McGill University Thèses et mémoires publiés en 2004

The increasing importance of pornography since its commercialization at the end of the seventies modified the artistic landscape of sexual representation. What has occurred is a transformation of the horizon of expectations of pornographic images, the definition of eroticism and the relationship between the two notions. In this perspective, the thesis concentrates on the analysis of the appropriation of certain distinct traits of hard core pornography in feminist art. Specifically, it is a qualitative analysis of the interrelations between eroticism and pornography in feminist art during the 1980s. The thesis proceeds to an in-depth analysis of several works by Pipilotti …  Read more

In the present study, the instability resulting from the interaction of a spherical flame and a rarefaction is investigated. The goal is to understand the physical mechanisms governing the evolution of the flame front subsequent to the interaction. It is shown that the distinct acceleration characteristics of the rarefaction give rise to both Rayleigh-Taylor and Richtmyer-Meshkov types of instabilities. Furthermore, following the interaction, the formation of a funnel of unburned gas into the combustion products is observed, similarly to the one observed by Markstein in flame/shock interaction experiments. It is found that the growth rate of the funnel is constant …  Read more

Alkylation of carbonyl compounds with diorganozinc, organozinc halides and organoaluminium reagents has been conducted in ionic liquids. Systems studied included solvents such as N-butylpyridinium tetrafluoroborate, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate and 1-butyl-2,3-dimethylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate. Interestingly, reactivities of organometallics towards ionic liquids were revealed, yielding the imidazolylidene zinc complex formation in the case of alkylation with diethylzinc. Thus, different ways of ionic liquid preparations and purification methods were studied. The reaction between diethylzinc and aldehyde proceeded cleanly with high yield. This is in contrast to the reaction in aqueous media where diethylzinc is hydrolyzed readily, or in conventional volatile organic solvents where the addition of …  Read more

In the past decade, the increasing costs incurred as a result of caring for Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients have led to the recognition of AD economic research as an important area of study in most industrialized countries. This thesis contains an overview of the AD economic literature published in recent years, focusing in particular on four cost-effectiveness analyses (CEA's), which employ Markov models to simulate disease progression through different health states. Methodological issues and key study assumptions related to modelling disease progression are identified and critically evaluated. Two of these issues, namely the assumption that transition probabilities are independent of …  Read more

The thesis focuses on the branding phenomenon in its relationship with territory. Owners of global brands seek to defend a set of positive associations that goes beyond the concept of trademark per se. In that undertaking, the territorial limitation of trademark rights is perceived as an impediment to a worldwide protection of the branded myth. The thesis analyses the branding phenomenon and the territoriality principle of trademark law. It also depicts the methods currently employed by trademark owners to circumvent national legislations. The thesis supports alternative approaches, which successfully combine branding and territorial values. Eventually, the conflict of applying domestic …  Read more

The aim of this thesis is at once simple and complex. It consists of explaining the modes of expression and the prevalent idioms of the experience of la promenade, the contemplative experience of a leisurely stroll, in the works and notebooks of Philippe Jaccottet. Far from focusing solely on the dynamic aspect of walking, the aspect to which the majority of literary critics have for so long limited themselves, it consists as well of defining the movement of la promenade as a practice of l'entre-deux (the in-between), through the sensorial dimensions of the work as well as through is writing …  Read more

The present work describes an experimental set-up built to simulate dynamic wetting and heat transfer occurring in many rapid solidification processes. Tests were performed with molten aluminium droplets falling from a crucible onto a metallic substrate. A high-speed camera captured the evolution of the droplet's geometry, while thermocouples, inserted inside the metallic substrate, allowed a heat transfer analysis to be performed. Aluminium 5754 was found to have a better initial dynamic wetting and heat transfer compared to pure aluminium. An increase in the initial temperature of the substrate was associated with better dynamic wetting and heat transfer. The heat flux …  Read more

Background. Concussion is an important public health problem. The difficulty in recognizing mild concussions and the significant risk for repeat injury make early detection critical to the management of the concussed athlete. Since the 1990s, the use of neuropsychological tests has helped to measure cognitive deficits from sports-related concussion more objectively. Given the cost and limited availability of these tests, more user-friendly tools are needed. Objectives. (1) Develop and evaluate the capacity of a new user-friendly neurocognitive tool called the McGill ACE to detect concussion in college athletes. (2) Compare the sensitivity of the McGill ACE to a formal neuropsychological …  Read more

Chromated copper arsenate (CCA), type C, was largely used as a wood preservative due to its exceptional fungicidal and insecticidal properties. Although this treatment was prohibited for residential purposes in Canada and in the United-States of America, concerns about CCA-treated wood focus on the possible threat on human health and the contamination of the environment, through the leaching of metals from existing structures. The objectives of this thesis are (1) to assess the effects of metals leached from CCA- and ACQ-treated wood on the survival, the growth and the reproductive success of the earthworm Eisenia fetida (Annelida, Oligochaeta), and (2) …  Read more

The ubiquitin system is a major cytosolic and nuclear pathway of proteolysis in all eukaryotic cells. In this pathway, ubiquitin, a 76 amino acid peptide, is covalently ligated to protein substrates by a series of enzymes; E1, E2 and E3. The ubiquitin-attached proteins are commonly targeted for destruction by the 26S proteasome but the ubiquitination may also direct other cellular functions such as endocytosis, leading to proteolysis in the lysosome. Interestingly, a large family of genes encoding deubiquitinating enzymes (UBP; ubiquitin specific processing protease and UCH; ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase) has recently been identified from different organisms. These enzymes are found …  Read more

The sudden and steady increase in the involvement of women in the Mexican labour force beginning in the 1980s, signifies a major shift in gender roles and activities. It is a little studied outcome of Mexico's combination of economic crisis (which served to increase the supply of female labour) and subsequent adoption of neoliberal economic policies (which stimulated the demand for female labour). In fact, what is not known, are the implications of this employment for the Mexican women themselves. The dissertation moves beyond the existing literature on the gendered consequences of employment and economic development, by bringing in the …  Read more

Physiological evidence suggests that a single symmetric controller in the brainstem is involved in the oculomotor system (OCS) for all types of eye movements. Focusing on ocular tracking with slow pursuit (slow phase) and saccades (fast phase), a previously developed bilateral controller by Galiana is the first to adopt this unified philosophy which allows it to be free of instability during switching between modes. We upgrade this model by incorporating additional sensory signals observed in nature. 1. During slow phases, retinal slip from the flocculus and temporal integration via superior colliculi compensate for large visual delays and provide near perfect …  Read more

Transglutaminases are enzymes that stabilize extracellular matrices by catalyzing the formation of protease-resistant isopeptide crosslinks between and within their substrate proteins. Two transglutaminase isoforms, tissue transglutaminase (tTG) and factor XIIIa (FXIIIa), are expressed in skeletal tissues. Tissue transglutaminase has been previously localized in bone to osteoblasts, the osteoid layer and the pericellular matrix of osteocytes. Factor XIIIa has been localized to mineralizing chondrocytes, however, its expression in osteoblasts has not been reported yet. In order to understand the role of transglutaminases in hard tissue formation, we have investigated tTG and FXIIIa expression and activity during osteoblast differentiation and mineralization using …  Read more

The mixed state of type II superconductors is an ideal medium for the study of correlated systems since the density of vortices which penetrate the sample, as well as the driving force, can be tuned such as to measure their effects on correlations. The weak pinning character of the Fe xNi1-xZr2 metal glasses permits vortex phases to be probed by dissipative transport (longitudinal and Hall) measurements. The complete phase diagram in this regime is mapped out as a function of magnetic field, driving current and temperature using results from longitudinal resistance measurements. The longitudinal measurements show a huge peak effect …  Read more

Paul Celan (1920-1970), the Jewish poet of German descent, lived through the greatest catastrophe of European Jewry of the modern age. He survived, as his parents and innumerable others did not, and dedicated his writing, his voice, to the reality he had witnessed. It would be a mistake, however, to think of him solely as a "Jewish" poet, a term he considered anti-Semitic (see Christina Ivanovic's '''All poets are Jews:' Paul Celan's Reading of Marina Tsvetaeva"). Celan wrote of the world as such; a world that was able to reorganize itself towards the annihilation of countless human beings. In its …  Read more

Lymphocyte homing to the lymph nodes is a well defined process, dependent on the proper function of the homing receptors LFA-1 (one of the CD18 family of integrins) and L-selectin. However, the mechanism used by lymphocytes to accumulate in the spleen is still not understood. Both B lymphocytes and Natural Killer cells are prominent in the spleen. To investigate whether CD18 integrins or L-selectin play a role in B lymphocyte and NK cell homing to the spleen, mice genetically deficient in either of these molecules were analyzed by flow cytometry. The results of this study demonstrate that neither B lymphocytes …  Read more

Proteomics is the post-genomic science that aims to identify and characterize the entire protein complement of a cell or organism. Mass spectrometry followed by database search is the core technology used in high-throughput protein identification. A major challenge in Proteomics is the random and chemical noise that corrupts mass spectra. This noise can alter the measured mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) and bias peak intensities, thus leading to errors in peptide ion peak detection. Thus, noise reduction by filtering is necessary prior to data analysis. As mass spectrometer response varies with m/z, an invariant filter would not be optimal; therefore, a time-varying …  Read more

Heart rate variability is commonly interpreted as a measure of vagal tone. Changes in heart rate variability and more specifically respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) are however also commonly observed when breathing is altered without changes in heart. This study examined how decreasing vagal tone through a low level (6%MVC) handgrip (HG) contraction and changing breathing frequency, alone or in combination, affected heart rate variability and respiratory sinus arrhythmia. ECG and respiratory recordings were obtained in 16 university students. Results show that decreasing breathing rate did not affect mean heart rate but resulted in a significant increase (p < 0.05) from …  Read more

In this thesis, the author studies the ethical and legal aspects of research conducted on stored tissue samples of deceased persons in North America. The first part of this thesis presents an overview of what constitutes human tissues and how are they used in research. The author describes the process in which human tissues are acquired and stored by health facilities, their utility for scientific research, and currently used techniques. The second part is dedicated to the analysis of the current normative framework associated with research involving human tissue samples in North America. The author underlines the presence of two …  Read more

Diverse eukaryotic proteins require the post-translational addition of S-acyl chains to cysteine residues for proper function, a process known as S-palmitoylation, or S-acylation. To study the effects of this lipid moiety, various complex methods have been developed for the preparation of synthetic lipopeptides. In order to facilitate this task, a novel technique employing readily-prepared long-chain acyl thioesters has been devised. Using S-phenylmercapto-palmitoyl thioester as well as other acyl thioesters, the fluorescent-labeled peptide, myristoyl-GCG-caBim, was S-acylated to high stoichiometry at halftimes as short as 20 min. (initial rate of S-acylation of 179.8 +/- 24.7%/hr) in homogeneous solution, without the presence of …  Read more

Clinoptilolite is a zeolite and an aluminosilicate that can be fed to swine in order to reduce nutrients being excreted because of their molecular sieving properties, high cation exchange capacities, and a high affinity for the ammonium ion (NH4+). Preliminary research has been carried out on utilizing zeolite's unique characteristics for dietary supplementation for livestock, however much of this research is limited and is still in its infancy. The results from this study show that the zeolite with a particle size distribution either >250 mum or mixed (50% particles greater and smaller than 250 mum) adsorbed the most NH4+. Macro …  Read more

In this master's thesis, we wish to demonstrate that it is possible to read the history of the human psyche through the fairy tales collected by the Grimm brothers. In order to make such a demonstration, we have consulted the works of Carl Gustav Jung, but also of scholars from various disciplines such as anthropology, mythology, folklore and sociology. In the first chapter we briefly expose the main concepts of the Jungian theory, particularly that of the archetypes. In the second chapter, we present a survey of secondary literature which sheds light on the similarities and contrasts between fairy tales …  Read more

The five last vocal works of Claude Vivier: Lonely Child, Bouchara, Prologue pour un Marco Polo, Wo bist Du Licht! and Trois airs pour un opera imaginaire have in common different stylistic characteristics. The detailed analysis of these characteristics reveals the influence of tonal music in the melodic, harmonic and formal construction of these works. The tonal character of the music is masked by total chromaticism and the presence of harmonic spectra built through frequency addition, a technique borrowed from spectral music. These five works are also related by the use of an imaginary language, characteristic of Vivier's late music, …  Read more

The effects of a gymnastic unit on stereotypic, on-task, and off task behaviors of two children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), and two children with Down syndrome were examined using structured teaching, based on adaptations by the TEACCH model. Structured teaching consisted of individual pictorial activity schedules and work systems. The stereotypic, on-task, and off task behaviors were observed during three phases: baseline, treatment, and post-treatment. Inter-rater reliability of stereotypic, on-task, and off task behaviors was 82.2%. The results indicated reductions on the levels of stereotypic behaviors of both participants with ASD, while no significant changes were observed in the …  Read more

Verification of timing performance in integrated circuits (ICs) is becoming more difficult as clock frequencies and levels of integration increase. As a result, on-chip timing measurement has become a very attractive solution because it helps to overcome the bandwidth and test access limitations inherent in traditional off-chip test systems. Flash time-to-digital converters (TDCs) are well-suited for use in on-chip timing measurement systems because they can be operated at high speeds, offer low test time, and are relatively easy to integrate. However, clock jitter in modern ICs is often on the same order of magnitude as the temporal resolution of the …  Read more

The objectives of this study are to estimate the degree to which a glutamate-gated chloride channel gene (HcGluCla) contributes to survival of moxidectin treatment and to study the relative dominance of those alleles. The phenotype of individual adult H. contortus with respect to feeding was determined using an inulin uptake assay. Genotype was determined using a diagnostic PCR assay. In the absence of moxidectin, homozygous susceptible genotypes fed significantly more than homozygous resistant genotypes. The effect of the susceptible allele was dominant. In the presence of moxidectin, feeding in the susceptible homozygotes was reduced to the level found in the …  Read more

The ultra-Orthodox (haredi) Jewish community includes the Hasidim and misnagdim who believe that they are the true followers of God's commandments, as He intended them to be followed when presented at Sinai, and as interpreted and codified by the Mishnah, Talmud, and other Rabbinic works. Little research has examined deviance within this group. This thesis delves into types of deviant behaviors taking place among haredi adolescents, as well as their causes, so that effective interventions, sensitive to the virtually unique needs of this group, can be implemented. Theoretical definitions of deviance are examined as they relate to this community and …  Read more

Lack of a scientific design approach for repair and rehabilitation of corroding reinforced concrete infrastructure has resulted in significant financial and social costs. This experimental program was primarily undertaken to examine the corrosion process in reinforced concrete repair, which has different characteristics as compared with corrosion in new construction. The program was designed to gain a deeper understanding of how certain restoration strategies may lead to problems of electrochemical incompatibility and result in ineffective corrosion mitigation. Fifteen specimens, 1m by 1m by 0.2m, were cast to represent a section of a deteriorating reinforced concrete bridge deck slab. The central portion …  Read more

Communicative language teaching (CLT) has been extensively discussed and researched, especially in an English as a second language (ESL) context. Some literature has also explored the adaptation of CLT in English as a foreign language (EFL) environments, such as in Asian countries like China. No research, however, has been conducted with consideration given to a specific group of teachers who teach non-English major students at the tertiary level in China. The present study was designed to investigate Chinese university teachers' perception of the implementation of CLT in non-English major programs in China. This study first differentiates ESL and EFL environments, …  Read more

This thesis studies the impacts of credit risk, or the risk of default, on the pricing of fixed income securities. It consists of three essays. The first essay extends the classical corporate debt pricing model in Merton (1974) to incorporate stochastic volatility (SV) in the underlying firm asset value and derive a closed-form solution for the price of corporate bond. Simulation results show that the SV specification for firm asset value greatly increases the resulting credit spread levels. Therefore, the SV model addresses one major deficiency of the Merton-type models: namely, at short maturities the Merton model is unable to …  Read more

Wood poles are the most common support structures for distribution lines in North America. Wood poles typically have a service life of 40-50 years but may be replaced prematurely when they fail or are damaged by climatic loads or when they have degraded prematurely. The distribution network of Hydro-Quebec comprises more than 2 million wood poles and the selection of an optimal class of poles for new or refurbished lines can potentially represent significant savings. In this project, wood poles from class 1 to 5 and steel poles are considered for new or refurbished lines using life-cycle-cost analysis. The evaluation …  Read more

CsrA of E. coli is a global regulatory RNA binding protein with a putative KH domain. My thesis work has been focused on characterization of the CsrA protein and its interactions with RNA by NMR spectroscopy. Gel filtration and PFG-NMR diffusion experiments indicate that CsrA primarily exists in oligomerized form, while acidic pH favors the formation of a dimer. The NMR structural characterization was carried out with the dimer form of CsrA. The CsrA subunit consists of five anti-parallel beta-sheets and one alpha-helix with a flexible C-terminus. The dimer is formed by sharing beta-sheets. Interactions of CsrA with RNA have …  Read more

Recent studies of the environmental Kuznets curve raise questions regarding the relationship between environmental indicators and GDP and the fundamental reasons that explain this relationship. In response, this thesis presents one-sector and two-sector models to analyze the alternative causal relationships between an environmental indicator and GDP at different stages of economic development. These models analyze how economic scale, technology, preferences, and economic structure influence the causality and shape of the relationship. These theoretical studies are followed by two empirical studies. The first tests the causal relationship between CO2 emissions and GDP in Canadian manufacturing industries. The second explores several factors …  Read more

Microwave drying is an energy-efficient drying method. The output power of most commercial microwave ovens is controlled in an intermittent fashion, where the amount of microwave energy is determined by the ratio of "ON cycles" to "OFF cycles." To provide a more efficient and continuous power control for the magnetron, a microcontroller-based, feedback power control system was developed. The system was based on a phase-control principle to achieve smooth power variations depending on a feedback temperature signal of processed products. Two temperature sensors, a thermocouple and an infrared sensor, were used to measure the temperature. A fiber-optic thermometer was used …  Read more

Biological effects and prostate motion were studied for prostate cancer patients treated with external beam radiotherapy. The prostate motion was determined using an ultrasound-based patient positioning system (BAT: B-mode Acquisition and Targeting) just after conventional patient setup. The changes in planned biological effects due to prostate motion were calculated for the prostate target organ and for the rectum and bladder normal tissues using TCP (tumor control probability) and NTCP (normal tissue complication probability) calculations, respectively. The prostate TCP calculations were carried out for both prostate PTV and GTV structures, whereas the rectum and bladder wall structures were used for the …  Read more

Fabry, Frédéric (Supervisor)  Read more

This thesis describes the preparation, physico-chemical characterization and pharmacological studies of block copolymer micelles and vesicles for drug delivery applications. The incorporation and partition coefficients of model hydrophobic compounds (benzo[a]pyrene and Cell Tracker-DiI) are investigated in polycaprolactone-block-poly(ethylene oxide) copolymer micelles (PCL-b-PEO). The release of the probes is also studied from PCL-b-PEO micelles under perfect sink conditions. To investigate the usefulness of PCL-b-PEO micelles as a delivery vehicle for hydrophobic drugs, 17beta-estradiol (E2) is incorporated and released from the micelles. The biological activity of E2 is retained after micelle preparation and delivery to C57BL female mice. To investigate the cellular internalization …  Read more

The (Poly(A) Binding Protein C-terminal) PABC domain is found in the human ubiquitin E3 protein ligase, HYD, an orthologue of the Drosophila hyperplastic disc (HYD) tumor suppressor protein. The PABC domain is also found in the poly(A)-binding proteins (PABP), which are ubiquitous RNA binding proteins found in all eukaryotes. PABPs are implicated in stabilizing mRNA, recruiting translation factors, and regulating protein synthesis. Although HYD was shown previously to bind Paip1 (PABP interacting protein 1) in vitro, the function of the PABC domain in ubiquitin ligases remains unknown. Several PABP binding partners are predicted to bind to the PABC domain of …  Read more

A single-storey precast concrete structure constructed in 1963 with masonry-infilled walls was selected for a seismic evaluation. The structure is located in the Montreal region, and is considered a post-disaster emergency building since it houses spare parts for municipal facilities. The warehouse was first evaluated through a visual inspection and identified as being seismically vulnerable. A series of three-dimensional models of the structure were analyzed to evaluate the seismic performance of the structure with respect to the seismic design requirements of the 1995 and 1965 edition of National Building Code of Canada (NBCC). The structural models were analyzed using a …  Read more

In Aplysia, persistent increases in synaptic strength are mediated by persistent activation of protein kinase C. In particular, the novel PKC Apl II is persistently active between 90 minutes and 2 hours after training. Although unknown, the most likely mechanism of persistent activation is phosphorylation. We characterized phosphorylation of PKC Apl II at a conserved hydrophobic site, serine 729, with a phosphospecific antibody. Phosphorylation of S729 increased and persisted 2 hours after serotonin treatment, but did not change after phorbol ester activation. Furthermore, a serine 729 to alanine mutation reduced the activity and stability of ApI II. We studied upstream …  Read more

Luciferase catalyzes the emission of blue-green light and is the central feature of bacterial bioluminescence. The three-dimensional structure of the bacterial luciferase apo-enzyme determined by X-ray crystallography has revealed the detailed landscape of the enzyme active site, however, the absence of a structure with bound substrate has impeded the understanding of the enzyme mechanism by which luciferase interacts with substrates and catalyzes their conversion into light emission. This thesis describes three research projects that focus on the molecular conformation of flavin in the active site of bacterial luciferase. Based on available structure-activity data as guidance, the first project deduces the …  Read more

A continuous flow microwave heating system was set up by using one domestic microwave oven (1000W nominal output at 2450MHz). Water was run through the coil centrally located inside the oven cavity for microwave heating. Microwave absorption efficiency was evaluated by measuring inlet and outlet temperatures of coil as a function of system variables. In order to optimize the coil configuration, the influence of tube diameter (6.4, 7.9 and 9.7mm); initial temperature (10, 20 and 30 ºC); number of turns (3.5, 4.5 and 5.5); coil diameter (61.5, 88, 102, 121 and 153 mm) and pitch (16, 18, 20, 22 and …  Read more

The hormonal form of vitamin D3, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 (1,25(OH)2D3) is well known for its role in regulating calcium homeostasis. However, many studies have shown 1,25(OH) 2D3 and its analogue EB1089 have broad potential as anticancer agents due to their antiproliferative and pro-differentiating activities. Here, we examined the effects of 1,25(OH)2D3 and EB1089 on proliferation and target gene regulation of human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) lines SCC4, SCC9, SCC15 and SCC25 and mouse AT84 SCC cells. A range of sensitivities to 1,25(OH)2D3 and EB1089 was observed, from complete G0/G1 arrest of SCC25 cells to only 50% inhibition …  Read more

We report that the chitinase-like protein, human cartilage glycoprotein 39 (HC-gp39) is a growth and survival factor. It promotes connective tissue cell survival and growth, and counteracts catabolic processes. Dose-dependent growth stimulation was observed when human synoviocytes and fibroblasts were exposed to HC-gp39. Both the ERK1/2 MAP kinase and the PI3 kinase pathways were activated by HC-gp39. Thus HC-gp39 elicits a signaling cascade leading to increased connective tissue cell proliferation, suggesting that HC-gp39 may play a major role in the pathological conditions leading to tissue fibrosis. In addition to acting as a mitogen, HC-gp39 also reduces stress-induced apoptosis in human …  Read more

The human genome is composed of very few genes (the DNA which encodes proteins), and the remaining 98% of all our DNA is made up of repetitive sequences or "junk" DNA with little or no known function. Our complexity, and the cause of many genetic diseases such as cancer, is brought about by the differential expression of that genetic material, in part due to shuffling and movement of chromosomes within the cell nucleus. A major threat to the integrity of the genome is the occurrence of a DNA double-strand break (DSB). These DSBs occur frequently in every cell, and if …  Read more

This study investigated the attitudes toward disability on the part of children with special needs, average-achieving children, and high-achieving children as well as the latter two groups' experiences in inclusive elementary school classes. According to the Attitudes Toward Disabled Persons Questionnaire (ATDP), attitudes toward disability did not differ according to achievement level (p = .099). However, females were significantly more accepting than males (p = .008). In classes where the most severe disability was a mental handicap, children held significantly more positive attitudes toward disability than those who had classmates with learning, behavioral, or severe developmental disorders (p = .026). …  Read more

The re-circulating region of the turbulent flow produced by a sudden lateral expansion in the width of an open-channel flow was study experimentally for the effect of bed friction on the flow. Dye was introduced into the recirculating region at a steady rate and the depth-averaged concentration of the dye was determined by the video imaging method. Instantaneous dye concentration images were recorded by a digital video camera. The advantage of video imaging method is its simplicity and its ability to acquire data over a large area of the turbulent flow at the condition when the lighting condition is highly …  Read more

The economic research on competitiveness has become popular in recent years. Free-trade agreements and open-market policies provide new challenges for food processors competing in domestic and international markets. The Canadian poultry processing industry is one sector in which the competitive status needs to be investigated. The purpose of this thesis is to compare the poultry processing sectors of Canada and the United States. The study measures the competitiveness, both at the industrial level and at a firm’s level, and identifies the internal and external drivers of competitiveness. Comparisons were conducted in terms of price, value added ratios, and productivity growth. …  Read more

A ductile shear wall must be capable of undergoing significant plastic deformations, while absorbing significant energy without brittle failures when subjected to a major earthquake. In general, the sectional ductility is improved with increasing amounts of compressive reinforcement, increasing the concrete compressive strength and the ultimate concrete strain. This research program evaluated the reversed cyclic loading responses of two reinforced concrete ductile flexural shear walls that were designed in accordance with the Canadian Standards Association Standard A23.3-04. The two shear walls were designed with an identical amount and detailing of longitudinal and confining reinforcement but with different concrete strengths (35 …  Read more

Michalska, Hannah (Supervisor)  Read more