McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par B

Ismail, Ashraf A. (Supervisor1)  Read more

This document presents the design, fabrication, characterization and packaging of a stand-alone all-photonic 1X4 switch. All of the designs pertaining to the implementation of the device including those of required custom components are given. The core of the switch is comprised of a "2-bit" electro-optic deflector capable of sub-microsecond deflection times. The packaged switch operates at 1100V and boasts a worst-case fiber-to-fiber insertion loss and crosstalk reading of 5.3dB and -23dB, respectively. Furthermore, a worst-case deflection time of 86ns has been achieved.  Read more

The object of this thesis is to analyze the provisions of the Act respecting protection of personal information in the private sector in an attempt to foresee their impact on the use of medical information by insurance companies. This thesis contains a brief review of elementary principles related to the fundamental right to privacy, as well as their application in the medical context. This review is followed by a study of the historical context and the legislative evolution having led to the adoption of the Act. Legal principles concerning access and use of medical information by insurance companies are studied …  Read more

Since the early 1980s, significant changes have occurred in the field of international telecommunications. This thesis examines how changes in the telecommunications environment have affected inter-system coordination procedures and what the future application of these procedures may be. The historical background and organizational structure of INTELSAT are discussed in order to obtain a better understanding of the issue. The inter-system coordination procedures in the INTELSAT Agreements, including examples of coordinations that have been completed, are examined. Three main changes in international telecommunications that have affected INTELSAT are discussed: private satellite systems and deregulatory changes; fiber optic cable systems; and technical …  Read more

Les modèles animaux de troubles complexes hétérogènes comme la schizophrénie et l'autisme sont des paradigmes très précieux pour comprendre les mécanismes étiologiques de ceux troubles, ainsi que de tester de nouveaux traitements. Basé sur l'hypothèse que ces troubles peuvent avoir des origines dans le développement des cerveaux aberrants, des modèles animaux neurodéveloppementaux impliquant des manipulations de l'environnement pendant la période prénatale sensibles ont été largement utilisés. Des études épidémiologiques ont confirmé une association entre les infections bactériennes et virales pendant la grossesse et l'incidence plus élevée de la schizophrénie et l'autisme chez les enfants. Un certain nombre de modèles animaux …  Read more

It is widely believed that nicotine is the main reason for acquiring and maintaining tobacco addiction. However, animal studies suggest that nicotine is only a weak reinforcer compared to other drugs of abuse. For example, nicotine does not consistently produce a conditioned place preference (CPP), a standard measure of reward in rats. We attempted to examine the reason(s) for this discrepancy by manipulating several procedural variables in this paradigm. In addition, we hypothesized that partial monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibition, as observed in smokers, may potentiate the rewarding effects of nicotine in the CPP paradigm. Overall, we were not able to …  Read more

It is commonly believed that by involving the user in the design process of his dwelling unit, a higher level of satisfaction could be achieved. Attempts have been made in several countries to include users in the design process of their units using different communication media including computers. However, today computers have been implemented primarily for the use of architects. This study aims at narrowing the architect-user communication gap by using computers in multi-unit housing design. The author reviews past work in user involvement in the design process through the use of computers and the possibility of introducing computers into …  Read more

Le droit de suite du creancier qui detient une sQrete sur un meuble corpore;l represente des difficu1tes soit dans le domaine interne soit dans le domaine international. Il serait sans doute plus difficile de concevoir un droit de suite sur l'aeronef. En un seul vol qui ne durera que quelques heures, l'avion traverse les villes et les Etats et parcourt les oceans et les continents, ncar pour l'avion les fronti~res ne constituent pas des obstacles.1t (1)  Read more

Semiconductor nanocrystals known as quantum dots (QDs) are emerging as an important new class of fluorescent probes in cell biology due to their many advantageous optical properties. Various methods have devised that allow for the selective targeting of QDs to biological cells. Conjugation of QDs to small biomolecules has proven effective, allowing for their uptake into mammalian cell lines. We explored the use of folate conjugated QDs in the selective targeting of model cell lines known to have high expression of the folate receptor (FR). Characterization of QDs and QD conjugates is examined using techniques such as spectroscopy, transmission electron …  Read more

This dissertation looks at the relationship between state and subaltern citizen in Egypt, specifically urban lower class women who derived an income from the production of goods and services from 1919-1952. My research is based on previously unused materials from the British and Egyptian National Archives. I discuss the ideological and material foundations of the changing relationship between the state, gender, and labour, thereby offer new insight on the history of lower class women who have been side-lined in both women's and labour studies in the field of modern Egyptian history. I look at how and under what circumstances the …  Read more

La levansucrase (LS, EC 2.4.1.10) est une fructosyltransférase capable de transférer une unité fructose d'un donneur de fructosyle à un accepteur de fructosyle résultant en la production de divers produits. Un composé où LS offre une activité catalytique attractive potentielle pour sa production est le lactosaccharose, qui nécessite l'utilisation de saccharose comme donneur de fructosyle et de lactose comme accepteur de fructosyle. Le saccharose est l'édulcorant le plus utilisé dans l'industrie alimentaire, et le lactose est abondant en raison de plusieurs millions de tonnes de celui-ci généré dans les sous-produits laitiers appelés perméat de lactosérum (WP) et perméat de lait …  Read more

Li, Jianyu (Supervisor1)  Read more

The discussion pertaining to the inarbitrability of public policy disputes has a long-standing position in arbitration law. To protect public interests, domestic legal systems imposed a general ban on the arbitration of public policy disputes. In 1985, however, the United States Supreme Court in Mitsubishi Motors Corp. v. Soler Chrysler-Plymouth, Inc. removed antitrust disputes from the category of inarbitrable matters and marked a new phase in the history of inarbitrability. The general nature of Mitsubishi's reasoning affected other Western jurisdictions to remove the inarbitrability of public policy disputes in order to develop international arbitration. Mitsubishi's rationale and holding, therefore, can …  Read more

Cette thèse analyse le risque de double recouvrement dans l’arbitrage des différends relatifs aux investissements, et suggère une solution aux problèmes qu’il soulève. Le risque de double recouvrement n’a pas été étudié de manière approfondie par les tribunaux d’arbitrage ou les commentateurs, ce qui a suscité des inquiétudes pour les États hôtes au sujet de l’intégrité du système RDIE. La solution proposée comprend deux parties : en premier lieu, l’interdiction du double recouvrement en tant que principe du droit international des investissements, et en second lieu, un mécanisme juridique qui permet de mettre en œuvre le principe. Ce mécanisme juridique …  Read more

The thesis deals with the plastic bifurcation buckling of a full circular plate partially or fully bonded to an elastic foundation, and subjected to a uniform radial pressure at the periphery. The prebuckling state of stress in the plate is therefore a constant equibiaxial stress. Under this stress, the plate material undergoes strain-hardening, obeying an isotropically expanding J2 (von Mises) yield surface. The incremental constitutive relations, needed for the bifurcation analysis, are written in a way so as to incorporate behaviours according to both the J2 deformation and J2 -incremental theories of plasticity, and also to include the elastic theory. …  Read more

Le folate est crucial pour le fonctionnement du cerveau et le métabolisme de l'homocystéine et de la méthionine (incluant les réactions de méthylation). Les perturbations du métabolisme du folate peuvent être d'origine génétique ou nutritionnelle. En Amérique du Nord et en Europe, une grande proportion d'individus porte des déficiences génétiques affectant le métabolisme de l'acide folique tel que dans le locus MTHFR (677C>T), qui code pour la méthylènetétrahydrofolate réductase. Ce polymorphisme induit une déficience modérée en MTHFR ainsi que de l'hyperhomocystéinémie (HHcy). Une autre variante fréquente dans la population se trouve dans le locus de la méthionine synthase réductase ou …  Read more

Seven strains of Actinobacillus suis (ATCC 15557, B49, C84, H89-1173, H91-0380, SO4 and VSB 3714) were investigated with respect to iron acquisition from animal transferrins (Tfs) and haemoglobins (Hbs). Growth assays with porcine, bovine and human Tfs and Hbs revealed that all seven strains could use porcine (but not human or bovine) Tf and all three Hbs as iron sources. In solid phase binding assays, membranes derived from all strains exhibited strong binding of porcine Tf and each of the Hbs. Competition binding assays indicated that all three Hbs were bound by the same receptor(s). Affinity procedures allowed the isolation …  Read more

Linear precoding can be viewed as a convenient way to enhance the throughput and performance of a Multi-Input-Multi-Output (MIMO) communications system for its linear nature that facilitates its low-complexity implementation in a transceiver. Nevertheless, linear precoding designs usually assume instantaneous channel responses perfectly known at the transmitter, which is unrealistically difficult (if not impossible) in fast time-varying channels. An alternative to the assumption of full channel state knowledge is to consider the availability of partial channel knowledge at the transmitter, including information that changes much slower than the instantaneous channel responses such as the channel statistical parameters. The work presented …  Read more

The evidence presented in this thesis supports the view that men and women participate in the labour force in qualitatively distinct ways and that, as a result, policies to increase female employment in the formal economy have an impact on economic development that is quite different from those whose aim is simply to increase employment with no regard to its gender composition. While it is well known that women's work is often underreported and undercounted, the thesis contends that women's "work" is also frequently defined incorrectly. From the point of view of development policy it is necessary to define women's …  Read more

Moodie, Erica (Supervisor1)  Read more

Acoustic noise generated by rotorcraft limits their commercial and industrial usability. Trailing-edge noise is the most dominant noise source for these flight vehicles. This type of noise is produced when a turbulent boundary layer convects past a sharp trailing edge. Modifying the blade profile shape is one of the methods adopted to reduce this flow-induced noise. The current work aims to investigate airfoil profiles for aeroacoustic optimization using adjoint-based sensitivities. A hybrid trailing-edge noise prediction is used. Coupled to a RANS flow solver, an aero-acoustic analysis tool comprising an adjoint solver, a mesh mover, and a shape parametrization tool is …  Read more

Tischkowitz, Marc Derek (Supervisor1)  Read more

The Grey River Area lies on the south coast of Newfoundland. In general, it includes the land between Grey River and Haie de Vieux, lat. 470 40’ - 47°50’, long. 51’001 - 57°15 1. The area may be reached by steamer, which runs weekly between Port aux Basques and Argentia. The nearest major settlement is Burgeo, 24 miles west along the coast; Ramea, a minor fishing port lies 12 miles southwest on Ramea Island. The Grey River area is 87 miles due south of Buchans. It is accessible from the air, and both Grey River and Long Pond have adequate …  Read more

The Grey River Area lies on the south coast of Newfoundland. In general, it includes the land between Grey River and Baie de Vieux, lat. 47°40' - 47°50', long. 57°00’ - 57°15'. The area may be reached by steamer, which runs weekly between Port aux Basques and Argentia. The nearest major settlement is Burgeo, 24 miles west along the coast; Ramea, a minor fishing port lies 12 miles southwest on Ramea Island. The Grey River area is 87 miles due south of Buchans. It is accessible from the air, and both Grey River and Long Pond have adequate facilities for …  Read more

Jonas, John J. (Supervisor)  Read more

Yue, S. (Supervisor)  Read more

Le volcan Stromboli (îles Éoliennes, Italie) a deux types de magma: un magma aphyrique, riche en volatiles et produisant du pumice, et un magma hautement porphyritique produisant de la scorie. Cette étude documente l'influence de variations en propriétés magmatiques sur la formation et la croissance de bulles, et leur impact sur la dynamique des éruptions volcaniques. En première partie, la formation et la croissance des bulles a été étudiée dans les basaltes stromboliens sans cristaux. J'ai étudié par microtomographie en rayons-X la distribution tri-dimensionnelle et la taille des bulles dans ces basaltes vésiculés, quantifié leur perméabilité par des simulations de …  Read more

In order to investigate bubble formation and growth at 1 atmosphere, degassing experiments using a Stromboli basalt with dissolved H2O or H2O + CO2 were performed in a custom furnace on a beamline at the Advanced Photon Source. The glasses were synthesized at 1250°C and 1000 MPa, with ~3.0 wt%, ~5.0 wt%, or ~7.0 wt% H2O or with mixtures of H2O + CO2, ~3.0 wt% H2O and ~440 ppm CO2, ~5.0 wt% H2O and 880 ppm CO2, ~7.0 wt% H2O and ~1480 ppm CO2, then heated on the beamline while recording the bubble growth. The 3D bubble size distributions in …  Read more

Evans, Alan C. (Supervisor2)  Read more

The relationship between organic and mineral components was studied in rat incisor enamel using transmission electron microscopy, freeze-fracture replicas and radioautography. The two categories of matrix proteins were separately visualized. Amelogenins constituted non-structural, heterodispersed material in the intercrystallite space. They contributed significantly to the randomized behavior of labeled proteins seen with radioautography. […]  Read more

Using tricaprylin (TC) and trilinolenin (TLN) as substrates, biosynthesis of medium-long-medium (MLM) type structured lipids (SLs), by Lipozyme IM from Rhizomucor meihei and Novozym 435 from Candida antarctica , was investigated to determine their capacity as biocatalysts for the biosynthesis of SLs. At 30°C, Lipozyme IM showed higher bioconversion yield (24.7%) and initial enzyme activity (6.3 mumol CLnC/g enzyme/min) as compared to that of 24.0% and 1.6 mumol CLnC/g enzyme/min, respectively, for the Novozym 435 at 50°C. As a result, Lipozyme IM was subsequently used for further investigations. The SLs were recovered and characterized by silver-ion exchange high-performance liquid chromatography …  Read more

According to Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators (CESI), in 2015, the transport sector was the 4th leading source of PM2.5 emissions in Canada. Vehicular emissions contribute significantly to air quality problems and public health issues in urban areas. Nevertheless, previous studies have shown that transport users do not perceive their travel-related emissions as out of pocket costs. In addition, travelers prefer emissions’ information in monetary values rather than in their own units (tons or grams of emissions). In this study, I estimate the health-related costs of transport emissions for Montreal residents. In addition, I examine the use of an air dispersion …  Read more

Soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) and Bradyrhizobium japonicum can form a nitrogen fixing symbiosis. This symbiosis is important for most sustainable agriculture systems. This thesis examines two ways to enhance nodulation and nitrogen fixation by this symbiosis: coinoculation of plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) with B. japonicum, and addition of RNA to a bradyrhizobial culture medium. The optimal coinoculation dose of Serratia proteamaculans 1--102 and S. liquefaciens 2--68 was determined as 108 cells per plant under both optimal and suboptimal root zone temperatures (RZTs). Nodulation dynamics studies indicated that coinoculation of these two PGPB caused earlier nodule initiation and a …  Read more

Some physicochemical properties of several series of transition metal chalcocarbonyls such as ((eta)('6)-C(,6)H(,6))Cr(CO)(,2)(CX) and Cr(CO)(,5)(CX) (X = O, S, Se) have been investigated. In particular, the infrared, ('13)C and ('17)O nuclear magnetic resonance and ultraviolet spectra have been examined. The results show that the order of (sigma)-donor and (pi)-acceptor capabilities of the ligands is CO CS. The M((pi)) (--->) CX((pi)*) ultraviolet charge-transfer bands are shown to correlate with the respective (mu)'(,MCX) and ('13)C NMR data. Also, the ('13)C NMR chemical shifts and GQVFF force constants are found to be highly correlated. The ('17)O NMR spectra of the metal chalcocarbonyl complexes …  Read more

The resistivity and thermopower of two series of amorphous alloys have been measured between 4 and 300K. The alloys studied are MgZn and CuZr, both in the largest concentration range available as amorphous materials. The alloys were measured in both the 'as made' and 'relaxed' states, as well as some partial or totally crystallized samples. The simple Ziman theory was found at variance with the experimental results in both cases (even for MgZn, proven to be free-electron like as required by the theory). A simple two component model is proposed as an extreme simplification of the Faber-Ziman theory of liquid …  Read more

This thesis comprises a re-evaluation of the feminist theological critique, as given by Valerie Saiving, Judith Plaskow, Daphne Hampson and Susan Nelson Dunfee, of Reinhold Niebuhr's doctrine of sin. The re-evaluation proceeds from a contextual interpretation of Niebuhr's theology in general and a contextual reading of his doctrine of sin in particular. My argument is that Niebuhr is deliberately and consistently a contextual theologian. I locate his contextual methodology in the open-ended approach of Christian realism. The feminist critique is based on the assumption that Niebuhr universally defines the primary sin as pride. It is argued that pride is in …  Read more

A review of automation, robotics and communications technology has established the need for the development of a communications infrastructure capable of supporting future underground hard rock mine automation systems. A series of underground experiments were undertaken at Copper Cliff North Mine to evaluate the design criteria and performance of several communications infrastructures. The work successfully demonstrated the capability of real-time operation of voice, data and stationary video communication as well as surface-to-underground tele-operation of a load-haul-dump machine. This was achieved with a communications system consisting of a broadband bus linked to leaky feeder coaxial cables by means of distributed antenna …  Read more

The recent cases of Myanmar, Syria and Ukraine suggest that the international community has been failing to implement the third pillar of the ‘Responsibility to Protect’ (R2P) principle in mass atrocity situations. An analysis of these cases demonstrates that the veto power of the permanent members (P5) of the UN Security Council is a significant impediment to its implementation. Since genocide stands out as the gravest crime in human history, the repercussions of the lack of implementation of the R2P’s third pillar due to P5 vetoes are particularly severe in genocide situations. Acknowledging the near impossibility of restraining the veto …  Read more

mTOR is a serine/threonine protein kinase that controls cell growth, proliferation, and survival in response to mitogens and nutrients. When inactivated by nutrient deprivation or serum withdrawal, mTOR can also enhance stress transcriptional responses. In agreement, once inhibited, mTOR binds 'signal transducer and activator of transcription-1' (STAT1), a pro-apoptotic transcription factor, and the STAT1 kinase 'protein kinase C-delta' (PKCδ). Inactivation of mTOR enhanced STAT1 nuclear import, the induction of STAT1-dependent genes (including STAT1 per se), and apoptosis, indicating a role for mTOR activity in suppressing apoptosis transcriptional responses. However the function of PKCδ in the mTOR/STAT1 complex is unknown. After …  Read more

Prasher, Shiv (Supervisor1)  Read more

Cette thèse analyse de manière critique « l’appel au boycott, aux désinvestissements et aux sanctions contre Israël jusqu’à ce qu’il applique le droit international et les principes universels des droits humains » — l’appel BDS — en y distinguant deux images du peuple palestinien. La nation palestinienne est représentée à la fois comme a) un peuple autochtone et b) comme un peuple réfugié ou diasporique. Je soutiens que ces deux images sont produites par les deux visages du colonialisme de peuplement auquel le peuple palestinien a été soumis : la dépossession et le déplacement. La théorisation de la dépossession et …  Read more

Actuellement existants de surveillance des patients et des systèmes d'acquisition de données sont la propriété, et ils ne supportent pas l'utilisation de dispositifs sur mesure qui pourrait être nécessaire pour certaines expériences. La conception et la mise en œuvre d'un nouveau patient et la surveillance du système d'acquisition de données est présentée ici, qui prend en charge l'utilisation de tout nouvel appareil suite à une augmentation de courte et simple de la programmation par l'utilisateur. Nous démontrons l'utilité du système en décrivant la conception et l'implantation de plusieurs dispositifs déjà intégré dans le système. En outre, nous décrivons la conception …  Read more

Brain cancers, including Glioblastoma (a lethal grade IV brain cancer) are the most complex and challenging of all cancers in terms of treatment, morbidity, and mortality. These tumors exhibit genomic heterogeneity and are nurtured by a complex ecosystem of various cell types. From a genomic perspective, these tumors are constituted by genetically diverse populations of abnormal cells and this genomic complexity has remained a bottleneck in our understanding of the disease and, therefore, hindered any therapeutic attempts. However, recent transcriptomic studies have exposed a cellular order to these tumors. These studies have not only revealed parallels between neurodevelopment and gliomagenesis …  Read more

In this thesis, a simple moving boundary technique has been suggested, implemented and verified. The technique may be considered as a generalization of the well-known "ghost" cell approach for boundary condition implementation. According to the proposed idea, the moving body does not appear on the computational grid and is allowed to move over the grid. The impermeable wall boundary condition is enforced by assigning proper gasdynamic values at the grid nodes located inside the moving body close to its boundaries (ghost nodes). The reflection principle taking into account the velocity of the boundaries assigns values at the ghost nodes. The …  Read more