McGill University Thèses et mémoires publiés en 1995

The presence of an extensive enterorecirculation of amino acids between the intestine and the body, allows for the removal of elevated systemic phenylalanine present in the phenylketonuric condition, by oral administration of microencapsulated phenylalanine ammonia-lyase(28). The work presented in this thesis, had the main goal of assessing the feasibility of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) loaded collodion microcapsules, in reducing elevated plasma phenylalanine concentrations to standard levels in genetically mutated, ENU2 PKU mice, within a 30 day time frame. The distinguishing aspect from similar previous studies, originated with the available animal model. Rather than artificial induction of elevated phenylalanine plasma levels, the …  Read more

The relation between revelation and reason is a matter of interest for human beings and is connected with the development of reason and knowledge in modern society. Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i, a modern Muslim scholar who was an expert in both Islamic philosophy and Qur'anic interpretation, developed new approaches to such issues as the role of human rational ability, logic and philosophy in religious knowledge. Furthermore he deals with such specific controversial topics on the subject of revelation and reason as, social freedom and freedom of thought and belief in Islam. He tends to elaborate his view of freedom based on …  Read more

Drummond, Derek (Supervisor)  Read more

The axial velocity profiles (local velocity versus time or position) of single bubbles in the absence and presence of flotation reagents such as frother were measuredin a water-jacketed transparent Plexiglas square (10 x 10 cm) column over a distance of 400 cm. The test liquid temperature was maintained uniform and constant at 30 °Cby water circulation in the jacket. Single bubbles, covering a size range of interest in flotation, were studied. A bubble generation frequency was selected such that velocitywas independent of frequency. To follow the bubble during its rise, a video camera supported on a track and capable of …  Read more

A new experimental apparatus for high intensity through drying of paper was constructed and commissioned. The principal direct measurements with this facility are the air flow rate, and on-line measurements from beginning to end of the drying of the air temperature and pressure above and below the sheet, the sheet surface temperature on the flow inlet side and the local moisture content of a 2.5 mm diameter spot of the sheet. The equipment, constructed for the use of either air or superheated steam as the drying fluid, was commissioned with air as the drying medium. This facility was tested using …  Read more

The two studies reported in this thesis examine the influence of two depressive personality styles, dependency and self-criticism, on how individuals respond to potentially disruptive events, such as a change in or threat to social rank. The studies used an experimental protocol in which participants were allowed to believe firstly that they outperformed a close friend or were outperformed by a close friend and secondly that friends generally agreed or disagreed with them. Findings offer support for the integration of depressive personality styles and interpersonal factors within a social rank framework. Results from the two studies suggest that dependency and …  Read more

The growing demand for simulated fish products coupled with the declining stocks of traditional fish species for making these products, have increased efforts aimed at developing novel procedures to put non-traditional fish species like bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) and tilapia (Tilapia nilotica) to better economic use. Two procedures which fulfill both objectives are (i) application of high hydrostatic pressure, and (ii) utilization of protease inhibitor to control fresh fish spoilage due to microbial activity and/or autolysis by endogenous enzymes. High hydrostatic pressure has been used to formulate gels with superior functional properties, while $ alpha sb2$-macroglobulin, a broad spectrum protease inhibitor, …  Read more

Based on data from the 1990 Indonesian Census and the 1991 Demographic and Health Survey, analyses of fertility, fertility decline, and the use of contraceptive methods in Indonesia are presented. Two levels of analysis are carried out in this thesis: a macro-approach and a micro-approach. The analysis using the macro approach reveals that the family planning program, the status of women's jobs, and infant mortality rates are important determinants of fertility in Indonesia. In addition, the micro analysis shows that there are differences in the average number of children ever-born to couples according to the type of present and childhood …  Read more

Despite the acknowledged importance of nutritional support for COPD patients, it is difficult to accomplish in acutely stressed individuals. A randomized trial of nutritional supplementation during an acute exacerbation was carried out in 16 hospitalized patients for a 2 week period. Six control patients consumed a standard diet supplying 1,951 $ pm$ 130 (mean $ pm$ SEM) kcal and 80 $ pm$ 6 g protein/d, while ten treatment patients, in addition to the usual diet received oral supplements (Ensure) or snacks, resulting in an intake of 2,516 $ pm$ 129 kcal (p = 0.012) and 99 $ pm$ 6 g …  Read more

I write this thesis based on the premise that many environmental problems are the result of conventional community design. I argue that conventional community designs are "anti-ecological" because they consume too much energy, produce an extraordinary amount of waste, are car-oriented, ignore any relationship with the natural environment, and reflect the irresponsible attitude of man conquering nature. However, I suggest that ecologically responsible community design alternatives do exist. I refer to these alternatives as "ecological communities". These communities attempt to function as ecosystems that conserve natural resources, are self-regulating, and produce little waste. I present the central principles of ecological …  Read more

This thesis reports two new methods developed to study the free ion activity of aluminum and copper. Both methods could be applied to the study of other metals. The first method measures the apparent solubility of aluminum and sulfate in a dynamic, leached system. This system is believed to give a good representation of the field situation where soils are continuously leached and never at equilibrium. This study was done under three sulfate concentrations. The part of the experiment using low sulfate concentrations showed aluminum solubility control by a gibbsite-like solid phase with a log K$ sp circ$ of 7.49. …  Read more

The functional reconstruction of interrupted CNS pathways in mature mammals was studied in adult hamsters in which retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) regenerated axons through a peripheral nerve graft directed from the stump of the cut optic nerve to the superior colliculus (SC). Visually elicited unitary responses of both pre- and postsynaptic origin were recorded in the reinnervated SC and were discriminated by selectively abolishing postsynaptic activity using GABA microiontophoresis. Activity from individual regenerated axonal arbors and from the neurons within their terminal field of innervation was confined to the superficial retinorecipient SC layers and could be recorded over a range …  Read more

CH$ sb4$ and CO$ sb2$ fluxes were measured in upland boreal forest soils, over the period May 16$ sp{ rm th}$ through Sept. 16$ sp{ rm th}$, 1994, among a variety of vegetation and drainage characteristics. Most upland soils consumed CH$ sb4$, (0.6 to $-$2.6 mg CH$ sb4$ m$ sp{-2}$ d$ sp{-1}$), and produced CO$ sb2$, (0.2 to 26.8 g CO$ sb2$ m$ sp{-2}$ d$ sp{-1}$). CH$ sb4$ consumption showed no seasonal trend, however CO$ sb2$ flux displayed an increasing rate until late August, after which flux rates began to decrease. Differences among the sites examined showed soil temperature and …  Read more

Harrod, J. F. (Supervisor)  Read more

In this study, the edge effects of composite laminates are investigated mathematically. The presence of stress singularities at the ply interfaces along the free edges is studied. The importance of determining all terms, including interlaminar stresses, in investigating the failure of composite plates is also shown. The simple composite plate, the pin-loaded composite plate, and the bolt-loaded composite plate are analyzed three-dimensionally. A new "slice" model is developed to simulate the simple composite plate. Three-dimensional finite element analysis is performed with the "slice" model to verify the accuracy of the 20 node isoparametric element. The same stress analysis technique is …  Read more

Air transportation, while having many benefits, has raised numerous environmental concerns, one of the most contentious being aircraft noise. Thus, the national and international communities have been forced to take measures to cope with this problem, seeking to balance the needs of all interested parties. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the aircraft noise problem on the national and international levels. Each chapter highlights a distinct area of the problem. Chapter 1 covers the technical aspects of aircraft noise measurement, as well as recounts the general history, sources and effects of aircraft noise. Chapter 2 focuses specifically on …  Read more

This dissertation examines the possible impact of direct political participation by urban popular movements at the level of local government. It is argued that these movements harbour a democratic potential, which is contained in their social, cultural, and political practices, as well as in the collective identities of their participants. The relevance of this democratic potential derives from the fact that it could serve to democratize other political actors, particularly political parties, and to render local political institutions more democratic and efficient, depending on three conditions. First, effective political decentralization has to result in the creation of institutional openings for …  Read more

Pseudomonas fragi CRDA 037 was used to produce both intracellular and extracellular lipases. The crude lipase fractions were fractionated using ammonium sulfate to obtain partially purified intracellular and extracellular lipases; the fraction precipitated at 20-60% of saturation of the intracellular proteins was retained as the source of the endolipase, whereas the culture medium precipitated at 20-40% of saturation, was used as the source of exolipase. Native gel electrophoresis (PAGE) suggested that the partially purified extracellular lipase has a molecular weight of 25,500 Da. Three major electrophoretic bands were present in the intracellular lipase fraction at 70,000, 49,000, and 35,500 Da. …  Read more

"EDIFICE" Opus 4. No. 2, is a composition scored for double, mixed chorus, soprano and baritone soli, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets in Bb, 2 bassoons, 4 horns in F, 2 trumpets in C, 2 trombones, and bass trombone. The piece is based on the poem EDIFICE, by Tean E. Schultz, which was written at the request of the composer. The philosophical impetus of this work stems from the process of perspectival redefinition, the resultant alteration in perceptual space being of primary importance. This could be viewed as the meta-text of the poem and forms the basis for an iconic realization …  Read more

The Charles Bonnet syndrome is characterized by complex visual hallucinations in people without psychopathology or disturbance of normal consciousness. This thesis highlights the association of visual deficits with the syndrome, and proposes that it is analogous to the perception of phantom limbs; both conditions arise when normal sensory input to the brain is severely reduced. The five studies that comprise this thesis systematically gather information on the syndrome to answer three basic questions: how can the hallucinations be classified, what are the clinical implications for individuals who experience them, and what might cause the hallucinations. Study 1 examines 64 cases …  Read more

Photothermal deflection or 'mirage effect' spectroscopy was applied to the quantitative profiling of the optical absorbers in thin polymer films with depth dependent absorption coefficients. In addition, the mirage effect system instrumentation was designed and constructed. Improvements to the precision and accuracy of the instrumentation were implemented, which allowed for quantitative measurements of optical depth dependent layers to be profiled in samples consisting of thin polymer multilayered films. A theoretical model based on one-dimensional heat conduction was developed and used to analyze the experimental results. Further improvements were made to the model by applying diffraction theory to recover heat flux …  Read more

The developmental profiles of mRNA and protein expression for ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), the Na$ sp+$-dependent glucose co-transporter (SGLT1), sucrase isomaltase (SI), and the Na$ rm sp+K sp+$ ATPase $ alpha sb1$ and $ beta sb1$ subunit isoforms in the postnatal rat small intestine, as well as the effects of exogenous spermidine on their precocious development, were examined. Postnatal age had a significant effect with all enzymes and the nutrient transporter maturing around weaning. Consecutive exposure to exogenous spermidine during suckling precociously induced ODC mRNA, SI protein, and SGLT1 gene expression in the proximal and distal small intestine. Levels of Na$ …  Read more

This study investigated rowers' cognitive pain coping strategies during a 2,000 metre ergometer race. The concepts of association and dissociation were expanded upon by devising five thought categories: performance dissociation (PerfD), pain association (PaA), pain dissociation (PaD), psychological performance association (PsyA), and technical performance association (TechA). Sixteen rowers, five males and eleven females, between the ages of 19 and 27 years, rowed at maximum intensity for four race segments of 500 m, 1,000 m, and 2,000 m on separate occasions. A forty-one item Thoughts During Rowing Questionnaire was administered upon completion of each distance. Subjects' average thought category scores were …  Read more

Williams-Jones, A. E. (Supervisor)  Read more

Under ice river plume data were collected in the spring of 1988 and 1990 at the mouth of the Great Whale River, Hudson Bay, Canada. Tidal analysis of tide gauge data and predicted tides shows a phase advance and amplitude decrease of the tide under continuous landfast sea ice. Current meter and echosounder measurements, as well as temperature-salinity profiles were taken within the first 2 km off-shore of the river mouth to provide a detailed picture of the nearshore plume conditions. Stable, subcritical flow conditions were observed for most of the sampling period, with the buoyant freshwater plume maintaining a …  Read more

This thesis is concerned with the development and real-time implementation of an algorithm to determine interest points in a scene. These interest points will be used by a robot-mounted camera to focus its attention. The camera output has a nonuniform sampling resolution, modeled after the primate visual system. It provides a central high resolution foveal region surrounded by a much coarser peripheral region. The objective is to continuously position the camera so that the interesting areas in the scene lie within the foveal region. To this end, a computational model of visual attention has been developed and implemented in this …  Read more

The political modernization of Quebec in the 1960s meant that the close identification of French Canadian identity with the Roman Catholic faith was replaced by a new secular nationalism. Using David Martin's A General Theory of Secularization, I examine the reaction of the Catholic Church to its own loss of power and to the rise of this new secular nationalism. Conservative Catholics first condemned the new nationalism; by 1969 some conservative accepted the new society and even supported its state interventionism. Most important Catholic groups, including the hierarchy, the most dynamic organizations, and largest publications came to accept the new …  Read more

The goal of this thesis is to determine the correlation between the practice of working at home and the theoretical needs of sustainable living. The author presents a brief synopsis of the present theories of sustainability which he then uses as an evaluative backdrop for the study. Urban transport, architectural design and quality of life issues are addressed. The author conducted an extensive literature review, several case studies and a survey. Conclusions drawn from these studies were used to attempt to envision sustainable home working communities. It was found that sustainability was directly related to whether the home worker telecommutes …  Read more

Experiments were performed on a slit die rheometer to determine the effect of pressure on the wall slip of linear polyethylene. A novel shear stress transducer was developed to measure local wall shear stress at several locations along the die. It was found that above the critical shear stress for the onset of slip, the shear stress distribution along the die was nonuniform. Furthermore, it was discovered that the local wall shear stress near the exit of the die was greater than the nominal, or length-averaged, shear stress within the die as calculated from the pressure drop. Teflon$ sp circler$ …  Read more

Laboratory soil columns, 0.3 m diameter $ times$ 0.7 m long, and two computer simulation models, LEACHM-N and NTRM, were used to investigate nitrate-nitrogen ($ rm NO sb{3 sp{-}}$-N) leaching in a sandy loam soil. The following treatments were studied: no-till (NT), reduced tillage (RT), and conventional tillage (CT) practices, with residue (R) and without residue (NR). Nitrogen fertilizer was applied at a rate of 180 kg/ha in granular form (experiment I), and in solution form a year later (experiment II). In both experiments, water was applied 5 times over 3 to 4 weeks duration, with each application lasting for …  Read more

This thesis studies the theory of istihsan, an aspect of Islamic legal reasoning, as a method for ascertaining the legal norm in cases where qiyas dictates an overly strict ruling. The study primarily focuses on the concept presented by Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728/1328), a prominent Muslim theologian, philosopher, sufi and outstanding jurist. Placed in the context of later development, Ibn Taymiyya's theory proposes both a criticism and reformulation of the Hanafi school's perception of istihsan. Having observed previous formulations, Ibn Taymiyya sees this theory as being understood as an arbitrary contradiction to qiyas. Although attempts to redefine the theory, through …  Read more

This thesis presents three trie organizations for various binary tries. The new trie structures have two distinctive features: (1) they store no pointers and require two bits per node in the worst case, and (2) they partition tries into pages and are suitable for secondary storage. We apply trie structures to indexing, storing and querying both text and spatial data on secondary storage. We are interested in practical problems such as storage compactness, I/O efficiency, and large trie construction. We use our tries to index and search arbitrary substrings of a text. For an index of 100 million keys, our …  Read more

In Canada, West Coast Style has come to be associated with domestic architecture and a relaxed, modern lifestyle characteristic of the region's exceptional geography and climate. My thesis is a study of how this cultural formation has been figured and refigured since the Second World War through a historical and discursive analysis of West Coast Style. This cultural study focuses on how the term West Coast Style circulates and shifts meaning in relationship to a variety of domestic architectures such as the suburban single-family dwelling and more urban types like the coop, condominium and high rise. In addition, I consider …  Read more

This thesis presents a new hypoelasticity model which was implemented in nonlinear finite formulation to analyze normal and high strength reinforced concrete structures under both monotonically increasing and reversed cyclic loadings. The model includes a new hypoelasticity constitutive relationship utilizing the rotations of material axis through subsequent iterations, employment of both fixed and rotating crack models, compressive strength degradation in post-cracking regime, new uniaxial stress-strain relationships for concrete under monotonically increasing and reversed cyclic loadings, accounting for mesh sensitivity, and utilizing the tensile strength degradation due to extensive internal microcracking of the concrete. The model can account for high nonlinearity …  Read more

In this thesis, constant volume combustion of dust mixtures of varying particle size was investigated. A reduced gravity environment assisted in the generation of a quiescent, uniform dust suspension of known concentration, by allowing time for the decay of dispersion turbulence in the absence of gravity sedimentation. The difference between the theoretical and experimental maximum explosion pressures was systematically studied. Heat loss mechanisms, conduction and radiation, were evaluated in order to determine their contribution to the experimental pressure deficit. Gaseous explosions were also studied to validate the method of analysis and to provide a basis for comparison. It was found …  Read more

Kubes, G. J. (Supervisor)  Read more

This work proves the pathogenicity of four substitution mutations in the androgen-binding domain of the human androgen receptor (hAR) gene of four subjects with varying degrees of androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS): complete (CAIS), partial (PAIS), or mild (MAIS). Of three unrelated CAIS subjects, two have Arg830Leu, the third has Arg830Gln. Their genital skin fibroblasts (GSF) have negligible androgen binding, but in overexpressing transfectants, the mutant androgen-binding activities have increased dissociation rates and decreased affinity for androgen. Owing to the instability of AR-androgen complexes, both mutants fail to transactivate a reporter gene. Glu771Ala and Arg870Gly caused PAIS and MAIS, respectively. Their …  Read more

There is a growing awareness of the inadequacy of the traditional framework of international law as a means of dealing with current environmental problems. This has led to calls for a new approach. In view of the links between the protection of the environment and the protection of human rights, one such approach has been to focus on the development of international human rights law concepts and mechanisms to address environmental concerns. This thesis undertakes a critical assessment of a human rights approach to environmental protection, with the aim of suggesting ways in which it could realistically contribute to the …  Read more

This thesis will trace the development of Conservative ideology in Great Britain between 1906 and 1914. During these years the Conservative party was defeated by the Liberal party on three separate occasions. Many historians believe that this string of electoral contretemps offers convincing evidence that Conservatism, as an evolving pattern of beliefs, was fundamentally unsuited to the political climate of Great Britain at the turn of the century. According to this interpretation of Edwardian Conservatism, it was only the timely onset of war which saved the party from having to come to terms with the democratic impulse of an unfamiliar …  Read more

This study represents a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the Supreme Court of Canada's treatment of the exclusionary rule set out in s.24(2) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The objective of this thesis is to contribute to the theoretical debate between legal positivism and legal realism by examining judicial discretion and the application of s.24(2) by the justices of the Supreme Court. The goal of this work is to demonstrate the weakness of the positivist school in its basic premise that judicial decisions are based solely on the application of the rule of law. It is contended …  Read more

This thesis is a contribution to the study of the biblical interpretation of the Italian Reformer Peter Martyr Vermigli (1499-1562). Specifically researched is Martyr's use of the Jewish resources of the 1525 Bomberg Bible in his interpretation of Lamentations, Martyr's earliest surviving commentary. The form of this investigation is as follows: first, an introduction to the use of Jewish resources by Christian students of scripture; secondly, an annotated translation of Martyr's Lamentations commentary; thirdly, conclusions concerning Martyr's use of Jewish commentary. After a select bibliography, there are appendices which include a synopsis of sixteenth century Latin translations of Lamentations and …  Read more

Member Countries of the Andean Community (ANCOM) have established a supranational legal regime applicable to intra and extra-subregional air transport activities: the Andean Subregional Air Transport Integration system. This regime was established by Decisions 297 and 320 and was based on the Colombia-Venezuela Bilateral Air Transport Agreement. It revolutionizes the status quo regarding air transport. The new regime adopts the principles of multiple designation of air carriers, free determination of frequencies and capacities for scheduled air services performed with the Subregion, and complete liberalization for non-scheduled air services. It creates an "Andean subregional market" and promotes the establishment of a …  Read more

This thesis considers two-dimensional tomographic image reconstruction from sparse projections using the minimum cross-entropy principle. Given a finite set of projections of a two-dimensional function with compact support, an estimate is obtained of the function in an iterative manner. The image support region is discretized into nonoverlapping square pixels and three different methods are derived to model the projection measurements and the associated pixel contributions. Two new iterative reconstruction algorithms are presented. The first algorithm uses the Lagrange method to minimize the cross-entropy criterion, where the Lagrange multipliers are iteratively found. The second algorithm uses a simple penalty method, where …  Read more

This qualitative research employed the single case study approach to review the process by which service users and the staff of a food bank successfully broke through the bureaucratic resistance and secured new premises from the City of Montreal. This study explores the capacity of weaker parties to achieve their desired goal through strategic intervention on social exchange network despite the pre-existing asymmetric power relations. The conception of goal attainment, power relations and social exchange were discussed in order to develop the research questions. Case materials were collected from multiple sources: documentary research, in-depth interviews, and observation. The findings demonstrate …  Read more

Photoproduction events which have two or more jets have been studied in the $W sb{ gamma p}$ range 135 GeV $< W sb{ gamma p} <$280 GeV with the ZEUS detector at HERA. A class of events is observed with little hadronic activity between the jets. The jets are separated by pseudorapidity intervals (${ Delta eta}$) of up to four units and have transverse energies greater than 6 GeV. A gap is define as the absence between the jets of particles with transverse energy greater than 300 MeV. The fraction of events containing a gap is measured as a function …  Read more

Literary creativity and its shadow, the phenomenon popularly referred to as writer's block, have historically been accorded little attention by literary studies. In my thesis I seek to redress this oversight, illustrating my argument with reference to the creative life and works of Malcolm Lowry. I begin by arguing for a model of literary creativity that takes seriously the roles played by plans and intentions in motivating, sustaining and appropriately terminating literary creative action. I employ this model in order to provide a basis from which to clarify Lowry's own creative method. I go on to rehearse and evaluate definitions …  Read more

Community participation has become an integral part of housing strategy for low income populations of the developing world. In the last three decades, it has gone beyond community involvement in cost recovery, sweat equity or participation in planning, to encompass a large agenda seeking simultaneous social, economic and physical community development. Upgrading settlements of low income urban populations by in-situ infrastructure provision is aimed at bettering access to basic amenities and creation of sustainable living environments. However, evaluations of implemented projects indicate vast gaps between project aims and results, especially with regards to those components that are sensitive to local …  Read more

The subject of this paper is of cultures of terror, and more specifically of the possibility of resistance in a context of extreme fear. The focus is upon ways in which survivors of the Pol Pot regime devise strategies of embodied resistance, and rebuild notions such as identity and bodily integrity, within a Buddhist framework, to the dominant discourse of terror in contemporary Cambodian society. The paper problematizes the concept of "order" and questions its validity as a dominant paradigm in anthropology. Further, in searching for new ways of theorizing and writing about resistance and terror, it suggests that a …  Read more

Chmura, Gail (Supervisor)  Read more