McGill University Thèses et mémoires publiés en 1997

Quantum-confined semiconductors have been synthesized in ionomer microdomains, demonstrating thermodynamic control of nanoparticle sizes via a priori knowledge of ion aggregation numbers. In block ionomers, cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanoparticle sizes are found to scale with the ionic block length (N B) as NB3/5. CdS-polymer composites from block ionomers can be suspended in organic solvents as reverse micelles. Micelle stability is improved by reneutralization of acrylic acid blocks surrounding the nanoparticle. Reloading of microreactors and controlled continued growth of nanoparticles is demonstrated. Novel assemblies of CdS-containing reverse micelles are formed by secondary self-assembly in aqueous media. Scaling relations are also determined …  Read more

The first part of this thesis reviews in detail the state of stress due to pore water pressure, and effective stress methods in wet grounds in an attempt to present a global perspective on the subject. Through the second part of the thesis, a 2-dimensional finite element program has been developed for stress and stability analysis of wet rock and soil masses. The program uses the effective stress method which allows for a unified approach for dry and wet analysis. It computes the displacements, effective stresses and excess pore water pressure. Safety levels are then calculated in the postprocessor using …  Read more

Dietary selection involves the process of relating the postingestional consequences of eating a food to its sensory characteristics. Diet texture, the most plausible sensory characteristic affecting ingestion, may play an important role in the control of food selection. In this study, we compared the circadian rhythmicity of protein- and carbohydrate-rich diet ingestion of adult male Wistar rats presented with diets in different textural forms (high-protein powder and high-carbohydrate granular (HPP-HCG) diets vs. high-protein granular and high-carbohydrate powder (HPG-HCP) diets) during 15 days. Rats fed HPP-HCG diets selected significantly less protein (kcal) vs. rats fed HPG-HCP diets, during the 24 h, …  Read more

Ford, Joseph Roch (Supervisor)  Read more

This thesis studies the L2 acquisition of transitivity alternations in English, Spanish and Turkish within the Generative framework. in particular, it sets out to investigate the interaction of universal principles and L1 knowledge in interlanguage grammars, as well as whether similar patterns of development are observed across typologically different languages. The focus is on verbs that participate in the causative/inchoative alternation, verbs whose lexico-semantic composition---[x CAUSE [ y BECOME predicate]]---is not matched by morphological derivation uniformly across, and even within, languages. The thesis adopts a templatic account to verb classes. Verbs are decomposed into primitive semantic predicates (CAUSE, BECOME, BE) …  Read more

Meat Juice Medium (MJM), an aqueous extract of meat, was inoculated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and incubated for 7 d at 4$ sp circ$C under shaking conditions (100 rev.min$ sp{-1}$). Two predominant compounds produced during spoilage of MJM were detected using HPLC. These compounds with retention times (RT) of 21.48 and 32.04 min were tentatively identified as acetic and butyric acids, respectively. These compounds were also produced when MJM was replaced with Brain Heart Infusion Broth medium. In later experiments, the effect of glucose supplementation on the rate of MJM spoilage was examined. Glucose 0.5% (wt/vol) was added to the MJM, …  Read more

In PET activation studies, brain function is detected by identifying regional differences in tracer concentration between images acquired while a subject(s) executes different tasks. When imaging volunteers or patients, the differences produced by executing higher-order cognitive processes have magnitudes similar to those of the noise found in the measurements. Therefore, the development of techniques that enhance the signal to noise (S/N) of activation images is of great importance. The work described here was performed to investigate and evaluate three strategies designed to enhance the S/N in activation images of cognitive function. First, the applicability of switched protocols to the study …  Read more

The Nose of Death considers the common matrix of the English scientific revolution and the modern English novel through the indicator of laughter. Whereas death is the paradigmatic object of laughter in the premodern period, animate or thinking matter is the prevailing object of laughter in modernity. The change is located in texts of the English baroque period from 1607 to 1767. Baroque discourse is defined by the language developed by writers loyal to both the Christian and the Copernican world views. Contradictory allegiances required them to institute a narratorial position based on simultaneous attachment to and detachment from a …  Read more

The world-wide dissemination of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) has led to a wide number of approaches aimed at controlling and understanding viral replication. Although antiviral drugs have been important in the treatment of HIV-1-infected individuals, toxicity and resistance have mandated new efforts and strategies. We have tried to develop a trans-dominant gene therapy approach, by showing that mutated Gag-Pol polyproteins can be incorporated into viral particles. In our studies, Gag-Pol proteins that were mutated in protease (PR) and combinations of mutations in PR and reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibited the production of fully processed and infectious viral particles …  Read more

This thesis shows that, in contrast to the alpha1, beta1 and gamma1 chains of laminin-1, laminin alpha2 is expressed within the pathway of avian and murine retinal ganglion cell (RGC) growth cones as they extend towards their brain targets. Additional findings indicate that astrocytes and/or RGCs may synthesize laminin alpha2 along the developing optic pathway. Thus, laminin alpha2---in a complex other than laminin-2---may serve as an adhesive substrate for RGC growth cones in vivo. In keeping with the presence of a laminin chain variant in the developing optic pathway, prior studies have shown that retinal neurons express laminin-binding integrins. The …  Read more

Scoble, Malcolm (Supervisor)  Read more

Wrinkling of thin membrane-like structures is studied in the frameworks of the tension field and shell theories. In line with the tension field approach, the axisymmetric tension field problem is studied in the context of large displacements and finite strains. General analytical solutions are obtained for the special cases of pressure and gravity loadings. The general solution for the gravity loading is original. Tension field conical and triangular finite elements (FE) are formulated for the analyses of axisymmetric and 3-D membranes. The procedures account for large displacements and finite strains. Tension field is modeled by using relaxed constitutive relationships corresponding …  Read more

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTS), a family of isozymes that catalyzes the conjugation of glutathione to a variety of electrophiles, protect cellular constituents from electrophilic and oxidative attack. Aging is associated with an overall increase in oxidative stress and thus free radical production. The present study examines the immunocytochemical localization of Ya, Yc, Yb1, Yb2, Yo, and Yf GST subunits in the testis and epididymis of Brown Norway rats aged 3, 12, 18, and 24 months. In the testis, neither Sertoli nor germ cells showed changes in GST staining pattern during aging. At 24 months, two types of Leydig cells were noted. …  Read more

My dissertation concentrates on Americans writing at home and abroad in the inter-war period and contextualizes their expatriation with reference to debates between modernist critics over the nature and substance of the American literary tradition. I clarify the definitions of terms like "exile," "emigrant," and "expatriate" central to my analysis but muddied by years of misuse. I do so with reference to coercion, a concept which I develop in accordance with recent work in the philosophy of action. At the same time I make the case for a realist, causalist hermeneutics. Next I explore the aesthetic corollary to my argument …  Read more

This thesis investigated the epidemiology of atopy in Kenyan children. Analysis was based on data gathered on 599 rural and 567 urban children, as part of a research program on childhood asthma focussing on the impact of urbanization. Atopy was more frequent in urban than rural children (22.9% vs 14.7%). The unadjusted odds ratio for urban rural differences in atopy was 1.75, 95% CI 1.30 to 2.36. Urban children were also younger, taller, weighed more and were breastfed for shorter periods compared to rural children. They were also more likely to have a family history of allergic disease but were …  Read more

The excitability properties of multicellular and single cellular cardiac pacemaking tissues was examined using mathematical, electrophysiological and molecular biological techniques. Particular attention was focused on identifying the different ionic channels that control the excitability of a physiological pacemaker, the rabbit atrioventricular node. The first part of the study centers on the excitability and rhythmicity of rabbit atrioventricular cell clusters and embryonic chick heart cell aggregates to compare cardiac pacemaking tissues showing slow- and fast-type action potentials. Subsequent experiments examined the membrane excitability properties of single isolated atrioventricular nodal cells and characterized the principle ionic currents that govern excitability. One of …  Read more

The purpose of this thesis is to analyse the relationship between religion and revolution within the context of Egyptian Islamic culture. The discussion will begin with an investigation into the evolution of revolution as a concept, from its original scientific meaning within the writings of Copernicus to its current political meaning as a radical social break with the past. It will be argued that the revolutionary ideal of escaping fate and rationally constructing the future is the driving force behind the Modern era. Faith in the capacity of humanity for self-redemption could only arise after the scientific discoveries of the …  Read more

This dissertation examines the theoretical aspects of communication and coexistence among different and sometimes competing national cultures in contemporary liberal-democratic states. As its primary example, the study focuses on the quest for self-determination of Canada's indigenous peoples, but the theoretical significance of the project extends well beyond the bounds of this particular case. With this end in mind, the dissertation advances and defends a set of normative political principles which could, with certain necessary modifications, serve to guide just, equitable, and stable relations among different national cultures in a broad range of cases and contexts. The discussion opens with the …  Read more

Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS) have been conceived to increase the transmissibility of electric power without the necessity of building new transmission lines. An important family of controllers proposed for FACTS are based on high power solid-state switches, such as the gate-turn-off thyristor (GTO), which is presently rated at 6kV, 6kA. The FACTS controller operates at the transmission voltage, in the order of 500kV, and it must be rated at hundreds of MVA. The research of this thesis contributes in developing the methodologies necessary for the integration of the solid-state switches so that the FACTS controllers have the voltage withstand …  Read more

I investigated the effect of defoliation by the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar L. (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) on the radial growth of tree species that differ in their acceptability as hosts for gypsy moth larvae. Annual growth rings were measured from 1950 to 1992 on increment cores taken from three species: red oak (Quercus rubra L.), a preferred species, sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.), an acceptable species, and white ash (Fraxinus americana L.), an avoided species. The number of gypsy moth larvae on these same individual trees had already been recorded from 1979 to 1992. To remove the potentially-confounding effects of climate …  Read more

The evolution of the fantastic short story has followed a similar path as contemporary short story and also took inspiration from many literary forms. As a result, it has undergone profound changes since the 19$ rm sp{th}$ century. And yet, studies of this genre are just beginning to break away from the thematic interpretation originally designed to provide a temporary solution to an experimentation problem. The study of a selection of short stories by Julio Cortazar, very representative of these neo-fantastic tangents allows us to observe the techniques which the fantastic genre can now be based upon. The second part …  Read more

Personal laws regulate the family, which is the sphere in which Indian women experience the sharpest discrimination. Despite constitutional guarantees of equality and freedom from discrimination, Muslim personal law perpetuates the subordination of women within the family. The political manipulation of Muslim personal law reform by the State and by fundamentalist leaders has resulted in the marginalization of Muslim women's interests. This thesis focuses on the issue of Muslim women's equality within the family. It explores how arguments relating to 'religion', 'culture' and 'group identity' have been used to subordinate Muslim women. Their rights have been recast as oppositional to …  Read more

This inquiry examines the relationship between studio drawing instruction and art theory, by reviewing practical and theoretical art books, questioning peers, and conducting a focus group encounter. The resulting data, interpreted in light of 25 years of teaching experience, suggests that the chronology of exercises in all the reviewed drawing texts encourages a widespread use of outlining at the expense of a concentration on rendering mass and volume. In response to changing demands on art teachers, the author proposes an outline for an updated studio drawing manual which synthesizes theory and practice by addressing compatible themes, and proposes a chronology …  Read more

We study holomorphic bundles over P1 x U with structure group G, where G is a complex reductive Lie group, P1 denotes the Riemann sphere, and U is an open set in C m. We show that such a bundle may be given locally by a (non-unique) normal form transition function which takes values in a Borel subgroup of G. In the case in which G = GL( n, C), we use the normal form transition function to construct matrices S(x) whose kernels may be identified with the spaces of global holomorphic sections of various associated vector bundles. We use …  Read more

Over the past few years, the amount of electronic information available from the Internet has increased dramatically. Unfortunately, the search tools currently available for retrieving and filtering such information remain inadequate in balancing relevance and comprehensiveness. This work proposes a new Internet search paradigm. Simple user models are first combined with search specifications (the "user needs"), to form an Enhanced User Need (EUN). Uniform Resource Agents are then constructed to filter information, based on the EUN parameters. Finally, a knowledge-based system is developed to suggest those agents that are best for a researcher with a given background and search requirements. …  Read more

This thesis presents the design and implementations of some visual special effects for a virtual reality training system. The VR training system is being developed for use by the power station maintenance and electrical contractor personnel. In order for the trainee to perform correct and safe ground welding procedures under a variety of situations, visual cues representing those situations are necessary. Since there is a tradeoff between the realism and the interactivity in any real-time VR system, the challenge in implementing special effects in such a system is to develop a relatively realistic model that is also computationally efficient. The …  Read more

Traditional screens for female sterile mutants have revealed only two genes which when mutant, give a fully penetrant 16 nurse cell phenotype. One way to gain a better understanding of the function of these genes in oocyte determination, is to identify genes which interact with them. Using P-element mutagenesis, I have isolated one dominant suppressor and five dominant enhancers of Bicaudal-D, and begun the phenotypic and molecular characterization of three of these genes. By deficiency screening, I have identified two different loci which act as dominant enhancers of Bic-D, and eight different loci which act as dominant suppressors of Bic-D. …  Read more

Should civil aviation reach its promising full potential, it will inevitably be through the use and reliance upon Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and its innovative technologies. At present only one option seems clearly and 'directly' operational for the civil aviation challenge, and that is a---USA owned and controlled---GPS based GNSS. This thesis will critically discuss the legal and institutional issues of the GNSS. The issues considered will be based upon the discussions and conclusions recently reached within ICAO. The object of this thesis is to compare, contrast and criticise ICAO's international law-making propositions, related to GNSS, in the fight …  Read more

Kearney, Robert E. (Advisor)  Read more

Rabbi Joseph Bekhor Shor is a Torah commentator and a Tosafist from the twelfth century. Only a single copy of his commentary exists. This might suggests that it was not much in demand, and is confirmed by the fact that it was not published until the modern era. Nonetheless, his commentary attracted later commentators among the Tosafists in the field of Torah exegesis. Bekhor Shor's commentary demonstrates various types of linguistic features of Bible interpretation, such as, grammar, etymology, semantics, and syntax. It also deals with the style and some literary features of the Bible. Each feature presented in this …  Read more

Studies of the use of enzymes to both produce and degrade polyhydroxyalkanotes (PHAs) under in vitro conditions are presented in this thesis. PHAs were produced using a lipase-catalyzed ring-opening polymerization of the corresponding lactones. Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate), PHB, was obtained in up to 89% yield with a degree of polymerization of 3--12. Polymerization of other lactones, including beta-propiolactone, gamma-butyrolactone, and e -caprolactone, also yielded the corresponding polyesters in good yields with degrees of polymerization up to 25. MALDI-TOF mass spectroscopy was used to characterize the polymer products. The growth and kinetics of PHB granules produced in an in vitro polymerization were studied …  Read more

Chavez, E. R. (Supervisor)  Read more

The octanol-water partition coefficients (log Kow) of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol and pentachlorophenol were determined as functions of pH, ionic strength, and aqueous metal content. For both chlorophenols, the log Kow exhibits pH dependence in the range pKa-1 < pH < pK a+2. At lower and higher pH values, the Kow behaviour of the chlorophenols is independent of pH. Our data, in conjunction with those of Westall et al. (1985), indicate that a linear relationship exists Our data, in conjunction with those of Westall et al. (1985), indicate that a linear relationship exists between log Kow and log ionic strength of the aqueous …  Read more

The kinetics of moisture loss and solids gain during osmotic dehydration of blueberries under different conditions of temperature (37--60°C), concentration of the sucrose solution (47--70°Brix) and contact time between fruit and sucrose solution (0.5--5.5 h) were studied, and modeled based on Fick's law of unsteady state diffusion. The rates of moisture loss and solids gain were also related to temperature and sucrose concentration. The second stage convective drying behavior of osmo-dehydrated blueberries was evaluated in a forced air cabinet dryer (temperature: 50°C, relative humidity: 14%, air velocity: 0.6 m/s) with a cross-flow tray arrangement. Osmotic dehydration pre-treatments included different combinations …  Read more

High contact stresses are largely responsible for wear in polyethylene components of knee prostheses. As a result, an increase in the contact area of the femorotibial joint at high flexion angles is needed to decrease high contact stresses. At first, a morphometrical study was performed on 12 cadaveric distal femurs. A laser range finder device digitized their articular surfaces. A non-iterative algebraic algorithm was developed to reconstruct the medial and the lateral condyles in the sagittal plane by means of two circular arcs. The average geometry of all of the femoral condyles tested was then used to perform a parametric …  Read more

An integrated process for education and sustainable community development has not been incorporated in countries of the North or the South. Although environmental education has been introduced into many curricula, this is only a beginning step compared to what is required to rebuild our understanding of development and set ourselves on more sustainable paths. The Barefoot College, in India has developed an education process for sustainable community development and has experience with reinventing the concepts of education and development. Their process has broad implications for educators, policy makers, academics and the general public in the South and North. The main …  Read more

This thesis presents the result of a research work done in the synthesis of an impedance controller which can execute compliant tasks in oscillating and uncertain environments. A synthesis method is proposed for finding the best control parameters, such as the impedance parameters and the desired trajectory, for a robotic manipulator which has to execute a compliant task. The control parameters are derived from an optimization method. The optimization function simulates the task execution and evaluates the performance according to the specified task goals, which are expressed as inequalities on position, velocity and force responses. These goals are built in …  Read more

Since its publication in 1981, Cronica de una muerte anunciada, has been in general interpreted in terms of tragedy. The death of Santiago Nasar, which is due to the rigid observance of a code of honour concerning women's virginity before marriage, appears to be absurd. Nonetheless, in my opinion, the death of Santiago Nasar acquires meaning the moment the victim is symbolically reborn in the love that eventually will join the disgraced couple. My interpretation, which relies on both historiography and narrative, is supported by an evaluation of the narrator's role in this fictional world. Significantly enough, the narrator is …  Read more

This dissertation investigates the phenomenon of the reworking of children's narrative, generally termed "fairy tales," within the framework of Spanish post-Civil War fiction. It is focused on selected novels by four contemporary women writers whose works are representative of the phenomenon under study. They are: Carmen Laforet (Nada 1944), Ana Maria Matute (Primera memoria 1959), Esther Tusquets ( El mismo mar de todos los veranos 1979) and Carmen Martin Gaite (Caperucita en Manhattan 1990 and La reina de las nieves 1994). The first three chapters examine generic issues as a preliminary step towards the explanation of the significance of fairy …  Read more

Kunz, Frank (Supervisor)  Read more

Using the rat as a model we tested the hypothesis that pregnancy might lead to an attenuation of the diuretic/natriuretic effects of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) to allow physiologically required fluid expansion. Our studies revealed that this was indeed the case. Effects of ANF on fluid and sodium excretion as well as on glomerular filtration rate were significantly reduced during pregnancy This decrease in the renal effects of ANF during pregnancy was not associated with any changes in the pharmacokinetics or renal metabolism of ANF. However, binding studies demonstrated a significant decrease in guanylyl cyclase (GC)-linked ANF receptors and a …  Read more

Four separate polynucleotide kinase activities were observed following Polymin P precipitation of crude extract of calf thymus tissue (Prinos et al., 1995). A single activity designated Polymin P-Precipitable Polynucleotide Kinase (PP-PNK) was detected in the pellet fraction. The other three separable activities, designated SNQl, SNQII and SNQIII, were found in the supernatant fraction after chromatography on a Q-Sepharose column. The PP-PNK activity was purified 4,200 fold after 6 purification steps. The PP-PNK preparation preferentially used ATP as a gamma-phosphoryl donor compared with GTP. Chromatography on a Sephadex G-150 column demonstrated that it had a molecular weight of 130 kDa. Immunoblot …  Read more

The number of United Nations interventions in civil conflicts has increased since the end of the Cold War. Traditional peace-keeping has proved ill-suited to deal with them; second-generation, multi-task peace-keeping operations have emerged as a substitute. These new operations have strained UN resources and the willingness of nations to provide troops is not as forthcoming as it used to be. Therefore, the UN has shared in recent years the burden of conflict resolution with regional organisations and ad hoc coalitions. This thesis studies multinational interventions in three conflicts (Somalia, Haiti and Bosnia) and asks what lessons can be drawn with …  Read more

This thesis analyses legislative and judicial responses to parallel importation, a practice that pits intellectual property rights against the freedom of trade. Parallel importation involves the sale of genuine products holding intellectual property rights which have been imported into a country without the authorization of the IP rightholder. This practice is opposed by those who claim that their rights are infringed. The author examines responses in Canada, the United States of America, and the European Union, and finds that they are not consistent. The author questions the applicability of using intellectual property rights to stop parallel importation and whether such …  Read more

The potential of Smicronyx umbrinus Hustache and Smicronyx guineanus Voss (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) as biocontrol agents of Striga hermonthica (Del) Benth was investigated at both population levels of Striga and Smicronyx spp. in the field in Burkina Faso. High population levels of Smicronyx spp. resulted in higher percentages of seed-pod galls although the weevils' adult populations decreased during S. hermonthica seed capsule production. Smicronyx spp. were observed galling Striga aspera (Willd) Benth capsules ca. 60 days before S. hermonthica emerged in sorghum fields. The weevils also galled S. hermonthica stems at soil level and Sm. umbrinus was found to be the …  Read more

An on-line beam to target portal verification technique has been developed for stereotactic radiosurgery. Conventional radiosurgery employs a stereotactic frame in order to obtain sufficient spatial accuracy in dose delivery. Frame based verification methods attempt to ensure accurate target positioning with respect to the frame but they do not account for possible movement of the frame with respect to the anatomy and isocenter. We account for this possibility by superimposing digitally reconstructed radiographs (DRRs) over orthogonal edge detected digital portal image pairs. By developing a process for interactively manipulating the CT-data in three dimensions (rotations and translations) new DRRs are …  Read more

The notion of cartesian closed bicategory is presented, and use of the resulting entities is made to reinterpret, in a uniform and consistent way, the standard work of Lambek and Scott in categorical proof theory [LS]. (Cartesian closed) bicategories are a two-dimensional analogue, or extension, of (cartesian closed) categories. We study them in quite a bit of detail, carefully showing for instance how all the relevant properties of cartesian closed categories can in fact be naturally lifted to their two-dimensional counterparts. They (cartesian closed bicategories) are also shown to allow for a purely algebraic (inference rules based) definition, being models …  Read more

In many sub-tropical and tropical and regions of the world, marly soils (marls) and lime or cement stabilization of marl soils are used as a convenient and expedient means for development of foundation base courses and inexpensive wearing courses for transport purposes. The failure of many of these natural and stabilized marls to perform their function have been reported. This study uses physico-chemical (reaction) factors to explain the general basic causes for deterioration of the support capability for these types of soil. The presence of palygorskite and sepiolite in marl soils provides it with some very unique features in its …  Read more

Urea and triple superphosphate (TSP) are important N and P fertilizers, respectively, but they suffer from inefficiency because of NH$ sb3$ volatilization and phytotoxicity and P fixation. Combinations of urea and TSP or KCl might improve N and P use efficiency primarily through pH changes. Mixtures of urea, TSP and KCl, either compacted or blended, were studied as to NH$ sb3$ volatilization, denitrification and P transformation in soils, and N and P use efficiency in crops. Soils studied included a Ste. Rosalie clay (Humic Gleysol), an Ormstown silty clay loam (Humic Gleysol), a Chicot sandy clay loam (Grey Browm Luvisol), …  Read more

The focus of this thesis was on the economic feasibility of three food processing projects. They involved freezing of pork loin and fish using cryogenic freezing and stored at $-$18, $-$12 and $-$7$ sp circ$C, and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) of pork loin using a combination of nitrogen and carbon dioxide gases, chitosan dip and stored at 5, 10, and 15$ sp circ$C. A production plan with similar layout and capacity was adopted for the Montreal area. The benefit-cost analysis (BCA) of each project was carried out assuming that each plant operated approximately 2000 hours per annum at full capacity. …  Read more