McGill University Thèses et mémoires publiés en 1995

Podgorsak, Ervin B. (Supervisor)  Read more

The goal of this study is to develop a general theoretical perspective for the archaeological study of intersocietal interaction among hunter-gatherers. Several theoretical frameworks have been offered for the study of interaction, including acculturation, ecological interdependency, peer polity interaction, world-system theory, and a number of more particularist approaches. Although all offer valuable insights, only world-system theory has the potential for application to all types and scales of intersocietal interaction, past and present. The perspective developed here represents an experimental modification of the world-system perspective, with the addition of aspects of previous hunter-gatherer studies, most of which are strongly influenced by …  Read more

This thesis examines the efficiency of the price discovery mechanism in small regional markets utilizing the feed grain markets in the Maritime Provinces of Canada as a case study. Through the application of the Law of One Price (LOP), price transmission symmetry and Vector Error Correction Models (VEC), the author determined the price relationships that exist between the feed grain market in the Maritime Provinces and those in Western and Central Canada as external sources of supply. The results suggest that there exists a relatively high degree of arbitrage between Maritime feed grain prices and those of Thunder Bay or …  Read more

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase catalyzes the reduction of 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate to 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, a carbon donor for the remethylation of homocysteine to methionine. Patients with severe MTHFR deficiency have $<$20% residual enzyme activity, moderate hyperhomocysteinemia, vascular lesions and neurological dysfunction. Mildly-deficient individuals with a thermolabile enzyme are at increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease. Two MTHFR sequence changes were identified. The first was a C to T transition at bp 764 altering a proline to a leucine codon; this change was found in one severely-deficient patient. The second was a C to T transition at bp 677, substituting a valine for a highly-conserved alanine …  Read more

The corpus of this project consists of the five volumes of Simone de Beauvoir's memoirs: Memoires d'une jeune fille rangee, La force de l'age, La force des choses I, La force des choses II and Tout compte fait. In this study, we have considered the difficulties of self-analysis and examined the limitations and demands of the genre of autobiography. A memoir is not simply the reconstruction of the author's past, but a personal interpretation of this past which often includes discrepancies between the narrative and the reality of his or her life. The autobiographer's primary objective is not to deliver …  Read more

There exists no adequate objective measure of vestibular function and consequently clinicians cannot easily estimate degree of vestibular dysfunction or dizziness. This study aimed to evaluate new objective measures of vestibular function by determining (1) how these measures relate to subjective clinical estimates of vestibular function and (2) whether these measures can identify patients with true vestibular dizziness. Net $ {$slow-phase + saccadic$ }$ gaze stabilization and active comfortable torsal-head rotation were used to objectively characterize vestibulo-ocular and vestibulospinal function, respectively, in 39 dizzy patients and 30 normals. Blinded clinical ranking of apparent vestibular function of the patients was obtained …  Read more

This thesis explores the cultural implications underlying the medical practice of cutting human flesh. The examination focuses, in particular, on the function of representational technologies--from anatomy sketches to computer imaging--in the scientific understanding of the body in the West. By foregrounding the technologies of representation which inform and have directed a history of surgery, it is hoped that the cultural aspects of modern medicine will be made apparent. This thesis argues that while science benefitted from art to construct its image of 'the' body, it has had to rid itself of art in order to justify its empirical claims. The …  Read more

The purpose of this dissertation was to determine if the CNS produces relatively simple alterations in muscle activity to accomplish goal-directed reaching motions of the upper limb under a variety of movement conditions. To this end, six subjects performed goal-directed arm movements in the horizontal plane. Two movement amplitudes (300 mm and 400 mm) were completed at a moderate speed (1050 mm/s) and as-fast-as possible. The speed and amplitude conditions were repeated for the 45$ sp circ$ and 90$ sp circ$ movement directions. Finally, each of the movement conditions mentioned thus far, were performed within the right and left sections …  Read more

The study asks the following question: to what degree do the categories of philosophical knowledge apply to the original work of Abu Ya'qub al-Sijistani? In order to answer the question, the study tries to characterize al-Sijistani's thought as expressed in the Kitab al-Yanabi'. The textual analysis emphasizes the role of Sijistani's theory of Sources and theory of kalimah, which allow useful comparisons with aspects of the hermetic and hermeneutic traditions. The analysis aims at demonstrating that the hermeneutical thought of al-Sijistani, although gnostic in character, integrates in its spiritual itinerary the conceptual expression characteristic of philosophical knowledge. The possibility of …  Read more

In string theory, some techniques have been developed to calculate scattering amplitudes. Because of the $SL(2, doubc)$ invariance for tree-level amplitudes, a physical inconsistency arises; the amplitudes, instead of being finite, diverge. Two techniques can be used to remedy this problem. To avoid the overcounting configurations, we can (a) divide the amplitude by the $SL(2, doubc)$ volume or (b) insert three ghosts in the amplitude integral. Independently of which one of the two ways is followed, a number of two-dimensional integrations over the complex plane remain to be performed. This thesis explores some ways to replace some of these two-dimensional …  Read more

As Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) emerges as the best technology for suitably integrating the various traffic classes of present and future broadband integrated services digital networks, testing methods and equipments associated with this technology have to be devised. The high bandwidth of ATM as well as its flexibility in terms of supported traffic types prevent the use of conventional approaches to network technology testing. Particularly, the conformance assessment of ATM switching nodes becomes a very challenging task because of their complex functionality and the sophisticated performance issues involved. This thesis presents a design and implementation of an ATM switching node …  Read more

Mammalian prosomatostatin (PSS) is cleaved at an Arg-Lys doublet in order to produce somatostatin-14 (SS-14), and at two singlets, Arg and Lys, in order to release SS-28 and PSS$ sb{ lbrack 1{-}10 rbrack}$ respectively. Furin, PC1, and PC2 are three recently cloned mammalian endoproteases, associated with the Golgi (furin) or targeted towards the secretory granules of the regulated pathway (PC1 and PC2). In order to determine the enzymes involved in the proteolytic processing of PSS and localize the endoproteolytic reactions in specific compartments of the secretory pathway, I compared PSS processing in endocrine (AtT-20, GH3, and GH4C1 pituitary cells) or …  Read more

Within the scope of a project funded by the Quebec Ministry of the Environment and Fauna (MEF), alternative wastewater phosphorus removal methods to alum or ferric chloride coagulation were assessed. The most promising technologies were found to be enhanced biological phosphorus removal, treatment plant process optimization and on-line process control. The use of alum sludges from potable water treatment plants appeared promising although it has not yet been widely practised or studied. The MEF therefore decided to retain the process as one requiring further study. Through batch sorption tests with synthetic solutions, it was found that aluminum hydroxide has a …  Read more

Due to industrialization over the past 100 years, the sediments at the bottom of the Lachine Canal and Bay have become contaminated. This study investigated the heavy metal accumulation mechanisms within the Lachine Canal sediments and was carried out in three phases. Laboratory analytical and instrumental work were included. During Phase I, 28 parameters were measured on 44 samples collected along the Lachine Canal and Bay. The results revealed the presence of a wide variety of both organic and inorganic contaminants. Heavy metals such as Zn $>$ Pb $>$ Cr $>$ Ni $>$ Cu $>$ Cu (in order of decreasing …  Read more

An eddy-resolving upper ocean model is developed to study the dynamics and thermo-dynamics of Baie des Chaleurs (BdC, 47.5-48.5N, 65.5-66.5W), Gulf of St. Lawrence (GSL), Canada. The model has primitive equation dynamics with two active layers embedded with a Kraus-Niiler type mixed layer model at the top. Forced by observed wind, atmospheric heat fluxes, river runoff and appropriate remote forcing (in particular, the Gaspe Current, GC), the model demonstrates that the mean cyclonic general circulation pattern in the bay is a consequence of the intrusion of the GC. In the mixed layer, atmospheric heat fluxes and horizontal thermal advection play …  Read more

L'architecture vernaculaire est le résultat de facteurs socio-culturels et environnementaux variés. Elle représente une collection d'outils, qui ont résiste au passage du temps et qui peuvent nous aider à développer une approche vers une architecture durable et énergétiquement efficace. Le centre d'intérêt de cette thèse est sur le produit physique de l'architecture vernaculaire -l'artefact -- comme réponse a l'environnement dont il fait partie. L’object d'étude se porte sur différentes solutions vernaculaires de ventilation naturelle dans des climats chauds et humides. […]  Read more

A new simple method for the synthesis of novel hydroxy substituted 1,2-diphenylcyclopropanes was developed. Mono and dihydroxysubstituted-1,2-diphenylcyclopropanes were prepared by base-catalyzed decomposition of the corresponding hydroxy substituted 3,5-diphenyl-2-pyrazolines which were the products of the reaction between hydroxychalcones and hydrazine monohydrate. Some biphenols and activated aromatic difluorides containing the ethylene, chalcone and pyrazoline groups were prepared by novel, simple methods employing readily available starting materials and reagents. The monomers were used to prepare thermally cross-linkable polymers. New dianhydrides containing the 1,2-diphenylcyclopropane or diphenylacetylene group were synthesized from 1,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)cyclopropane or bis(3-hydroxyphenyl)acetylene. Subsequently, new types of poly(aryl ether sulfone)s, poly(aryl ether ketone)s, polyesters, …  Read more

The following thesis describes the experiences of a non-Native, female, social worker as a participant-observer among First Nations people. The setting was that of an Intensive Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention Program for male Aboriginal ex-offenders, held over a period of four months in 1993. The environment was a secluded camp site, situated to the North-East of Montreal. The material describes, in narrative form, the interactions between non-Native and Mohawk workers, and between non-Native worker and Native clients of various cultural backgrounds. Also considered are general issues which affect First Nations peoples, such as alcohol and drug abuse, grief and …  Read more

A study on the epidemiological dynamics of gastrointestinal nematodes of small ruminants was conducted in a semi-arid area of Kenya over a period of two years. Three major trichostrongylid species were identified; Haemonchus, Trichostrongylus and Oesophagostomum. Trichuris and Strongyloides species were occasionally encountered. Of the major trichostrongylids, Haemonchus spp. was the most prevalent (90%) and accounted for about 80% of the total worm burden. This species was found to undergo hypobiosis at levels that varied with seasons: nil levels of hypobiosis were recorded during the wet months and as much as 80% was recorded during the dry months. Hypobiosis was …  Read more

Cette monographie a pour objectif de démontrer l'importance, dans l'enseignement du français langue seconde (FLS) aux adultes (niveau avancé), de la sensibilisation des apprenants à la compréhension et à l'utilisation d'expressions idiomatiques françaises et québécoises.  Read more

When brain proteins separated by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and transferred to nitrocellulose are probed with $ sp{125}$I-labeled laminin, a single broad band of $ sim$120 kDa binds laminin specifically. This laminin binding protein, LBP120, is closely to dystroglycan-$ alpha$, part of a complex of proteins associated with dystrophin, the product of the gene that is absent in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Five peptides from purified bovine brain LBP120, ranging in size from 7 to 19 residues, are up to 100% identical to the predicted amino acid sequence of muscle dystroglycan-$ alpha$ (Ibraghimov-Beskrovnaya, O., Ervasti J. M., Leveille, C. J., Slaughter, …  Read more

Janda, Richard (Supervisor)  Read more

Wood-Dauphinee, Sharon (Supervisor)  Read more

In Micellar-Enhanced Ultrafiltration (MEUF), a surfactant is added to a wastewater stream containing an organic solute. Most of the solute is solubilized in micelles, which are aggregates of surfactant molecules, formed in the feed solution. Separation is achieved through retention of the micelles by an ultrafiltration membrane. Since much of the solute is within the micelles, a membrane with a molecular weight cut off (MWCO) much larger than the molecular weight of the solute is used. Although some unsolubilized solute and surfactant monomers pass through the membrane, the use of a surfactant with a low critical micelle concentration (CMC) ensures …  Read more

In order to help the fight against organised crime, particularly drug dealing, the problem of money laundering has become more significant. The various techniques used by money launderers are also subject of this thesis. Through the many ways utilised to launder money, it shows how difficult it is to pinpoint what action is on the border of legality and what is not. These difficulties become more apparent when precise analysis is made of the law as applied in both Switzerland and the U.S.A. Neither approach has proven successful. On the contrary, the question of constitutionality of many rules becomes relevant. …  Read more

What determines the amplitude and the time course of spontaneous excitatory unitary events is not well understood. Desensitization of fast AMPA/K channels has been shown to be fast enough to shorten individual quantal responses. However, it is not known whether the desensitization is uniform nor is it known what determines the relation between amplitude and rise or decay times in absence of desensitization. Both the rise and the decay times are essentially amplitude-independent in control conditions, but become markedly amplitude-dependent after desensitization has been suppressed by aniracetam. Strong amplitude-dependence of the rise and decay times suggests that in absence of …  Read more

Hasan, M. (Supervisor)  Read more

Looking at the current air traffic system developments and the use of satellite for communication, navigation, surveillance and air traffic management, an emerging trend of institutions and law can be observed. This thesis assesses the institutional and legal contributions of the satellite services to civil aviation. This thesis is divided into three parts. Part I sets the scene by giving the reader a brief look at the technical side of the current air navigation system. Chapter I explores the current system's deficiencies and Chapter II explains the framework of selected existing aeronautical and general operating satellite systems and institutions. Part …  Read more

The aim of this work was to determine whether adult rat cerebral cortical gray matter membranes possess neurite growth inhibitory activity and to characterize this, if present. Tissue culture substrates of detergent extracted cortical gray matter membrane proteins inhibited neurite outgrowth from NG108-15 cells. Cortical gray matter membranes also caused growth cone collapse of embryonic rat dorsal root ganglion neurons. The inhibitory activity was both heat and trypsin sensitive suggesting the involvement of protein(s). Western blots and enzyme treatments indicate that known inhibitors are unlikely to contribute to this activity. The activity did not bind specifically to either Concanavalin A, …  Read more

The chiral nematic texture of a number of anisotropic cellulosic systems is revealed with the help of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). TEM and AFM examination of sections of cellulose films, ethyl cellulose (EC) films, ethyl methyl cellulose (EMC) films, cellulose acetate (CA) films and (6-O-trityl 2,3-O-hexyl) cellulose (C(Tr)(He))1 films showed periodicities which are characteristic of chiral nematic arrangements. Those periodicities are related to the helicoidal pitch of such organisations. Furthermore, specific structural defects were observed in sections of the chiral nematic films. These defects are associated with a parabolic focal conic texture. Chiral nematic gels …  Read more

The knowledge of the viscoelastic properties of molten polymers and the ability to predict their behavior under deformation is of prime interest to polymer scientists and industry. The discrete linear relaxation spectrum $ lbrack G sb{i}, lambda sb{i} rbrack$ is one of the important viscoelastic properties and it is widely used to characterize molten polymers. This spectrum is obtained from experimental values of the dynamic moduli $ lbrack G sp prime( omega), G sp{ prime prime}( omega) rbrack$. A linear regression method with and without regularization and a nonlinear regression method were compared for inferring a discrete spectrum from experimental …  Read more

This experiment demonstrated that it is possible to use classroom intervention to change the attitudes of female college students towards theoretical and applied chemistry. A pilot study was used to test the experimental design, develop measuring instruments and obtain some preliminary information on the attitudes of college science students. The experiment was of the pretest, post-test, experimental, control group design with a total sample size of 204 students. The treatment experienced by the experimental group consisted of a modified curriculum that included information about topics found by the researcher to be of interest to women, information about how chemistry benefits …  Read more

The purpose of this thesis is the determination of a minimum market price for Short-Rotation Forestry (SRF) willow biomass grown in monoculture and windbreaks in Quebec and Ontario. Full cost budgeting was used and developed on a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. Harvest cycles of 3 and 4 years for monoculture plantations, and 8 years for windbreaks were investigated. Estimates for establishment and other preharvest costs were obtained from mid-sized (5 hectares) commercial SRF willow plots in Quebec and Ontario. For the monoculture plantations, irrespective of cycle length, and using the base case figures, the final delivery cost of willow biomass ranged …  Read more

Postmodernism, with its interrogation of reality and the im/possibility of representation, presented a legitimation crisis for the documentary which would potentially signal the end. Gauging by the renewed interest in the documentary tradition (in theory and practice) it is obvious that postmodernism had the reverse effect on documentary, freeing a filmmaking practice that had become hopelessly trapped within its own representational contradictions. In response to the challenge postmodernism presented, documentary theorists and filmmakers cleared a new space for documentary, and in the process reconsidered the limitations of Western epistemology and the ideal of 'representing reality'. This new space is reflected …  Read more

Culley, Robert (Supervisor)  Read more

Despite the growth of secondary cities, there is still little written about these intermediate cities in the literature. This thesis addresses this gap by examining the growth of Puntarenas, one such secondary city in Costa Rica. Within the framework of dependency theory and an historical background, this case study examines several factors which have affected the development of this city over the last three decades. An undiversified economy based on fishing, migration patterns, and Puntarenas' dependent relationship with the capital, San Jose, are analyzed in depth. The study, which is based on interviews, statistical data, and published literature, suggests that …  Read more

Weber, M. E. (Supervisor)  Read more

Lemieux, Suzanne (Supervisor)  Read more

Irregular problems arise in many areas of computational physics and other scientific applications. A parallel solution for such a problem requires a suitable mapping strategy to map the irregular problem to the interconnection topology of the parallel machine so that communication overhead is as low as possible, there is proper load balancing among the processors and, locality of the problem graph is preserved. As a result, there is sufficient speedup in computation. In this thesis, we discuss some general strategies and associated results in data-parallel solutions of such problems. Some of these strategies use the geometrical co-ordinates of the nodes …  Read more

Neurological diseases are a common consequence of retroviral infections. The pathogenesis of these diseases however remains undetermined. In an attempt to elucidate the mechanisms involved in certain of these disorders, we have used an experimental approach involving transgenic mice. Transgenic animals provide an important tool in the study of retroviral diseases, since they allow us to circumvent the complex process of retroviral infection. In addition, when retroviral sequences are expressed under the regulation of a CNS-specific promoter, transgenic experiments allow us to evaluate the effects of expressing viral gene products in a given CNS cell population. Specific aspects of the …  Read more

This thesis is a study of the male character in the works of Michel Tremblay, particularly as depicted in his novels and original plays, excluding translated works, adaptations, musical comedies and movies. Beginning with the play entitled Les Belles-Soeurs (1968) and up to Marcel poursuivi par les chiens (1992), this thesis presents a threefold analysis of the males in Tremblay's dramatic and romanesque universe. The first part of this thesis focuses on Tremblay's methods of characterization; this provides us with the description of the physical and psychological attributes of the character. This first part also features a chapter describing the …  Read more

Atomic scale structures are studied using first principles or ab initio simulations. We first review the formalism required for a typical calculation and then proceed to examine a few applications. All the simulations were performed using plane wave based pseudopotential methods and by a direct minimization of the Kohn-Sham total energy functional. Using this method, we have investigated the effect of impurity atoms like boron, sulphur and phosphorous on the adhesive properties of two aluminium minimum slabs. We found that both sulphur and phosphorous (both substitutional impurities) decreased the adhesive energy and the interfacial strength, while boron (an interstitial impurity) …  Read more

This thesis will endeavour to analyse and evaluate the perceptions of Islam found in Canadian English media through a study of four daily newspapers and one national magazine during the years 1983 to 1985. It will set Canadian English media images of Islam within the context of the history of the perceptions of Islam in the West and in the context of various forms of hegemony exercised by the West over the Middle East in recent history. The thesis will review the critical literature on contemporary perceptions of Islam in Western media before undertaking a specifie study.  Read more

The ability of dictionaries, either in printed or electronic form, to enhance text comprehension has not been systematically investigated. Consequently, in order to investigate whether dictionary support improves text comprehension, this study compared readers' first-language (L1) and second-language (L2) text comprehension across three dictionary conditions and two proficiency levels. Recall, dictionary usage and reading times were the measures employed. Subjects were anglophone members of the Canadian Armed Forces military personnel with high-intermediate to advanced French second-language skills. Procedural texts were used: subjects read both an L1 and an L2 text in each of three conditions: (a) no dictionary access; (b) …  Read more

A novel Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) actuator is presented. The SMA actuator consists of twelve thin NiTi fibers woven in a counter rotating helical pattern around supporting disks. Fibers woven in this pattern accomplish a high efficiency transformation between force and displacement. In this manner, the actuator overcomes the two main mechanical drawbacks of shape memory alloys, that being limited strain and limited cycle lifetime. Experimental results with two actuators operating in an antagonistic manner demonstrate the feasibility of the actuators for use in miniature robotic systems. Further, a camera platform was constructed as an application for the actuators. The …  Read more

The CD4 molecule is expressed on a subset of T lymphocytes which recognize their cognate antigen in the context of MHC class II molecules. It is widely accepted that the interaction between CD4 and MHC class II molecules enhances T cell response to specific antigen. CD4 is non-covalently associated with the src-related tyrosine kinase p56$ rm sp{lck}.$ Using the T cell clone 2.10, we have shown that CD4 can sequester lck and inhibit anti-TcR induced proliferation if not co-aggregated with the TcR. Our results suggest that MHC class II molecules through their simultaneous interaction with the TcR and CD4 potentiate …  Read more

This research presents a psychological investigation of the characteristics of literary reading and the expertise associated with it. Specifically, it examines the kinds of knowledge about discourse which highly skilled readers use to generate a representation of a fictional narrative. At the same time it investigates their informal reasoning and the role that authorial intentions play in their interpretive strategies. To investigate highly skilled literary readers who are trained to look at texts in multi-dimensional ways, this research applied a cognitive model of literary reading to analyze the readers' verbal protocols in terms of discursive patterns and reasoning strategies. The …  Read more

The neuropeptide somatostatin is both a hormone and a neuromodulator; It is the major physiological inhibitor of growth hormone secretion. With the aim of identifying the receptor subtypes through which this neuropeptide may be exerting its neuroendocrine actions in the brain, we have examined by in situ hybridization the distribution of the mRNA for the $ rm sst sb1$ and $ rm sst sb2$ receptors in the hypothalamus of adult male and female rats. Several reports focusing on peripheral cells have indicated that somatostatin can be internalized after binding to membrane associated somatostatin receptors. Moreover, it has recently been reported …  Read more

We have built a planar one-legged robot (the ARL Monopod) to study the design, control and energetics of autonomous dynamically stable legged machines. Our 15kg robot is actuated by two low power 80W DC electric motors, yet it operates in a stable and robust fashion up to a running speed of 4.3km/hr (1.2m/s). Both design and control of our machine borrow heavily from Raibert's work whose robots use much more powerful hydraulic actuators. Despite our comparatively low power available for actuation, only the hopping height controller had to be modified to achieve stable running. In order to improve energetic efficiency …  Read more

Empirical and modelling studies are reported which explore ways in which the central nervous system might consider musculo-skeletal geometry when generating commands for single degree of freedom elbow flexion and extension movements. In a series of experiments it is shown that subjects do not perform rapid, goal-directed flexion and extension movements equally accurately in different parts of the elbow's workspace. In these experiments, movements of 10, 20 and 30 degrees in amplitude were tested using up to five different initial elbow angles. When performing flexions, subjects tended to overshoot targets when starting from extended positions, to undershoot targets when starting …  Read more