McGill University Thèses et mémoires publiés en 2002

Healthy human newborns fed glucose solution prior to testing exhibit higher levels of blood glucose and are able to remember a spoken word for a longer time than infants who receive water. To determine whether a natural feeding affects newborn auditory memory and whether it is related to blood glucose, memory for spoken words was examined for two groups of newborns---one tested before and the other after---routine breast or formula feedings (pre- vs postprandial), using a partially infant-controlled habituation recovery paradigm. Prior to analyses, the postprandial group was split at the median for blood glucose to define two groups: high …  Read more

The purpose of this study was to assess the perceptions of expert coaches on the key elements for building their successful programs. Five female expert Canadian university coaches of team sports were individually interviewed with an open-ended approach. Data were analysed inductively, following the guidelines of Cote, Salmela, Baria, and Russell (1993) and of Cote, Salmela, and Russell (1995). The results of the analysis identified four key elements for the building of a successful program. First, coaches possessed a variety of personal attributes that enabled them to display appropriate leadership. Second, coaches possessed thorough organisational skills from which they set …  Read more

Cubilin is a peripheral membrane protein that co-operates with the endocytic receptor megalin to mediate the endocytosis of ligands in various polarized epithelia. Megalin is expressed in the male reproductive tract where is has been implicated in the process of sperm membrane remodeling. A potential role for cubilin in the male reproductive tract has not been explored. Using RT-PCR, we found that cubilin and megalin mRNAs are expressed in the efferent ducts, corpus and cauda epididymides, and proximal and distal vas deferens. Immunohistological analysis revealed that cubilin was expressed in non-ciliated cells of the efferent ducts, principal cells of the …  Read more

The purpose of this study was to examine elite women's ice hockey, with particular emphasis on various aspects of aggression associated with the sport. A qualitative research methodology was employed. Participants included 4 coaches and 15 hockey players, from three elite levels of women's hockey. Each coach was interviewed using an in-depth open-ended format. Each athlete participated in a focus group interview. Commonalities emerged from the coach and athlete data, which resulted in the creation of three higher-order themes that were called (1) state of women's hockey, (2) coach and athlete issues, and (3) aggression in women's hockey. The data …  Read more

The concentration of diacetyl in the fermenting process of beer is important to control as it is both a measure of the quality of the beer and yeast viability. Presently there is no on line method for monitoring diacetyl levels during beer production, which can result in submitting the beer to a longer high temperature diacetyl degradation period than necessary. This is detrimental to the yeast and increases the time of the overall process. The ability to continuously monitor diacetyl levels on line would provide a decided advantage in control of the fermentation and maturation of the beer, two important …  Read more

This anthropological study focuses on people's subjective experiences of mental health problems in Quebec, and highlights the different processes involved in the narrativization and enunciation of the experience of psychiatric disorder. It was completed in Montreal in 2001, and included participant observation in three resources of the Regroupment des resouces alternatives en sante mentale du Quebec (RRASMQ). Nine people of Quebecois origin, users of these mental health services, were interviewed. After a brief survey of the literature concerned with the narrative transformation of experience and its expression in the social realm, this report identifies some of the narrative structures of …  Read more

Vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) are increasingly being used in various photonic applications. In order to design an optical system which will transmit the light emitted by a VCSEL it is necessary to model the intensity profile. The purpose of this thesis is to apply a method of extracting the modal content from an intensity profile assumed to be composed of Hermite-Gauss modes. This will be done for both the simulated output of a VCSEL and for experimentally measured intensity profiles. It will be demonstrated that the method will produce an accurate model for a VCSEL output which is …  Read more

Fabry, Frédéric (Supervisor)  Read more

Proteolytic maturation of neuropeptide precursors is a general mechanism through which a variety of neuropeptides are synthesized in the mammalian brain. Cumulating evidence suggests that this process is mediated by enzymes of the prohormone convertase (PC) family. However, the precise role and mode of action of these PCs in the brain are still poorly understood. To gain further insight in the putative function of PC5A in the processing of neuropeptide precursors in the brain, we examined its regional, cellular and subcellular distribution in rat brain using immunohistochemistry at the light and confocal microscopic levels. PC5A was extensively distributed throughout the …  Read more

This thesis is concerned with the syntax of productive morphological causatives in the Finno-Ugric language North Sami, within the theoretical setting of the Chomskian Principles and Parameters/Minimalist framework. Providing rich and novel data, the thesis situates North Sami in the general typology of causative constructions, demonstrating that causatives in this language invariably are of the so-called Faire Par-variety. The issues treated in this thesis are directly concerned with the anatomy of the verb phrase and the fine-grained details of its syntactic decomposition. Specifically, it is argued that the syntactic head that introduces the external argument and which provides the locus …  Read more

Deslauriers, Marguerite (Supervisor)  Read more

This thesis comprises three essays on market microstructure, focusing on the issues of insider trading, asymmetric information and market liquidity. The first essay examines the effects of the mandatory disclosure regulations on the trading behavior of informed traders. Specifically, we compare the (perfect Bayesian) equilibrium when disclosure is mandatory to the equilibrium when insiders do not have to disclose their trades. We show that under mandatory disclosure the market becomes more efficient and more liquid, making the uninformed traders unambiguously better off. We also show that in order to conceal part of his information, under mandatory disclosure the insider may …  Read more

One of the goals of the Mackenzie GEWEX Study (MAGS) is to model the critical components of the water and energy cycles that affect the climate of the Mackenzie Basin. The land surface - hydrological model WATCLASS is used to simulate the energy and water transports at and below the surface. Atmospheric input to WATCLASS is provided by the output from the atmospheric model GEM. There may be significant uncertainties in the GEM incoming solar radiation due largely to difficulties in simulating clouds and their radiative properties. The question that we address is how these uncertainties affect the simulation of …  Read more

Since the late 1970s many empty buildings in Montreal have been adapted for residential purposes. The main focus of this thesis is to document and analyse the most representative examples of these projects in order to define the nature and results of the adaptive-use practice in Montreal. Due to complexity of the field, the framework for analysis must be flexible enough to apply to different contexts and building types, yet firm enough to solve the perpetual dilemmas intrinsic to adaptive-use design. The attitude of this research is that the best way to do this is to learn from architectural, social, …  Read more

This study describes the resource management practices of a rural community located in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. Lababia, a community of 500 people, is located in a coastal rainforest environment and is dependant for its livelihood on swidden agriculture and fishing. Lababia is also the site of an integrated conservation and development project facilitated by a non-governmental organisation based in a nearby urban centre. The key resources on which Lababia depends are managed as the common property of either the village-as-a-whole or the various kin groups resident in the village, and for that reason common property theory has been …  Read more

Beech, Robin (Supervisor)  Read more

Driesen, Karel (Supervisor)  Read more

This thesis discusses the design and implementation of integrating the Internet capability into a database programming language JRelix, so that it not only possesses data organization; storage and indexing capabilities of normal DBMS, but also possesses remote data processing capabilities across the Internet. A URL-based name extension to database elements in a database programming language is adopted, which gives it collaborative and distributed capability over the Internet with no changes in syntax or semantics apart from the new structure in names. Relations, computations, statements (or queries) and relational expression are treated uniformly as database elements in our implementation. These database …  Read more

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and many of their derivatives are considered to be ubiquitous environmental pollutants, which often exhibit mutagenic and/or carcinogenic activity. In the atmosphere, photolysis is generally considered to be the dominant degradation pathway for these pollutants. The photochemical behaviours of benzo(a)pyrene, benzo(b)fluoranthene and benzo(k)fluoranthene have been examined in the laboratory. This study was complemented by an analysis of ambient air samples collected in the vicinity of a Horizontal Stud Soderberg aluminum smelter in Beauharnois, Quebec. Benzo(a)pyrene is much more reactive in the presence of light when compared to the fluoranthene compounds. The products were identified as the 1,6-, …  Read more

This dissertation examines lawyers and lawyering in post-Soviet Georgia. It suggests that the collapse of the Soviet Union triggered a rapid de-professionalization of lawyers. The monopoly of the Soviet-era Bar was broken, the number of law graduates multiplied, many of the objective conditions for lawyering (such as functioning courts) were simply absent and most jurists employed by state enterprises lost their jobs. In other words, lawyers were left with little control over their markets or work. But there has also been a growing movement towards the professionalization of lawyers since 1991. Intriguingly, the key to understanding the new professionalism lies …  Read more

Purpose. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a disorder with important prevalence, morbidity, co-morbidity as well as economic cost. This study examines the comparative efficacy and effectiveness of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy. Data sources. (1) MEDLINE search from 1966 to present using both McSH terms and related keywords; (2) reference lists from retrieved articles; (3) reference lists from systematic reviews and books (4) consultation with "key informants". Study selection. All studies that examined therapeutic interventions for at least 6 subjects with PTSD were targeted for retrieval. Studies in English and French, with data enabling the calculation of a within condition effect …  Read more

The delayed rectifier current, IK, responsible for terminating the plateau phase of the cardiac action potential, is composed of two components; the slowly activating component, IKs, and the rapidly activating component, IKr. IKr is the primary target of Class III antiarrhythmic agents, inhibition of which prolongs cardiac action potential and reduces the probability of reentrant arrhythmia induction. However, Class III antiarrhythmic agents can also excessively prolong the QT interval and precipitate a potentially lethal arrhythmia called torsade de pointes (TdP). Furthermore, mutations at the gene coding for IKr can cause congenital long QT syndrome and TdP. Heterologous expression of the …  Read more

Reverse transcription of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) is primed by cellular tRNALys3, which is selectively packaged into viral particles where it is bound at its 3' terminus to a complementary sequence of viral RNA termed the primer binding site (PBS). In addition to the PBS, other regions within the viral genome also interact with tRNALys3. Initiation of HIV-1 reverse transcription requires specific recognition of the viral genome, tRNA primer, and reverse transcriptase (RT). In this work, we study the important role played by the initiation complex in the initiation of HIV-1 reverse transcription. An "A-rich loop" located upstream of …  Read more

Rowe, William (Supervisor)  Read more

This paper examines the exegetical history of the prohibition against kindling fire on the Sabbath day. Since its biblical inception Ex. 35:3, the prohibition against kindling fire on the Sabbath, has undergone a multiplicity of interpretations. The texts examined in this paper survey the treatment of this verse from its inception through to the twentieth century and the advent of electricity. Over generations exegetes have understood this biblical verse to be a prohibition against kindling, burning, and even cooking. The debates concerning the legal status and implications of the verse have additionally been outlined in this paper. Tracing the history …  Read more

Mayo, Nancy (Supervisor)  Read more

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a technique allowing the study of hemodynamic changes in the brain. Having a number of advantages over positron emission tomography (PET), the current gold standard, fMRI appears like an attractive alternative to study brain function. However, the measurements obtained with fMRI have not been rigorously validated. This thesis describes a study comparing cerebral blood flow (CBF) changes measured using a flow-sensitive alternating inversion recovery (FAIR) fMRI perfusion method, to the ones obtained using PET. We scanned 10 healthy normal volunteers under identical experimental conditions during presentation of 4 levels of visual stimulation and one …  Read more

The binding of aqueous solutions of sodium cholate and chenodeoxycholate with a lightly cross-linked polyacrylamide resin carrying N,N,N-trimethylammonium dodecyl chloride pendants (QPDA12) have been studied by HPLC data under various conditions. The goal of this thesis was to determine the relative enthalpic and entropic contributions to the binding that would aid in establishing the molecular basis of the process and in the development of effective resins that sequester bile salts. The binding constants were extracted from the fit of the isotherms to the Langmuir equation and their temperature dependence was employed to evaluate the thermodynamic parameters associated with the process. …  Read more

From an economic perspective, globalization is dismantling national barriers to entry and is transforming domestic markets into a global market. To meet the challenges posed by the integration of markets, corporations are joining forces with their former competitors to expand their presence in the global market. Rapid growth in transnational mergers to create global corporations is one of the key features of globalization. As multinational corporations are uniting, so should antitrust agencies that regulate them. Antitrust agencies around the world are realizing that the consumers whom they are mandated to protect are being adversely affected by decisions made beyond their …  Read more

We identify physical processes and localized atmospheric structures that modulate the global-scale atmospheric available potential energy (APE). A 1979--95 time series of Northern Hemisphere APE is derived from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) reanalysis. We discern an average three-day cycle in the APE depletion rate dA/dt with a time series of intraseasonal (1.6--180-day) fluctuations. Synoptic-scale APE depletion events are falls and subsequent rises in dA/dt, and are classified as APE collapses when exceeding climatologically-derived thresholds of APE fall and dA/dt. Three associated regional baroclinic waves are observed. West Pacific warm surges (Type A) accompany cyclogenesis over Japan, anticyclogenesis …  Read more

Macrophages are considered as one of the early effector cells involved in the immunological response against infection. Following macrophages interaction with pathogens, macrophages become activated and attempt to eliminate the invader. Interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) is one of the most important activators of macrophage function. In macrophages IFN-gamma is promoting the expression of major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) molecules and other proteins directly involved in the process of containing infection. The effect of the Nramp1, on macrophage function is investigated in this thesis. Nramp1 has been shown to determine the resistance or susceptibility of mice to infections with several intracellular …  Read more

Bullying within our schools is a serious social problem requiring extensive and holistic prevention programs to effectively address the problem. This present study set out to gain a better understanding of the child's experience after participating in a Friends and Neighbours (F.A.N.) Club puppet show on bullying. Eight children were interviewed and the results indicated that the program is well received by the children but the F.A.N. Club needs to be more systemic in its approach to include more school and parental involvement. In addition, further focus is needed on the role of bystanders to bullying. The F.A.N. Club is …  Read more

Geological and high-field-strength element (HFSE) relationships for Chester Group felsic volcanic rocks and corresponding sub-volcanic intrusives in the south-east Swayze greenstone belt (SESGB) indicate deposition in an dynamic volcanic-arc tectonic setting, from two separate magmas with calc-alkaline and HFSE-depleted trace element signatures respectively. Chester Group, Yeo Formation rocks have undergone a regionally extensive sericite-quartz (type 1) alteration, involving the loss of 3.25 wt.% Na2O, addition of 12 wt.% SiO2 and 2.2 wt.% K2O, and 13% net mass-gain, indicating water/rock ratios of at least 6. Chlorite-sericite +/- biotite +/- garnet (type 2) alteration at paleo-hydrothermal vent sites was localized along synvolcanic …  Read more

This arts-based study examines how three women, who hold senior positions in development organizations, perceive of power. Emphasis is placed not only on how the participants describe their power identities, but also on how those identities can be portrayed. Based on data collected in interviews and drawing on the metaphors of portraiture, the power suit and the feminist conception of "voice", the women's power identities are represented in three ways: textually (in the form of "power identity profiles"), visually (in the form of "power suit" costume designs) and aurally (in the form of dramatic monologues). Through notes, descriptions, outlines and …  Read more

T cell receptor (TCR) engagement triggers a series of biochemical and signaling cascades including protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) activation, tyrosine phosphorylation of adapter proteins and multiple protein-protein interactions. CD45 plays a critical role in regulating TCR-mediated signaling. Here, we report evidence of in vivo interaction between CD45 and the Src kinase-associated phosphoprotein (SKAP55), which acts as its substrate for dephosphorylation. Further, we demonstrate and confirm by mutational analysis that a critical residue of SKAP55, Tyr-232, mediated the association with CD45. In Jurkat cells, SKAP55 induced tyrosine phosphorylation by anti-CD3 stimulation. Biochemical analysis revealed that adapter protein SKAP55 formed homodimers through …  Read more

This thesis was to examine the interaction of players' skill level, body strength, and various types of stick construction and stiffness on the performance of the hockey shots. Forty subjects were tested, and each subject performed the slap and wrist shots with different stick shaft constructions and stiffness. Shot mechanics were evaluated by simultaneously recording of ground reaction forces, stick movements and peak puck velocity. Data analyzed with a 4-way ANOVA for several dependent variables. The results indicated that: (1) the slap shot was faster than the wrist shot corresponding to greater vertical force, stick bending and hand placement; (2) …  Read more

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the distributional side of environmental risks and burdens and, more particularly, to explain the significance of including intergenerational and intragenerational equity concerns within the fashioning of a legal regime governing the transboundary movement of radioactive waste. The thesis focuses on fairness and equity considerations between generations (intergenerational equity) and within contemporary generations (intragenerational equity) in the context of transboundary movements of radioactive wastes. First, a detailed exploration of the emergence of intergenerational and intragenerational equity principles is conducted. Then, the implementing principles of intergenerational and intragenerational equity with regard to environmental risk …  Read more

Nyquist rate analog to digital converter have always been an essential component in complex systems ranging from digital oscilloscope, radar, to modern telecommunication equipments. The fast-paced development in these complex systems has necessitated methods to improve resolution and power consumption of the analog to digital converters. The aim of this thesis is to offer one such method. The method involves the application of a digital DC reference source. The digital reference source will be proposed and used to remove mismatch, reduce comparator offset, thus improving the resolution of both flash and pipeline ADCs, while consuming no static power. The design …  Read more

Indiepop was, and is, a musical genre that coalesced around UK punk and post-punk in the early 1980s. From punk, indiepop borrowed certain ideas about the politics of cultural production. What differentiated it from punk was its sound: a decidedly pop emphasis on short, melodic song structures and seemingly simple instrumentation. In embracing independent production, indiepop staked a claim for subculture authenticity over the inauthentic mass products of the mainstream music industry. Yet the defining musical elements were characteristic of the historically feminine pop idiom. The result was indiepop, where masculine authenticity and feminine pop forms melded together and created …  Read more

A systematic analysis of all-optical gain-clamped L-band EDFAs for long-haul DWDM transmission systems is presented in this thesis. A full numerical model is used to simulate and fully characterize the performance and properties of single-stage and two-stage EDFAs. We focus on two configurations of two-stage L-band EDFAs with gain-clamped characteristics using partial gain-clamping. Partial gain-clamping is obtained by forming a fiber grating laser in either the first or the second stage of the two-stage EDFA. From our simulation and experimental results, we conclude the following: (1) a good gain-clamping effect can be achieved by partially gain-clamped configurations in which only …  Read more

ASP acts as a paracrine and autocrine signal to increase triglyceride synthesis in adipocytes. ASP administration results in more rapid postprandial lipid clearance. This present work consists of a series of experiments on complement C3 knockout mice (therefore ASP deficient mice) in vivo. The aim of this work is to understand the role of Acylation stimulating protein (ASP) in energy regulation. Compared to wild type mice, ASP deficient mice have delayed triglyceride and fatty acid clearance, decreased fat mass and body weight with concurrent increases in food intake. Both male and female ASP deficient mice have increased oxygen consumption, an …  Read more

Networks and their services have been growing rapidly in recent years, so has the complexity of configuring the network operations. In order to manage the rapidly expanding networks, new management protocols are thus needed to change the network management from configuration of individual devices to automation of the whole network. SNMPCONF, a policy-based configuration with SNMP protocol, is proposed by IETF to meet this requirement. SNMPCONF is suggested to configure networks with a policy MIB (Management Information Base). However, deploying this protocol in existing network devices needs more work, because the policy MIB defined by SNMPCONF is not implemented now …  Read more

Determining whether or not a gold gravity circuit should be installed in a gold plant requires a prediction of how much gold will be recovered. This has always been a difficult task because recovery takes place from the grinding circulating load, in which gold's behavior must be described. A population-balance model (PBM) to predict gold gravity recovery was developed at McGill University in 1994 (Laplante et al, 1995). The objective of this research was to make this PBM user friendly. This was achieved in two different ways. First, the behavior of gravity recoverable gold (GRG) in secondary ball mills and …  Read more

The follicle stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) is an essential G-protein-coupled receptor expressed in granulosa cells of the ovary and Sertoli cells of the testis. Upon hormone binding, the FSHR activates G-proteins, initiates gonadotropin signals and triggers granulosa cells and oocyte or Sertoli cells and germ cells communication that is required for gonadal development and maturation. This hormone signaling also participates in the biosynthesis of progesterone and estradiol in females and testosterone in males. The expression of FSHR reaches higher levels in mature follicles and in stages XIII-I of the seminiferous epithelial cycle. Little is known on the mechanisms by which …  Read more

This thesis explores issues of literacy and identity through a social constructionist perspective by discussing the concept of a linguistic and national home for an Armenian-Canadian. Through autoethnography, I connect my personal experiences to my culture, and construct a sense of 'home' by writing from both sides of a border: Armenian and Canadian. Autobiographical approaches make use of the self to construct meanings that illuminate larger themes and bear implications for wider audiences (Cole & Knowles, 2000; Kamanos-Gamelin, 2001; Mitchell & Weber, 1999; O'Reilly-Scanlon, 2000). Thus, as I describe the outcomes of my experiences of literacy and identity, I consider …  Read more

The effect of the time of application of Gibberellic Acid (GA3) and Lipo-Chitin Oligosaccharides (LCOs) on annual production of globe artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) cultivars 'Imperial Star' and 'Green Globe' was studied in 2000 and 2001. In order for flowering to occur plants must undergo a period of vernalization. In 2000, plants received 54 chilling (vernalizing) hours, an amount sufficient to induce flowering in 100% of the Imperial star and 25% of the Green Globe control plants. Applications of 25ppm GA3 at the 6 and 10-leaf stage reduced the time to flowering by 11 days, increased uniformity of flower bud …  Read more

Detecting (and recognizing) human arm motion in a typical classroom environment is a challenging task due to the noisy and highly dynamic background, varying light conditions, as well as the small size and multiple number of possible matched objects. A robust vision system that can detect events of students' hands being raised for asking questions is described. This system is intended to support the collaborative demands of distributed classroom lecturing and further serve as a test case for real-time gesture recognition vision systems. Various techniques including temporal and spatial segmentation, skin color identification, as well as shape and feature analysis …  Read more

Drosophila development has provided a useful model system to study the molecular mechanisms that regulate neurogenesis. Recently much progress has been made in our understanding of how neural progenitor cells undergo commitment and become mature neurons. Studies have shown that a series of transcription factors plays fundamental roles in these neuronal developmental events. From Drosophila to mammals, evolutionarily conserved molecules regulate similar biological processes. The major hypothesis advanced in this thesis is that mammalian homologues of the Drosophila protein Groucho, namely the TLE proteins, share a conserved function in the regulation of mammalian neurogenesis. To investigate the molecular mechanisms regulating …  Read more

This thesis is one step in defining the parameters of archaeology in an aboriginal context. It is designed to be a practical guide for imagining the past from an internalist perspective because archaeological methods offer the opportunity to represent antiquity that is simultaneously rational and familiar. However, an ancillary objective is to utilize symbols from antiquity as markers of modern Indian identity. Archaeology appeared on the radar of First Nations because their growing populations demand housing and economic opportunities. Recent settlement of land claims has brought large tracts of land under the control of Native people. Archaeological sites, by their …  Read more

Current visualization methods for large volume angiograms share the difficulty of having to display depth information using conventional two-dimensional screens, while static viewing conditions between two consecutive rotations are often required. This thesis presents new directions towards the interactive display of and navigation through cerebral vessel networks. To reduce the computational load and storage requirements; a method is developed to extract a centerline representation of the vessel network from volume images. Shape attributes such as the position of the center point as well as the cross-sectional size, tangent, curvature, torsion and bifurcation of the vessel, are either contained in the …  Read more