McGill University Thèses et mémoires publiés en 1995

This thesis examines how Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS) devices can improve the secure-economic operation of a power system. More specifically, the benefits of FACTS devices in a network are evaluated in terms of four areas of power system study: system security, economic dispatch operation, maximum network loadability and electric industry deregulation. Simulations of a simple network are made to evaluate how a FACTS device can be used to increase the security region of a network. Based on this analysis, simulations are performed using the 24-bus IEEE reliability test network to assess the possible savings in generation costs, the increase …  Read more

This study retraces the steps of the 17th century architect and engineer Salomon de Caus through his written and built works, in an attempt to understand the relationship between what he made and the model by which his world was comprehended. The central questions examined with regard to his works are: what correspondence do they reveal between language as a means of conveying knowledge, the world as the source of knowledge, and God the divine creator; and whether "meaning" resides within or without this relation. The interpretation of De Caus' works reveals an epistemological model of a world balancing on …  Read more

Young, Allan (Supervisor)  Read more

The migration phenomenon of a neutrally buoyant solid particle suspended in an arbitrary flowing fluid of zero Reynolds number bounded by a plane solid wall has been analytically studied for the situation where the influence of boundary conditions is important. In particular, it is shown that for flows near a solid wall, particles can move in such a manner so as to cause large spatial variations of particle concentration in the suspension. Similar techniques are used to obtain a theoretical formulation for the non-deformable spherical droplet suspended in the prescribed flowing fluid bounded by the solid plane boundary. Special cases …  Read more

This work was designed to elucidate the molecular basis of HIV-1 resistance to nucleoside inhibitors of HIV reverse transcriptase (RT). These drugs can reduce viral load and improve quality of life. However, drug-resistant viruses emerge over time and are a major obstacle to successful therapy. We have demonstrated two novel mutations in HIV-1 RT as responsible for HIV-1 resistance to a number of nucleoside analogs, using tissue culture selection procedures. A substitution of methionine to valine at residue 184 of RT (M184V) encoded low-level resistance both ddI and ddC and high level resistance to 3TC. A second mutation, lysine$ to$arginine …  Read more

The effects of longwave radiation on the development of a small cumulus cloud were investigated by a combination of three-dimensional radiative transfer model as well as slab-symmetric and axially symmetric cloud dynamics models. A longwave radiation model was developed. The model was first applied to the case of an isolated cumuliform cloud in the form of a cylinder, the results of which illustrate the importance of cloud side cooling. We proposed that the radiatively forced sinking of air at the sides of cumuliform clouds would lead to lower-level convergence and thereby enhances the upward motion in the interior of the …  Read more

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of problem-based learning (PBL) as an alternative teaching method in biology. Eighty-one, ninth grade biology students worked collaboratively in groups, of 2 or 3, to generate a fictitious patient case, which was then exchanged, for other students to solve. This process was repeated on two occasions. Data from pre/post questionnaires and groups' verbal and written protocols were analyzed. Results showed that certain cognitive processes strengthened over time. Significant improvements were also noted in the quality and content of students' written scenarios and solutions, and in students' interest in working collaboratively. …  Read more

Although considerable evidence indicates that somatostatin (SRIF) exerts direct actions on growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH)-containing arcuate neurons within the hypothalamus to modulate hypophyseal growth hormone (GH) secretion, the underlying mechanism(s) remains to be elucidated. We have recently demonstrated high levels of expression of the mRNAs coding for two prototypic receptors of the recently cloned SRIF receptor (SSTR) family, SSTR1 and SSTR2, in the arcuate nucleus of the rat hypothalamus. However, information on the biological role(s) of these receptor subtypes and on the regulation of their expression is lacking. In the present study, we hypothesized that perturbations in GH would influence …  Read more

Tyszer, Jerzy (Advisor)  Read more

This study examines subsistence-settlement systems and residential mobility of prehistoric Jomon hunter-gatherers in Japan. Raw data were collected from Moroiso Phase (ca. 5000 B.P.) sites of the Early Jomon Period in the Kanto and Chubu regions. Many archaeologists have assumed that the Jomon people were sedentary inhabitants of large villages, occupied throughout the year. However, recent developments in Jomon studies suggest that we must reevaluate the assumption of Jomon sedentism. In this study, Moroiso Phase settlement patterns, including intersite lithic assemblage variability, site size and site location, are examined in the context of an ethnographic model of hunter-gatherer subsistence-settlement systems. …  Read more

Our new civil code gives a new meaning to the cosmetic surgery contract. Given that this medical agreement is innominate, we believe that it is essentially a contract for services. Yet what makes it distinctive is the fact that the surgeon operates on a healthy organ. Cosmetic surgery is not a vital necessity but instead is based entirely on aesthetic appearances. In this light, the validation of the contract is handled very differently from a traditional medical contract. The goal of the cosmetic surgery contract is to render surgical services for the purpose of relieving the distress caused by a …  Read more

Maria Messina (1887-1944) is one of the writers whose work has been "rediscovered" as a result of the recent interest in women writers of the past. Until now, criticism has tended to focus on her representation of the female condition. This thesis attempts to offer a more precise and yet more broadly contextualized characterization of her work. The analysis takes into account the social and economic upheavals of the early decades of this century which affected both men and women. In fact, the crisis of the rigid division of gender roles is shown to be the real thematic source of …  Read more

The cosmological constant is historically reviewed from its introduction in classical and relativistic cosmology through its modern quantum guise where it appears as a vacuum energy density. Limits on the empirical value are in glaring contradiction to the expectations of field theoretical calculations. Motivated by the natural connection between dilatation invariance and the extinction of the vacuum energy density, a phenomenological realization of a global scale symmetry is constructed. A complete treatment of such a realization in the context of a supergravitational toy model is calculated to one loop using an effective potential formalism. Particular attention is paid to the …  Read more

A community health survey was conducted in Karachi, Pakistan, with three objectives: first, to estimate maternal mortality using the sisterhood method; second, to describe current fertility and family planning trends; and third, to determine which factors are associated with the utilization of prenatal care. The study population of 2,897 households was chosen randomly from the catchment area of the three maternity hospitals of the Aga Khan Health Services of Pakistan. Data were collected using household interviews of all married women less than 55 years of age. Results show a maternal mortality estimate of 153 deaths per 100,000 live births and …  Read more

The government of Quebec has officially opposed federal multicultural policy since 1971. Although the provincial response to multiculturalism, now widely known as interculturalisme, began to take shape as of the early 1980s, ethnic minorities in the province continue to be served by distinct federal and provincial bureaucracies. Despite this, federal-provincial relations over ethnic policy in Quebec remain little studied. Provincial rhetoric and many theoretical writings on intergovernmental relations in Canada together give rise to expectations of competition or conflict. However, some specialists in the field warn against overlooking collaboration. In fact, original research undertaken to explore federal-provincial relations in this …  Read more

The purpose of this dissertation is twofold: (i) to examine the robustness of the binormal model as a "semi-parametric" approach to ROC analysis for quantitative diagnostic tests; (ii) to develop nonparametric methods for ROC analysis of data concerning multiple "signals". Metz et al (1990) adapted the binormal model, used previously for rating data only, for ROC analysis of quantitative diagnostic tests. Their investigation of its performance was limited to data generated from the bi-normal model itself. Part (i) of this thesis describes a broader numerical investigation to assess how it performs in various configurations of non-binormal pairs of distributions, where …  Read more

Ultrasound is a non-invasive diagnostic tool that could provide important information about pulmonary maturity. Quantitative ultrasound techniques that relate lung tissue acoustic properties, i.e. acoustic velocity, attenuation, and scattering, to its physical properties, such as, elastic and structural properties, have been reviewed. B-mode techniques were equipment dependent and produced conflicting results. A-mode techniques are less dependent on the measuring equipment and could provide more accurate information about lung development. A-node techniques were applied to the study of regional differences within the fetal lung. The accuracy of these techniques could be instrumental to the eventual determination of lung maturation. To pursue …  Read more

Five experiments were undertaken to identify metabolites and hormones that could mediate the effect of dietary energy status on reproduction, particularly pulsatile secretion of luteinizing hormone (LH) postpartum dairy cows. In the first two experiments, the concentration of progesterone (P4) in tailhead adipose tissue and plasma in 12 cows at different stages of pregnancy and lactation was determined as was P4 produced in vitro by explants of tailhead adipose tissue. Concentration of P4 in adipose tissue was correlated with that of plasma P4 near estrus and during the luteal phase of the estrous cycle, and P4 was released in vitro …  Read more

The principles governing isothermal creeping shear flow and orientation behavior of low and high molecular weight nematic liquid crystalline materials are established. New adaptive numerical methods are developed and successfully implemented in conjunction with computational bifurcation methods to simulate the steady and transient flow, morphological, rheological and optical characteristics of nematic liquid crystalline materials. The simulation results are in remarkable agreements with a large number of widely reported experimental measurements and observations of morphological, rheological, and optical phenomena. Furthermore, they establish for the first time the origin of these responses, and provide guidelines to experimental studies on these phenomena. The …  Read more

The surfaces of well characterised microfibrils from Ventricaria and Micrasterias denticulata (M.d.), wood sections, kraft pulp fibres and paper have been examined with both atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Tapping Mode atomic force microscopy (TM-AFM), under ambient conditions in both air and water. Artifacts and limitations inherent to these techniques in the study of microfibrils, pulp fibres and paper are discussed. AFM images of the surface of the highly crystalline cellulose microfibrils, Ventricaria and M.d., were obtained at molecular resolution under ambient conditions; the molecular images showed periodicities along the microfibril axis that correspond to those of the fibre and …  Read more

The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate that through his book. Awlad haratina, Najib Mahfuz is criticizing the role of traditional religion in his society in order to find a new god and a new faith. He is particularly concerned with the silence of God in view of human suffering. Awlad haratina's theme of tyranny and oppression, while an elusive Jabalawi remains secluded, leads to an examination of theodicy. The question of God's justice is raised in order to discover who or what is responsible for evil and the suffering of humanity. Through the death of God, Mahfuz answers …  Read more

This thesis encompasses studies that examine autonomic reactivity and neuropsychological function in preadolescent boys who are at-risk for developing alcoholism and conduct disorder. The literature suggests an association between cognitive impairments and behavioural undercontrol, and that autonomic hyperreactivity may facilitate the use of alcohol to dampen stress. Thus, either factor may contribute to early alcohol use. In the first study, preadolescent sons of male multigenerational alcoholics were found to be cardiovascularly reactive during cognitive stress, and impaired on tests of executive function. Furthermore, reactivity was correlated with anxiety, and executive function deficits with conduct problems. In the second study, reactivity …  Read more

This thesis will examine closely two aspects of Pauline theology, namely, the timing of the resurrection and the state of the believer who dies before the parousia. Through exegesis of 2 Cor 5:1-10, the basic consistency in Paul's thinking and the arguments for and against the intermediate state will be examined. Chapter 1 analyzes what 1 Thess. 4, 1 Cor. 15, and 2 Cor. 5 have to say on the issue, comparing the passages as to content and compatibility. Chapters 2 and 3 pursue more fully questions related to the issue of postmortem existence. Chapter Two deals with Paul's use …  Read more

The reversed cyclic loading responses of reinforced concrete walls coupled with steel beams are investigated. Four full-scale segments of coupled walls having both "shear critical" and "flexure critical" steel coupling beams with their ends embedded in the walls were tested. The reversed cyclic loading responses of these specimens are compared with those of conventionally reinforced and diagonally reinforced concrete coupling beams. Design and detailing guidelines are proposed for both the steel coupling beams and the reinforced concrete embedment regions. Non-linear dynamic analyses of prototype coupled wall structures, comparing conventional and diagonal reinforcement details with the proposed flexure and shear critical …  Read more

Human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) reverse transcriptase (RT) is essential for the formation of the viral double-stranded stranded DNA genome from its RNA template. Blockage of this catalytic function by reverse transcriptase inhibitors leads to inhibition of viral replication. Although 3$ sp prime$-azido-3$ sp prime$-deoxythymidine (AZT) is the most successful anti-viral drug to date, its prolonged use results in the emergence of AZT-resistant viral isolates. Several mutations are consistently found within the reverse transcriptase gene of AZT-resistant viral isolates. Although it is generally accepted that these mutations are responsible for the drug-resistance phenotype, the exact mechanism by which this occurs …  Read more

A special type of singular Stewart-Gough Platform exhibits continuous motion of one or more degrees of freedom, while all of its six or more legs are locked at fixed length. The equation describing point motion is introduced and then applied to parallel platforms. Line geometric analysis shows that all legs remain in a continuously varying linear complex, linear congruence, or quadric. Base and platform joints are restricted to lie on two congruent, skewed hyperbolids of one sheet. One of these constitutes those points on the rigid body of the platform that move on spheres, the other, those on the fixed …  Read more

The purpose of this study was to describe the gross motor and fitness characteristics of children with an attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Nineteen children with an ADHD, between the ages of 7 years, 0 months and 12 years, 11 months (M = 9 years, 4 months) participated in this study. The 17 boys and 2 girls had IQs between 80 to 100, were not affected by specific learning disabilities, and behavioral problems were the primary reason for acceptance into their clinical center. Children with additional psychiatric diagnoses were excluded. All children were tested individually. Gross motor performance was measured by …  Read more

From its inception in the twelfth century to its current use as a text, Ibn Tufayl's Hayy ibn Yaqzan has a sustained history of translation and transmission. A unique aspect is its early translation into Hebrew around the first quarter of the fourteenth century, whose extensive manuscripts have been traced and established in this study. The Hebrew translation, and its commentary by Moses Narboni, shift the Tufaylian narrative from the Maghribi milieu toward Latin Averroism. They allow us to examine the particular reception in the Judaic milieu and suggest new perceptions of Ibn Rushd and Ibn Tufayl as rational mystics. …  Read more

The constitutionality of the limit of liability in article 22(1) of the Warsaw Convention has never been fully considered by the Canadian courts. Article 22(1) limits the liability of air carriers in the case of injury or death of passengers. This study analyses the constitutionality of the limit of liability under the Constitution Act, 1867, ss. 6, 7 and 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and s. 1(a) of the Canadian Bill of Rights. The author submits that the limit of liability is ultra vires the federal Parliament under the Constitution Act, 1867. The author also submits …  Read more

The present study investigated the patterns of interlimb organization during the concurrent performance of asymmetrical reaching movements. The inherent tendency towards interlimb synchronization often constrains activities requiring the two limbs to move over different distances or at different movement speeds. The study of bimanual coordination has shown that the amount of interlimb interference during bilateral performance of asymmetrical actions, is regulated according to the magnitude characteristics of the variable used to introduce the asymmetry between the limbs. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between the degree of interlimb decoupling and the magnitude of the asymmetry …  Read more

This paper attempts to show how fuzzy set theory can be used to weaken some of the stringent, rationality assumptions used in classical micro-economics. The objective of the paper is to see whether by introducing fuzziness we arrive to new results or just only generalizations of classical micro-economic results. We discover that the axiom of completeness is not needed anymore. Using fuzziness will also allow us to better explain the existing gap between delimiting possible choices and making the actual choice. We also introduce the notions of a fuzzy indifference set with a measurable area. The fuzzy utility surface is …  Read more

On July 27th, 1990, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control reported that a Florida dentist had transmitted the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to five of his patients. These incidents raised many, previously unaddressed, questions regarding the ethical obligations of the HIV-infected health care worker (HCW), as well as the ethical responses to this difficult situation by patients and society. This paper attempts to address these questions from an ethical viewpoint examining risk of harm and the individual duties of the HCW, the patient and society as well as through analysis of policies regarding HIV-infected HCWs. These policies were written by …  Read more

Pyrithiamine-induced thiamine deficiency (PTD) in the rat results in a metabolic disorder associated with selective cerebral vulnerability. The basis of the histological lesions that develop in areas that include the thalamus, medial geniculate, and inferior colliculus is undetermined but an underlying glutamate-mediated form of excitotoxicity may be responsible. This work examines the possibility that PTD leads to changes in extracellular glutamate concentration, membrane polarization status, and gene expression consistent with a decreased ability to maintain homeostatic integrity. At the acute symptomatic stage, extracellular glutamate by concentration as determined microdialysis was found to be elevated in the thalamus but within normal …  Read more

A new synthetic route to silylhydrazine molecules and polymers has been developed by the heterodehydrocoupling of organosilanes with hydrazines. A dimethyltitanocene catalyst has been employed to facilitate the dehydrocoupling reaction. The dehydrocoupling was shown to proceed by stepwise replacement of Si-H with hydrazino groups. The controlled hydrolysis of Ph$ sb2$Si(NHNHMe)$ sb2$ formed a hydrazinodisiloxane. Cyclizations of Ph$ sb2$Si(NHNHMe)$ sb2$ to form cyclic silylhydrazines were achieved by the reaction with n-BuLi/Ph$ sb2$SiCl$ sb2,$ or MeI (or HCl or Ph$ sb2$SiCl$ sb2),$ or thermolysis. Crystal structures of Ph$ sb2$Si(NHNR)(NRNH)SiPh$ sb2$ (R = H, Me) reveal chair (R = H) and twist-boat (R …  Read more

The environmental crisis of the twentieth century challenges Christianity to articulate a theology adequate to support a viable environmental ethic. This dissertation finds such a theology in the thought of American Lutheran theologian, Joseph Sittler. Sittler characterizes his thought, not as a "theology of nature," but as an "incarnation theology applied to nature." Because of the christological and sacramental emphases in his theology, the dissertation demonstrates that the roots for Sittler's environmental concerns are to be found in the Christology and eucharistic theology of the sixteenth century reformer, Martin Luther. But in order to compensate for the emphasis in sixteenth …  Read more

Sugar maple trees were fertilized in June 1988 on an individual tree basis in an attempt to improve tree vigour. Fertilizers included K$ sb2$SO$ sb4$, a phosphate and base cations mix, and a commercial organic mix (Maplegro). No effect of fertilization was found on foliar nutrient concentrations and water status of trees during the 1990 growing season. This is possibly the result of dilution in tree biomass, the addition of non limiting nutrients or the experimental design. A positive effect of fertilization on growth was found for one site and, at another, fertilization was found to impair growth. Thus fertilization …  Read more

The present study implemented an experimental design to investigate the impact of psychotherapists' transient affective states (mood) on the formulation of client problem and on treatment recommendations. Moderating influence of personality traits and situational factors was also explored. Thirty-two counseling interns participated in a between-subject experiment which compared the impact of 20 minutes of positive or negative mood inductions (achieved by exposure to a humorous or a conflictive film segment) upon their assessment of stimulus material consisting of a 20-minute segment of an initial counseling interview. Three measures were obtained prior to mood induction: (a) background information consisting of demographic …  Read more

The hippocampus is necessary for normal memory in rodents, birds, monkeys, and people. Damage to the hippocampus can result in the inability to learn new facts, defined by the relationship among stimuli. In rodents, spatial learning involves learning about the relationships among stimuli, and exemplifies the kind of learning the requires the hippocampus. Therefore, understanding the neural mechanisms underlying spatial learning may elucidate basic memory processes. Many hippocampal neurons fire when behaving rats, cats, or monkeys are in circumscribed regions (place fields) of an environment. The neurons, called place cells, fire in relation to distal stimuli, but can persist in …  Read more

To investigate the possibility that malnutrition is an important factor that prolongs respiratory failure (PRF), I studied the effects of pharmacologic injections of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH), an important anabolic stimulus, on nutritional and respiratory parameters in patients requiring mechanical ventilation for more than three days. Patients were excluded from consideration if dominating factors known to prolong ventilatory failure had not been stabilized. Over ten months, 106 patients in PRF were evaluated, but only six met the selection criteria. Three patients were randomized to receive standard nutritional support, and three into a group that received the equivalent nutrition plus …  Read more

Pless, Barry (Supervisor)  Read more

The purpose of this dissertation is to propose a conceptual framework that can guide assessing and reporting on sustainability. The framework is rooted in a particular value set, is consistent with systems theory, and serves to focus indicator choice. Its development is influenced by a literature review that includes 220 state of- environment reports, several key aspects of economic thought, and thirtytheoretical models that address the human-ecosystem relationship. Four strategic elements that serve as areas of diagnosis or indicator domains are identified including (I) ECOSYSTEM; (11) INTERACI'ION; (Ill) PEOPLE; and (IV) SYNTHESIS. Each domain is linked to a set of …  Read more

This thesis presents two techniques for enhancing the volume coverage and temporal resolution of functional magnetic resonance brain imaging on conventional clinical scanners, namely, echo-shifting and retrospective temporal resolution selection (RTRS). The techniques are compared with conventional 2D gradient echo imaging on the bases of speed and sensitivity to functional changes, and the necessary theory is reviewed to develop physical models explaining the different properties observed. Acquisition, reconstruction, and analysis software packages for functional brain mapping are presented and demonstrated with visual stimulation. The echo-shifted sequence permitted acquisition of 3D maps of brain activity which could be better correlated with …  Read more

Adams, Annmarie (Supervisor)  Read more

This thesis investigates the interaction between frozen soil and a pipeline embedded in a discontinuous frost heat zone. The computational modelling procedures proposed in the thesis include the modelling of frost heave generation, the constitutive modelling of the frozen soil, the structural behaviour of the pipeline and the constitutive modelling of the soil-pipeline interface. The interactive thermo-hydro-mechanical processes encountered in the problem are generally time-dependent and non-linear. The frost heave modelling utilizes the three-dimensional form of a modified hydrodynamic frost heave model. A finite element implementation of the model is used to estimate the frost heave in a one-dimensional element. …  Read more

This thesis examines the impact of economic reform on the mass media system in Shanghai municipality since 1990. It attempts to portray that Shanghai, as the forerunner of China's economic reform and growth in the 1990s, is also a pioneer in China's media liberalization, media decentralization and transition toward the information society. Shanghai's case demonstrates that market forces are the principal factor that is reshaping China's former state-centered mass media system.  Read more

This thesis applies Markov chain methods to evaluate the reliability of multipath switching networks and optical amplified systems in long-haul communication systems. When conventional methods proved impractical to evaluate the reliability of multipath switching networks and optical amplified systems, some practical methods based on Markov chains were developed by Whitmore and others (1987, 1988, 1991) and used successfully to evaluate the reliability of such systems. This work aims at describing the details of Markov chain methods for reliability calculation, and demonstrating their application to reliability evaluation of multipath switching networks and optical amplified systems.  Read more

This thesis is an attempt at understanding the theoretical work of Joshua Meyrowitz in communication. The self-proclaimed specificity of his "contextual" media analysis will be recognized as well as its relevance for the development of a general logic of social change. The sources and foundations of Meyrowitz's media analysis will be respectively reconstructed in terms of the schools of thought which informed it and of a metatheoretical typology of the social sciences. The contextual logic of social change will be framed as a type of formal functionalism dealing with self-regulated systemic changes and integrating aspects of a more comprehensive sociology. …  Read more

A numerical modelling approach is chosen to study equilibrium and time-dependent aspects of the ocean's thermohaline circulation. In the first part, the roles of basin geometry and surface buoyancy forcing in determining the asymmetry of the present-day thermohaline circulation are considered. An idealized flat-bottomed two-basin model of the Atlantic and Pacific is found to favour equilibria with sinking in the southern hemisphere only (Southern Sinking) or also in the North Atlantic (Conveyor), even under a freshwater flux forcing field with more precipitation over the North Atlantic than over the North Pacific. Another new result is the range of Conveyor equilibria …  Read more

This thesis is an attempt to study Ibn Jama'ah's approach to educational reform as illustrated in his Tadhkirat al-Sami' wa al-Mutakallim fi Adab al-'Alim wa al Muta'allim. Ibn Jama'ah (639-733 A.H. / 1241-1333 A.D.) was a distinguished Shafi'i Chief Judge and prominent scholar of Islamic studies during the Bahri Mamluk's Sultanate in Egypt and Syria. Ibn Jama'ah's theory of education reflects an emphasis on the Qur'an and hadith as primary sources of knowledge. Specifically, his suggestions for curriculum composition are designed to facilitate the evolution of a pious, religiously oriented generation of scholars. Ibn Jama'ah emphasizes the need for the …  Read more