McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par A

The effect of quench conditions on the properties of fumed silica generated using an arc process was studied. The process consisted of vaporizing quartz particles in a batch transferred arc reactor using the radiative energy from an Ar/NH$ sb3$ thermal plasma. Ammonia was used to increase the vaporization rate of quartz. The hot gas stream exiting the reactor contained a mixture of the decomposition products of NH$ sb3$ and SiO$ sb2$. This included SiO$ sb{ rm (g)}$, O$ sb2$, H$ sb2$ and N$ sb2$. Rapid quenching of this gas stream with steam resulted in the production of a fumed silica …  Read more

Munz, R. J. (Supervisor)  Read more

The effects of length-bias and left-truncation in survival data have been well studied in the statistical literature. To a lesser extent, the phenomena of length-bias and left-truncation have also been investigated when group comparisons are of interest. This literature examines various biases that may occur under different scenarios, and also, on occasion, proposes procedures for the estimation of covariate effects when using prevalent data. In this thesis, we review the literature concerned with the analysis of length-biased and left-truncated data, paying particular attention to the issue of group comparisons. Some shortcomings of the methods developed in the literature are pointed …  Read more

In a prevalent cohort study with follow-up, the incidence process is not directly observed since only the onset times of prevalent cases can be ascertained. Several important consequences follow if one can establish stationarity of the incidence process: (1) The useful epidemiological relationship between prevalence, incidence, and mean duration holds, (2) There is improved efficiency when estimating the underlying survivor function from a prevalent cohort study with follow-up, (3) The constancy of the incidence rate is established, and (4) The constant incidence rate can be estimated using data from a prevalent cohort study. We propose a formal test for stationarity …  Read more

Motivation : l'anisotropie invariante d'échelle est mise en évidence dans des images de nuage. Même si ces images paraissent les mêmes dans toutes les directions, des structures anisotropes peuvent s'observer à différentes échelles. Méthode de mesure de l'anisotropie invariante d échelle : une méthode simple de visualisation et de mesure des exposants de base de l'anisotropie invariante d'échelle dans toutes les directions est proposée pour le cas d'anisotropie légère. Des images des satellites MODIS sont utilisées pour mesurer l'anisotropie invariante d'échelle sur des champs de nuages. Principaux résultats : une variation douce de l'exposant de la fonction de structure avec …  Read more

Various aspects of the airline industry will have to be considered. In determining what the way forward should be, the very essence of airline transport must be laid bare. The industry will have to be classified, does it qualify as a global public good, or is it a mixed public/private commodity? What are the ill effects that this good has yielded as its by products? The aviation industry as a branch of global transportation will be examined in order to classify it. Methods of managing public goods effectively will be briefly considered. Following this will be an analysis of aviation …  Read more

Since the first thesis on Nigerian education by a Nigerian was completed in 1946, several others have followed in quick succession. These studies critically examined the education system from the points of view of the qualification of its teaching staff, the effectiveness of its administration, the adequacy of its curricula and of the instructional methods used, the suitability of its facilities, the extent of its support by the Nigerian public, and the abilities and attitudes of its students. Most of these studies found that the Nigerian education system was a wholesale "export" of the types of education that enjoyed the …  Read more

This thesis considers the legislative approaches adopted by member states in the incorporation of the recently revised international copyright standards set out in the TRIPS and WIPO Copyright Treaty. It seeks to determine whether these domestic approaches adopted successfully maintained copyright balance in the digital age. Using a comparative approach, I intend to answer this question by classifying six countries into two distinct categories based on their ratification of the TRIPS and WCT before the revision of their existing copyright legislation. This thesis is divided into 5 chapters discussing the history of copyright in the digital age, its benefits and …  Read more

Cette étude a testé l'utilisation de différentes techniques dans l'évaluation des caractéristiques microstructurales de friture profonde de pépites de poulet panées tout en considérant l'effet des conditions de friture et la formulation de la pâte. Un porosimètre d'intrusion de mercure a été utilisé pour mesurer la porosité, la distribution de la taille des pores et la forme des pores dans des pépites de poulet panées lyophilisées. La porosité a varié de 40 à 69 %. Le temps et la température de la friture ont affecté significativement (P < 0.05) la porosité. La porosité a montré une haute corrélation positive et …  Read more

This dissertation has two objectives. The first is to modify the existing Present Value Model of the Current Account (PVMCA) to reflect the major features of the Nigerian economy and to determine if this resulting theoretical framework is valid for the analysis of the Nigerian current account for the period 1960--97. The second objective is to examine the excessiveness and sustainability of the Nigerian current account deficits during this period. To achieve these objectives, the thesis presents a model of current account determination that is based upon the permanent-income hypothesis of private consumption behavior. We derive a present value relationship …  Read more

Introduction: Food insecurity is a major public health problem that limits individuals’ ability to access nutritious food and can increase the risk of adverse health outcomes, including dental caries. Among socioeconomically disadvantaged groups, limited access to nutritious foods often coexists with barriers to dental care, contributing to pronounced oral health disparities. While growing evidence links food insecurity to poor oral health outcomes, limited research has examined the relationships between food insecurity, dental caries experience (DCE) and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among low-income adults in Canada. Objectives: The study objectives were to a) estimate the prevalence of food insecurity …  Read more

This study is an enquiry into the manner of living of a group of non-institutionalized old people residing in an urban setting. The present introductory chapter is divided into three sections. Section A is a general orientation to the present study. Section B considers the theoretical background to the current trends of research in the field of old age. In Section C, the scope and method of the present study will be described. In recent years an increasing attention has been directed to the phenomenon of an ageing population and to the implications which this has for the individual and …  Read more

The Canadian chicken industry is a huge one with about 2,836 regulated producers spread across the provinces producing, and of which 61% of production originated from Quebec and Ontario. According to the Agriculture and Agri-food Canada report 2017, total hatching egg set (for both egg production chicks and broilers) was over 1.0 billion. With fertility rate observed in the year 2017 to be around 82%, there were about 180 million unhatched eggs incubated in Canada for year 2017 alone. This meant a whooping sum of at least 311 million Canadian dollars was wasted by the hatchery industries towards incubating unhatched …  Read more

Tartakovsky, Boris (Supervisor2)  Read more

Les piles à combustible microbiennes (PCM) gagnent en popularité en raison de leur capacité unique de production électrique grâce à l'activité microbienne sur un large éventail de substrats. Plusieurs études ont examiné, avec plus ou moins de succès, l'utilisation d’eaux usées domestiques, d’effluents viticoles, de boues d'épuration, d'amidon et de chocolat comme substrats dans une PMC. Quoique très prometteuse quant à l'avenir de la production d'énergie et de la gestion des déchets, il demeure tout de même beaucoup à faire par rapport à l'épanouissement des applications pratiques de cette technologie. Les progrès dans l'optimisation de la puissance de sortie, des …  Read more

This study is primarily concerned with the historical development of legal remedies for surface damages caused by foreign aircraft. Progress has been made since the early days of aviation law and it has been my pleasure to reflect upon the studies, proposals, drafts, and conventions in this field prepared by the legal men of our century.  Read more

This thesis is a study of certain means available to taxpayers who wish to split their income with other members of their family and thereby reduce their taxes. There are essentially four sections to the study: (a) a description of the Canadian system of taxation of the family and the reasons why the Income Tax Act treats each individual as a separate unit for income tax purposes as opposed to recognizing the family unit itself as the basis for taxation; (b) an analysis of the tax consequences of loans and transfers of property between spouses; (c) an analysis of the …  Read more

High content arsenic waste generated in the metallurgical industry can be converted into a synthetic mineral, scorodite, FeAsO4•2H2O, and deposited into a waste disposal site. Scorodite is most stable in a certain pH range under oxic conditions. A novel way to enhance the range of stability for scorodite is to encapsulate it with an inert material. In this work, silicate gel is developed and investigated as a possible encapsulating material for scorodite. The work in this thesis includes 1) Synthesis of atmospherically precipitated scorodite, 2) Production, optimization and characterization of silicate gels, 3) Study of different silicate gel ageing treatments …  Read more

Beauchemin, Suzanne (Internal/Supervisor)  Read more

Through an analysis of Cree concepts of well-being, I challenge conventional social scientific definitions of health. In this dissertation I argue that there exists a fundamental biomedical dualism in health studies and, using cross-cultural examples, explore an expanded notion of "health". I then introduce the Cree concept of miyupimaatisiiu ("being alive well") and explain that for the Whapmagoostui Cree there is no term that translates back into English as health. I present the core symbols of "being alive well" and in their analysis find a persistence of traditional meanings. For the Cree "being alive well" is consonant with "being Cree", …  Read more

The behaviour of high polymers in solution has been extensively investigated by many methods, but the diffusion of high polymers has received little attention experimentally, and limited progress has been made in its theoretical treatment. According to these theories, the rate of diffusion is governed in large measure by the shape of the polymer chain which, however, need not be the same in different solvents. Evidence for a change of shape in different solvents is obtained indirectly from experiments on viscosity, osmotic pressure, sedimentation velocity, and streaming birefringence, while direct evidence is provided by measurements of light scattering. Experimental studies …  Read more

By the beginning of the century, it had been conclusively established that the most efficient utilization of any ration depended not only on the proper balance between the heretofore known essential nutrients, viz.: proteins, fats and carbohydrates, but on a consideration of balance with regard to minerals and vitamins. Analyses of the animal body and of eggs reveal the presence of a large number of mineral elements. However only a few of these have to be added to the normal ration either because some are not essential in the performance of the physiological activities of the animal or the ingredients …  Read more

Urban growth is a highly relevant challenge to development in the northern Vietnamese uplands. In this region, state and private enterprises are dramatically transforming rural landscapes for natural resource exploitation and 'development' potential. As a result, the region's small cities are steadily growing in population as lowland migrants are attracted by new employment opportunities. Despite such rapid urbanization occurring in northern Vietnam, there is little written on the dynamics of urban space use in the region's small upland cities. This research project seeks to fill the gap in the literature concerning urbanization dynamics in small upland cities in Vietnam. The …  Read more

Kirmayer, Laurence J. (Supervisor)  Read more

Nous étudions dans cette thèse trois sujets qui sont: Processus Cumulatifs de Renouvellement, Contrôle Stochastique et Estimation du Gradient. Le premier sujet est inspiré du travail de Smith sur les processus cumulatifs et la partie du début de l’article de Glynn et Heidelberger sur les propriétés du biais des simulations avec contraintes de budget. Nous développons pour cette classe de processus cumulatifs, des nouvelles méthodes pour évaluer explicitement et asymptotiquement des moments arbitraires d’un produit de n processus cumulatifs de renouvellement avec gain à valeur vectorielle appelés les cas N(t) et N(t) + 1. [...] En plus, la théorie des …  Read more

The Biomarkers of Cervical Cancer Risk (BCCR) case-control study was designed to address the role of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles as cofactors in the development of high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (HG-CIN). Cases were women with histologically-confirmed HG-CIN attending colposcopy clinics and controls were women from outpatient clinics with normal cytological screening smears. Cervical specimens were submitted for both human papilloma virus (HPV) testing and HLA genotyping. Risk ratios were generated using logistic regression modelling. This analysis includes 381 case and 884 control subjects, mainly of French-Canadian descent. The B7-DRB1*1501-DQB1*0602 haplotype was associated with a 41 % reduction in risk …  Read more

Les médulloblastomes démontrent souvent une perte d’hétérozygosité sur le bras court du chromosome 17 et un locus de suppression tumorale a été postulé en position 17p13. La co-localisation du gène de la p53, un suppresseur de tumeurs situé en 17pl3 laisse sousentendre que des allèles mutés de ce gène pourraient jouer un rôle dans la transformation tumorale de cellules souches dites «médulloblastes». Afin d’examiner cette possibilité, nous avons fait l’analyse de la séquence du gène de la p53 dans 9 médulloblastomes par amplification des exons 4-9 (où se retrouvent 95% des mutations) avec une réaction à polymérisation en chaîne suivi …  Read more

Biomass consisting of cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton) pomace was evaluated as a potentially viable source of a poly-anionic functional polysaccharide (pectin). Using microwave (MW) intensification, the extraction process was optimized to enhanced yield. A probable standard variant of the process was also simulated at laboratory scale by conventional heating extraction in a thermostatic water bath. The physicochemical properties of recovered cranberry pectin (CBP) polysaccharide were characterized using a variety of chemical/structural, hydrodynamic, and rheological techniques, including structural assessment by FT-IR spectroscopy, quantification of main sugar units, antioxidant activity by UV/Vis spectroscopy, visual appearance by colour measurement, intrinsic viscosity and molecular …  Read more

Dumont, Marie-Josée (Supervisor2)  Read more

La maladie d’Alzheimer (MA) et la maladie de Parkinson (MP) sont les deux troubles neurodégénératifs les plus courants et se caractérisent par une hétérogénéité clinique et de multiples processus pathologiques. Il existe donc un besoin crucial de comprendre comment les interactions entre les différents processus liés aux maladies engendrent la manifestation et l’hétérogénéité des symptômes. Les progrès scientifiques récents ont facilité la mesure des processus biologiques associés aux maladies à l’aide de méthodes de séquençage d’ARN et de neuroimagerie. Tirant parti de ces avancées, cette thèse visait à étudier les processus multi-échelles et multifactoriels sous-jacents à la MA et à …  Read more

In this thesis, a study was undertaken on the premise that the world population living in urban centers is expected to increase from 3.8 billion to 5.2 billion, from 2005 to 2025, representing 54% and 65% of total world population, respectively. The urban population (UP) growth will produce remarkable amounts of urban food waste (UFW) that will add more pressure on already overloaded municipal solid waste (MSW) management systems of cities. This problem is more serious in countries experiencing major economic growth such as China where UP is expected to increase from 44% to 66% of the total country population, …  Read more

Carbon Nanotubes are thought to have tremendous potential as reinforcements for the next generation of composite materials. In the past decade, the enhancing effects of the nanotubes on the mechanical, electrical as well as multi-functional properties of polymer composites have been reported. However, the same nanotubes/polymer composites investigated by different research groups, in many cases, do not show a good agreement with one another. The root cause of this variability is believed to lie in the processing methodology employed to prepare the composites. Before one can propose an ideal and systematic processing condition, it is imperative to have a fundamental …  Read more

On-site treatment (home and community composting) of organic waste (OW) reduces cost and environmental issues as opposed to centralized facilities and landfilling. By 2025, such on-site practices could reduce costs and greenhouse gas emissions (GGE) by 50 and 40 %, respectively, and save land as compared to maintaining landfilling practices. However, the shift of municipal solid waste (MSW) management systems from landfill disposal to resource recovery requires technological input, population participation and compost quality assurance. The composting process and quality of composted product depends on the initial compost mixture formulation, design type and management practices of home composting systems (HC). …  Read more

Hydrogels have widespread scientific, technological and commodity applications due to their biocompatibility, tuneable porosity and mechanical properties. One promising technique to synthesize hydrogels with desirable physicochemical properties is to embed nanoparticles (NPs) in the gel network, forming hydrogel nanocomposites. Because of the NP crosslinking, hydrogel nanocomposites typically have enhanced mechanical properties, such as high storage and loss moduli and resistance to breaking. This thesis consists of two parts. In the first part, using rheometry, chemically crosslinked hydrogels are studied to characterize NP-hydrogel interactions that modify the bulk mechanical properties. In the second part, electroacoustic spectroscopy is used to investigate microscale …  Read more

Généré une structure trois-dimensionnelle par « Single-Particle Cryo-Electron Microscopy » (SPA-CryoEM) d’une protéine ou d’un complexe de protéines permet l’élucidation de leur fonction. Une des difficultés les plus communes à rencontrer lors de l’analyse SPA-CryoEM est l’hétérogénéité des échantillons. Lors de mon projet, j’ai adressé deux problèmes liés à l’analyse des échantillons très hétérogènes. Mon premier but était d’obtenir la meilleure reconstruction possible de la conformation la plus abondante et mon deuxième but était d’obtenir des reconstructions de toutes les conformation présentes dans l’échantillon très hétérogène. Les techniques utilisées en ce moment ne sont pas capables de surmonter l’hétérogénéité des …  Read more

The aims of the present studies were to determine the magnitude of iron deficiency anemia among preschool children in Northern Ethiopia and to evaluate different control strategies. The cross-sectional study showed that anemia was highly prevalent (42%) and that iron deficiency was the commonest cause of anemia. However, the iron deficiency was not due to lack of iron in the diet but to its poor availability and to other non-dietary risk factors. Unsafe water, mother's illness, older child (24--60 months), family not having food reserves and family income below poverty-line were predictors of anemia. Hookworm and malaria were rare and …  Read more

La présente étude traite de l'apprentissage du français et de l'hébreu en tant que langues secondes. Les sujets étaient 114 élèves anglophones 1e, 2e et 3e années qui participaient à deux programmes d'immersion primaire: un programme entièrement français et un programme français/ hébreu. Un test d'expression orale à été administré en français aux enfants des deux programmes. Le même test à été administre en hébreu aux enfants du programme français/ hébreu. Les résultats ont démontré que (1) les enfants du programme français s'exprimaient mieux en français que les enfants du programme français/hébreu; (2) de la 1e à la 3e année …  Read more

POST–PRODUCTION HANDLING OF MANGOES (Mangifera indica L.) using Luffa aegyptiaca.Mill.Post-production losses of fruits and vegetables are high in many developing economies. Mango (Mangifera indica L.) fruit are particularly difficult to handle after harvest. In Senegal, field-to-market transport alone induces sufficient mechanical damage to reduce marketable produce by 30%. This mechanical damage to fruit is attributable to a number of causes, including but are not limited to: poor packaging, inadequate boxes, crates or baskets, stressful transport conditions, poor road conditions and long traffic delays which prevent the produce reaching markets within a reasonable time.In investigating a solution for the post-harvest losses …  Read more

Globally, deforestation is threatening medicinal plant species. Concern about this process has led to renewed interest in medicinal plant research, in an effort to discover medicinal properties before species become extinct. However, little research has been done on the local social impacts of deforestation in regions where populations depend on medicinal plants for their primary health care. This study investigates the impact of deforestation on medicinal plant availability and use in the Bilili Game Management Area in southern Zambia, where rapid deforestation is taking place, and where the local population uses medicinal plants extensively. Despite ongoing deforestation, this study found …  Read more

La commercialisation des produits agricoles est l'un des principaux outils de réduction de la pauvreté en milieu rural dans les pays en voies de développement, surtout en Afrique Sub-saharienne. Des lors, la présente étude s'intéresse à l'analyse empirique de l'efficacité et de la performance de la chaine de commercialisation du riz au Togo, un petit pays situé en Afrique de l'Ouest. Les objectifs spécifiques poursuivis incluent l'analyse des déterminants de la participation des producteurs au marché de riz, les marges de commercialisation du riz, ainsi que les principales contraintes auxquelles font face les producteurs et commerçants de riz du Togo. …  Read more

A composite nose radome, transparent at microwave frequencies, is analyzed for use as an isolated cap High Frequency antenna for the CL-44 aircraft. The theories of asymmetrically-driven antennas are first outlined, and the antenna under investigation is shown to resemble most appropriately an end-fed antenna. The impedance behaviour of the antenna at the lower end of the HF range is explained qualitatively in terms of an equivalent circuit. Each design parameter in this circuit is then evaluated individually, assuming a wire grid type composite nose-cap, and an 'optimum' region of performance is established.  Read more

This study investigated possible reasons for the failure of the acetylene inhibition assay of denitrification in highly reducing environments and resulted in the isolation of a denitrifying Cytophaga from soil enriched by anaerobic incubation with glucose, nitrous oxide (N(,2)O), acetylene (C(,2)H(,2)), and sulfide (S('2-)). Such soil enrichments and pure cultures of the isolated Cytophaga (Is-11) reduced N(,2)O rapidly even in the presence of a normally inhibitory concentration of C(,2)H(,2) (4 kPa), providing S('2-) was present 8.0 umol (g soil)('-1) or 0.4 umol (mL culture)('-1) . The observed reaction appears to be unique to this soil Cytophaga since other organisms tested, …  Read more

This essay presents an analysis of Crystallisation, a composition for a large orchestra. The work consists of a single movement, with a duration of approximately 15 minutes. The analysis focuses mainly on formal structure, pitch organization, texture and rhythm. Some of the main topics are: large-scale form and subdivisions of each section, thematic interrelations of the sections, central pitches, pitch collections, chord structure and interrelations between texture and rhythm. Throughout the course of the work, the music closely follows an overall process of searching for a valid structure and "core". In realizing this process the music takes on a variety …  Read more