McGill University Thèses et mémoires publiés en 2005

This study examines the influence of Qur'anic teachings on the development of falsafa on the one hand, and the position of tafsirs in the intellectual history of Islam on the other. To do so, in the introduction it attempts to situate the place of falsafa and its connections with kalam and tafsir, and to explain the approach that will be followed in this research. In the first part it treats some of the ontological vocabulary of the Qur'an, while in the second, it concentrates on the questions raised by the Qur'an about the ontological status of pre-existing things as well …  Read more

Species diversity is influenced by disturbance in the environment. Ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) were used as a model taxon to study the effects of disturbance (i.e., time since disturbance) in different habitats along a successional gradient (agricultural fields, old fields, young forests and old forests). Seventy-three species (5139 individuals) were collected during both years of sampling, of which 9 species are introduced species and compose 64.8% of the total catch. In contrast to the predictions of the Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis, diversity of ground beetles was higher in the agricultural fields and lowest in the old forests. The community composition, as …  Read more

Most models of the middle ear are based on oversimplified geometries and iterative material-property fitting to experimental data which may yield physiologically incorrect estimates. The aim of our work was to build an accurate human middle-ear finite-element model that is based on accurate geometry and a priori material-property estimates. A human temporal-bone specimen was obtained for which the middle-ear response had been measured by means of laser Doppler vibrometry. High-resolution micro-computed tomography data for the specimen were used for accurately defining structure geometry. This model comprises the tympanic membrane, the ossicles, two joints, and four ligaments. We assigned estimated material-property …  Read more

Tethered helium aerostats are receiving renewed attention in the scientific and surveillance communities. However, conventional aerostats cannot consistently survive high winds. The goal of this research was to design an aerostat that could be deployed for very long periods, thus reducing operating costs and interruptions in data acquisition. Existing designs and fabrication techniques were first reviewed and replicated in the construction of a 2.5 m diameter spherical aerostat. The constructed balloon was then flown outdoors to observe its operational qualities. A low-cost data acquisition system was assembled to characterize the balloon's dynamics. The results were used to inform a Finite …  Read more

The story of the "sons of God" in Genesis 6:1-4 has attracted the attention of Jewish texts from its inception, on account of its obscure character and positioning before the story of the Flood. Particularly, throughout the Second Temple period this story was expanded into a mythological tale of the fallen angels' exploits and their disastrous consequences. Each work interpreted and employed the mythology in a unique manner, which was often influenced by its specific literary concerns. Generally speaking, the angel story became a theodicy, explanation for the Flood, and an infamous example from the sacred history of Israel of …  Read more

Women and relations to women are a central focus of Genji monogatari. Questions regarding women and their relationship to power need to be explored in order to provide understanding to the Genji. While there have been many feminist accounts of the Genji, most assume notions of patriarchy. This thesis will begin to historicize power and how women are inside its formations. Chapter one will discuss marriage politics and the regency system to show how women function in relation to these formations. Chapter two will historicize sexuality in the Genji. Chapter three will discuss perspective in the e-maki of Genji monogatari. …  Read more

During development of the visual system of Drosophila melanogaster , growth cones at the tips of advancing photoreceptor axons respond to instructive cues in the environment and are guided toward appropriate synaptic partners within the optic lobe of the brain. Research has focused on the identification of these molecular cues, their receptors and the signaling processes that mediate their function. This thesis describes the Drosophila line GSd447, which possesses a P element that can support GAL4-mediated transcriptional activation of a gene near the site of insertion. GAL4-driven misexpression of GSd447 in the eye disc causes the R1-R6 photoreceptor axons to …  Read more

Prolactin (PRL) is a polypeptide hormone that regulates diverse biological processes such as those involved in mammary gland and reproductive organ development. These biological functions are mediated by interaction of PRL with its membrane-bound receptor, a member of the class I cytokine receptor superfamily. Ligand binding to the PRL receptor (PRLR) induces dimerization of the receptor and activation of Janus kinase-2 (Jak2). These events lead to PRLR tyrosine phosphorylation creating binding sites for cellular signaling molecules containing SH2 domains such as the signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (Stat5). Jak2/Stat5 pathway has emerged as the main signaling pathway mediating …  Read more

Leishmaniasis is a serious public health problem throughout the developing world; 350 million people are at risk of infection in 88 countries. It is caused by a protozoa parasite called leishmania. The current therapy for leishmaniasis is limited. Pentavalent antimonials (SbV) have been the recommended drugs for the treatment of leishmaniasis for over 50 years, but long courses, and toxicity limits their use. New approaches for new therapies, including combination therapies, are urgently needed. Imiquimod is a novel compound that activates macrophages to kill leishmania amastigotes in vitro and could reduce disease severity in a mouse model of cutaneous leishmaniasis …  Read more

Recently Al was replaced by Cu as an interconnecting material. The primary objective of the present research was to investigate the mechanism of texture and microstructure evolution and to study its influence on electromigration in damascene Cu interconnects. For this purpose electromigration experiments were performed on the Cu interconnects in vacuum in the SEM. The in-situ electron back-scatter diffraction (EBSD) investigation of Cu interconnect lines before and after the electromigration failure helped to identify the orientations which were associated with electromigration defect nucleation. A mechanism was proposed which shows the correlation between the texture and electromigration damage formation. The second …  Read more

The phenomenon of princely and scientific collections that proliferated in Europe during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries has become an important focus for modern historical analysis. These collections provide a microcosm of contemporary political, economic and philosophical ideas, often characterized by geographical and cultural differences. The mid-seventeenth century Kunst- and Wunderkammer studied here, instituted by the archbishops of Salzburg, brings forward themes sometimes neglected in the literature. The archbishops' collection was part of broader efforts to reinvent the city of Salzburg as a representation of both sacred and secular authority. Strategies for significant display were derived from religious and imperial …  Read more

Genetic control of susceptibility to tuberculosis in resistant C57BL/6 (B6) and susceptible DBA/2 (D2) mice is multigenic. Susceptibility in D2 is associated with a unique phenotype which includes unrestricted pulmonary replication, severe lung pathology, extensive tissue necrosis and early death. Quantitative trait linkage mapping in 2 genome wide scans was used to determine the number and location of genes controlling differential susceptibility to pulmonary tuberculosis in D2 and B6. In a first scan, 95 informative (B6XD2) F2 mice were infected i.v with 105 virulent M. tuberculosis H37Rv, and survival time was used as a phenotypic measure of susceptibility. These studies …  Read more

Fluid evolution at the Peruvian San Rafael deposit, which represents the world's largest hydrothermal tin lode was marked by two contrasting episodes. The early stage, characterized by intense sericitic and tourmaline alteration was barren and produced numerous tourmaline-quartz veins, which are sealed and reflect largely lithostatic conditions of formation. A subsequent reopening of the vein-breccia system initiated the ore stage, which was characterized by a distinctive chloritic alteration and an open fracture-filling vein style. The first part of the ore stage was dominated by tin deposition and resulted in the formation of abundant cassiterite-quartz-chlorite-bearing veins and breccias, at depth in …  Read more

Volatile metabolites from headspace gas of mango cultivars Tommy Atkins and Keitt, wounded and inoculated with two pathogens, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and Lasiodiplodia theobromae or non-inoculated controls were profiled using a GC/MS to develop a technology to discriminate diseases. Several disease discriminatory compounds were identified and classified into three groups: (i) compounds unique to only one treatment; (ii) compounds common to two or more treatments but not to all; and (iii) compounds common to all treatments but with varying in their abundance. 1-pentanol and boronic acid ethyl were detected in only Lasiodiplodia-inoculated mangoes while thujol was observed only in Colletotrichum-inoculated mangoes. …  Read more

Although evidence has suggested a dual role of the basal forebrain (BF) in arousal and sleep generation, the neurotransmitter identity and activity of BF neurons serving these different functions have remained uncertain. Furthermore, few studies have been done to clarify how the wake vs. sleep promoting neurons may be modulated to generate their differential activity and sleep-wake cycle. Using a paradigm of sleep deprivation and sleep recovery and examining c-Fos expression as an indicator of cell activity, we found that across the BF and the adjacent preoptic area, more cells including cholinergic neurons were active during waking than during sleep …  Read more

I used microsatellite markers to assess reproductive isolation between cryptic, sympatric lineages of a freshwater catfish (Pimelodella chagresi ). These are "cryptic" lineages because they cannot be distinguished visually on the basis of morphological characters, and currently they are recognized as a single species. Previous analyses utilizing mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) indicated that two highly divergent lineages are present in lower Central America, and that these lineages are the result of independent colonization events from South American source populations. I isolated eight dinucleotide repeats from P. chagresi and designed primers to amplify these microsatellite loci. I sampled fishes from four Panamanian …  Read more

The following thesis describes and analyzes the development of the U.S. slot allocation system from 1968 until today, in order to draw relevant conclusions for a new European Slot Regulation. The European Commission is currently drafting a new Slot Regulation purporting to introduce market mechanisms. A similar approach was espoused in the United States from 1986 onward, but was ultimately supplanted by overriding legislation in 2000. The analysis of the U.S. slot allocation system reveals the reasons underlying its abolition and queries whether this experience can be successfully transposed in Europe. The thesis commences by providing general information on the …  Read more

Modulation of the immune response to treat various infectious and allergic diseases as well as certain forms of cancer has been employed since William B. Coley injected a mixture of bacteria into patients with large inoperable tumors over 100 years ago. The imidazoquinoline compounds are nucleoside analogs with strong type I interferon inducing activity. Recently, these compounds have been found to mediate their effects through a subset of the Toll-like receptor (TLR) family. A topical cream containing imiquimod, a member of the imidazoquinoline family, is currently employed in humans for the treatment of genital warts caused by the human papilloma …  Read more

Crystallisation, one of the oldest unit operations, is of major economic importance in the hydrometallurgical industry for the separation and/or production of inorganic metal compounds in the form of good quality crystals, both in terms of purity and size. However, industrial crystallisation techniques usually have high energy requirements (e.g. evaporative crystallisation) and the residual solutions are often extremely corrosive, resulting in elevated operating and maintenance costs. Additionally, the majority of industrial crystallisation methods do not render to the appropriate supersaturation control, therefore the produced salts are agglomerates of fine crystallites with heavy solution entrainment and contamination. In this work, the …  Read more

The occupational environment has been a fruitful source of research on causes of cancer. Analyses in studies of occupational risk factors for cancer can experience problems if an attempt is made to model large numbers of exposures, some of which may be highly correlated. Typical analyses of such studies focus on one chemical at a time, but this may not adequately deal with mutual confounding. Based on a large study in Montreal, the objective of this thesis was twofold: to assess several occupational chemicals for their etiologic role in lung cancer, and to explore the use of semi-Bayes modeling to …  Read more

The protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica is the etiological agent of human amebiasis. Trophozoites colonize the colonic mucus layer and may invade the epithelium subsequent to overcoming the mucus barrier. MUC2 is the major gel-forming mucin secreted by goblet cells in the colon and serves to maintain epithelial barrier function as well as acting as a major host defense against invading pathogens. The polymerization of MUC2 monomers via the N- and C- terminal cysteine rich D-domains is essential for mucus gel formation and confers protection to the underlying mucosa. Amoebae secrete cysteine proteinases, glycosidases and an unidentified mucus secretagogue, which may …  Read more

Identification of a regulated site in MKK7 activation loop Abstract: Eukaryotic cells respond to external stimuli by activating mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. MAPK signaling pathways include the ERK, p38 and JNK cascades. All MAPK family members are activated by the dual phosphorylation of a tripeptide motif located in their activation loop. JNK is phosphorylated and activated by two upstream MAPKKs, termed MKK4 and MKK7. These kinases are themselves activated through phosphorylation of serine/threonine residues in their activation loop by upstream MAPKKKs. MKK7 is thought to be activated primarily by cytokines while MKK4 is primarily activated by environmental stress. For …  Read more

The main purpose of the present study was to investigate whether a shift from absolute to relative pitch perception occurs during early childhood. Other factors that can influence the development of absolute pitch, such as cognitive abilities and the child's environment were examined. Young children completed (n=88): (1) a variety of pitch tasks (absolute and relative pitch tests) prior to and after two months of focused instruction on absolute and relative pitch, (2) tests of cognitive abilities, and (3) a questionnaire gathering information about family musical environment. The results indicate that a shift from absolute to relative perception occurs between …  Read more

Vector Quantization (VQ) is a lossy data compression technique that is often applied in the field of speech communications. In VQ, a group of values or vector is replaced by the closest vector from a list of possible choices, the codebook. Compression is achieved by providing the index corresponding to the closest vector in the codebook, which in general can be represented with less data than the original vector. In the case of VQ applied to speech signals, the input signal is divided into frames of a given length. Depending on the particular technique being used, the system either extracts …  Read more

Telomerase is an unusual reverse transcriptase (RT) that catalyzes the de novo addition of telomeric DNA repeats to telomeres. Telomerase activity counteracts the progressive loss of telomeric DNA over successive rounds of DNA replication, and is important for the immortality of most eukaryotic cells. Telomerase is distinct from other RTs in that its catalytic subunit (TERT: telomerase reverse transcriptase) stably associates with a telomerase RNA (TR) component that contains a short template used to direct synthesis of telomeric repeats. Telomerase also exhibits a unique, repeat addition form of processivity that permits the addition of multiple telomeric repeats to a single …  Read more

The main objective of this observational, cross sectional study is to estimate the extent to which muscle strength is independently associated with functional walking capacity among stroke patients. Sixty three stroke patients, from 3 to 12 months post onset, were evaluated on functional walking capacity (6 Minute Walk Test), muscle strength (hand held dynamometry), balance (Berg Balance Scale), and tone (Modified Ashworth Scale and Composite Spasticity Index). The results showed that a global index of muscle strength, balance, tone and comorbids explain 70% of the variability of the 6MWT. Moreover, the muscle strength of the affected side in gravity related …  Read more

Research indicates a relationship between prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) and attention levels in children. Studies with non-human primates suggest that both exposure to PNMS and the timing of a stressor during pregnancy are associated with greater attention problems in offspring; however, this has not been sufficiently tested in humans because of methodological constraints. We explored the relationship between objective and subjective measures of PNMS for 85 women who were pregnant during the 1998 Quebec Ice Storm and attention levels in their 5.5 year-old children, while controlling for socioeconomic status, child's sex, and maternal state anxiety. As a group, children in …  Read more

Migratory and resident forms of salmonid fishes, including brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), coexist in many river systems, but little is known about the ecological basis of these important variations in life history. This thesis elucidates the bioenergetic basis of anadromy (migration from freshwater spawning sites to the sea) in populations of brook trout. By focusing on the early stages, I provide support for the idea that variation in energy allocation leads to the adoption of migratory or resident strategies. More specifically, I demonstrate that juvenile anadromous brook trout, in the year(s) prior to migration, exhibit higher food consumption rates but …  Read more

Occasionally, researchers need to modify enzymes through amino acid substitutions to make them more efficient catalysts for organic synthesis. There is still debate over the best protein engineering strategy for improving enzyme enantioselectivity: rational design or directed evolution. Rational design experiments focus mutations close to the active site, while directed evolution experiments often find mutations far from the active site. In this thesis, a combination of the two strategies improved Pseudomonas fluorescens esterase (PFE) for production of a useful synthetic building block for organic synthesis. Random mutagenesis within the active site increased enantioselectivity more effectively (up to 5-fold reaching E …  Read more

The objective of this thesis was to test for associations between genetic polymorphisms of genes related to immune response (growth hormone (GH), growth hormone receptor (GHR), ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), insuline-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH), corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH), and prolactin (PRL)) and mastitis resistance traits (incidence of clinical mastitis (ICM), occurrence of clinical mastitis (OCM), culling due to mastitis (CDM), and somatic cell scores (SCS)) in Canadian Holsteins. Using lactation records of cows enrolled in milking recording in Quebec (Programme d'Analyse des Troupeaux Laitiers du Quebec, PATLQ from 1980 to 1994 (411,291 first, 238,432 second, and 130,983 third …  Read more

The study of microbial evolution has been recently accelerated by the advent of comparative genomics, an approach enabling investigation of organisms at the whole-genome level. Tools of comparative genomics, including the DNA microarray, have been applied in bacterial genomes towards studying heterogeneity in DNA content, and to monitor global gene expression. When focused upon the study of microbial pathogens, genome analysis has provided unprecedented insight into their evolution, virulence, and host adaptation. Contributing towards this, I herein explore the evolutionary change affecting genomes of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC), a group of closely related bacterial organisms responsible for causing tuberculosis …  Read more

Prostate carcinoma (CaP) is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy in men in Western countries. Increased activity of the androgen receptor (AR) and/or AR gene (AR) amplification in the majority of both androgen-dependent and androgen-independent prostate cancers suggest that the AR plays an important role in CaP. The polymorphic AR CAGn, repeat correlates inversely with AR transactivation. To better understand the contribution of this repeat to CaP, we propose to replace the stable mouse AR CAG/CAA/CAC tract with various lengths of CAG, using gene knock-in methodology. The neo-NTR-HSV-tk cassette from the pPGKneoNTRtkpA vector was introduced into the ploxPneo-1 vector such that …  Read more

In flotation, bubbles are the transport medium of mineral particles and water. The recovery of fine hydrophilic gangue is related to the recovery of water, which impacts the grade of the concentrate. In the solution (pulp) phase, water is transported as a layer on the bubble surface and as a trailing wake. The amount of water depends on bubble size, gas rate and, it is hypothesized, frother type. Frothers are surface-active reagents that reduce bubble size by retarding coalescence. To isolate the effect of frother type (chemistry) on water transport from that of bubble size and gas rate an appropriate …  Read more

Introduction. Ototoxicity refers to medication-caused auditory and/or vestibular system dysfunction resulting in hearing loss or dysequilibrium. The potential damage that antibiotics eardrops can produce when placed directly into the middle ear in some cases is still unknown. Objectives. To determine the safety of use of the new ciprofloxacin/dexamethasone otic drops in patients without an intact tympanic membrane. Materials and methods. Ciprodex/dexamethasone eardrops were tested in an animal and human model. The animal part was performed in 13 adult chinchillas; Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) was used. For the human part, twenty subjects were enrolled in the study; Distortion Products Otoacoustic Emissions …  Read more

In this thesis we present a unified framework for planar location-allocation problems with dense demand. Emergence of such information technologies as Geographical Information Systems (GIS) has enabled access to detailed demand information. This proliferation of demand data brings about serious computational challenges for traditional approaches which are based on discrete demand representation. Furthermore, traditional approaches model the problem in location variable space and decide on the allocation decisions optimally given the locations. This is equivalent to prioritizing location decisions. However, when allocation decisions are more decisive or choice of exact locations is a later stage decision, then we need to …  Read more

DNA microarrays provide data for genome wide patterns of expression between varying conditions. Microarray studies often have small samples sizes, however, due to cost constraints or specimen availability. This can lead to poor random error estimates and inaccurate statistical tests of differential expression. We compare the performance of the standard t-test, simple fold change, and three small n statistical test methods designed to circumvent these problems, by applying them to simulated and experimental microarray data. The Empirical Bayes t-statistic was the most robust and effective method across simulated data and experimental data. Overall, the Empirical Bayes methodology provided the most …  Read more

The Sardinilla plantation is a long-term facility for studying the links between tree species diversity and ecosystem function. Six native tree species were planted in 2001 in plots containing 1, 3 or 6 species. Soil respiration (SR) measurements were conducted from March to December 2004 on tree pairs. ANOVAs with repeated measure on days were used to test the main effects of species (monocultures), pair (single and two-species pairs), plot (pairs in monoculture, three-, and six-species plots), and season (dry vs. early wet season). ANCOVAs were run for each effect to determine possible biotic and abiotic covariates, including root, tree, …  Read more

We estimated the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in women 1-year postpartum in central Montreal. Blood samples were obtained by venipuncture and questionnaires administered. Iron intake was assessed by a food frequency questionnaire. Mothers with at least two of the following laboratory values were considered to have IDA: serum ferritin (SF) < 12 mug/L, mean corpuscular volume (MCV) < 80 fL and hemoglobin (Hb) < 120 g/L. Blood samples were analysed for 201 women. The estimates of prevalence of anemia (Hb < 120 g/L), iron deficiency (SF < 12 mug/L) and IDA were 7.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.8%-10.9%), …  Read more

One of the main environmental impacts of salmon aquaculture activities in the Bay of Fundy is the alteration of sediment chemistry as a result of the large amount of organic waste that accumulates below fish pens. To investigate these impacts, vertical profiles of delta13C, delta 15N, Corg, Corg:Ntot, FeHC1 , MnHCl, Ptot, PHCl, SO4 2-, AVS, Hgtot, and Hgpyrite in sediment cores collected throughout the bay were acquired. These profiles were then used to identify tracers of aquaculture activities and their impact on the redox zonation of the sediment. In addition, representative samples of fish food as well as farmed …  Read more

Gene regulatory networks control patterning and growth in a developing organism. However, environmental factors may also dramatically affect development to produce morphological diversity. In ant species for example, environmental cues determine whether a winged queen or a wingless worker or soldier will develop from a fertilized egg. A mathematical model of the gene network that controls wing development in a group of insects is presented. Despite the complexity of the network, numerical solutions of the equations tend to a steady-state that correlates with the experimental expression patterns. Theoretical analysis provides insight into the mechanisms that control patterning of the wing. …  Read more

Plasticizers are widely used as additives for the production of PVC and other types of plastics. They have been observed to leach out of the solid matrix over the course of the lifetime of the finished product. These compounds have now been observed across the globe and in different environments. The main focus of this work is the study of the interactions of industrial plasticizers with soil microorganisms including bacteria, yeast and fungi. This research is concerned with the microbial degradation of plasticizers such as di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) and di-2-ethylhexyl adipate (DEHA). In particular, the study has focused on the …  Read more

This study used combined methods of observations, interviews and document analysis to understand issues related to aging in Indonesia. The study describes relevant policy and practices for older persons in Indonesia, and discusses major social issues of poverty, the need for social security, and ambivalent views of older people in Indonesian society. While the Social Department Affair (Depsos) has pioneered in providing initiatives for older persons, the benefits of these supports are often limited (e.g., formal sector, urban areas). Complexities of the emphasis on family caregiving, constrained government budgets, and social stigma (e.g., "the last priority") mean that older people …  Read more

In this thesis, I focus on the relationship between gender and nation in post-colonial India, through the lens of Muslim women, who are located on the margins of both religious community and nation. The contradictory embrace of a composite national identity with an ascriptive religious identity, has had critical consequences for Muslim women, to whom the state has simultaneously granted and denied equal citizenship. The impact is felt primarily in the continuing disadvantage of women through the denial of gender equality within the family. The state's regulation of gender roles and family relationships in the 'private sphere', inevitably has determined …  Read more

In the field cricket, Teleogryllus oceanicus, two types of auditory interneurons, AN2 and ON1, have been studied. AN2 responds best to ultrasound frequencies (≥20kHz) produced by echolocating bats and initiates negative phonotaxis by the cricket. ON1 responds to both low (4-5kHz) and high frequency sounds and encodes the temporal information present in sounds of both frequencies. ON1 also provides lateral inhibition to contralateral interneurons, such as AN2, thereby enhancing binaural contrast. The pharmacology associated with these two interneurons is investigated here. ON1's response to 4.5kHz sound is increased following picrotoxin application, while it's ability to encode temporal information present in …  Read more

This thesis presents new and efficient analytical solutions for the unsteady subsonic compressible flows past rigid and flexible airfoils executing low frequency oscillations. These solutions are obtained using an especially developed method based on velocity singularities associated with the airfoil leading edge and ridges, which define the changes in the airfoil boundary conditions. The velocity singularity method has been initially developed by Mateescu. Closed form solutions are presented for the unsteady lift and pitching moment coefficients and for the chordwise distribution of the unsteady pressure difference coefficient in the general case of rigid airfoils executing oscillatory pitching rotations and translations, …  Read more

This research project explores the effect of long-term caregiving on a female caregiver's sense of self. Participants of this study consisted of six women: three daughters caring for their mothers and three wives caring for their husbands. All the women had been caregiving for a minimum of three years. Seidman's (1991) structure for in-depth phenomenological interviewing was used which involved conducting a series of three semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed and described using the five-step Holistic-Content approach to narrative analysis described by Lieblich, Tuval-Mashiach, and Zilber (1998). The six narratives that emerged from the data present six unique stories …  Read more

Original contribution. A discussion of Carlo Lodoli's bi-fold understanding of indole (inherent nature); with respect to both meaning in architecture and the education of architects. Carlo Lodoli (1690--1761) exists as a footnote in most major history books of modern architecture. He is typically noted for either his influence on the Venetian Neoclassical tradition or as an early prophet to some sort of functionalism. Though I would not argue his influence, I doubt his role in the development of a structurally determined functionalism. The issue of influence is always present as very little of his writings have survived and his built …  Read more

RHex is a cockroach-inspired hexapod robot capable of walking, running, and climbing. This thesis presents the development of a novel, three dimensional, bipedal running gait for RHex using only two actuated degrees of freedom (DOF), one per compliant leg. To the author's knowledge, there are no previous, two DOF bipeds capable of running. In this thesis it is experimentally demonstrated that only body pitch and leg angle sensing are required. The controller includes three levels of proportional derivative controls for balancing, forward speed and leg tracking, as well a leg trajectory generator and a means of forward speed estimation. With …  Read more

In order to elucidate the effect of chemical kinetics on the dynamic structure of a detonation, an investigation is carried out by means of high-resolution numerical simulations of the reactive Euler equations. The chemical description ranges, with increasing complexity, from simplified single-step reaction kinetics to complex models with detailed chemical reaction rates. To illustrate the unsteady dynamics of the detonation structure and its dependence on chemical kinetics, a one-dimensional pulsating detonation with one-step kinetics has been investigated. Different nonlinear dynamics of the pulsating front are observed by varying the global temperature sensitivity of the chemical process. Numerical results have suggested …  Read more

The application of a 2D hydraulic-habitat model, River2D, to simulate flows and fish habitat areas in a reach of the Nicolet River (Quebec, Canada) containing two sets of double-wing rock current deflectors to enhance fish habitat was examined. Depth-averaged velocity in the reach was determined using one or two measurement points in the vertical under the assumption that the profile was logarithmic; however, the presence of boulders and obstructions disturbed the profile, making it difficult to characterize using only two measurement points. The sensitivity of the simulation results to roughness characterization, topographic scale, mesh refinement, and boundary conditions was evaluated. …  Read more