concrete load-bearing wall panels were subjected to monotonically increasing load to determine the effect of opening size, location of opening, and end conditions on the response of the member. In addition, these specimens and additional models were analyzed using an existing nonlinear finite element program NONLACS. The results from the present research along with test observations of previous researchers were employed to establish Empirical Wall Design Equations for solid wall panel and wall panels with opening. Comparison of theoretical failure loads obtained by these equations with available test data showed a very good correlation.  Read more

The history of classical conditioning is summarized. The contributions and weaknesses of several earlier models of classical conditioning are studied. Two new neuronal models are proposed. The first, called the delay-producing connections (or DPC) model, is an extension of the Klopf (1988) and Sutton & Barto (1981) models. The DPC model makes two contributions: (1) it represents the trace of each conditioned stimuli (CS) by differential equations; and (2) it replaces each CS in the activation rule with a trace of the relevant CS. A method is suggested to measure the trace of a CS. The second model, called the …  Read more

Two strains of Alcaligenes denitrificans, designated BRI 3010 and BRI 6011, were isolated from polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contaminated soil using 2,5-dichlorobenzoic acid (2,5-DCBA) and 2,4-DCBA, respectively, as sole carbon and energy sources. Both strains degraded 2-chlorobenzoic acid (2-CBA), 2,3-DCBA, and 2,5-DCBA. BRI 6011 alone degraded 2,4-DCBA. Metabolism of the chlorinated substrates resulted in the stoichiometric release of chloride, and degradation proceeded by intradiol cleavage of the aromatic ring. Growth of both strains on dichlorobenzoic acids induced pyrocatechase activities having catechol (catechol 1,2-dioxygenase) and chlorocatechols (chlorocatechol 1,2-dioxygenase) as substrates. Growth on 2-CBA and benzoic acid induced a pyrocatechase activity (catechol 1,2-dioxygenase) …  Read more

Travis, Lisa de Mena (Supervisor)  Read more

The influence of bolus volume and viscosity on the distribution of anterior lingual force during the oral stage of swallowing was investigated using a new force transducer technology. The maximum force amplitudes from five normal adults were measured at anterior, right and left lateral tongue margins during ten volitional swallows of 5-, 10-, and 20-ml volumes of water, applesauce, and pudding. Results indicated significant increases in peak force amplitude as viscosity increased. Volume did not significantly influence maximum lingual force amplitudes. Individual subjects demonstrated consistent patterns of asymmetrical force distribution across the lingual margins tested. The results suggest bolus-specific properties …  Read more

This thesis sets out to examine the significance of al-Ghazali's text entitled Fada' ih al-Batiniyya wa fada' il al-Mustazhiriyya, by placing it against the environment--political and social--in which it was written, and by focussing on the varying styles of argumentation contained in it. This examination shows that, in addition to being a polemical tract against the Isma$ sp{ rm c}$ilis of his time, al-Ghazali also wrote this work in order to confront the intellectual challenges posed by the so-called Isma$ sp{ rm c}$ili doctrine of ta$ sp{ rm c}$lim. Challenges which impinged on the status of the Sunni Caliph per …  Read more

Grid-type flight patterns at an altitude of 30 m were executed in the summer of 1991 by the Canadian Twin Otter flux research aircraft over a 15 km x 16.5 km agricultural area, as part of the San Joaquin Valley Air Quality Study/California Ozone Deposition Experiment (SJVAQS/CODE). Fast-response on board sensors for turbulence, temperature and gas concentrations permitted the spatial mapping of fluxes of momentum, sensible heat, moisture, CO$ sb2$ and ozone. Flux maps were produced in the form of GIS-interpolated 1 km averages, and in the discrete form of those coherent structures of the turbulent process, intermittent in time …  Read more

In the 1960's, cancer became one of the dominating diseases of our time and this has, in the last two decades, been increasingly reflected in German literature. This thesis examines a number of such texts (diaries, autopathographies, short stories and novels) from a literary and psychosocial standpoint. First, a brief outline of the literary and social context attempts to answer questions concerning the production and reception of this 'cancer literature'. The following thematic analysis examines the role of cancer as a signifier. It shows that endo- and exogenic conceptions of the disease are present, and that mood changes of the …  Read more

A study aimed at investigating the performance of pultruded fibre glass reinforced plastic (FGRP) materials subjected to both the time-independent and the time-dependent response of angle stubs and coupons was conducted. Angle stubs and coupons were made of isophtalic polyester resin reinforced with an E-glass fibre glass mat of 35%-45% of the weight. The stub dimensions were of 50.8 mm $ times$ 50.8 mm $ times$ 6.35 mm and their length was 305 mm. The compression coupons were cut in a prismatic shape according to ASTM Standard D695-89 with 12.70 mm $ times$ 6.35 mm cross-section and a length of …  Read more

This thesis investigates in detail the stress memory of hard rocks under uniaxial compressive conditions as a time-saving and inexpensive alternative to traditional in-situ stress measurement techniques. Extensive laboratory experiments are carried out to assess the influence of parameters such as transducer/amplifier frequency response, signal definition parameters, stress rate, strain rate, specimen size, stress level, delay time, temperature, water content, confining pressure, and directional loading on the Kaiser Effect of Stanstead granite and other rock types. Based on these findings and a new data processing techniques developed for estimating the previous stress level, a testing procedure is suggested and used …  Read more

It is now well established that aerosols, by scattering and absorbing solar radiation, affect the terrestrial heat engine. Depending on the net relfectivity and absorptivity of the haze column and on the surface albedo, the net effect could be a cooling or a warming. But better understanding of the influence of aerosols is handicapped by lack of data and by the fact that their composition and distribution is highly variable in space and time. For the same reasons, the incorporation of aerosols in climate models is usually rudimentary. We have in-situ measurements of the vertical profile and size distribution of …  Read more

Most mouse strains express either NK1.1 or NK2.1 NK-specific antigens. We have produced and characterized a mAb, 4LO3311, detecting the NK2.1 antigen expressed in most mouse strains. Strain-dependent variations in the frequency of splenic NK2.1$ sp+$ cells and in the cell surface density of NK2.1 were observed by flow cytometry, suggesting that 4LO3311 mAb actually detects a subset rather than all NK cells. In confirmation of this hypothesis, treatment of mice with 4LO3311 mAb had little effect on splenic NK cell activity although NK2.1$ sp+$ cells were no longer detected. Moreover, remaining NK cells in mAb-treated mice were totally resistant …  Read more

Order-disorder transitions have been studied for many years. The great number of experiments done on binary alloys makes condensed matter physics very appealing since it allows theory and experiment to progress side by side. Using field theoretic methods, we study many aspects of physical systems such as binary alloys, which are taken out of thermodynamic equilibrium. In the introduction, an expose of basic notions is given. In the second chapter, we review an analytical method describing phase separation processes resulting from a critical quench. Physically, the latter phenomena could represent an initially disordered binary alloy, in which, following a drop …  Read more

There has been little research into the compatibility of commonly utilized apple rootstocks and VA-fungal types, and even less research regarding the effects of herbicides used in orchards, on the VAM symbiosis of apple trees. Studies demonstrated that early inoculation of young apple plants, prior to transplanting, results in healthy and vigorous plants with better growth and nutrition than uninoculated plants. We studied the efficiency of VA-fungal species and isolates on young apple rootstocks, produced by in vitro propagation. Mycorrhizal inoculation promoted plant growth, dry mass production and leaf P concentration. Mycorrhizal efficiency was associated with larger external hyphal network …  Read more

The following thesis focuses on forms that traditional German grammar designates as "Pronominaladverbien." The objective was to establish the word class under which these forms-hereafter DWPs-should fall and their syntactic role. The thesis also aims at determining which translation procedures are used when translating German DWPs into French. As a first step, DWPs were integrated into a classification system that took into account both their proform character and their various syntactic roles. Organizing the DWP translations into a system proved to be somewhat arduous. After reviewing various translation theories, a conclusion became unavoidable: these systems do not accommodate all the …  Read more

The purpose of this research was to explore the role of the school principal in St. Lucia in staff development. It also explored whether the role corresponded with the expectations of school teachers. Data was obtained through questionnaires administered to school principals and to school teachers respectively. For the most part, the data was analysed quantitatively. However, a small part of the data was analysed qualitatively using content analysis. The findings show that generally, school principals play a positive role in staff development and this matches the expectations of teachers. This role takes the form of conducting orientation sessions for …  Read more

Several current studies in language acquisition have focussed on the emergence of functional categories in first and second languages. The properties of functional categories can be exhibited through movement, inflections, case marking and the use of functional elements such as determiners and complementizers. This pilot study investigated the English second language of two groups of Inuktitut speaking schoolchildren at the beginning of the school year to see whether the properties of functional categories in English emerged in the same way as they do for first language speakers. While some of the Kindergarten children showed no access to these properties, others …  Read more

Chromogranin A (CgA) is the major member of a family of acidic secretory glycoproteins (collectively known as granins) that are expressed in all endocrine and neuroendocrine cells. Granins have been proposed to play multiple roles, both intracellular and extracellular, in the secretory process. The regulation of synthesis and secretion of CgA in primary cultures of bovine parathyroid cells was studied and compared to that of parathyroid hormone (PTH). The effects of both extracellular calcium and the active metabolite of vitamin D$ sb3$, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D$ sb3$ (1,25(OH)$ rm sb2D sb3$) were shown to modulate CgA synthesis and secretion in the parathyroid. …  Read more

This work introduces a new concept for the synthesis of ultrafine aluminum nitride powder. A transferred arc plasma torch of 6.5 kW was used as a heat source to vaporize an aluminum ingot as a source of aluminum vapour for the synthesis of aluminum nitride outside the plasma chamber. The aluminum vapour produced in the plasma chamber was carried by the argon plasma gas to a tubular synthesis reactor where it reacted with ammonia injected radially. The effects of arc current, arc length and argon flow rate on the aluminum evaporation rate and the gas temperature reached in the mixing …  Read more

Oko, R. (Supervisor)  Read more

By taking into account various published fragments, concepts and the final 'Volksstuck' this thesis attempts to show how the playwright Odon von Horvath developed the characters of his commercially successful 'Volksstuck' "Tales From The Vienna Woods". Chapter one of this thesis includes a brief biography of Horvath. The second chapter comprises a short history of the 'Volksstuck', Horvaths interpretation of the genre and its implications for his plays as well as a summary of the final version "'Geschichten aus dem Wiener Wald.' Volksstuck in drei Teilen." The thesis further attempts to recreate a genealogy of the dramatic characters Zauberkonig, Alfred, …  Read more

This thesis is a study of the doctrine of maqamat (stations) and ahwal (states), the crucial doctrine of sufism, as described in two different books, al-Risalah al-Qushayriyah and Kashf al-Mahjub, by two different masters of Sufism: one Sunni-Shafi'i, al-Qushayri, the other Sunni-Hanafi, al-Hujwiri. After introducing their positions in the history of sufism, the thesis examines their backgrounds as well as their mystical inclinations. The thesis then analyzes al-Qushayri's and al-Hujwiri's doctrine of maqamat and ahwal through a comparison of concrete examples found in the two books. Through this comparison, the thesis attempts to show the differences and the similarities of …  Read more

This master's thesis deals with the question of imitation in Anne Hébert's novels. The critical analysis is based on the work of Simone Vierne and Mircea Eliade (among others). Vierne defines a three-phase scenario which she believes is common to an initiations. This scenario includes a preparatory phase, a symbolic death as wen as a rebirth. This division into initiatory steps seemed appropriate to this study, therefore, each of the three chapters in this thesis corresponds to one of the phases defined by Vierne. […]  Read more

Peralkaline trachytic magma erupted on Terceira, in the Azores are derived from associated basalts by extreme fractional crystallization of an assemblage including amphibole. The eruption of 1761 produced both trachytic and hybrid basaltic lavas and exemplifies magma mixing processes that occurred frequently in the past. Mingling of basaltic magmas produces homogeneous hybrid magmas; mingling between basaltic and trachytic liquids is inhibited by thermal quench of the basaltic magma. Hybridization of benmoreitic magma into basalt may account for its rarity in oceanic island lava suites. Convection observed in an experimental basalt-pantellerite melt system is not attributable to gravitational instability at the …  Read more

A mouse testis cDNA library was screened with an oligonucleotide probe corresponding to a sequence in the 5$ sp prime$ region of mouse N-cadherin cDNA. A composite clone containing three individual cDNAs was isolated. These included a 711 bp cDNA encoding part of mouse testicular N-cadherin, an unidentified 392 bp cDNA, and a 1500 bp cDNA encoding the mouse homologue of a human breast tumor autoantigen. The cadherins, the influenza strain A hemagglutinins, and the fibroblast growth factor receptors are three different families of integral membrane glycoproteins that harbour the amino acid motif histidine-alanine-valine (HAV) in regions involved in protein-protein …  Read more

Hasan, M. (Supervisor)  Read more

Paidoussis, Michael P. (Supervisor)  Read more

Three Pavlovian conditioning experiments with rats were performed to test predictions from models of associative learning. The procedure in all 3 experiments involved assessing conditioned responding to a Light that was compounded with either perfect or imperfect auditory signals for food. In Experiment 1 a partially reinforced Light which signaled 100% of the food pellets acquired a greater ability to elicit a conditioned response when the auditory cues with which it was paired were relatively poor predictors of the food. In Experiment 2 the Light was still a moderate positive predictor for food, but food was presented both in the …  Read more

Hoover, M. (Supervisor)  Read more

Thompson, C. J. (Supervisor)  Read more

Metal/ceramic composites have attracted considerable attention in the last 20 years, primarily due to the flexibility they offer when designing material with tailored properties. Melt infiltration is a popular fabricating method for such composites, as it allows the production of near-net shape components with high ceramic content. Capillaric melt infiltration is a simpler process since the liquid penetrates the preform under the action of a capillary pressure. This work deals with the fabrication and evaluation of a TiC/Al composite produced by melt infiltration. Pre-sintered preforms, having different void fraction and pore size, where infiltrated with pure Al, in an argon …  Read more

This thesis describes the data acquisition error monitoring system developed for the 1993-94 physics run of the collider detector at Fermilab (CDF). It presents an overview of the CDF data acquisition system indicating the role that the error monitoring system plays in the experiment. It then describes the custom software and software packages used to meet the error monitoring requirements of the CDF data acquisition system.  Read more

One of the aims of this study was to locate regions in interferon regulatory factor (IRF)-1 and IRF-2 that were responsible for transactivation and DNA binding. Through the use of PCR mutagenesis, progressive deletions from the C-terminal end of IRF-1 and IRF-2 were generated; 6 IRF-1 and 8 IRF-2 deletion mutants were created to study the structure-function relationship of these two proteins. The deletion mutants were named according to the number of amino acids remaining from their N-terminal end: IRF-1 (120), IRF-1 (150), IRF-1 (170), IRF-1 (200), IRF-1 (250), IRF-1 (300); IRF-2 (100), IRF-2 (125), IRF-2 (160), IRF-2 (200), IRF-2 …  Read more

An accurate and fast technique has been developed for computing the supply current as well as the delay in CMOS combinational circuits. It is based on a new analytical model of the CMOS inverter which is designed specifically to compute the maximum supply current and the delay without recourse to integration. If the current waveform is needed, integration is used only for the trailing edge. This model can be used not only to compute maximum supply current and delay in CMOS circuits, but also to detect dynamic hazards. The extension to general CMOS circuits is achieved through a collapsing method …  Read more

Les vingt dernières années sont caractérisées par de profondes transformations sociales au Québec et au Canada. On observe en effet des changements au niveau des croyances et des valeurs, ce qui amené des modifications dans la structure des besoins et des moyens de les satisfaire. L'évolution des types de ménages, l'arrivée massive des femmes sur le marché du travail, l'éducation, ont grandement change la structure de la demande des biens de consommation. L'augmentation du revenu disponible, en moyenne du simple au double, entre 1970 et 1990 et par conséquent du pouvoir d'achat ont modifié le comportement décisionnel des consommateurs. De …  Read more

This thesis deals with al-Mawardi's concept of the imamate as expounded not only in al-Ahkam al-Sultaniyyah, but also in his other political treatises which are related to the subject. It is divided into a long introduction, two chapters, and a conclusion. After first introducing the controversial issue of the imamate and its historical background, the introduction exposes al-Mawardi's life, career and works, and discusses views on him expressed by modern scholars. The first chapter discusses the nature of the imamate focusing on its origin and necessity, the methods whereby the imam comes to power, the imam's duties and the possibilities …  Read more