McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par B

Boudrias, Marie-Helene (Supervisor1)  Read more

Cordierite-orthoamphibole rocks associated with contrasting polymetallic mineralization occur in a wide range of metamorphic conditions in the Atik Lake, Manitoba, and Nemiscau and Montauban, Quebec, metamorphic terranes. Lithogeochemistry and geothermobarometry investigations using whole rock major, trace and rare earth elements and mineral chemistries have established the chemical and physical changes that occurred during hydrothermal alteration and subsequent regional metamorphism. The Log(Ratio) method, utilizing ratio profiles of the immobile elements $ rm Al sb2O sb3$, TiO$ sb2$, Zr, Nb, Y V and Cr, was designed to identify the protoliths of the metamorphosed altered rocks. Detailed geothermobarometry and textural evidence indicate that …  Read more

Long after its initial discovery as part of DNA and as the main source of energy in the cell, the nucleotide adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP) is now rightfully considered as an important extracellular signalling molecule. It is now known that purinergic transmission plays significant physiological roles, notably in neuro- and gliotransmission, in the modulation of the innate and adaptive immune response, in smooth muscle constriction and in regulating blood clotting. It is also actively involved in the generation and maintenance of various pathological states, including chronic neuropathic and inflammatory pain.How purinergic signalling can be implicated in such a diverse array of mechanisms …  Read more

By the methods of gel electrophoresis, protein blotting, and lectin staining, we compared the cell membrane glycoproteins of the human erythroleukemia cell line K562 with those of a NK-resistant subclone (Clone I), and a Con A-resistant subclone of Clone I called "Con A-R1". Although parental K562 and Clone I cells gave identical patterns, Con A-R1 contained two major populations of fucosylated proteins. Immunological analysis by flow cytometry and histochemical staining with lectins demonstrated that in Con A-R1 the H blood group epitope appeared concurrently with the disappearance of the $ alpha$1-3 fucosyllactosamine (Le$ sp{ rm X}$) epitope. Incubation of cells …  Read more

Genetics is one sector in which there has been tremendous evolution and progress over the last few decades. While it is believed that genetics could offer tremendous opportunities for global health improvement, there is also a fear that existing global health inequalities will be amplified by the evolution of genetics. It thus appears necessary to analyse the way current assumptions define what is just and acceptable with regard to global access and distribution of resources in this field. Indeed, given the importance of genetics to human health globally, this thesis will evaluate two principal legal regimes---intellectual property and international human …  Read more

Optimization of multimodal functions is hard for traditional optimization techniques. Holland's genetic algorithm combined with the concept of niche and speciation already showed success in such difficult problems. Some implementations of this concept exist, but the effective ones all lack flexibility by requiring either previous knowledge about the function to optimize or by imposing some fixed external schedule of exploration. We present an implementation of this concept using minimum spanning trees that is compared with a previous algorithm on random choices of input parameters. Our proposal does not require any a priori knowledge about the function. Two approaches using the …  Read more

Complementary analytical, numerical, and experimental investigations of fluid flow and heat transfer in closed-loop thermosyphons with vertical heated and cooled sections are presented in this thesis. A new model is proposed to couple the local results of numerical simulations performed in the heated and cooled section of a thermosyphon with a one-dimensional analytical model. The numerical simulations are based on a finite-volume numerical method which was formulated for the solution of laminar mixed-convection flows in vertical pipes with (or without) conjugate conduction in the pipe wall. Experimentally, a closed-loop thermosyphon was specially designed and constructed for this study. In the …  Read more

Assessing On-Farm Irrigation Water Use Efficiency in Southern Ontario In southern Ontario, irrigation is essential for high value horticultural crop production to overcome insufficient rainfall and achieve stabilized crop production. In a context where competition for limited water resources intensifies due to the expansion of the agricultural sector, increasing urban development and tourism, and potential climate change impacts, conserving water through efficient irrigation has become a key solution to address this growing challenge. The implementation of advanced soil water monitoring technologies and water budgeting for improved irrigation scheduling is explored to conserve water and thus cope with increasing competing demands …  Read more

Le sacrement de la confirmation dans l'Église catholique, un rite qui est souvent célébré au cours de l'adolescence, était, au début de l'Église, plus étroitement lié au baptême (même dans le cas des enfants) – fait auquel on trouve des témoins à partir du deuxième siècle. Même aujourd'hui, l'Église romaine célèbre la confirmation en même temps que le baptême dans le cas des adultes, comme les Églises orientales font pour tout catéchumène, même pour les enfants. La confirmation est constituée, normalement, d'une onction ou d'une imposition de mains par l'évêque ou par son représentant; on voit qu'une tradition de longue …  Read more

Les simulateurs quantiques sont des plateformes prometteuses pour étudier des systèmes quantiques de manière contrôlable. Ces plateformes sont limitées dans leur application par les techniques de préparation d'états quantiques actuelles. Pour être efficaces, les techniques adiabatiques nécessitent une connaissance des états à basse énergie du système et prennent un temps qui augmente rapidement avec la taille du système. Ainsi, elles ne sont plus pratiques lorsque les systèmes sont larges ou complexes, où il est difficile de déterminer ces états. Des efforts importants sont déployés pour développer des techniques qui offrent un raccourci à l'adiabatie.Nous examinons des techniques pour la préparation …  Read more

The cellular activity in bone and cartilage tissue is controlled by substances present in the osseous environment. Using representative cell lines, modulation of osteoblastic and chondrocytic phenotypic markers such as hormone-responsiveness, enzymatic activities, and matrix production by osteotropic factors was examined in vitro. In UMR 106 cells, a rat osteoblast-derived osteosarcoma cell line, a differential distribution of EGF and PTH receptors over proliferating and quiescent cells, respectively, was observed. EGF treatment resulted in expansion of a less differentiated population characterized by decreased PTH- and CT-stimulated adenylate cyclase and binding capacity, and increased CGRP-responsiveness. Using immunocytolysis, a mixed osseous cell population …  Read more

Automated visual recognition and detection processes are becoming increasingly prevalent in almost all scientific fields and being currently implemented in many fields of industry. In most cases, systems are painstakingly designed and developed in order to detect only a single and specific object or property of an object. The objective of this project was to create a framework of development in which any object distinguishable in a two-dimensional digital image could be analyzed and subsequently detected in other images. Furthermore, as new methods are developed, they could be easily incorporated into this framework to ultimately improve the performance of the …  Read more

An algorithmic method for the recognition of fungal spore cells in microscopic images, as well as its development and its origin, are described and demonstrated. The process is designed for a machine vision project which automatically identifies fungal spores within field samples for epidemiological simulation models. The method consists of a three-pass system that successfully recognizes spores in any position and which is tolerant of occlusion. The algorithm, as implemented, demonstrated an accuracy of $ pm$5.3% on low quality images which is less than the assumed error of humans performing the same task. The processing speed also compared favorably with …  Read more

This thesis considers the notion that it is the future which judges the present and that judgement is always guilty. In effect to understand modernity on its own terms one would have to inquire if we have any more right to affirm a given future than to deny one? The question arises as follows. If a subject exists prior to the process which is its being, an uncomfortable aporia ensues. Firstly, if being human is understood as "becoming", i.e. humans can and do appear through the enactment of change, then "being" itself is temporal. How then does this self secure …  Read more

This thesis analyzes the problems and contradictions inherent in modernity's levelling of the fabricative and political realms. Seeking a broader perspective on the origins of aesthetic culture and aestheticized politics, it examines the relation of architecture to technology, culture, and politics. The thesis examines the consequences of the Enlightenment and "Radical Enlightenment" (understanding the rise of the modern nation-state as a direct consequence of the 18th century's yoking of history and nature) from the perspective of Japan and its encounter with modernity. Japan as a modern nation-state, neither part of the European Enlightenment nor colonized by its instruments, was able …  Read more

"Data were collected from psychophysiological experiments in which subjects were asked to verbalize the emotions of joy and anger while two physiological signals, cardiac interbeat interval and galvanic skin response, were simultaneously recorded. The first objective of the subsequent analysis was to find whether a test could be devised to decide automatically, on the basis of intra-subject ~ priori records, which of the two putative emotions had been verbalized. First, detection methods were applied to the cardiac interval data based on the Bayes maximum likelihood criterion, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov two-sample test, and a mean absolute deviation test. The "best" method, as …  Read more

RÉSUMÉEn raison du faible taux de dons dans leur propre pays, de nombreux citoyens Israéliens ont récemment tourné à l'achat d'organes à partir de l'étranger, au péril de leur vie dans des conditions d'hygiène hospitalière. Le trafic d'organes pose également un dilemme éthique pour ceux qui vendent leurs organes. Souvent, ces fournisseurs sont sous-rémunérés pour leurs parties du corps, tandis que le suivi des traitements médicaux est minime. La religion juive a toujours placé le caractère sacré de la vie humaine, à sa base, et il semble que le judaïsme autorise le don d'organes et, dans certains cas, le paiement …  Read more

The excitation function for the production of F18 from F19 under proton bombardment at energies 10-90 Mev has been determined. Carbon in the teflon (CF2) targets served as monitor. The excitation function rises sharply from the 9.1 Mev threshold and reaches a maximum of 85 millibarns at 24 Mev; then gradually drops to a nearly steady value of 50 millibarns at the upper energy limit.  Read more

This study concerns two research categories each consisting of twenty-five female employees. One category entitled the Absentee Group is comprised of employees who have been required to undergo medical examinations because of frequent absences from work; the other, entitled the Self-referred Group concerns employees who have reported to the medical department on their own initiative with minor physical complaints.  Read more

This thesis is based on research into the nature and controls on the geochemical patterns resulting from the dispersion in humus and moss, of zinc, nickel, copper and lead from Precambrien rocks. The results have justified certain conclusions which the writer believes will be of practical use to the rapidly expanding science of applied geochemistry. The dispersion patterns studied are the result of weathering and dispersion in mineral soils and ground water, of primary minerals, either related to zones of sulphide mineralization or occurring in trace amounts in unmineralized rock. The metals forming these secondary dispersion patterns have entered the …  Read more

The world faces an environmental crisis which can only be resolved through global co-operation and solidarity. Traditional international environmental law, based on the positivist notion of sovereignty, cannot offer adequate solutions. International environmental law must be based on a global approach founded on the notion of a common concern of humankind. This global approach has to provide a legal framework for the protection of the global environment. But it also must take into account the diverging needs and expectations of the different states. Furthermore, it must be realistic and cannot simply demand the replacement of sovereign states by a world …  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

This thesis is a psychoanalytical study of the novel A l'ombre des jeunes filles en fleurs. It is specifically concerned with identifying the subconscious mechanisms that engage the creative process in the Proustian hero. The main character's belligerent relations with the real world augment his passivity and sense of powerlessness. As the story unfolds, the young Marcel's desirous nature is expressed though his private fantasy world, providing a revealing glimpse of the great literary works to come. The character's sado-masochistic and oedipal tendencies act as a catalyst for his creative energies, leading him to use his pen, as the ultimate …  Read more

Cette thèse examine comment les groupes construisent délibérément de nouvelles identités sociales et les utilisent pour formuler des revendications politiques en réponse à l'oppression, en particulier dans des conditions de profond désaccord. Elle offre un compte rendu théorique de ce qu'implique une telle démarche, y compris ses implications, ses défis et ses limites, ainsi que les possibilités ouvertes par une compréhension plus complète de ce type de délibération. Ce projet utilise la théorie féministe et d’autres approches méthodologiques pour accomplir cette tâche.Je propose d’abord un modèle d’identités sociales en termes de scripts sociaux, en m’appuyant sur des récits de scripts …  Read more

Global education is founded upon numerous theoretical frameworks. In this thesis, following a review of relevant literature, I will carefully consider Pike and Selby's (1995) four-dimensional model of global education. Although I regard theirs as the most promising of recent conceptualizations, it doesn't seem to provide a clear articulation of the specifics of their four dimensions, as well as the way in which these can be fostered in learners. In an attempt to address this incompleteness, I will turn to global communications pioneer Marshall McLuhan whose discussion of the global village contains key concepts and definitions that may provide more …  Read more

Inclusive Physical and Health Education (PHE) suggests that students with disabilities be educated alongside their non-disabled peers so that all students receive similar educational experiences. Over the years, schools began hiring paraprofessionals in an attempt to improve inclusive classroom environments. Previous research has examined paraprofessional roles and responsibilities, training needs and teacher-paraprofessional collaboration. The purpose of this study was to explore the working relationship between paraprofessionals and PHE teachers to determine the various factors that may impact inclusive PHE. The overarching research question was: How do paraprofessionals and PHE teachers experience working as a team in the context of PHE? …  Read more

The performance of a concrete floor joist section under a simulated vehicle wheel load is investigated in order to determine the feasibility of this configuration as a bridge deck. Special attention is paid to the thin 2-1/2 inch slab, and analyses are attempted using the elastic plate theory and the ultimate yield line theory. The slab is tested both elastically and inelastically and failure mechanisms noted. [...]  Read more

Des procédés dynamiques dans des systèmes liquide-solide non-équilibrés sont étudiés au cours d'échelles de temps mésoscopiques et d'échelles de longueur atomistiques en utilisant des modèles « phase-field crystal » (PFC). Diverses transitions de congélation et de fusion sont examinées en deux et trois dimensions, et les phénomènes microscopiques responsables de la plasticité des phases solides sont étudiées. Un accent est mis sur la problématique des dynamiques atomistiques au cours d'échelles de temps qui sont généralement inaccessibles aux approches conventionnelles. Les dynamiques de formation vitreuse dans les liquides metastables surfondus près d'une transition vitreuse sont étudiés numériquement, et les caractéristiques centrales …  Read more

The stromatoporoids grew on lime muds in a quiet, shallow water, shelf environment. From the orientation of orthoceracone cephalopods, the current direction was from the east-southeast or the west-northwest or the north-northeast. [...]  Read more

The need for a study of this kind is apparent to most students of Canadian population. The scope permitted by a paper of limited space is insufficient for any really adequateanalysis of all the problems involved. Yet it has been found practicable to review in some measure the growth of Canadian population since the British succession to control.Immigration is inevitably involved in the process of growth, and an attempt has been made to evaluate its effect on regional development as well as on the expansion of Canada as a whole. The result of the latter attempt is not in agreement …  Read more

This thesis addresses the challenge of estimating the uncertainty in the outputs of a deep generative model, specifically how its predictions vary depending on its parameters, the data it was trained on, and stochasticity in the generative process. It focuses in particular on epistemic uncertainty, which arises from the model’s lack of knowledge. Reliable uncertainty estimation is essential for applications in active learning, safe decision-making, and detecting model bias, especially in high-stakes or underrepresented domains. Despite recent advances in generative modeling, methods for quantifying epistemic uncertainty remain computationally expensive or poorly suited to large-scale models. This work proposes new methods …  Read more

Humidifying infant incubators facilitates heat retention, but entails an infection risk from microbial humidifier contamination. The Royal Victoria Hospital nursery was recently reequipped with steam humidity source incubators and converted to incubator humidification. An observational (before-after) study investigated the association between incubator humidification and hypernatremia and (secondarily) other hydration associated outcomes in very premature infants. Thirty-one incubator humidification and 60 non-humidification period infants were compared. Mean gestational age was 25.83 weeks for both groups. Mean highest serum sodium values were 143.5 (SD 9.4) and 152.9 (SD 4.9) mEq/l respectively (p < 0.001). Differences persisted after adjustment for confounding by age …  Read more

A general equation was derived for calculating the weight-average molecular weight of the sol fraction, after gelation, of crosslinked copolymers formed by condensation polymerisation; the equation includes those of Flory and Stockmayer as special cases. In qualitative agreement with a gel-degradation model based on the general equation, soluble degradation products from a polymer gel of well defined structure displayed a pattern of increasing molecular weight with increasing solubilisation; it was also observed that the second virial coefficient and the refractive index increment showed a particular form of variation with molecular weight. The gel-degradation model, applied to the known chemistry of …  Read more

Among the many methods for measurement of frequency, there is a bridge circuit devised by Kennelly and Velander. The circuit of this bridge is shown in Figure 2. The advantage of this bridge over others involving Mutual Inductance, Self Inductance, Capacitance, and Resistance, is that the behaviour of this circuit is independent of impurities in capacitance. Furthermore, this bridge is particularly well adapted to use at low frequencies. However, it has one outstanding disadvantage in that it has a following balance condition. There is another point, too, which limits its practical usefulness. This is the presence of a self-inductance in …  Read more

This thesis, while not attempting to place any false emphasis upon the importance of the dramatic work of Sir William Davenant, nevertheless aims at putting such stress upon his effect on English drama as seems to be justified by the scope of his work. There is also some attempt made to relate the influences of the period upon Davenant, to evaluate the character of the man himself, and to defend him from false criticism both of his work and his methods. [...]  Read more

Crampton, E. (Supervisor)  Read more

L'industrie du fer et de l'acier est en pleine croissance et sa production mondiale a augmenté de 65% au cours des dix dernières années (World Steel Association, 2012). Malheureusement, elle est également responsable d'un quart des émissions industrielles de CO2 ce qui en fait la plus importante source industrielle de CO2 atmosphérique (International Energy Agency (IEA), 2007).La carbonatation minérale fournit une méthode robuste pour la séquestration permanente du CO2 sous une forme écologiquement inerte. La larnite (Ca2SiO4), constituant principal des scories d'acier, réagit aisément avec le CO2 aqueux (Santos et al., 2009). Par conséquent, sa carbonatation offre une importante occasion …  Read more

The physiological role of the lung was not realized before the middle of the sixteenth century. In 1553 Michael SERVETUS stated that there occurred in the long "the generation of the vital spirit, a compound of the inspired air with the most subtle portion of the b1ood. 1) The first investigations on the intimate structure of the lung were those by MALPIGHI (1697) who demonstrated that the two systems in the lung, the air conducting and vascular systems, were independent and that no communication existed between them.  Read more

Growth is the process by which an organism or part of it increases in size. Growth requires an increase in the amount of cell material as well as of intercellular substances, fibres, secretory material, etc. The cells are the significant element, since they produce the intercellular material. And, therefore, growth must involve either an increase in the number or in the size of cells. [...]  Read more

Kierkegaard was utterly convinced that apologetics were a form of treason arising out of stupidity, and that whosoever invented them has been a second Judas within the Christian world. It is true however, that apologetics have been the concern of Christian Theologians throughout the History of the Church. The twentieth century does not constitute an exception to this rule in spite of the passionate warning of the Danish philosopher and its profound repercussions in the theology of K. Barth. The demythologization programme, championed by Rudolph Bultmann in the field of New Testament studies, seems to pursue once again the defence …  Read more

Roman Catholic Modernism in Europe and the Social Gospel in America, are two movements within the Christian Church, developing almost simultaneously, at the dawn of the twentieth century, with many affinities in aims and thoughts. This thesis proposes to investigate their developments, their characteristics, and their eventual relation and common premises, by considering similar aspects of their sociology and of their theology. [...]  Read more

Supplementation of a minimal medium with KHCO$ sb3$ and some amino acids reduced the duration of the lag period for the growth of the marine bacterium Deleya aesta 134 at sub-optimal Na$ sp+$ concentrations and decreased the minimal Na$ sp+$ concentration allowing growth, to 8mM. Na$ sp+$ was required for the transport of most metabolites into D. aesta 134, while some compounds were taken up by both a Na$ sp+$-dependent and a Na$ sp+$-independent system. Phosphate transport was not affected by Na$ sp+.$ Na$ sp+$ was also required for the oxidation of exogenous succinate. Evidence for the presence in D. …  Read more