McGill University Thèses et mémoires publiés en 1996

As women's literature emerged in late nineteenth-century Italy, female authors encountered many obstacles. Foremost among them was the near-total absence of Italian female literary role models. Female writers often expressed ambivalence towards the writing of other women, which was considered inferior to male writing. However, their reverence for male writers revealed how conflictive their identities as writers were, and it was an impediment to the establishment of a serious women's literary tradition. In addition to such personal conflicts, these writers also faced the challenge of gaining acceptance by the male-dominated literary community and by their readers. These two groups expected …  Read more

The objective of this thesis is to isolate the symbolism of ornaments and armaments in the epics and in the rituals of Kannaki and Draupadi A detailed comparison of ornaments and armaments in the Cilappatikaram and in the Mahabharata will be provided, as well as an analysis of the function and meaning of these objects in the ritual traditions of Kannaki and Draupadi A study of the epic and ritual significance of ornaments and armaments will not only contribute tn the understanding of the nature and the role of these symbols, but should also shed light on the interaction between …  Read more

What is the best way to understand 'applies to' when it is said of a linguistic theory that it applies to a particular language-user? We can answer by saying that a linguistic theory is applicable to an individual language-user just in case that individual tacitly-knows the theory. But this is an uninformative answer until we are told how to understand 'tacit-knowledge'. The end goal of this thesis is to defend the claim that we should take tacit-knowledge to be, simply, knowledge. Towards this end I argue against the satisfactoriness of competing ways of understanding 'tacit-knowledge'. For example, the instrumentalist position …  Read more

Ewing, Gordon (Supervisor)  Read more

The postnatal changes in the various epithelial cell types of the different regions of the epididymis at the level of electron microscope (EM), and the expression of various secretory proteins has not been well characterized in developing rats. In this context, Epon embedded epididymides at postnatal days 21, 39, 49, and 56 were examined under the light and electron microscope. Furthermore, expression of two secretory proteins, namely sulfated glycoprotein-2 and immobilin, well characterized in adult animals, were immunolocalized using paraffin sections at various postnatal ages i.e. 7, 15, 21, 28, 39, 49, and 56. The latter was performed to examine …  Read more

Rosenblatt, David (Supervisor)  Read more

Experiments involving single pass laboratory rolling and isothermal salt bath annealing were carried out; three steels were studied: a titanium stabilized interstitial free grade and two low carbon grades, one of which contained a particularly low level of manganese ($ sim$0.009wt.%). The two low carbon grades were produced such that any complication from AlN precipitation was avoided. X-ray, neutron diffraction, optical metallography and mechanical testing measurements were carried out on the samples before and after annealing. The main aim of this work was to further the understanding of the metallurgy of recrystallization after ferrite rolling at temperatures between room temperature …  Read more

The dynamic wedge is created by moving one of the primary beam limiting collimators in a continuous fashion to create a continuously decreasing field width while the radiation beam is on. Because of this collimator motion, different segments of the treatment field will be exposed to the primary beam for different intervals of time. This process of shrinking the field width while modulating the collimator jaw velocity and dose rate creates the desired wedge-shaped isodose gradient across the treatment field. The amount of dose that is delivered to the patient as the collimator moves across the treatment field is controlled …  Read more

Objective. To estimate the distributions of thermal and vibration sensory thresholds in a healthy population taking into account important covariates. Methods. Sensory thresholds were measured using quantitative sensory testing for 148 volunteers free of neuropathic disease. Independent effects of age, gender, height, and skin temperature were estimated using multiple linear regression. Parametric and nonparametric methods were used to estimate the distributions of interest. Results. Significant age-related increases were observed for vibration thresholds (p $<$ 0.0001) and in the foot for thermal thresholds (p $<$ 0.0002). Height was significantly associated with vibration thresholds in the foot (p $<$ 0.003). Selected percentiles …  Read more

TEMPS EN TEMPS (times in time): Music for voice and instruments in a multi-track recording environment, by Marc Beaulieu, is a work meant to be experienced on many levels of perception. This analysis attempts to present the work at its most important (relevant) levels. This work is written for a multi-track recording studio. The first section of this thesis describes the expanded possibilities of compositional procedure, orchestration and vocal/linguistic construction inherent in this particular medium. The concept of the work is deeply rooted in the sociological thesis expounded in Alvin Toffler's "The Third Wave". These sociological 'undertones' and their bearing …  Read more

The NF-$ kappa$B/Rel family of transcription factors participates in the activation of genes involved in immune response, growth control and development. NF-$ kappa$B/Rel is retained in the cytoplasm by inhibitory molecules, collectively terms I$ kappa$B. Cell activation leads to the phosphorylation, ubiquitination and proteasome mediated degradation of I$ rm kappa B alpha,$ thus permitting NF-$ kappa$B/Rel translocation to the nucleus and target gene activation. The objective of this research was to understand the mechanisms by which I$ rm kappa B alpha$ regulates NF-$ kappa$B/Rel activity and modulates cell growth. Overexpression of I$ rm kappa B alpha$ antisense RNA in NIH …  Read more

The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate that the "blason corporel" is a useful tool for understanding Paul-Marie Lapointe's poetry. Lapointe himself recognises that the variations of the "blason" that we can find in his poems are not the result of formal experimentation, but of a vision of the universe. The "poete quebecois" is seeking the unchanging: the human body and its place in the cosmos are two of the things that do not change, and thus, they are an important part of Lapointe's poetry. In our introduction, we define the "blason corporel" as it emerged in France, during …  Read more

A novel digital image analysis technique to measure the size of fragments on the surface of a muck-pile is presented in this thesis. The technique takes into consideration the physical characteristics of fragment representation and measurement problems. Using an adaptive smoothing filter prior to edge detection, each fragment on the surface is represented by a group of edge segments outlining its boundaries. These segments are then grouped to form continuous contours. A multi-layer analysis of the digital image is then formulated where fragments on the surface are grouped into three layers, each of which is categorized by global characteristics and …  Read more

The yield of short-season hybrids is lower than long-season hybrids, mainly as a result of the low final leaf area developed by the short-season plants. This is due to the smaller plant stature and smaller leaf number and size of short-season adapted hybrids. In addition, in short-season areas the thermal-time available may be insufficient to mature grain of current maize hybrids. Maize hybrids which accumulate leaf area quickly, mature earlier, yield well and tolerate higher population densities better than the currently available hybrids would be more suitable for production in short-season areas. The "Leafy reduced-stature" maize hybrids, which have only …  Read more

A series of studies were conducted to investigate differences in voluntary and evoked contractile properties of trained, untrained and previously immobilized ankle fracture subjects before and following fatigue. Measurements included twitch contractile properties, maximal voluntary contractions (MVC), electromyography (EMG) and muscle activation (interpolated twitch (IT) ratio and second order polynomials). Although second order polynomials were found to be a more precise measurement of muscle activation ($ sim$6% error) than the IT ratio (superimposed evoked torque/potentiated resting evoked torque), both techniques provided a general estimate of muscle activation before and following fatigue. Prior to fatigue, trained plantarflexor subjects exerted greater force …  Read more

Community Health Workers (CHWs) have been advocated as a means of providing primary health care to under-served populations in developing countries since the late 1960's. These community based workers are usually volunteers who receive basic training in health education, antenatal/delivery/postnatal care, and treatment of simple common illnesses. They represent a referral link between the community and professional health services. Female CHWs (FCHWs) are able to access vulnerable populations such as women and children and are often also are involved in midwifery. This thesis evaluates the Community Health Worker (CHW) program using both quantitative and qualitative methods. An initial literature review …  Read more

Net ecosystem exchange of CO$ sb2$ (NEE) and CH$ sb4$ flux were measured at five sites within a boreal peatland near Thompson, Manitoba, from June through September, 1994. Sites were chosen to represent the different plant communities present along a productivity gradient where the water table was at or near the peat surface. Methane emissions, water table depth, and peat temperature were measured on weekly basis, while the relationship between photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and net ecosystem exchange of CO$ sb2$ was determined three times during the field season, and then used to develop net ecosystem production (NEP) models at …  Read more

This thesis presents the formulation of a general finite element program for the computation of the bone adaptation process after total joint arthroplasty. This program is applied to study this phenomenon in the distal femur resurfaced with a prosthetic component whose fixation is achieved by bone ingrowth. The motivation for this formulation and application stems from the fact that evidence of adverse bone adaptation after total joint arthroplasty is being increasingly reported in the literature. The stability of the bone adaptation model is investigated in terms of the exponents of some of its constitutive equations. These exponents are determined based …  Read more

The aim of this work was to devise and investigate a solvent extraction system for rhodium, from aqueous chloride solutions, having potential industrial applicability. The extractant investigated was Kelex 100, a commercially available derivative of 8-hydroxyquinoline. Ultimately, two different systems were developed. Both are based on an initial complexation reaction between the aqueous rhodium chloride complexes, (RhCl$ rm sb{6-n}(H sb2O) sb{n} rbrack sp{(3-n)-}$ and stannous chloride, referred to as the activation stage, but the two systems use a different Sn:Rh molar ratio. In both cases, the Rh-Sn complexes, either (Rh(SnCl$ sb3) sb5 rbrack sp{4-}$ or (RhCl$ rm sb3(SnCl sb3) sb3 …  Read more

This thesis introduces a monocular optical flow algorithm that has been shown to perform well at nearly real-time frame rates (4 FPS) on natural image sequences. The system is completely bottom-up, using pixel region-matching techniques. A coordinated gradient descent method is broken down into two stages; pixel region matching error measures are locally minimized, and flow field consistency constraints apply non-linear adaptive diffusion, causing confident measurements to influence their less confident neighbors. Convergence is usually accomplished with one iteration for an image frame pair. Temporal integration and Kalman filtering predicts upcoming flow fields and figure/ground separation. The algorithm is designed …  Read more

Debonnel, Guy (Supervisor)  Read more

Senior, Hereward (Supervisor)  Read more

This thesis studies project management issues which are applicable to organizations which partake in complex engineered-to-order projects. Traditional approaches to management methods for planning and control of projects are examined, and potential problem areas are identified. An alternative approach, continuous approval methods, is developed. The potential for improved productivity is demonstrated. The acquisition of defence systems in the Department of National Defence (DND) is used to provide examples of complex engineered-to-order projects. The DND study showed how continuous approval methods improved DND's existing engineered-to-order processes with a reduction in both delivery time and cost. Although the study focused on one …  Read more

Exile is a recurring theme in the writing of Antoine de Saint-Exupery; this master's thesis examines three forms--physical, psychological, symbolic--this leitmotif takes. The first chapter includes a review of Exuperian criticism and a discussion of the concept of exile; it also outlines the three critical approaches which frame our study of exile in the second chapter. Our analysis of "physical" exile borrows from the sociohistorical approach of "exile literature" to examine the portrayal of aviation as a world apart in Terre des hommes and Vol de nuit. We turn to feminist rereadings of Lacanian psychoanalysis to assist us in addressing …  Read more

Despite advances in understanding the pathogenesis of epilepsy, it remains a significant therapeutic challenge. Studies of the novel antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) gabapentin, lamotrigine and topiramate suggest that they will aid in managing seizures refractory to more established agents. However, a consensus has not been reached on their respective cellular and molecular mechanisms of action. Moreover, only a limited number of studies have examined the effects of these drugs in infants and children, a patient population with a particular propensity for seizure generation. Therefore, the objective of this investigation was to assess the effects of these new AEDs on the synchronous …  Read more

Currently there is no standardized assessment for the evaluation of upper extremity steadiness in children. The objective of this study was to obtain preliminary psychometric properties of a clinical tool to assess steadiness in the upper extremity in children aged six to ten years. One hundred twenty-two healthy children were recruited from regular schools. Children were instructed to hold a stylus in a steady position in a small circular opening for fifteen seconds, in supported and unsupported positions, using the dominant and non dominant hand. The number of times the stylus touched the metal grid was automatically recorded. Normative data …  Read more

I examined the nest site selection of the Spanish Imperial Eagle Aquila adalberti population of the Donana National Park (SW Spain) from 1984 to 1994, in relation to the microhabitat and macrohabitat representing vegetative composition, degree of human influence and land use. The study included 75 active nest sites and 75 random sites. Univariate analyses and Generalized Linear Models were used. Nest sites differed significantly from the random sites for 87% of habitat variables measured. The model correctly classified 85.3% of the nest sites and 86.7% of the random sites. The probability of occupation of a site by a Spanish …  Read more

Until recently, Schubert's sonata forms have been treated as the partially successful products of a classicist who often misunderstood his models. The development of sonata form in his early string quartets, though, raises serious questions about such a view. The quartets (ca. 1810 to 1816), constitute the composer's first concentrated work in large-scale instrumental music and include some of his earliest compositions in any genre. The first sonata-form movements all lack the most basic features of the structure, specifically a clearly delineated subordinate theme and subordinate key in the exposition. The evolution of Schubert's sonata form from 1810 to 1816 …  Read more

Chan, Laurie (Supervisor)  Read more

Lindeman, Yehudi (Supervisor)  Read more

Several mitigation procedures have been proposed to limit the transfer of Hg and MeHg to aquatic organisms but most cannot be applied to large reservoirs such as those of northern Quebec for practical, economical, and environmental reasons. A better understanding of the diagenetic behaviour of Hg and methylmercury in aquatic environments has lead us to consider methods of enhancing natural processes which would either limit the mobility of Hg in flooded soils or its methylation. Different concentrations of iron oxide, iron shavings and ferrous ammonium sulphate were added to soil slurries in the presence or absence of calcite and gypsum. …  Read more

The objective of this thesis is to contribute to the debate triggered by the Green Paper on Remedying Environmental Damage published by the Commission of the European Communities in March 1993. This Green Paper discussed the relevance and shortcomings of a recourse to the strict liability regime and to a joint compensation fund mechanism as means of remedying environmental damage which take place in the European Union.  Read more

The photooxidation of a Thermo-Mechanical (TM) pulp and paper mill effluent with hydrogen peroxide $ rm(H sb2O sb2)$ was investigated at different experimental conditions by using a batch photochemical reactor operating at a dominant UV light wavelength of 253.7 nm. Photolysis of $ rm H sb2O sb2$ produces hydroxyl radicals ($ cdot$OH), which are very powerful oxidizing species. The effluent consisted of a "heat condensate" obtained from toxic vapors generated during various stages of the pulping process. Several operational parameters were varied and their effects on the process were observed and analyzed, in order to achieve its optimization. In addition, …  Read more

The behaviours of eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus) in response to aerial predators were studied in the field using trained kestrels (Falco sparverius) flying over a food patch where animals of known gender, age and burrow location categories were foraging. Their typical response was to flee toward a nearby refuge while producing a trill. After a few seconds, chipmunks usually emerged and started to produce long (but sometimes interrupted) series of chucks while facing the predator. Acoustical analysis showed that the trill consisted of a rapid series of usually high pitched and variable notes while most chucks consisted of two partially …  Read more

The present thesis studies the representations of the idea of progress within nineteen of Jules Verne's novels, written between 1864 and 1904. It aims at demonstrating that Verne's writing and the topics favored therein constitute an account of the opinions prevailing during the second half of the XIX$ sp{ rm th}$ century. Following an examination of the changes brought by scientific discoveries and their technical applications in French society, as well as of the fears arising from the speedy material progress, it picks out the images that allow the author of the Voyages extraordinaires and the creator of the "scientific …  Read more

The purpose of this study is to determine how Galician Jewish emigration during the period 1869-1880 was affected by the Austrian Constitution of 21 December 1867, and in particular by Article IV of said constitution's Fundamental Law Concerning the General Rights of Citizens which granted freedom of movement for the first time to Habsburg subjects. Various demographic, economic, political and societal factors particular to migration, to Galicia and to Galician Jewry are examined in order to establish the effect of the 1867 Constitution on Galician Jewish emigration.  Read more

This study explores the tremendous pressure Japanese students must endure in the pursuit of academic achievement. It identifies the sources of student's pressure and discusses the cultural, social, and economic conditions that influence a fiercely competitive educational system. The focus of this study is the impact of academic pressures on Japanese students. Japanese education is a single-minded drive for achievement that results in what many refer to as examination hell. The university entrance examination is at the root of the pressures that are placed on students and is the primary mechanism responsible for driving competition. The life-long ramifications of students …  Read more

Anne de Graville's 1521 translation of Boccacio's epic the Teseida delle nozze d'Emilia was part of a global movement striving to defend and illustrate the French language. The first part of this thesis thus studies the genesis of the defense and illustration of vernacular languages undertaking, while the second part raises theoretical problems regarding the distinction of genres, while putting particular emphasis on the work of Anne de Graville, a generally overlooked writer belonging to the group called "les Rhetoriqueurs". The terms epopee and roman are then studied from a philological angle. This study starts with the hypothesis that, throughout …  Read more

"The existence of sigma ($ sigma$) receptors have been proposed by Martin and co-workers (1976) as a new class of opioid receptors to explain certain "psychotomimetic-like" behaviors induced by some benzomorphans (N-allylnormetazocine, pentazocine) in the chronic spinal dog. Later on, the observation that the typical opioid antagonist, naloxone, failed to antagonize some of these behavioral effects led to a reconsideration of the nature of $ sigma$ receptors. It was determined that although several $ sigma$ ligands displayed reasonable affinity for the phencyclidine (PCP) receptor and that their activation could mimic PCP "psychotomimetic-like" effects in animals, $ sigma$ receptors were a …  Read more

The thesis specifies how Franz Brentano inspired some of his students and how those students, in their turn, influenced the next generation of psychologists. After outlining the essentials of Aristotle's psychology, the thesis explains some general positions that Brentano borrowed from Aristotle. It goes on to relate Brentano's concepts of 'presentation,' 'unity of consciousness,' and 'difference between the mental and physical,' as well as his call for a 'science of the mind' to ideas of Christian von Ehrenfels, Carl Stumpf and Alexius Meinong. Ehrenfels thought that a mental element, which he named gestalt quality, explains why a string of presentations …  Read more

The E1A oncoproteins of adenovirus type 5 are potent inducers of apoptotic cell death. To manifest growth promoting properties, therefore, E1A requires the co-expression of a suppressor of apoptosis. During normal viral infection, this function is provided by the E1B 19kDa protein. However, the cellular suppressor Bcl-2 can substitute for 19K during infection, and both proteins can effectively cooperate with E1A to facilitate transformation of primary cells in culture. How E1A induces apoptosis and at whatpoint(s) on the pathway Bcl-2 and E1B 19K act at are not presently known. Here, we demonstrate that E1A -induced apoptosis is accompanied by specific …  Read more

Conventional two-dimensional glass and plastic in vitro cell culture systems potentially lack an accurate representation of the in vivo reality of three-dimensional cell locomotory processes; an important loss of valuable information or even misinformation in understanding and interpreting underlying cell behavioral mechanisms could result. This thesis uses a dynamic quantification approach of human tumor cell locomotory behavior in a three-dimensional collagen gel matrix in conjunction with time-lapse videomicroscopy and computer digitization. This approach better approximates physiological in vivo cell behavior by allowing cell trajectory analysis and expression of phenotypic characteristics previously not observed in two-dimensional culture systems or end point …  Read more

This thesis analyses the International and American laws and regulations structuring the commercialization of space based remote sensing images. Chapter one outlines the historical evolution influencing the present regulatory structure. Chapter two describes the technology of space based remote sensing systems. Chapter three analyses the international treaties and institutions along with their application to commercial remote sensing by satellites. Chapter four analyses the American legislative evolution and regulatory structure pertaining to commercial remote sensing. The argument of the thesis is that a contextual evolution of the global geopolitical climate is forcing a regulatory retooling for commercial space endeavors. The contextual …  Read more

The single-parent family is an established household form in North American and Western European societies, yet today's homes are often built and marketed for the two-earner household. Inadequate and unaffordable housing is a source of daily stress in the lives of single parents. This thesis investigates the problems and concerns of the female single parents described in the literature, and reviews selected examples of single-parent housing projects developed in North America and Europe. A comparison is made with a particular group of female single parents living in the Point St. Charles neighborhood of Montreal. A review of the difficulties faced …  Read more

From 900 to 1150, major institutional and political changes took hold in Europe. With the advent of the castellans and consolidation of the agnatic noble family, new terms of reference were deployed by writers to reflect these changes. Contributing to the militarization of the aristocracy were exempla and descent myths in house histories and hagiography. Public recitation of this literature thus familiarized the arms-bearer with his heroes, nourished his martial piety and motivated him to defend his patria. Patria also carried an anagogical significance: the heavenly Jerusalem. This permitted its earthly counterpart--Palestine and the literal Jerusalem--to be incorporated into this …  Read more

Basil Hall Chamberlain and Lafcadio Hearn were two of the best known western interpreters of Meiji Japan. In their correspondence as well as published writings, they commented on the conclusion of the Aoki-Kimberley treaty of 1894 and the subsequent end of the "unequal treaties" and the treaty port system in Japan. Chamberlain, a resident in Tokyo for over two decades, was most concerned with the fate of foreigners in Japan who would be adversely affected by the end of extraterritoriality and the favourable commercial privileges which they had enjoyed since 1858. He was critical of the jingoism of the nationalistic …  Read more

The thesis examines the utility of a pre-developed conceptual framework for learning about the human resource development (HRD) needs in a national context. The literature review focuses on knowledge-building within the main development theories and paradigms, two mainstream approaches to building knowledge about HRD and education sectors in developing countries, namely the systems approach and the strategic approach, and the role of the researcher and expert-sources of data in the knowledge-building process in research related to HRD and educational policy. The methodology involved carrying out a case study on HRD in Nicaragua using a conceptual framework, and then studying its …  Read more

The design and implementation of a framework for the automated analysis of samples by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) is presented. Various components of this framework have been explored and validated. After initial work was undertaken to determine a suitable pattern recognition technique for sample classification, approaches for detecting the presence of a problematic matrix, and for selecting analysis conditions and calibration methodologies were developed. For the small universe of 14 elements used, the system performed well when matrix effects were due to concomitants in the examined universe. The application of generalized regression neural networks (GRNN) to compensate …  Read more

This thesis is a contribution to the study of the interpretation of the concept of bodhicitta. This concept is a technical term of frequent occurrence in Buddhist Sanskrit literature. Within the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, bodhicitta is closely related to the spiritual practices of the Buddhist aspirant to enlightenment. Specifically researched is Santideva's use of this concept in his Bodhicaryavatara, a text known to have been composed around the 8th century. The form of this study is as follows: first, a survey of the various interpretations of the concept of bodhicitta suggested so far; secondly, an analysis of its possible functions …  Read more

A new type of confocal Raman microscope called a Fourier transform confocal Raman microscope (FT-CRM) was designed, built and characterized with respect to its spatio-spectral imaging properties. Several different applications of the FT-CRM are presented that take advantage of its unique spectral and spatial imaging characteristics. The instrument combines focused illumination with spatially-filtered detection in a confocal optical configuration to collect photons scattered from a diffraction-limited volume in the sample (typically ${<}5 times10 sp{-18} m sp3)$ and reject photons from outside that region. The molecular vibrational information encoded in the inelastic, or Raman, spectral component of light scattered from the …  Read more