McGill University Thèses et mémoires publiés en 1997

Turgay, A. Uner (Supervisor)  Read more

This study used the yeast two-hybrid system to identify novel proteins interacting with the orphan receptor RVR. Two gene products were pulled out of two independent screens. We named them L5B and RVRin62. The RVRint62 was characterized in this research. RVRint62 is a partial cDNA clone of approximately 2.2 kb, which is expressed in most tissues. It interacts with both members of the RVR/Rev-erb$ alpha$ subfamily of the nuclear receptor superfamily. The domains of RVR responsible for the interaction with RVRint62 were characterized as the C-terminal of the LBD and the signature motif. The interaction domain of RVRint62 is situated …  Read more

Hayes, Richard (Supervisor)  Read more

Isolated $ alpha sb{ rm s1}$-casein, $ alpha sb{ rm s2}$-casein, $ beta$-casein, $ kappa$-casein of different phenotypes, whole casein of different phenotype combinations of $ alpha sb{ rm s1}$-/$ beta$-/$ kappa$-casein, and $ beta$-lactoglobulin of different phenotypes were prepared and used in the study. Surface properties at the air-water interface, voluminosity and hydration, emulsifying capacity and emulsion stability, foaming and gelling properties were investigated to understand the relationship between the structure and functionalities of milk proteins. Phenotype CC of $ alpha sb{ rm s1}$-casein, A$ sp1$A$ sp1$ and A$ sp1$A$ sp2$ of $ beta$-casein, AB of $ kappa$-casein decreased …  Read more

The growing complexity and inherent risks associated with the operation of power transmission and distribution systems have caused personnel training to become a priority for a growing number of electrical utilities. Training simulators offer an interesting means for helping the personnel of those enterprises to learn their work. Simulation-based training has the advantage of being safe for both personnel and equipment, while ensuring service continuity. It also offers the trainee, the opportunity to be exposed to various scenarios and to exceptional conditions, which either happen rarely or are hazardous to reproduce. This thesis presents a review of virtual reality (VR) …  Read more

The present work attempts to obtain deeper understanding of the development of laminar morphology in polymer blends and to optimize the production and properties of laminar polymer blends in ribbon extrusion. Studies of the microstructure of extruded ribbons of high density polyethylene (HDPE)/polyamide-6 (PA-6) and polypropylene (PP)/ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH) blends have shown that it is possible to control the flow-induced morphology to generate thin, large and discontinuous overlapping platelets of PA-6 or EVOH dispersed phase in a HDPE or PP matrix phase, respectively. Such polymer blends are known as laminar polymer blends. The laminar blends of HDPE/PA-6 with …  Read more

This study is an investigation of the autobiographical narratives of two authors, the Pole Marek Hlasko, and the American Henry Miller. Though they lived in different times and places Miller and Hlasko, share some remarkable features with respect to temperament, philosophies of writing, and modes of narrative output. In the chapters that follow I will examine both the biographical and the textual points of contact between these two men, concentrating on the problem of self-inscription in the autobiographical novels, and on the games played with identity that both men engaged in throughout their artistic careers, especially during their periods of …  Read more

Brem, Steven (Supervisor)  Read more

Using a perceptual approach to image analysis, the process encompassing image capture to perceptual feature extraction is modeled as a digital communications system. Within this novel approach, image features become information carrying symbols which are transmitted by the scene to the observer through a band-limited channel. The principal effect of the band-limited channel is to cause severe inter-symbol interference in image regions where feature density cannot be resolved by the modeled sensor. The output of the band-limited channel is then fed into an image analyzer whose purpose is naturally to reliably recover as much of the originally transmitted information as …  Read more

Dans ce mémoire, je soutiens que le renouvellement de l’espace public est inextricablement lié à la réalisation de l’idéal de la communication démocratique implicite dans les médias de services publics. Je démontre de quelle façon les suppositions problématiques sous-jacentes de la conception de l’espace public idéal de Jurgen Habermas nuie aussi à la compréhension traditionnelle de la radiodiffusion publique. Je critique la notion d’une seule arène d’interaction discursive ainsi que l’insistance sur une séparation nette entre les domaines publics et privés et entre la société civile et l’État. J’indique comment ces suppositions renforcent la nature coercive, non-publique et décevante de …  Read more

De azufre y sal--which can be translated as "From sulphur and salt"--is a composition for orchestra with an approximate duration of 12' 30". This piece is mainly concerned with nuances of instrumental colour, registral space and tuning. The idea of exploring and working with these parameters was inspired by the work of Theophrastus Paracelsus (1493-1541) and by other texts about alchemy from different periods. The idea of conducting slow empirical work in laboratories in attempts to find the formula to create gold and the Philosopheris Stone suggested to me certain ideas about this piece, for example, the notion that the …  Read more

Traditional thinking on security fails to explain the security predicament of Third World states. These states, with their existence assured by international recognition, are not primarily concerned with externally generated threats. Their internal characteristics violate the tenants of the realist theory, because they have more than one nation within their borders. The domestic conditions of these states make them internally insecure and weak---the threat of ethnic conflict great. As such, placing security in the military sphere alone, ignores these contradictions which lead to an insecurity dilemma. Thus, the concept of security needs to be broadened to include, not merely the …  Read more

The historic relationship between Nigeria as a former British colony and Britain has significant influence on the development and problems of air law in Nigeria. The wobbling state of air law in the country after about 72 years of civil aviation's existence, and about 47 years since the evolution of a regulatory environment, bears glaring testimony to this fact. Essentially, some of the air law problems in the country are not entirely dissimilar to problems which have for over 50 years confronted the legal system of international civil aviation. This Dissertation attempts to provide an account of the nature of …  Read more

The investigation of neuroendocrine abnormalities have been an active area of research in biological psychiatry. Nevertheless, there has been little prospective research on the Dexamethasone Suppression Test (DST) and 24 hour cortisol profile in Bipolar patients. These tests are measures of cortisol and the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis which are indirect indications of abnormal limbic: system activity. The present study examined 24-hour cortisol levels and DST responses in 18 bipolar patients (6 depressed, 5 hypomanic and 7 euthymic) and 5 age and sex matched controls. In addition, two patients were examined in depressed, hypomanic, and euthymic states and served as their own …  Read more

The purpose of this study was to determine whether traditional learn-to-swim progressions, leading to the front and back swim, were developmentally valid for children with physical disabilities. Forty children between the ages of 5 and 12 years participated in this study. The children were described according to four descriptive characteristics: disability type, functional sport classification, mode of ambulation, and need of a flotation device. The children required recommendation from their regular aquatic instructor as being comfortable in the water to participate in the study. In addition, each child had to pass a water orientation-adjustment test. The developmental validity of the …  Read more

The main exercise of this thesis is the formulation of a mathematical framework for analyzing an existing industrial adaptive control algorithm labeled Model weighting adaptive control (MWAC). The algorithm is then analyzed under this framework. The exercise is complemented by a set of algorithmic additions aimed at solving questions that so far had remained open (e.g. the treatment of undermodelling errors). Those solutions, on the other hand build on results derived from the analysis. A key result for analyzing the algorithm is that when an external excitation is applied (in the form of a control task such as a setpoint …  Read more

The organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis (OVLT) is a central osmoreceptor which regulates neurohypophysial hormone release through glutamatergic synapses onto hypothalamic magnocellular neurosecretory cells (MNC's). Previous studies have shown that OVLT neurons can express low threshold spikes which, in other neurons, contribute to rhythmic firing. Electrophysiological recordings were therefore obtained in the medial OVLT in superfused explants of rat hypothalamus, which was found to contain neurons projecting to MNC's in the supraoptic nucleus. The OVLT neurons recorded revealed the presence of tonic firing at varying frequencies (0-40 Hz), as well as two distinct forms of bursting activity. Among these, …  Read more

Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease associated with substantial morbidity. Complications arising from this disease affect many organ systems. In particular, hepatitis, pancreatitis, blood dyscrasias, and renal disease are believed to occur more frequently in patients with Crohn's disease. The incidence of these conditions is also believed to be increased by some of the medications used to treat Crohn's disease. Sulfasalazine as well as mesalamine have been associated with hepatitis, pancreatitis, renal disease, and blood dyscrasias. In addition to characterizing the demographics and severity of Crohn's disease in Saskatchewan, the purpose of this study was also to determine if, …  Read more

This study investigated the relationship between the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI; Kovacs, 1983) factor scores and the longitudinal outcomes of depressive symptomatology in a non-clinical sample of children (mean age = 10.67 years). The CDI was administered to measure depressive symptomatology at three intervals: twice within a two-week period to verify that clinical levels of depressive symptoms had persisted, and once at a seven month follow-up to measure the outcome of those depressive symptoms. Results suggested that recovery from depressive symptoms was comparable to recovery rates of depression in adult and child clinical populations. There was little empirical support for …  Read more

The lymphoid-specific tyrosine protein kinase p56^lck is a member of the Src-family of enzymes. As is the case for the other members of this family, the enzymatic activity of p56^lck is negatively regulated by phosphorylation of a carboxy-terminal tyrosine (tyrosine 505). Previous studies have demonstrated that this phosphorylation is mediated by another tyrosine protein kinase termed p50^csk, whereas the dephosphorylation of tyrosine 505 is mediated by a protein tyrosine phosphatase named CD45. Herein, we have examined the processes regulating the phosphorylation state of Y505 in mammalian cells. [...] In conclusion, these observations add useful insights into the regulation and function …  Read more

Leishmania is a dimorphic parasitic protozoan which exists as a flagellated promastigote in the sandfly vector and as an intracellular amastigote in the phagolysosomal compartment of mammalian host macrophages. It is the amastigote form that is responsible for the pathology in susceptible vertebrate hosts. Leishmania donovani is responsible for visceral leishmaniasis, the most severe form of the leishmanial diseases. We have investigated the antibody response against an amastigote-specific protein, A2, which is developmentally expressed in L. donovani during promastigote-to-amastigote cytodifferentiation. A2 is conserved in L. donovani and L. mexicana species but not in other Leishmania species tested. We have shown …  Read more

The enzyme-catalyzed polymerization of phenolic compounds has been proposed as an alternative method for the treatment of industrial wastewaters which contain these contaminants. In addition to the efficient removal of these phenolic compounds, one should also be concerned with residual soluble by-products of the enzymatic reaction which may potentially exhibit higher toxicities than the parent phenols. In this investigation, a number of phenolic compounds were completely removed from solution using excess concentrations of soybean peroxidase and horseradish peroxidase. Partial treatment of phenol was also carried out using limited enzyme doses. Supernatants were characterized in terms of their acute toxicities using …  Read more

EARTH-C is a parallel dialect of the C language. The language was designed with simple and expressive extensions to C, which provide some information about control parallelism and data locality to the compiler. EARTH-C is compiled using EARTH-McCAT compiler, which generates EARTH Threaded-C as its target code. Although EARTH-C appears to be quite useful for expressing irregular parallelism, it does have some limitations when we try to access variables concurrently. In this thesis, we discuss the expressibility problem and the consistency problem. The expressibility problem limits the programmer's ability to implement some parallel programming techniques in EARTH-C, while the consistency …  Read more

In the wireless, microwave, and satellite communications industry, guyed towers are one of the important structural subsystems. They support a variety of antenna broadcasting systems at great heights, or are themselves radiators in order to transmit radio, television, and telephone signals over long distances. Very tall towers are a fundamental component of post-disaster communication systems. Therefore, their protection during a severe earthquake is of high priority, and accordingly the seismic performance of such structures should be properly evaluated. To the best of the author’s knowledge, there have been no simple rules to account for seismic sensitivity of guyed towers, and …  Read more

Deal, C. (Supervisor)  Read more

The activation of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) in rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) cultures, treated concomitantly with low concentrations of okadaic acid that selectively inhibit protein phosphatase-2A, enhanced the disassembly of neuronal intermediate filaments (IFs). The latter disassembly correlated with phosphorylation of the peripherin head domain and a novel, identified PKA site, Ser-2, in the low molecular mass neurofilament (NF) subunit (NFL). On the other hand. insignificant levels of 32P were incorporated into alpha-internxin under control and experimental conditions that promote disassembly. These findings indicate that phosphorylation of the latter protein is not directly involved in the fragmentation of …  Read more

This comparative thesis addresses the evidentiary value of bills of lading and estoppel under the Hague and Hague/Visby Rules, the law in the United Kingdom and the United States. After an analysis of the travaux prepraratoires of the Hague and Hague/Visby Rules, and a comparison with the Hamburg Rules, the thesis focuses on the English common law and the relevant statutory provisions. The thesis advocates a new, alternative approach in order to overcome the current interpretive problems with the application of the common law doctrine of estoppel. The analysed provisions are those of the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act, …  Read more

The aim of this thesis is to evaluate the practical utility of international norms to indigenous peoples. In recent decades, indigenous peoples have looked increasingly to international fora to secure what they see as their rights. It becomes important, then, to evaluate the potential utility of these efforts. Two conclusions dominate my assessment of the role of international law. Firstly, the lack of enforceability of the norms means that international law is unlikely to achieve change in the face of state resistance. Secondly, the vagueness of the norms, coupled with the complexity of self-government regimes, severely limit the principles' ability …  Read more

The study of neuroplasticity following noxious stimulation has reinforced the clinical concept of pre-emptive analgesia, i.e. perioperative analgesic strategies aimed at diminishing post-operative pain. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the suppression of noxious stimulus-induced spinal sensitization by intravenous anaesthetics using FOS-like immunoreactivity (FLI) as an indicator of spinal sensitization in the rat formalin model. Pre-formalin injection (1.5% SC) treatment groups (3--4 rats/group) included IV saline controls, an IV anaesthetic (pentobarbital 20 mg/kg [barbiturate], propofol 10 mg/kc, [GABAergic anaesthetic], alphaxalone 1.5 mg/kg [steroid anaesthetic] or ketamine 10 mg/kg [dissociative anaesthetic]) and, for comparison, high-dose alfentanil 170mug/kg [synthetic mu-opioid]. …  Read more

During a two years study (1993-1994) in southwestern Quebec, Artogeia rapae and Plutella xylostella were found to be the most important lepidopterous pests of cruciferous crops, followed by Trichoplusia ni and four minor species. The relationship between plant sampling and the use of degree-days, pheromone traps (P. xylostella) or butterflies counts (A. rapae) was assessed for A. rapae and P. xylostella. Three generations of A. rapae were observed annually, with a duration of 319.7 degree-days above $ rm 10 sp circ C (DD sb{10}),$ while P. xylostella had three to four generations with a duration of 277.7 $ rm DD …  Read more

Cooper, D. G. (Advisor)  Read more

The work presented here investigates two basic properties of mutation rates in the unicellular chlorophyte Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The first chapter is devoted to an investigation of the mutational heritability $ rm (V sb{M})$ of fitness in asexually propagated populations. This is the rate at which novel variation for fitness accumulates in a population. In two trials, values of $ rm V sb{M}$ = 4.5 and $4.7 times 10 sp{-3}$ of the environmental variance $ rm (V sb{E})$ were obtained. These values were at least an order of magnitude greater than estimates from other organisms of $ rm V sb{M}/V sb{E}$ …  Read more

Mining automation has over the past two decades progressed incrementally from line-of-sight remote operation to teleoperation and automatic control of mining equipment. This last development has been mainly due to recent significant advances made in underground communications technologies. A new robotic mining environment is being created that will see mobile machinery as well as stationary equipment fully integrated with a mine-wide information system overseeing all aspects of the mining operation via a high-bandwidth communications network. Teleoperation of multiple semi-automated machines by one operator from a remote site (control room on surface) forms the basis of current efforts in underground hard-rock …  Read more

The rise in feminist consciousness and the growth of Women's Studies has brought Yiddish women writers into sharp focus. Kadye Molodowsky was one of the most prominent of the modern Yiddish women poets. Her biography is a typical summary of the modernization of Eastern European Jewry in the early twentieth century. Molodowsky was a leading figure in Yiddish cultural life in interbellum Poland. As a writer, her primary affiliation was with the Literarishe bleter (Literary Leaves, 1924--1939). This periodical, founded by prominent Yiddish intellectuals in Warsaw, became the world tribune of secular Yiddish culture. Molodowsky's association with this high-profile publication …  Read more

Food frequency questionnaires and twenty-four hour recalls were conducted with a random sample of 104 Ojibwe adults in Mille Lacs, Minnesota and Lac Courte Oreilles, Wisconsin to assess traditional and market food use. Sociocultural questionnaires were used to assess the cultural significance of traditional food. The importance of the traditional food system was evident, with at least 50% of people engaging in hunting and fishing practices. Traditional food was among the top ten food sources of protein, zinc, iron and folate. The cultural significance of traditional food was apparent. Obesity is prevalent, with almost 50% of the population studied over …  Read more

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) catalyses the conversion of 5, 10-methylenctetrahydrofolate to 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, co-substrate of methionine synthesis. Two types of deficiency have been described for MTHFR. Severe MTHFR deficiency, associated with severe hyperhomocysteinemia and homocystinuria, shows levels of MTHFR activity below 20% of control values. This deficiency has a variable age of onset and shows a wide range of neurological and vascular defects. Mild MTHFR deficiency, with ≈50% enzyme activity and marked enzyme thermolability, has been proposed as a genetic factor in the development of mild hyperhomocysteinemia, a condition associated with neural tube defects and premature vascular disease. The goal of this …  Read more

The objective of the present research was to determine more precisely whether the first novel of writers of the lyric generation reflected the spirit particular to that generation, in what way and to what extent. In other words, the present work consisted of either confirming or invalidating Ricard's hypothesis by analysing it in the light of the literary works themselves. Twenty-three novels were chosen according to the year of their publication (1967--1975) and the age of the authors at the time of publication (between 21 and 31 years). An analysis of the works clearly confirmed Ricard's intuition: egocentricity and introspection, …  Read more

Girls' participation in physical education, sport and other physical activity was examined relative to their levels of Perceived Sport Competence, Body Attractiveness, Physical Self Worth and Social Physique Anxiety. Two hundred and thirteen grade 11 girls from two co-educational and two single sex Toronto high schools completed questionnaires designed to assess physical activity participation and these psychological attributes. T-tests verified that there were no differences on the psychological measures between the two types of schools. On the basis of the girls' responses, they were divided into non, low, medium and high participant groups. The relationships between physical activity participation and …  Read more

Due to the lack of a critical approach that takes into account the theatrical aspect of Boiardo's poem, we have undertaken a semiotic analysis that brings forth some peculiarities of the poem's theatrical performance, most of which stem from the traditional "cantari". The intertextual comparison between the principle "cantari epico-cavallereschi" and the "Inamoramento de Orlando" permits us to reevaluate the importance of these sources, that are, in our opinion, essential to the comprehension of the poem. However, these sources have not been, to date, considered determining by literary critics. In addition, we highlight the various aspects of communication between the …  Read more

Several recent theoretical frameworks describe the process of learning how to teach in higher education in terms of change over time (Shulman, 1986, 1987; Sherman, Arminstead, Flower, Barksdale, & Reif, 1997; Ramsden, 1992; Sprague and Nyquist, 1989). The existing research on changes in teacher thinking, feeling, and practice focuses almost exclusively on teachers at the elementary and secondary levels; research concerning these concepts in higher education is rather scant Researchers have studied a complex array of issues from various perspectives using a variety of methodologies. This study followed a pre-structured case methodology (Miles, 1990) and describes in rich detail the …  Read more

This thesis focuses on the novel of Sergio Fernandez Los peces. Given the linguistic and thematic complexity of this literary work, such approach is a mere effort to discover clues for an interpretation of it. Working toward this goal, the first chapter of the thesis unfolds the search for origins of the secret doctrine of Israel at the beginning of the Christian era, focusing specifically on the symbolism of the fish, Clam's role, the white goddess's function, Gabriel's role as the embodiment of Jehovah and Beelzebub and the presence of the new religion following the weddings. The second chapter talks …  Read more

In the development of Islam in India in the nineteenth century, the impact of the interaction between modernist Muslims and Christian administrators and missionaries can be seen in the writings of three Evangelical Christians on the role of the H&dotbelow;adith and the responses of Indian Muslims. The writings of Sir William Muir, an administrator in the Indian Civil Service, were characterized by European Orientalist methods of textual criticism coupled with the Evangelicals' rejection of Muh&dotbelow;ammad. In his response, Sir Sayyid Ah&dotbelow;mad Khan, an influential Muslim modernist, supported the traditional perception of the H&dotbelow;adith but also initiated a new critical approach. …  Read more

This thesis examines the reaction of organized labour to Quebec separatist nationalism for the period between 1960, the year of the creation of the Rassemblement pour l'independance nationale and the beginning of the Quiet Revolution in Quebec, and 1980, the year of the first referendum on Quebec's constitutional status. The thesis investigates four labour organizations: the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), the Federation des travailleurs et travailleuses du Quebec (FTQ), the Confederation des syndicats nationaux (CSN), and the Centrale de l'enseignement du Quebec (CEQ). It shows in which ways the positions of the four centrals have been informed by their members' …  Read more

Concrete dams suffer from many forms of deterioration and specifically the presence of internal cracks. Presently, the borehole technique is used to evaluate the orientation of the cracks and the mechanical properties of the concrete. High costs are associated to this method as well as the need to extrapolate results between adjacent boreholes. Nondestructive testing is seen as a possible solution for reducing high inspections costs and increase the precision of crack location. This thesis presents the theoretical and practical aspects of a nondestructive method called the Miniature Seismic Reflection (MSR Impact-Echo) system. The system can evaluate a crack profile …  Read more

Gutkowska, J. (Supervisor)  Read more

By its structure and by the impressive quantity of literary presuppositions that it questions, Le Livre des questions sets itself in the margins of any classical understanding of literature. For Jabes, citation holds a central place in the book: it is one of the main elements which subverts the literary text. It is not an addition, an artifice or a purely stylistic process through which the text is reinforced and given credibility: it is the essence of writing, and the understanding of its importance made it possible for the writer to continue writing in spite of what he perceived as …  Read more

The present study has for objective to investigate the nature of the interactions existing between the cationic zirconocene and its counteranion as active species in Ziegler-Natta alpha-olefin polymerisation. Precursors to anions in the form of alcohol and amine adducts of tris(pentafluorophenyl)boron [RR'XH·B(C6F5)3] (where R, R'= H, alkyl, aryl; X = O, N) were synthesised and reacted with dimethylzirconocene (DMZ), leading to the formation of an active cationic catalyst [Cp2ZrMe]+[RXB(C6 F5)3]-. The results of propylene polymerisation with the simple, achiral [Cp2ZrMe]+[PhNHB(C 6F5)3]- system yielded a lower molecular weight polypropylene compared to the well-known [Cp2 ZrMe]+MeB(C6F5)3] - system, implying tight ion association …  Read more

The three reported studies examine the possible etiology of gambling behavior and its correlates in adolescents with respect to motivational factors, predisposing factors as assessed by personality, depression and risk-taking traits, and by testing Jacobs' (1986) General Theory of Addictions which specifies a path toward the development of an addiction. Furthermore, the validity of the Arnett Inventory of Sensation Seeking (AISS) (Arnett, 1994) as a sensitive measure for assessing risk-taking in adolescent gamblers is assessed. Findings offer support for the premise of an addictive personality with problem and pathological gamblers differing from the norm on several personality dimensions including Excitability, …  Read more

The purpose of this study was to examine the radiographic and histologic response. to corundum blasted implant surfaces of varying roughness in a canine total hip arthroplasty model. Three types of tapered femoral implants were made from titanium alloy and were identical in every respect except surface finish. The entire surface of the femoral implant possessed either a 2.9, 4.2 or 6.7 micrometer average surface roughness (Ra) from blasting with 60, 24, or 16 grit corundum particles, respectively. Staged bilateral total hip arthroplasties were performed such that each dog received a 60 grit on one side and a 24 grit …  Read more

Using murine models of spontaneous and induced embryo resorption, we have investigated the role of macrophages in the mechanism of early embryo loss. The results showed that macrophage derived nitric oxide was associated with embryo resorption, and that decidual macrophages could be triggered by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to produce nitric oxide, indicating that the decidual mononuclear cells were primed in situ. Using double immunostaining, we have shown that macrophages were the cellular source of the inducible nitric oxide production. We further showed that embryo abortion can be significantly decreased by inhibiting the production of nitric oxide in vivo. The results presented …  Read more