McGill University Thèses et mémoires publiés en 2004

This thesis undertakes an in-depth examination of the power of human rights advocacy in combating women's vulnerability to HIV/AIDS. Focusing on sub-Saharan Africa, the thesis explores the gender discrimination that lies at the core of women's susceptibility to the virus. Culturally-imposed social roles are depicted as the fundamental cause of the violation of women's human rights, including their right to health. The objective of the thesis is to analyze the potential of using a human rights approach to address this issue. It adopts the assumption that "the mobilization of shame" triggered by civil society's actors can alter states' human rights …  Read more

Assessing software quality is fundamental in the software developing field. Most software quality characteristics cannot be measured before a certain period of use of the software product. However, they can be predicted or estimated based on other measurable quality attributes. Software quality estimation models are built and used extensively for this purpose. Most such models are constructed using statistical or machine learning techniques. However, in this domain it is very hard to obtain data sets on which to train such models; often such data sets are proprietary, and the publicly available data sets are too small, or not representative. Hence, …  Read more

Among the apparently simplest methods to determine bubble size in flotation systems are photographic techniques, ranging from photography through transparent walls to imaging of extracted bubbles. All capture images, which to varying degrees include overlapping, touching or out of focus bubbles. As manual counting limits the total number of bubbles, image analysis software is used to automate the process. Accuracy is thus dependent on image treatment, including counting method and filters. The McGill bubble size analysis method yields single plane, backlit images and utilises software that filters by shape factor. Proven effective for bubble size distributions ranging from approximately 0.5 …  Read more

Black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.)-feathermoss forests are a common subtype of the northern boreal forests. These forests are associated with large accumulations of mor humus, which is regarded as an important source of nutrients, contributor to soil structure, moisture retention and vital to the long-term sustainability of these forests. Harvesting with protection of advance regeneration (CPRS) is currently used in northwestern Quebec as the method for sustainable management, which reduces soil compaction and protects advance regeneration, and genetic diversity. We examined the effects of CPRS on organic matter and advance regeneration 6 years after harvesting. During the summer of …  Read more

Diabetes has been shown to affect the thickness of the basement membrane in various human tissues and organs. The purpose of this thesis is to determine whether diabetes can cause thickening of the anterior capsule basement membrane (ACBM), and correlate the findings with the duration and the severity of diabetes. For the purpose of this study, anterior lens capsule specimens of diabetic patients (DP), and non-diabetic patients (NDP) are collected from phaco-emulsification cataract surgeries. All cases are formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded and stained with H&E and periodic acid-Schiff. The ACBM thickness is measured and reviewed under a light microscope. The results of …  Read more

Time Fields: Chamber Concerto #3 for fifteen players (2004) is a composition for five woodwinds, three brass, one percussionist, piano, string quartet and double bass with an approximate duration of 14 minutes. This work addresses the nature of musical time and its role in the organisation of the large-scale structure of the piece. Four differing states of musical time, which I refer to as Temporal Textures (Static, Obscure, Temporal Counterpoint and Clear), are employed in particular alternations to form a single movement work in four distinct sections.  Read more

Cytochrome c oxidase (COX), the terminal enzyme of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, is composed of thirteen structural subunits, and requires the addition of several prosthetic groups including, copper and heme moieties, and magnesium and zinc ions. Deficiencies in the assembly of COX lead to several clinical phenotypes including Leigh syndrome and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. In this study, RNA interference was used in a human cell line to stably knockdown the expression of COX11, a COX assembly factor thought to be involved in Cu B site metallation. These cells showed a reduction in both COX assembly and activity, which were suppressed by …  Read more

The rapid evolution of e-commerce brings more and more interest in personalized services for each individual user. As a key component of personalization, user profiles become the center of attention, and have been widely studied with seriousness. This thesis is a survey on main aspects of the user profiles, focusing on techniques for developing and using user profiles, including introduction and discussion on privacy and security considerations, and international standards. In addition, the thesis considers the future direction of user profiles.  Read more

According to self-categorization theory (SCT), environmental context is the key factor in determining whether or not a social identity will be activated. Blanz (1999) has extended SCT by suggesting that there are certain social categories (i.e., race and gender) that people will chronically use to categorize individuals. However, neither of these two perspectives addresses the notion that individuals could differ in the chronic accessibility of a given social identity. The present research explored this hypothesis. By adapting Higgins and colleagues' (1982) methodology for studying the chronic accessibility of personality traits, three studies were conducted to determine if there are differences …  Read more

With dramatic increases in obesity in North America and declining levels of physical activity (PA), identification of the determinants of PA in children that are amenable to improvement, is a public health priority. The purpose of this thesis is fourfold: to identify factors that predict decline in PA among school children; to investigate if selected (school-level) opportunities for PA at school are associated with overall (student-level) PA behaviour; to describe school-based opportunities for PA; and finally, to identify environmental correlates of 'high opportunity' schools. Not participating in school-based team sports predicted decline to an inactive status after one year in …  Read more

Linking brain regions or neural circuits to specific affective symptoms could help elucidate the neural mechanisms of affective states as well as antidepressant treatment effects. Much research has implicated the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), mid-dorsolateral frontal cortex (MDLFC), and a "frontocingulate" (i.e., MDLFC-ACC) circuit in sad affect and depression as well as the mood response to antidepressant treatment, including 10-Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) applied over the MDLFC. While the empirical support for a direct role of the MDLFC in affect is unclear, a wealth of research supports the ACC as an interface between action and emotion (Paus, 2001). …  Read more

The following thesis deals with the distribution of air traffic rights. Particular reference is made to the situation in the European Union and the changes that might occur in the aftermath of the "open-skies" decision of the European Court of Justice in November 2002. One major part of the thesis generally analyses different means of distributing limited public right, in order to determine an appropriate method for the allocation of air traffic rights. After a comparison with the telecommunication sector, it is concluded that the most appropriate approach is to conduct a Beauty Contest in the form of a Documentary …  Read more

The early stages of a relationship present an interdependence dilemma: People want to demonstrate interest, but are reluctant because trust is not yet established (Holmes, 1991). Five studies investigated the influence of attachment on how people navigate the interdependence dilemma focusing on the use of communal and exchange norms (Clark & Mills, 1979). In Study 1, compared to secure and avoidantly attached individuals, anxiously attached individuals avoided using exchange norms with a potential friend, presumably to signal interest in closeness. In Study 2, when a potential friend used communal norms (compared to exchange norms), anxious individuals felt more anxious and …  Read more

Northern peatlands are an important long-term sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and a contemporary source of methane (CH4). Under contemporary climate and environmental change, including enhanced nutrient deposition through industrialization and commercial peat harvesting, the microbial environment in peat is altered. Microorganisms are responsible for the net production of greenhouse gases in these sites, although controls on microbial activity and microbial communities are poorly understood, limiting our ability to predict greenhouse gas emissions. The objective of this thesis was to determine the microbial role in peat decomposition and greenhouse gas fluxes in northern peatlands. Nutrient, carbon (C) substrate, and …  Read more

On Sentimentality" describes sentimentality as a space-biased mode of perception. Set in a theory of modes, it is argued that, much less than being a manifestation of emotion, sentimentality is a rational conceptualization of experience and meaning. The expression and experience of meaning is considered by tracing the relationship of time and space dimensions from the mythic and rhetorical modes which emphasize the time dimension, to the balance achieved in the formal mode, to the dominance of the space dimension in the descriptive and sentimental modes. It is suggested that where the descriptive mode analyzes the entities and conditions of …  Read more

The gait pattern during treadmill walking is comparable with overground walking in healthy subjects, but the effects due to the mode of walking in stroke subjects have not been established. Purpose. (1) To compare the maximum gait speed of stroke subjects walking on treadmill vs. the ground. (2) To estimate the temporal-distance determinants of the maximal gait speed. (3) To compare temporal distance factors and body kinematics of stroke subjects walking at comfortable vs. maximum speeds during the two modes of locomotion. Subjects. Ten subjects (aged 63 +/- 19 years) with a hemiparesis due to a stroke (<3 months) were …  Read more

We first give a modern presentation of the formal language of Frege's Grundgesetze. There follows a comparison of the motivations for Frege's "Cumulative Type Theory" and for Russell's Type Theory and of the basic arithmetical definitions in each. Quine's New Foundations and, in particular, extensions of Jensen's modification, NFU, are introduced and consistency results are discussed. Finally, an interpretation is given in an NFU framework of a modified form of the Grundgesetze theory. It is shown that an "Axiom of Counting" necessary for arithmetic in NFU is needed in an analogous way for arithmetic in our interpretation; it is further …  Read more

Objective. To examine the association between non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use and end stage renal disease (ESRD) among hypertensive subjects. Study design. We conducted a nested case-control study within a cohort of 77,887 hypertensive adult subjects within the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Outcome. The primary outcome was ESRD, defined by chronic dialysis or renal transplantation. Exposure. NSAID exposure was determined using prescription records, for various time windows up to 10 years preceding the onset of end stage renal disease. Statistical analysis. Rate ratios (RR) were estimated with 95% confidence intervals using conditional logistic regression, adjusting for potential confounding variables and …  Read more

Les litératures en diététique et en éducation nous rapellent, qu’en tant que diététiste, nous nous devons de développer les habiletés pour continuer à apprendre et pour améliorer notre pratique. Bien que la réflexion soit une étape intégrale des stratégies de développement professionnel en diététique, nous en savons peu sur ce processus dans notre domaine. Le but de cette étude est de faciliter l’apprentissage continu des diététistes et le développement de leur compétence. Dans ce but, des expériences de diététistes sont recueillies et le processus de réflexion contenu dans ces données est examiné. Les questions guidant cette exploration portent sur 1) …  Read more

The following thesis reports on an investigation of the attitudes of allophone children and their teachers towards different French accents. Using the matched guise technique, a total of 108 children in grades 4, 5 and 6 (5 groups) evaluated samples of French spoken with a standard accent, a standard Quebec accent, an informal Quebec accent and a foreign accent. The pupils evaluated the accents based on eight criteria related to linguistic, professional and personal characteristics. Secondly, sub-groups from each class participated in a post-experimental discussion about the accents they had heard. The children's teachers were also interviewed privately, in order …  Read more

This thesis examines the relationship between moral experience and moral knowledge in contemporary analytic meta-ethics. It begins with a critical examination of the work of Michael Smith, notably his book The Moral Problem, which leaves out of consideration the notion of moral experience. I treat Smith as representative of those working within what I call "the traditional meta-ethical framework," which is characterized by the assumption that moral knowledge, if it exists, is available, in principle, from any perspective. Within that framework, Smith's philosophy stands out as a model of clarity and forceful argument. I consider and develop some objections to …  Read more

This thesis presents an approach to create topic dependent language models. It is shown that a gain of 5% was reached using speech recognition for news broadcast. First, this document presents the theory, on which language models are based and the problem of sparse data which is one of the biggest problems associated with the creation of adequate language models. Next, general guidelines are presented in regard of the choices and techniques implied in the creation and the adaptation of language models. Finally, experimental results are presented and commented on to sustain the concept of topic dependent language models.  Read more

Between 1840 and the end of the 1850s, the French-Canadian elite dominating the political landscape was calling for "reformism". Besides belonging to the same generation, the members of this elite shared several features: they had accepted the Union, campaigned for responsible government and opposed annexation to the United States. This thesis aims to put forward some of the main ideas of this elite, and thereby of the reformist period. In the historiography of Canada and Quebec, the reformists are generally portrayed as founders, be it of a nation, a political regime or a bourgeois social order. To avoid teleological pitfalls, …  Read more

Ce resume analyse le phenomene du racisme dans les oeuvres de l'auteur peruvien Julio Ramon Ribeyro comme etant le reflet de la societe peruvienne contemporaine. L'auteur se sert d'arguments percutants pour confronter l'ordre etabli; un ordre qui refuse toujours d'acquiescer l'existence de ce phenomene. Pour nous, ce fait social transgresse la constitution de cette nation equitable envers tous ses membres, et par le fait meme, merite qu'on l'examine de plus pret et qu'on lui porte une attention toute particuliere. Le premier chapitre decrit le contexte historique de ces recits. De plus, il va inclure une presentation des faits politiques majeurs …  Read more

Hes1 is a mammalian basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcriptional repressor that inhibits neuronal differentiation and acts together with the corepressor Gro/TLE. Hes1 interacts with Gro/TLE through its WRPW motif and recruits Gro/TLE to specific DNA sites. In contrast, a related Hes family member, Hes6, promotes neuronal differentiation. Little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying the neurogenic effect of Hes6. To address this question, a structure/function analysis was performed to identify domains of Hes6 important for its biological activity during the differentiation of cortical neurons. It is shown here that the nuclear translocation of Hes6 is required to promote cortical neurogenesis. …  Read more

This thesis analyzes the relationship between collaboration and learning to cope with grief in Denise Desautels' poetic works. It shows that this writing strategy influences the representation of mourning and contributes to the learning process, which is characterized by a constant oscillation between opposing poles, such as life and death, the past and present, the self and other, the private and public realms, as well as art and writing. The thesis further demonstrates that Desautels' development of an interdisciplinary approach gives rise to a community of the bereaving and enables the poetic subject to distance herself from melancholy in order …  Read more

Part I. In this work we show that P2X3 currents are acutely modulated by the GPCRs mGluR5 and P2Y2, and by the neurotrophin TrkA receptor, expressed in nociceptors, in the recombinant Xenopus oocyte system. The intracellular C-terminal domain of P2X 3 plays an important role in its functional coupling to TrkA. Preliminary studies suggest a role for PKC in the P2X3-TrkA cross-talk, but other routes may also contribute. Part II. Neurogenic and pharmacological stimulation of vascular smooth muscle P2X1 elicits a contractile response that we found was potentiated by serotonin acting through 5HT2A. We also found in Xenopus oocytes that …  Read more

In this thesis, we introduce SableJIT, a retargetable just-in-time compiler for the SableVM Java virtual machine. Our design attempts to minimize the amount of work required to port (or to retarget) our compiler to a new platform. We accomplish this in three ways. First, we introduce a retargetable backend where the amount of work required to port it is reduced to the implementation of simple well-defined primitive functions. Second, we keep all code related to the internals of the virtual machine in the frontend, making knowledge of the target architecture sufficient for a port. Finally, we provide a good development …  Read more

Stereotactic radiosurgery with several static conformal beams shaped by a micro multileaf collimator (muMLC) is used for treating small irregularly shaped brain lesions. Specific requirements for this technique are a precise localization and positioning of the target (1mm) and a precise (1mm) and numerically accurate (+/-5%) dose delivery. In this work, a pencil beam algorithm based treatment planning software BrainScan 5.2 (Brainlab, Germany) is validated against measurements (diode, radiographic films) and Monte Carlo simulations (BEAMnrc and XVMC codes). The latter is required because of difficulties in obtaining precise and accurate dose measurements for small fields. A dedicated muMLC component module …  Read more

One strategy to overcome intrinsic or acquired resistance of cancer cells to ionizing radiation (IR) and genotoxic chemotherapeutic agents is to modulate DNA repair. IR and some of these agents induce DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) that are primarily repaired in mammalian cell via the nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) pathway. NHEJ is a crucial process that has been conserved highly throughout eukaryotic evolution. A DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) multi-protein complex plays an important role in NHEJ, and its increased level or activity is associated with acquired drug resistance of several human tumors. The core protein of the DNA-PK multi-protein complex …  Read more

Ao, Asangla (Supervisor)  Read more

Interictal spikes are spontaneous neuronal discharges that occur between epileptic seizures, and that constitute a specific marker of epilepsy. The topic of our doctoral research is to localize in a noninvasive manner the regions of the brain responsible for generating the spikes. Such information is of great interest in the presurgical evaluation for pharmacoresistant epilepsy. In this context, we have studied the possibility of using a combination of two techniques, namely electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Specifically, we have investigated three tracks for the combination of EEG and MRI. First, anatomical information from MRI can be used for …  Read more

Traditionally, epidemiologists have used methods that categorize or assume a linear or log-linear form to model dose-response associations between continuous independent variables and binary or continuous outcomes. Recent advances in both statistical methodology and computing resources have made it possible to model relationships of greater complexity. Generalized additive models (GAMs) are a flexible nonparametric modelling tool that allows the user to model a variety of non-linear dose-response curves without imposing a priori assumptions about the functional form of the relationship. In GAMs, the extent of smoothing is controlled by the user-defined degrees of freedom (df). GAMs are generally used to: …  Read more

Background. Therapeutic angiogenesis in cardiovascular disease aims at improving myocardial function by increasing blood flow to ischemic myocardium that is not amenable to traditional forms of revascularization. This study hypothesizes that using the Omental graft to wrap the ischemic heart will lead to formation of multiple collateral anastomoses between surrounding systemic arteries and the coronary arteriolar system of right and left coronary arteries. Results. Left ventricular end diastolic pressure was reduced in the group treated with revascularized Omental graft compared to vehicle group. Ejection fraction was also improved in revascularized group then infarcted group. Measurements of the myocardial infarction area …  Read more

Microarray expression analysis was applied as an approach for identifying cancer-related genes on chromosome-X (CHR-X) in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). The Hu6800 and U133A GeneChipsRTM were used to evaluate the expression of 446 CHR-X genes in an in vitro EOC model system comprising 4 EOC cell lines and 12 primary cultures of normal ovary surface epithelia. Fifty-one new candidate CHR-X genes were identified in addition to 49 genes previously implicated in cancer. Many genes map to regions with frequent genetic aberrations in EOC tumours, or interact with the known EOC tumour suppressors BRCA1 and BRCA2. Candidate genes described in this …  Read more

Recent measurements of dissolved oxygen (DO) along the Laurentian Trough revealed the presence of hypoxic waters in the bottom 50 meters of the water column of the Lower St. Lawrence Estuary (LSLE). In addition to the change in the oceanic regime on the continental shelf at the mouth of the Gulf of St. Lawrence proposed by others, a large sediment oxygen demand along the LSLE though to contribute to this DO depletion. To verify the latter hypothesis, I developed a laterally integrated, two-dimensional model of the DO distribution for the bottom waters of the Laurentian Trough. The fluid transport is …  Read more

The present study was designed to examine students' comprehension and problem representation when reading and solving algebra word problems in their first language (L1: Spanish) and their second language (L2: English). The main interest was to investigate the role of the L2 in performing the task. It was hypothesized that difficulty in understanding and solving word problems is a function of carrying out the task in the L2 and discourse factors inherent to the specific type of text. The sample consisted of 31 grade 9 students who attended a private bilingual school in a Colombian city. Students were asked to …  Read more

Behavioural models used to test antidepressants have shown that ligands that bind to sigma receptors possess "antidepressant-like" properties. The focus of this thesis has been to assess the action of various sigma ligands using in vivo extracellular recording in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) and hippocampus. These two regions are heavily implicated in depression and in the mechanism of action of antidepressants. The hippocampus is also examined because it provides a model to distinguish sigma agonist and antagonist activity in the modulation of the NMDA response of CA 3 pyramidal neurons. In the DRN, sigma ligands produced a significant increase …  Read more

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is among the most common chronic seizure disorders, accounting for approximately one-fourth of all cases of epilepsy. Although hippocampal sclerosis is the most common pattern of damage in TLE, there is electrophysiological and neuropathological evidence in both humans and animal models of this condition for the involvement of the parahippocampal region. In clinical practice, the investigation and treatment of patients with epilepsy has been revolutionized by the advent of MRI, which has been demonstrated to be a reliable and accurate indicator of pathologic findings underlying epilepsy. Advances in image acquisition and processing techniques combined with detailed …  Read more

Concern exists that individuals with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have increased susceptibility to cancer compared with the general population. My thesis contains five chapters, each presenting a different perspective on the issue of cancer in SLE. Although past literature has suggested an increased risk of cancer in SLE, conclusions from earlier studies were not uniform. I review this earlier data in the first chapter of my thesis. The absence of adequate data regarding malignancy risk in SLE meant that a large, multicentre effort was needed. We have recently completed this multi-centre cohort study, comparing cancer risk in SLE relative to …  Read more

An essential and critical component of the orders German front-line formations received in the ideological war against the Soviet Union was the Commissar Order of 6 June 1941. This order, issued by the High Command of the Armed Forces prior to the German invasion of the Soviet Union, required that front-line military formations, as well as SS and police units attached to the Army, immediately execute Soviet political commissars among prisoners of war. Soviet political commissars were attached to the Red Army at virtually every operational level, and were viewed by both Hitler and the High Command as the foremost …  Read more

Evaluating the integration of multiple land uses in protected areas by assessing user satisfaction assists in identifying the balance between ecological protection and the socio-economic and cultural needs of local populations. Urho Kekkonen National Park in northern Lapland, Finland, provides an example of such integration through the management of reindeer herding, visitor recreation and conservation within park boundaries. Through use of questionnaires, discussions, observations and maps, the impacts and perceptions of reindeer herding, visitor recreation and park management upon each other were assessed, including their relation to conservation. Results revealed a complex co-existence of the users, based on the intensity …  Read more

Dhindsa, Rajinder S. (Supervisor)  Read more

Error correcting codes are of paramount importance for reliable communications. By adding redundancy to the transmitted data they allow the decoder to detect and correct errors. However in favorable channel conditions, a part of this redundancy can be removed in order to increase throughput. Unfortunately most coding schemes are poorly adapted to these higher coding rates. For example, the decoding of block codes grows exponentially with code length. In this thesis we propose a novel solution to this problem: selective trellis pruning. Selective trellis pruning reduces decoding complexity by removing certain codewords from the trellis. This reduction is accomplished by …  Read more

Archibald, Frederick S. (Supervisor)  Read more

Specularities and shadows often confound algorithms designed to solve computer vision tasks such as image segmentation, object detection and tracking. In this thesis, an illumination compensation technique that detects and removes both specularities and shadows is proposed. The method requires no camera calibration or other a priori information regarding the scene. This thesis also introduces two new illumination invariant representations based on the Retinex: the R ⌢ image and the R ⌢EDGE image. Potential specularities are initially detected and a wavefront grown outwards from the center of the specularity. This continues until the specularity boundary or a material boundary is …  Read more

La barrière hémato-encéphalique (BHE) est une structure spécialisée qui restreint le passage des cellules sanguines et des molécules vers le parenchyme cérébral. L'accumulation péri vasculaire de leucocytes au sein du système nerveux central (SNC) et le dysfonctionnement de la BHE sont deux phénomènes caractéristiques qui accompagnent la formation des lésions observées chez les patients atteints de sclérose en plaques (SEP). Dans le but d'examiner les mécanismes que régulent la migration des cellules immunitaires dans le SNC, j'ai utilisé un modèle in vitro recréant plusieurs des caractéristiques de la BHE. Il s'agit de chambres de Boyden dans lesquelles des cellules endothéliales …  Read more

Glomerular epithelial cells (GECs) are intrinsic components of the kidney glomerulus and are in contact with extracellular matrix (ECM). Under normal conditions, there is little turnover of GECs, but in glomerular injury, apoptosis and proliferation of GECs, and expansion of ECM may lead to sclerosis and impaired glomerular function and/or permselectivity. In order to better understand how adhesion to ECM modulates GEC survival and proliferation, we monitored the activation of the intracellular signaling pathways activated by adhesion to ECM (collagen), along with their coordinate modulation of the growth factor signaling pathways. Adhesion to collagen resulted in the activation of a …  Read more

David Ray Griffin claims that the commonly perceived conflict between religion and science, or between religious and scientific assertions is primarily that of worldview, or philosophical stance. Science is predominantly associated with the philosophy of materialistic naturalism, whereas religion is predominantly associated with supernaturalism. Griffin believes that the conflict between these worldviews can be overcome by a mutual modification based upon the tenets of process philosophy, thus allowing for one integrated worldview. In science this modification involves the adoption of a minimal as opposed to a maximal form of naturalism. In religion, this modification involves the adoption of naturalistic as …  Read more

This study examines Canadian works of fiction that contain historical trial narratives and that enact an adversarial trial of their own for an implied reader who acts as 'appellate judge.'' Included are four Canadian novels published after 1970 that fictionalize the circumstances leading to notorious criminal trials: Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace (1996), Lynn Crosbie's Paul's Case: The Kingston Letters (1997), and Rudy Wiebe's The Temptations of Big Bear (1973) and The Scorched-Wood People (1977). They represent commentaries on the justice or injustice done to convicted murderer Grace Marks (whose trial took place in 1843), to rebel Cree chief Big Bear …  Read more