McGill University Thèses et mémoires publiés en 2002

The extent of denaturation and glycation of lysozyme and BSA with the application of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) at 400 MPa at 30°C from 8 to 48 hours and focused microwave irradiation at 50°C under varying microwave power and from 10 to 60 minutes was investigated in the presence and absence of D-glucose. The HHP treatment caused 10 to 20% denaturation of lysozyme whereas microwave irradiation caused 20 to 40% denaturation, with more destruction to the lysozyme in the presence of glucose compared to the control. The extent of glycation was also higher with the high pressure samples, causing 60% …  Read more

Raghavan, G. S. Vijaya (Supervisor)  Read more

Deuteronomy 22:5 has sparked much interest and wonder for both readers and interpreters of the Bible, throughout Jewish history. Divided into three parts, the verse reads as follows: "A woman should not have keli gever (man's apparel, utensil or tool) on her; a man should not wear simlat isha (a woman's dress, robe, mantle, tunic); anyone who does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God." Each part of the verse has raised questions among exegetes, like how to define its key terms simlat isha and keli gever and what is the nature of the abomination. This thesis …  Read more

The excitatory neurotransmitter, glutamate, plays an important role in synaptic transmission, brain development and plasticity as well as excitotoxicity. The biological functions of glutamate in neurons are mediated by ion channel-gated or G-protein-coupled receptors that are also located on glial cells, including oligodendrocytes. However, the functions of glutamate receptors in oligodendrocytes and their progenitors remain unknown. The objective of work presented in this thesis was to characterize the effects of glutamate on oligodendrocyte progenitors and the intracellular signaling pathways involved in mediating these effects. Glutamate caused a time- and concentration-dependent increase in inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) levels in oligodendrocyte progenitors. Using …  Read more

Marine reinsurance is an indemnity relationship in which the marine reinsurer indemnifies the insurance company for losses paid. When a primary insurance company becomes insolvent, there may be insufficient funds in the estate to pay claims in full and it may take several years to distribute such funds. For this reason, some insureds and third-party claimants seek to collect reinsurance proceeds directly from reinsurers (direct actions). However, The indemnity nature of the reinsurance agreement prohibits direct actions against reinsurers for reinsurance proceeds by insureds and other claimants. Under a marine reinsurance contract, the reinsurer does not assume the liability of …  Read more

This thesis addresses nonparametric maximal likelihood (NPML) estimation of the cumulative distribution function (CDF) given multivariate interval censored data (MILD). The methodology consists in applying graph theory to the intersection graph of censored data. The maximal cliques of this graph and their real representations contain all the information needed to find NPML estimates (NPMLE). In this thesis, a new algorithm to determine the maximal cliques of an MICD set is introduced. The concepts of diameter and semi-diameter of the polytope formed by all NPMLEs are introduced and simulation to investigate the properties of the non-uniqueness polytope of the CDF NPMLEs …  Read more

The design of enantioselective transition metal catalyzed reactions is an important area of chemical research. The purpose of this study was to develop a new method to incorporate chirality into transition metal catalysis via ion pairing interactions. This has led to the development of the first enantioselective transition metal catalyzed reaction using a chiral counteranion as the sole source of asymmetry. In chapter two, the synthesis of a chiral bis(1,1'-bi-2-naphtholato)borate anion is described. This anion can be incorporated into cationic copper(I) complexes via anion exchange, which has allowed its effect on the copper(I) catalyzed aziridination and cyclopropanation reactions to be …  Read more

Activation of cell-surface receptors by extracellular signals can generate distinct biological responses. Many of these signals are coordinated through docking proteins, including those in the Gab family (Gab1, Gab2 and Gab3). Following activation of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), cytokine or antigen receptors, docking proteins are recruited to the receptor complex and become phosphorylated on tyrosine residues, providing binding sites for multiple proteins involved in signal transduction. In this manner, they act to diversify and localize signals downstream from receptors by virtue of their ability to assemble multiprotein complexes. The recruitment of docking proteins to RTKs depends on the ability of …  Read more

This thesis explores the network of relationships among health and healing, the natural environment, and poetry during the Romantic period in Britain, and thus offers a new perspective on the Romantic relation to Nature. The context for this study is both the long and varied history that links literature to ideas of health and disease, and the intersection of the late 18th- and early 19th-century discourses of holistic science and healing that emphasize the synergy between self and world and recognize that our living environments can be either hostile or congenial to body and spirit. For many Romantic poets, illness …  Read more

Objective. To determine whether having a condition of unknown medical cause contributes to perceived stigma in individuals with functional somatic syndromes (FSS). Methods. Subjects in three FSS groups, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), fibromyalgia (FM), and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), were matched to medical control groups. Self-report measures were used to collect sociodemographic information, and rates of depression, physical functioning, and perceived stigma. Results. Having the FSS was associated with perceived stigma in CFS compared to the medical control group, and remained an independent predictor when controlling for depression and physical functioning on multivariate analysis. These effects were not seen in …  Read more

Galbaud du Fort, Guillaume (Supervisor)  Read more

There are two major types of detectors for IR imaging and sensing: photon detector and thermal detector. Photon detector converts photon energy directly into electrical signal. Thermal detector, on the other hand, has a temperature-sensitive electrical property and its temperature can be easily altered by incident IR radiation. To reduce noise, both photon detector and previous generation bolometer require cooling. A new generation of uncooled bolometer emerged recently and will be the focus of this study. Micromachining processes were used to fabricate bolometers and bolometric material test vehicles. Both surface micromachining and bulk micromachining were attempted. The surface micromachined bolometers …  Read more

High-speed optical systems are becoming increasingly important due to the progress of multimedia communications, which requires ever increasing data-transmission capacity. SONET based systems at 10 Gb/s are under commercial development, and it is likely that systems based on higher SONET hierarchies will soon be required for further broadband communications networks. This thesis describes a low-noise and low-power Si-bipolar transimpedance preamplifier for the front-end of an optical-fibre receiver using a 0.5 mum 25 GHz self-aligned double poly silicon bipolar process. Design specifications are met through trade-offs between input noise current, speed, transimpedance gain, power dissipation, impedance matching, and supply voltage. This …  Read more

This dissertation analyzes the use of speech (prise de parole ) in Marguerite de Navarre's works of fiction in conjunction with the place that the arguments of the Quarrel about Women hold in her writings. The texts of the Quarrel about Women, which were very popular in sixteenth century France, tried to prove the superiority or the inferiority of women depending on which side of the debate the writer belonged to. The works of Marguerite de Navarre incorporate numerous arguments of this literary debate to deconstruct them and establish a certain balance between the qualities and the defaults of men …  Read more

The objective of the thesis is the preparation and study of properties of polymer optical fibres. The first part of the thesis describes the complete process of making polymer optical fibres from a monomer using styrene as a reagent. A solid preform is obtained from the polymerization before being drawn into a fibre. Once obtained, the fibre is characterized in terms of its chemical (composition), optical (acceptance angle, attenuation, refractive index profile), physical (elongation-to-break) and spectroscopic (Infrared, Raman, NMR) properties. Polarized Raman spectroscopy is employed to analyse the conformation of the polymer molecules in the fibre. The results of the …  Read more

Petitclerc, Denis (Supervisor)  Read more

NAFTA's Article 2005 prescribes that the NAFTA governments, being Canada, Mexico and the US, may choose either a multilateral or a regional forum within which to solve their trade disputes. Thus, they may choose between either the new WTO dispute settlement mechanism or the NAFTA Chapter 20 dispute settlement mechanism. Nevertheless, in order to have an effective choice of forum, there is one essential condition: the subject matter of the dispute must be similar or identical, and there must be some degree of subject matter overlap in both the NAFTA and WTO provisions. The relationship between NAFTA, the WTO and …  Read more

This study investigates the land-use patterns of the Iroquoian populations that occupied south-central Ontario during the Late Woodland period. Its initial objective is to understand their cultural ecology as reflected in the placement of their semi-permanent settlements over time. Its ultimate goal is to ascertain how environmental change and ecological adaptation contributed to culture change and particularly to the historical development of these populations and their long-term settlement shift from the north shore of Lake Ontario to Huronia and Petunia. The theoretical guide for this study is the premise that an understanding of culture change can only be achieved by …  Read more

The cadherins are a superfamily of transmembrane glycoproteins that mediate calcium-dependent cell adhesion. Cadherins have several functions including roles in cell sorting and polarity, tissue morphogenesis, and embryogenesis. The study of cadherins in ovarian cells has thus far revealed important roles for them in ovarian cell survival, differentiation, and function. The ovary has a structured topology that undergoes organized and cyclical tissue remodeling events. It is our contention that cadherin expression influences ovarian structure and morphogenesis. We have undertaken a series of studies to examine the expression of several cadherins in the rat ovary during the perinatal, prepubertal, and adult …  Read more

In the summers 1997, 1998 and 1999, over 100 aquatic invertebrate kick samples were collected in the Northwest Miramichi River of northeastern New Brunswick to examine the effects of chronic heavy metal exposure on the aquatic predatory Plecoptera community. In the group of predators, Neoperla (Plecoptera) was numerically dominant and gut content identifications were used to determine food chain and life cycle stages. Neoperla diet analysis indicated the Chironomidae (Diptera) as the dominant prey with predation upon Trichoptera and Ephemeroptera influenced by the life cycle stage of the predator. Gut content totals were analysed for predatory diet changes due to …  Read more

In this thesis, we examine theories of reading as they apply to three examples of the French New Novel. We begin with a detailed theoretical expose in which we compare and attempt to reconcile the reading models of Umberto Eco, Wolfgang Iser, Stanley Fish, Bertrand Gervais and Richard Saint-Gelais. The hybrid theory thus obtained is then tested on three works in order to underscore the modalities of reading that are particular to the New Novel, while insisting on these modalities' inherent variability. We focus on the reader's reconstructing of the narrative in L'Emploi du temps , on the impossibility of …  Read more

The following research developed an approach and methodology to simultaneously gather and integrate social and natural science farm system data of developing countries into one data base. The overall approach was based on Weber's theory of abstraction, which requires the identification of the broadest number of variables as possible. The first step to understanding the farm system was to overview a number of the key variables which represented a number of key farm components; the second step was to juxtapose and blend together the various forms of data in linear forms against a test variable of Striga infestation levels; the …  Read more

The Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (MDO) can be defined as a methodology for the design of complex engineering systems where collaboration and abilities to mutually interacting between different disciplines are fundamental. In this thesis, Virtual Aircraft Design and Optimization fRamework (VADOR), a distributed, object-oriented, component-based framework enabling MDO practice at Bombardier Aerospace is introduced. The purpose of the VADOR framework is to enable the seamless integration of commercial and in-house analysis applications in a heterogeneous, distributed computing environment, and allow the management and sharing of the data. The VADOR distributed environment offers visibility to the process, permitting the teams to monitor …  Read more

A haptic display is capable of representing the virtual interaction between a tool and a deformable body in order to simulate the contact between them. This capability requires computations to be performed in real time in order to generate the force of the virtual interaction that closely resembles the force applied to the tool during actual mechanical interaction. Reasonable approximations must be made to make this possible. This thesis presents an algorithm for real time calculation of tool force-displacement response of contact interaction with a deformable body, during which the body is locally deformed and cut. The tool responses of …  Read more

In this study, we describe the isolation and characterization of a functionally signaling-deficient Galpha16-negative somatic mutant (hereafter referred to clone 43) derived from the wildtype Jurkat T cell line by means of an activation-induced cell death resistance-based selection strategy. The catalytic activity of Lck in abrogated in clone 43 most likely due to a lack of autophosphorylation at the stimulatory site within the kinase domain of Lck, Y394. Based on Galpha16 cDNA sequencing data, the deficiency presented in clone 43 is most likely due to one or two point mutations located at amino acid residues 26 and 300 of the …  Read more

Gale, C. (Supervisor)  Read more

2',3'-Cyclic nucleotide 3 '-phosphodiesterase (CNP) is an early marker for oligodendrocytes, and it is suspected to be implicated in the expansion of membranes during myelination. We have previously generated transgenic mice that overexpress CNP. These mice showed altered oligodendroyte development, produced aberrant myelination, and had less MBP accumulated in myelin. More interestingly, ODCs isolated from those mice had a tremendous increase in the process extension formation. The purpose of the present study is to compare the protein expression pattern in the myelin isolated from control and CNP overexpressing mice (L191), using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. We found that CNP overexpression increases …  Read more

Fluoxetine is a commonly used serotonin reuptake inhibitor effective in the treatment of depression. The aim of this study was to test if fluoxetine exposure during pregnancy has long-term effects on the serotonin system in offspring. The study initially determined the half-life and steady state levels of fluoxetine and its metabolite, norfluoxetine, in the nonpregnant female guinea pig, to enable dosage selection comparable to that therapeutically attained in humans. The main experiment assessed effects of gestational fluoxetine exposure on dams and pups. Pregnant guinea pigs received no treatment, or once daily injections of fluoxetine (7 mg/kg) or vehicle, from gestation …  Read more

Wolfson, David (Supervisor)  Read more

Although tissue human growth hormone receptors (GHRs) have been identified from as early as the first trimester of fetal life, little is known about their functional role. We recently reported that fetal hGHRs appear to be relatively immature or have adapted to the in utero environment [194]. To further characterize these age-related differences, we have examined certain aspects of the hGHR structure as well as its signalling pathways. Initial cDNA sequencing and immunoblotting analyses showed no difference in hGHR molecular size. We then used RT-PCR to investigate levels of an alternatively spliced mRNA for a truncated (1--279) hGHR (T) which …  Read more

Nonvalidated practices are characterized by a therapeutic intent and a relative lack of evidence to support their adoption into the practice of medicine. They occupy a continuum of progressive departures from the standard of care, bounded on the one extreme by validated practices and on the other by research. Presently, nonvalidated practices are performed largely at the discretion of physicians, and this approach has been justified by appeal to the notions of professional autonomy and societal beneficence. Current guidelines do not require any special form of monitoring of nonvalidated practices. However, the principle of non-maleficence favours the adoption of a …  Read more

Apparent Motions is an original composition for an ensemble of fifteen musicians consisting of percussion, harp, keyboards, and stringed instruments. This dissertation is comprised of the composition as well as a written analysis of the composition. The analysis presents the most important technical features of the piece, including pitch organization, counterpoint, and motivic elaboration. Techniques are related to the overall objectives of the work, which involve the composer's personal approach to musical time. The particular treatment of time in the piece results from the coexistence of linear/developmental organization along with cyclical organization. The cyclical features intentionally interfere with the implication …  Read more

The subject of this thesis is an intertextual and psycho-analytic study of the relationship between two major dramatists of twentieth century Italian Theatre, Luigi Pirandello and Eduardo De Filippo. The analysis is in part conducted according to the concept of influence developed by Harold Bloom in The Anxiety Of Influence and expressed in "Freudian" terms, in which one poet, the later (Eduardo De Filippo), is presumed to "struggle" with or try to surpass his precursor (Luigi Pirandello).  Read more

Although much of the research on burnout has focused on the human service professions, there have been few studies investigating those working in the field of mental health, and even fewer looking specifically at community follow-up teams of the severely mentally ill. Two types of follow-up teams, hospital affiliated and community organisations, were compared in our study for levels of burnout and job satisfaction. As well, predictor variables such as stressors (daily hassles), work environment perceptions, caseload characteristics and employee characteristics were included to examine whether they explain the variance of burnout and job satisfaction. 25 staff members from four …  Read more

This thesis presents fundamental research about the combustion gas products and solid phase residue of switch grass combustion. To identify the compounds released during the combustion phase, tests were conducted using a Thermogravimetric Analyzer (TGA) coupled to a Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer. These test revealed that aromatic compounds as well as carbon dioxide and water were released. High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and GCMS/GCFID were also used to identify and semi-quantify polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and benzene derivatives. From these analyses it was concluded that thermal synthesis was not occurring within an oxidative environment and as such no PAHs were …  Read more

Midwifery care is often described as "woman-centred" and "empowering," yet the concrete or specific practices underlying this kind of care are not well understood. The study examined what midwives say and do in the process of care-giving during pregnancy, and how their care enhances clients' sense of personal competence and capability. Using qualitative methods, the researcher observed, recorded, transcribed and analyzed prenatal visits with nine midwives and their clients in Quebec birth centres. Findings revealed that relaxed conversation was a pivotal feature of the visits and primarily served the client's purposes. At multiple levels, the reciprocal, genuinely dialogic nature of …  Read more

Wall, A. E. (Supervisor)  Read more

This thesis examines the attempts made by Carl Goerdeler, Ludwig Beck, Ernst von Weizsacker and Adam von Trott zu Solz to obtain the support of the British government in their effort to overthrow the Nazi regime between 1937 and 1940. The circumstances surrounding each mission are detailed, including the degree of readiness on the part of the German opposition for a coup d'etat and the particular form of support sought from the British to increase the chance of success in each case. Consideration is given to the factors which conditioned the British reaction to the resistance emissaries, including the British …  Read more

This thesis observes the various representations of the Amerindian in Quebec literature between 1855 and 1875. Those twenty years are set as a sample both sufficiently rich and narrowly delimited as to permit a synchronic analysis. The analysis itself is a close inspection of a large quantity of poetry and fiction read in search of pan-textual recurrences. Constant features found as such are presented in a quasi-index of characteristics and quasi-characters-like figures, both seen as cliche, or topoi, and both linked to various imaginary constructs about cruelty, fear and security, forestry, religion, womanhood, alcoholism, etc. The poetics constraints in which …  Read more

A comprehensive DMS oxidation reaction mechanism was added to a chemical box model (Model of Chemistry Considering Aerosols - MOCCA) to investigate how atmospheric sulfate levels are affected by pollution in the marine boundary layer. The interaction of a remote air mass with a polluted coastal air mass containing elevated NOx, alkane, and alkene levels was simulated for a mid-latitude region of the Northern Hemisphere. Model runs from different settings were compared with respect to species concentrations, branching ratios, and product yields. Results showed moderate decreases in gas phase DMS, DMSO, DMSO2, and MSA concentrations, and increases of approximately 7% …  Read more

The goal of this thesis is to design a furnace to be used in in-situ time-resolved x-ray scattering studies of processes such as crystallization in 25 mum thick metallic ribbons. Two approaches are tested thoroughly. The first is to use forced convection to heat the sample. This is tested experimentally up to about 500 K with 1.5 mm thick samples and theoretical calculations are used to resolve these data and to predict the behaviour of the thin ribbons at higher temperatures. The results show that the ideal configuration for this heating mechanism involves heating the ends of the samples while …  Read more

This thesis argues that the stakeholder paradox (Goodpaster, 1991) has hindered the achievement of meaningful consultation processes because it perpetuates a management-centered discourse of stakeholder engagement aimed at producing stakeholder consent and legitimating organizational action. In order to advance beyond the use of stakeholder consultation as a sophisticated public relations tool, and instrument of organizational power and persuasion, it must be treated as a series of activities (discussion, deliberation and decision making) linked together through the common modality of negotiative communication. An analysis of practice guidelines, protocols and key informant interviews using a critical organizational communication approach evaluates the extent …  Read more

Visual manifestations of migraine are largely considered transient, without permanent sequelae. Recent findings raise the possibility of persistent ocular and neural manifestations. This thesis investigates visual function in migraine during the period between episodes by applying various psychophysical tests to two migraine groups (migraine with aura ( n = 20) and migraine without aura (n = 20)) and comparing the results to those of a nonheadache control group (n = 20). Tests were designed to address the level of visual system involvement, and to investigate the extent to which selective visual processes, specifically, motion and other forms of temporal modulation …  Read more

Reconfigurable logic devices that are based on a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) substrate are gaining widespread acceptance. As such devices are used in many different configurations, manufacturers need to ensure that each potential configuration will not fail due to device defects. This flexibility leads to severely increased test times, which in turn increase the semiconductor device's total cost. This thesis presents a method to speed up test and diagnosis times using reconfigurability. Furthermore, a scheme for the incorporation of the test architecture, which reduces test and diagnostic times of reconfigurable logic interconnects, is described. The test architecture includes added …  Read more

We present an analysis of the requirements of a 2--3 exchange symmetry in the neutrino mass matrix in comparison to the experimentally allowed ranges of neutrino oscillation parameters. The symmetric matrix, being defined at an energy scale appropriate to a right-handed neutrino in a See-saw scheme of mass suppression, is subject to evolution under Supersymmetric Renormalisation Group Equations, in order to interpret the matrix at experimental energies. By way of motivation we discuss the status of neutrino mass in the Standard Model and justify the context of the analysis by examining the mechanisms and evidence for oscillations. We then review …  Read more

Many classes of linear and cyclic binary strings are counted using a particularly elementary counting technique. Most of these enumerations are much simpler and more elementary than those found in the literature. Applications of these counts to other combinatorial problems are described. An apparently new identity for Lucas numbers is established; it shows how to express an arbitrary product of Lucas numbers as a sum of Lucas numbers.  Read more

RHex is a robotic hexapod with springy legs and just six actuated degrees of freedom. This work presents the development of a pronking gait for RHex, extending its efficiency and speed by exploiting its springy legs for hopping. A simple physical model of pronking is presented and verified qualitatively in simulation and experiment. In the course of analysing and attempting to stabilize pronking, the author develops an inertial attitude estimation system for RHex built around a three axis fibre-optic gyroscope. The author also validates a simple current estimation model for RHex's motors, which is then used to detect leg touchdown …  Read more

The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate a non-intrusive research instrument for children who have experienced war trauma and family separation that has the capacity to elicit verbal and non-verbal representations of their experiences in their play. A related objective was to explore the relationship between the family's disclosure of traumatic events and the children's play. The research was conducted among 21 Algerian and West and Central African children. The methodology was based on both qualitative and quantitative methods. The play of children from a community and a clinical group was compared to identify play indicators that …  Read more

Optimal utilization of microwave energy requires more basic knowledge of the dielectric properties of the material under investigation. The dielectric properties of materials subjected to microwaves are known to depend on moisture content, temperature and density of the material as well as the frequency of the applied microwave field. This thesis is focussed on the development and evaluation of the new Permittivity Analyser to measure the dielectric properties of agri-food materials at 915 and 2450 MHz using cavity perturbation concept. In this study, the dielectric properties measuring system was designed and developed using cavity perturbation concept to measure the essential …  Read more

Monoamine oxidases (MAOs) are phylogenetically old enzymes which catalyze the deamination of monoamines. Interest in a relationship between MAO and aggressive behaviour derives from the report of a single family with a mutation which obliterates the activity of MAO A, as well as a long history of studies which substantiate a relationship between MAO activity and impulsive aggressive behaviour. The goals of this thesis were: (1) to examine the generalizability of the specific MAO mutation noted above; (2) to evaluate the relationship between platelet MAO activity and genetic polymorphisms in MAO genes, and (3) to extend knowledge regarding the developmental …  Read more