McGill University Theses and dissertations published in 1993

At present there are several instruments that regulate air carrier's liability in international transportation. These international treaties are collectively known as the Warsaw System. Unfortunately, not all States are parties to the same instruments. In this thesis, four possibilities will be introduced for amendment of the System. These possibilities are as follows: ratification of the Guatemala City Protocol through the Montreal Protocol No. 3, an international treaty instrument, meant to update and amend the whole Warsaw System; the Italian solution, a national "remedy" taken without international consultations; the Japanese action, Japanese air carriers have waived entirely the Warsaw System's limits …  Read more

From 1938 to the outbreak of war in 1939, German opponents of Hitler made numerous contacts with the British government. While the information sent came from a variety of sources, most of the reports landed on the desk of Sir Robert Vansittart, the former Permanent Under-Secretary of the Foreign Office. His "internal-exile" to the position of Chief Diplomatic Advisor, as well as his personality conflicts with his successor, Sir Alexander Cadogan, and Lord Halifax, led to inefficient use of the information received from Germany. German warnings of Hitler's plans and ambitions, when listened to at all, were awkwardly and ineffectively …  Read more

Cette thèse étudie le project d'un fiqh indonésien tel qu'articulé par Muhammad Hasbi Ash Shiddieqy (1904-1975) pour combler l'écart qu'il percevait dans le droit islamique entre la révélation et la réalité (c-ada) de la société indonésienne. Alors qu'un fiqh indigène ne peut être conçu que par l'ijtihad la majorité des musulmans indonésiens croient que les portes de l'ijtihad sont irrévocablement fermées et s'opposent donc avec véhémence à toute suggestion visant à créer un fiqh indonésien. Pour rendre l'ijtihad à nouveau possible, Hasbi collabora avec les réformistes à un appel pour le "retour au Coran et à la Sunna." Le programme …  Read more

Hum, A. (Supervisor)  Read more

Two active topics in radiation therapy treatment verification, portal image segmentation and correlation, are addressed, and a robust algorithm for automatic segmentation of portal images and portal image registration with respect to a reference image is developed. Morphological techniques have been intensively applied in all stages of the segmentation part of this algorithm, from edge detection to feature extraction. An important issue, edge enhancement, is discussed particularly in detail. The performance of the morphological edge detection technique on portal images is compared with that of local gradient operators and optimal edge detectors, while the advantage of the morphological edge detection …  Read more

Ingram, R. G. (Supervisor)  Read more

Michel, R. (Supervisor)  Read more

Infections with Entamoeba histolytica are associated with impaired cell mediated immunity by an unknown mechanism. Macrophages are the most important cells in host defense against invasive amebiasis. The present study investigated the effect of E. histolytica on macrophage functions. Macrophages isolated from gerbils with amebic liver abscess and naive macrophages exposed to soluble amebic proteins induced profound alteration of eicosanoid formation both in cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase pathways by enhanced PGE$ sb2$ and LTC$ sb4$ production. TNF-$ alpha$ production by macrophages was altered locally in amebic granulomas and at systemic sites during the infection and in response to amebic proteins stimulation …  Read more

The phase angle control of the Two-Level Sinusoidal Pulse Width Modulation (SPWM) strategy has been studied in Part I of this thesis, and applied to a new voltage-source type PWM High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission system. The PWM-HVDC station exercises direct control over the voltage phase angle, the amplitude and the frequency at the ac terminals using the phase angle lock loop (PLL) control of the SPWM. The parallel connection of multi-terminal PWM-HVDC stations can be achieved through simple local feedback control. The feasibility studies for the system, based on laboratory experiments and numerical analysis, are reported in the …  Read more

This thesis aims to propose and specify a way to analyze test data. In order to analyze test data, it is necessary to estimate a special binary regression relation, called the item characteristic curve. The item characteristic curve is a relationship between the probabilities of examinees answering an item correctly and their abilities. The statistical tools used in this thesis are the generalized linear models and spline smoothing. The method tries to combine the advantages of both parametric modeling and nonparametric regression to get a good estimate of the item characteristic curve. A special basis for spline smoothing is proposed …  Read more

The Ca$ sb{x}$K$ sb{1-x}$(NO$ sb3) sb{1+x}$ glass system has been studied by means of X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). The structure of the glass system was studied in XRD experiments and from the Radial Distribution Function (RDF). A structural model for this glass system was suggested with the agreement between the RDF calculation and structure model geometric calculation. DSC studies ranged from glass transition and crystallization to melting. The activation energy for crystallization was obtained. The difficulty of handling the glass in open air was overcome by using vacuum tube to melt the sample and glove box …  Read more

Morgan, William D. (Supervisor)  Read more

Morgan, William D. (Supervisor)  Read more

Two mutants belonging to the same complementation group in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (WD and W24) were isolated which exhibit decreased expression of the heme-dependent CYC1 gene encoding iso-1-cytochrome c. Normal levels of CYC1 expression were restored when the mutants were supplemented with a heme analogue, suggesting that the mutations alter intracellular heme levels. Further analysis of WD revealed that it is also respiratory deficient. The mutations in these two strains are not complemented by any of the previously cloned heme biosynthetic genes. A clone was isolated from a yeast genomic library which confers both respiratory competence to WD and …  Read more

A survey of earthquake disaster mitigation strategies and building principles which could applied in rural areas of the Less Developed Countries. Earthquake vulnerability of traditional buildings and problems of earthquake hazard mitigation in these countries are discussed, along with some strategies that may help reduce the impact of future earthquakes. The performance of rural buildings during past earthquakes is analyzed to have a clear understanding of building behaviour during an earthquake. After the analysis, the research traces various recommendations and safe building techniques that would improve the earthquake-resistance of these buildings. Moreover, the study reviews problems often involved in implementing …  Read more

Self-cycling fermentation is a new technique used to cultivate synchronous populations of cells. This work used the technique in the production of citric acid from a strain of Candida lipolytica. Application of this technique resulted in extremely stable, reproducible patterns of growth and induced a high level of cell synchrony. Synchrony was maintained even throughout long periods of extended nutrient starvation. Thus, self-cycling fermentations can be operated with cycle times significantly longer than the doubling time of the microorganism. Use of this technique led to a full order of magnitude increase in the specific biomass production rate compared to literature …  Read more

In recent decades, increasing attention has been paid to small-scale enterprise in developing countries because of its potential to foster economic growth and simultaneously reduce poverty in regional economies. In an attempt to understand more about the relationship between entrepreneurship and social change in economies in Africa, this research examines the beliefs and practices of six small-scale entrepreneurs in the Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros. Surveys show that indigenous entrepreneurs consider fellow community members a hindrance to their activities; the government and access to capital are seen as less constraining. Case studies focus on entrepreneurial innovation in order to …  Read more

This study explored the role of potential risk variables, measured during the acute stage of pain, in predicting two development of chronic pain. Linear discriminant function analyses were performed on a subset of data from a large prospective pain prevalence study. The relationships among selected demographic, medical, psychological, and cognitive variables with the development of chronic pain was examined in 371 hospitalized patients experiencing acute pain at the initial interview. Pain was assessed at follow-up interviews (3 weeks, 3 and 6 months). A prediction equation maximizing the differences between the group who subsequently developed chronic pain and the group whose …  Read more

N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor activation is believed necessary for certain types of learning. The present experiments investigated the effects of the NMDA antagonist, MK-801, on spatial learning and memory in rats. Experiment 1 tested the effects of MK-801 on the acquisition and retention of a water maze task. MK-801 produced a performance, but not a spatial learning deficit. Experiment 2 tested the effects of MK-801 on the acquisition and retention of a radial arm maze task (RAM). MK-801 had no effect on initial acquisition and retention, but impaired subsequent reversal learning when the pattern of rewarded and unrewarded arms was reversed. …  Read more

Brown, Greg (Supervisor)  Read more

This thesis studying the biology of adult human derived microglia in vitro and in situ, assessed putative immune accessory/effector functions of microglia and correlated in vitro findings with microglia in situ in normal and multiple sclerosis brain specimens. Initial studies describe an isolation protocol for deriving enriched microglial cultures and demonstrate using phenotypic markers of cells of the myeloid lineage, that microglia can be distinguished from peripheral blood monocytes in vitro. Microglia· but not astrocytes could function as an antigen presenting cell (APC) for primary and secondary T cell responses. Investigating the basis for the difference in antigen presentation capacity …  Read more

Emissions of methane were measured by a static chamber technique at 9 sites on 5 wetlands in the Eastern Temperate Wetland Region, north of Montreal. Mean daily methane fluxes measured from May to October ranged from 0.18 to 1071 mg/m$ sp2$/d, and estimated annual flux ranged from 0.02 to 186 g/m$ sp2$/y. Laboratory incubations of peat samples showed potential anaerobic methane production rates which ranged from 0.00 to 9.12 $ mu$g/g/d, and potential aerobic consumption rates from 0.55 to 3.75 $ mu$g/g/d. Seasonal methane emission patterns are related to water table level and CH$ sb4$ production and consumption potentials in …  Read more

This thesis investigates the evolution of two secondary sexual characters in birds, large male body size and exaggerated male tail length. To determine whether the elaboration of these two characters is associated with two correlates of sexual selection intensity, mating system and parental care, I collected and examined morphological information for 1,990 species and natural history data for 745 species. Comparative studies should account for the problem of related species sharing similarities through common descent, so here I investigate associations with contrast scores that measure the variation radiating from unique ancestral nodes in a phylogeny. I show that greater polygyny …  Read more

This thesis evaluates the evaluations of federal institutional training to determine whether these produce reliable feedback on program performance. It is based on evaluations of the Canada Manpower Training Program (CMTP), the National Institutional Training Program (NITP) and the Direct Purchase Option (DPO) of the Canadian Job Strategy (CJS). Comparisons among the tools and techniques used in evaluating these three programs reveal that improved methods have been incorporated over time. However, a review of United States literature on social program evaluation reveals that these upgrades have not kept pace with research advances in this area. This thesis concludes that the …  Read more

There are two traditions in English poetry: elevated and down-to-earth. The former is characterized by formal style, use of verbal associations, and philosophical subject matter. The latter is informal, uses worldly images and makes specific points. When elevated style uses common language, i.e. words drawn from specialized contexts, those words bring with them the down-to-earth spirit. They convey an effect of honesty, indicting the abstraction of elevatedness as an evasion. John Ashbery calls up that effect to discredit it, to show that down-to-earth poetry's implied access to the world is delusive and his personalized internal view is honest. Amy Gerstler …  Read more

Much of the world's food is produced in the wrong quantities in the wrong place. The disarray in world agricultural markets is a symptom of the failures of national agricultural policies in the industrialised world; which by maintaining high guaranteed prices to provide fair income to farmers have induced overproduction and excessive costs of surplus disposal. This thesis will examine the agricultural policies of the European Community and the United States to demonstrate the plethora of import barriers, subsidised export programmes and internal production subsidies in existence. The operationally-ineffective GATT regime for the agricultural sector will be outlined, with consideration …  Read more

This dissertation explores ideas about human agency and conduct as these are expressed in the Indian epic known as the Mahabharata (the "Great Bharata"). Two concepts in particular retain our attention: daiva, the power that comes from the gods, and purusakara, the power that comes from human beings (purusas). One current of thought holds that human life and the course of history are governed exclusively by external agencies ("the gods" or chance). On the other hand, the epic also carries the commanding message that the lives of individuals and societies may be changed for the better through human initiative (purusakara) …  Read more

Phosphorous fertilizer has an efficiency of about 10 percent, and this efficiency must be improved, in order to avoid excessive loss of a non-renewable resource. Ammonium lignosulphonate (ALS), a by-product of the pulp and paper industry, is expected to improve efficiency of fertilizer phosphate (P) for corn (Zea mays L.) production. Field experiments were conducted to investigate effects of added ALS and P on soil organic matter and P fractions, as well as corn yields and nutrient uptake in a Ste. Rosalie clay soil and an Ormstown silty clay loam soil in 1990 and 1991. Incubation studies showed that added …  Read more

The goal of this thesis is to present and demonstrate the feasibility of tool support for view driven process modelling (VDPM). A view represents a well defined issue of concern related to the software process (SP) which has some intrinsic value, such as providing software engineering support. In turn, views offer insight into the process. Software process models (SPM) are important for communicating, analyzing, understanding and improving the software process. SP are difficult to model because they are complex. Using views in VDPM reduces the complexity of process modelling by separating issues of concern. Background on the SP and SPM …  Read more

This thesis presents a structural study of Ni-Zr metallic glasses. It is the first time that a careful complete and systematic investigation into the structure of a glassy metallic system has been carried out. The results have improved our understanding of the structure of metallic glasses and clarified confusion in previous studies. The total structure factors of melt-spun and sputtered amorphous Ni$ sb{x}$Zr$ sb{1-x}$, 0.25 $ le$ x $ le$ 0.86, were obtained with an accuracy of 1-4%. Accurate partial structure factors of Ni$ sb{0.33}$Zr$ sb{0.67}$ and Ni$ sb{0.67}$Zr$ sb{0.33}$ were obtained using x-ray and neutron diffraction while those of …  Read more

Pea root plastids were isolated by differential centrifugation and resulting crude plastid fraction was purified by centrifugation through 10%(v/v) Percoll. Marker enzymes indicated that greater than 50% of the plastids were recovered essentially free from mitochondrial and endoplasmic reticulum contamination. The optimum in vitro conditions for glycerolipid biosynthesis from (U-$ sp{14}$C) glycerol-3-phosphate have been determined. Total glycerolipid biosynthesis was approximately 15 nmole/hr/mg protein in the presence of 200 $ mu$M glycerol-3-phosphate, 0.5 mM each of NADH and NADPH, 15 mM KH$ sb2$CO$ sb3$, 0.05 mM CoA, and 2 mM each of ATP and MgCl$ sb2$, 100 mM Bis Tris Propane …  Read more

Particle behaviour during the downwards, pneumatic injection of powder into an aqueous medium (water) has been investigated by means of a new method which involves direct measurement by making use of an Aqueous Particle Sensor (APS) unit. Through this method, phenomena and parameters related to injection processes, such as gas-particle jet penetration distance, jet diameter, jet cone angle, particle dispersion and distribution within the liquid have been investigated both qualitatively and quantitatively. Flow observations comprised part of the experimental program for the purpose of confirming the characteristics of the "gas-only" and "gas-powder" injection regimes reported by previous workers. The effect …  Read more

Postmodernist texts by non-white authors consistently challenge accepted theoretical discourses with some notion of race or ethnicity. Until recently however, race as a unique category for theoretical investigation has remained largely unexplored. The author here outlines how both a variety of theoretical disscussions about race and ethnicity, about difference, and about experience, have formed the basis of how race is currently talked about in postmodernist discourse and how these various postmodernist discussions about race and difference may both enrich and be enriched by a theoretical examination of French poststructuralist theory. Employing the popular Benetton ads as a vehicle for theorizing …  Read more

The first part of my work evaluates bilateral supramaximal transcutaneous phrenic nerve stimulation as a diagnostic test for respiratory muscle fatigue. I found that twitch transdiaphragmatic pressure (Pdi,T) was inversely and linearly related to lung volume (V$ sb{ rm L}$) both before and after fatigue. Although fatigue caused significant decrease in Pdi,T amplitude at all V$ sb{ rm L}$, the fractional decrease in Pdi,T was greater at high V$ sb{ rm L}$, indicating the importance of V$ sb{ rm L}$ as an independent variable that needs to be controlled whenever Pdi,T is determined. Twitch mouth pressure (Pm,T) was found to …  Read more

In response to the likely future change in the Canadian Guidelines regulating the maximum allowable concentration of trihalomethanes (THM) in potable water, an investigation into the possible causes and variability of THM precursors was conducted during the summers of 1990 and 1991 at Lake Memphremagog in south-eastern Quebec. A number of associated parameters were correlated with THM formation potential (THMFP) with respect to season, depth and position on the lake. The THMFP was quantified indirectly by measuring the THM concentration present after chlorination under standard conditions. THM concentrations in the samples were found to exceed the US EPA standard of …  Read more

Human mitochondrial NAD-dependent methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase-methenyltetrahydrofolate cyclohydrolase was expressed in a soluble and active form in Escherichia coli, purified to homogeneity for the first time and characterized. Phosphate is absolutely required for the dehydrogenase activity. NADP can be utilized by the dehydrogenase with a low turnover rate. The properties of the enzyme suggest that it has evolved from NADP to NAD specificity by the unique mechanism of substituting inorganic phosphate for the 2$ sp prime$-phosphate of NADP. The role of Mg$ sp{++}$ in this process is not understood, but it is required for activity with both dinucleotides. This enzyme is proposed …  Read more

Rank one transformations provide a rich source of examples of maps which satisfy certain mixing properties. Using the way that they are constructed, Chacon proves that certain rank one transformations are weakly but not strongly mixing. We also study some of their spectral properties, showing that certain rank one transformations have singular or continuous spectrum, and that they all have simple spectrum. Next we look at the characterisation of mildly mixing transformations due to Furstenberg and Weiss. Finally we study uniformly Cesaro transformations, which are used in constructing rank one strongly mixing transformations.  Read more

$B sp pm$ mesons are reconstructed through the decay chain $B sp pm to chi sb{c}K sp pm, chi sb{c} to J/ psi gamma,$ and $J/ psi to mu sp+ mu sp-.$ Using data taken at the Collider Detector at Fermilab in $ bar pp$ collisions at $ sqrt{s}$ = 1.8 TeV during the 1988/89 run, we have seen the signal of the $B sp pm$ mesons from this decay channel although the statistics still need to be improved. By Monte Carlo methods, we also conclude that it is possible to resolve the individual $ chi sb{c1}$ and $ chi …  Read more

Four novel aromatic difluoride compounds were synthesized for use as monomers in nucleophilic aromatic displacement polymerization reactions. Attempts were then made to polymerize these monomers with a series of bisphenols, using potassium carbonate as a base, in a dipolar aprotic solvent as in equation 1. eqalign qquad{& rm K sb2CO sb3 cr rm F{-}Ar{-}F + HO{-}Ar{-}OH quad& rm quad longrightarrow quad quad bigl(O{-}AR{-}O{-}Ar bigr) sb{n} cr& rm Dipolar aprotic cr& rm solvent cr& rm 160-195 sp circ C cr} eqno(1) sing the reaction above, several novel poly(aryl ether)s have been produced and some of their physical properties, such as glass …  Read more

This thesis presents the design and implementation of a Vital Signs Monitoring System for a Patient Data Management System in an intensive care unit. The Vital Signs Monitoring System provides graphical display of patient data to assist medical decision making. It performs real-time patient data acquisition, and supports data management. Visual coding of information has been investigated to ensure effective graphical representation of patient data, to reduce screen clutter, and to enhance interpretability of graphical displays. A survey of existing patient monitoring systems, and patient data management systems is presented to give an overview of the recent advancements in these …  Read more

The kinetics of the functionalization of linear and cross-linked poly(methyl acrylate) (PMA) and its low-molecular-weight analogs by reactions with various amines in a series of binary solvents or in the solid state have been studied in situ by $ sp{13}$C NMR. Fitting the kinetic data of reactions of PMA with ethanolamine and n-hexylamine (HAN) in DMSO-rich solvent by use of the neighboring-group model shows an auto-acceleration effect due to hydrogen-bonding and/or polar interactions, and hydrophobic interactions; however, PMA and cyclohexane-methylamine shows an auto-retardation effect due to strong steric hindrance. At low extent of reaction the steric effect dominates the kinetics …  Read more

Fertilizer applications of urea and triple superphosphate (TSP) may affect availability of plant nutrients in the soil through alteration of soil pH and sorption-displacement effects. The objectives of this experiment were to evaluate urea and TSP effects on nutrient availability to soybean (Glycine max L.). Field experiments were carried out on three Quebec soils; a Chicot sandy clay loam (Gleyed Melanic Brunisol), an Ormstown silty clay loam (Luvic Gleysol) and a Ste. Rosalie clay (Humic Gleysol). Three levels of TSP (0, 40, 80 kg $ rm P sb2O sb5 ha sp{-1}),$ and three levels of urea (0, 25, 50 kg …  Read more

This thesis will examine a Vector Quantization-based system for speech enhancement. Key areas in this study will include the optimum size for the vector quantizer library and the distance measures used to index the vector quantizer library. In addition, the robustness of the overall enhancement process as a function on the vector quantizer training sequence (e.g., the number of speakers and the number of dissimilar phrases) will be explored. As speech enhancement is a diverse field, several other contemporary speech enhancement techniques will initially be examined in order to place the results of this study in a comparative light.  Read more

This thesis looks at the Ikhwan movement from an historical point of view and focuses on going back to the roots of the movement which is tied to the religious revivalism initiated by Muhammad al-Wahhab in the late 1700s. The religious doctrine which evolved from this religious revival movement condoned and legitimized both the formation of modern Saudi Arabia under the rule of the al-Saud family and the Ikhwan. Hence, Wahhabism is the underlying theme to three historical events: the first Wahhabi movement of the 1700s, the Ikhwan under Ibn Saud and the Neo-Ikhwan under al-Utaybi. All of these events …  Read more

This study portrays the vital role that sustainable development has in environmental protection. It is argued that, due to an unnecessary polarization of efforts, the success of sustainable development has been rather limited. Thus, after surveying the tension between the ecological, economic development and ethical dimensions of the concept, the author demonstrates the balancing role that international environmental law can have. Two hypotheses, the hypothesis of "concavity" and that of "convexity", are presented to contribute to a more appropriate understanding of the concept. A survey of international environmental agreements and instruments is undertaken in order to present sustainable development as …  Read more

Experimental Allergic Encephalomyelitis (EAE) is an autoimmune demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) with pathological and clinical features, including patterns of remission and relapse, reminiscent of the human disease Multiple Sclerosis (MS). EAE can be induced by immunization with myelin proteins in genetically susceptible rodents and can be adoptively transferred with CD4$ sp+$ T cells. In this thesis the mechanisms governing EAE induction in SJL/J mice were examined by flow cytometric analysis of the migration into the CNS of CD4$ sp+$ T cells labelled with a lipophilic fluorescent dye (PKH2). Selective retention was demonstrated within the CNS of …  Read more

The self-cycling fermentation (SCF) technique was used to grow three species of the genus Streptomyces which have been described as producing antibiotics. Application of this technique led to reproducible growth patterns for filamentous organisms. Control of the system using the CO$ sb2$ concentration in the off-gas was achieved under conditions which prevented monitoring of the dissolved oxygen. It was also possible to use the SCF system with either defined or complex media. Production of tetracycline by S. aureofaciens was obtained on an iron-deficient medium. The production rate was as high as 0.272 g tetracycline/g sucrose/h. This was comparable with that …  Read more

Gagnon, Raymonde F. (Supervisor)  Read more

The Great Theorem Prover (TGTP) based on the resolution refutation method for first-order logic has been developed and extended. The new version, TGTP(Z), improves the usage of unit clauses in searching for a unit refutation. In this thesis, we first analyzed how a hash technique was used for a refutation discovery in TGTP. Then a simplified unification was introduced to perform complementary matchings on unit clauses in order to obtain a unit refutation. TGTP(Z) was implemented with a combination of this unification and the hash technique which could be employed to delete identical copies of unit clauses. TGTP(Z) was tested …  Read more

This thesis investigates the fundamental assumptions made in recent continuous-time equilibrium models of the term structure of interest rates. It finds that the number and the stochastic processes of state variables are strikingly different from those assumed in the literature. It develops a three-factor empirical term structure model, based on 22 years of cross-maturity time series data. The results show that the price differences, between the well-known Vasicek, and Cox, Ingersoll and Ross models and the three-factor empirical model, for interest-rate sensitive securities are of substantial economic significance.  Read more