McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par B

Ce mémoire se penche sur l'esthétique des textes journalistiques de Mavis Gallant et de Gabrielle Roy. En problématisant la spécificité de la production de Gallant au Standard et de Roy au Bulletin des agriculteurs dans le Montréal des années 1940, cette étude s'attarde aux traces de l'expérience journalistique, non pas dans la suite de leur œuvre, mais dans les articles, par la description de l'ensemble de leur production d'une part, et, d'autre part, par l'analyse détaillée de textes choisis. Élaborée à partir de concepts génériques rattachés à l'étude de la creative nonfiction, l'hypothèse qui étaie ce travail est que le …  Read more

The production of hypertension by renal ischemia in animals, and the recognition of renal disease in association with clinical hypertension, have firmly established the role of the kidney in the etiology of hypertension. Its mechanism of action, however, is poorly understood. [...]  Read more

L'incidence accrue du cancer du pancréas nous orienta à étudier un modèle expérimental pour produire une obstruction progressive des canaux pancréatiques. Quinze chiens bâtards furept étudiés de une à onze semaines. Un papier de cellophane enroulé et attaché lâche autour du canal, près du duodénum, produisait l'obstruction. Une pancréatographie pré-opératoire permettait d'identifier et de ligaturer des canaux accessoires.  Read more

Szpunar, J. A. (Supervisor)  Read more

A high-powered Servo-analyser has been built to fill a need in the frequency response analysis of electric machines, for a high power source having a frequency range from zero. [...]  Read more

Discrimination of consonant vowel syllables by eight hearing-impaired children was studied. Each child was tested over twelve sessions under each of the following conditions: vision, audition, vision supplemented by optimal audition, and vision supplemented by suboptimal audition. Speech material was presented by videotape and subjects responded by operating a same-different response device. Discrimination was better under bisensory conditions than under either unisensory condition. Vision supplemented by optimal audition was superior to vision supplemented by suboptimal audition. There was no significant difference between visual and auditory conditions. Dental consonants were visually discriminable when contrasted with alveolar consonants, and the vowels /a/ …  Read more

Free-space optical links can provide high bandwidth, flexible, high-density interconnections between electronic elements within computers and switches. These links function with no physical contact but suffer from poor tolerances to misalignment. This thesis presents the design and implementation of an optical link which exploits the spatial redundancy between arrays of active optoelectronic elements in order to obtain a high misalignment tolerance between them. The system consists of four optical links operating between two printed circuit boards. Each optical link pair constitutes a bi-directional channel. Each of the links is designed to function at 1.25Gb/s, yielding an aggregate bandwidth of 5Gb/s …  Read more

In modern communications systems, the components supporting wavelength division for increased density are rapidly becoming small compared with the wavelength of light being manipulated. As the size of these devices shrinks there comes a point when the features of interest become smaller than the wavelength and thereby the fundamental properties of light interaction with such structures change dramatically. In these structures and materials, resonances, effective properties, and band-gaps arise and offer designers a new realm of possibilities for the design of high quality factor resonators, filters and switches. The study of structures comprising two different scales compared with the wavelength …  Read more

Partially purified lipoxygenase (LOX) extracts were obtained from Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium proliferalum, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Chlorella pyrenoidosa by precipitation with ammonium sulfate. The enzymatic extracts from F. oxysporum and S. cerevisiae both exhibited two optimal activities at pH 8.0 and 10.0 while those from F. proliferatum and C. pyrenoidosa showed one optimal pH at 6.0 and 4.5, respectively. The enzymatic extract from F. proliferalum showed the highest LOX activity. The lowest LOX activity was exhibited in the C. pyrenoidosa extract. At pH 8.0, LOX activity from F. oxysporum and S. cerevisiae was inhibited by potassium cyanide (KCN), exhibiting a non-competitive …  Read more

This thesis examines the influence of Luigi Dallapiccola (1904–1975) on Bruno Maderna's (1920–1973) early serialism by means of a comparative analysis. Two song cycles are compared: Dallapiccola's Liriche greche (1942–45) and Maderna's Tre liriche greche per piccolo coro, soprano solo e strumenti (1948). The author presents separate analyses of each work (Chapters 1 and 2), which form the basis for comparison (Chapter 3). The analysis of Dallapiccola's Liriche greche examines in particular the effects of his non-serial compositional choices on his twelve-tone method. The discussion of Maderna's Tre liriche greche illustrates how his novel methods of serial development result from …  Read more

This thesis considers the power allocation (PA) to maximize the achievable sum-rate in hybrid beamforming (HB) multi-user massive multiple-input multiple-output (MU-mMIMO) systems for both single-carrier and multi-carrier downlink transmissions under the total transmit power constraint. The sum-rate maximization problem involves the radio-frequency (RF) beamforming, baseband (BB) precoding and power allocation. As the PA optimization problem in HB MU-mMIMO systems is non-convex, we apply nature-inspired (NI) evolutionary algorithms (EAs) and machine learning (ML)-based approaches to develop suitable techniques to find near-optimal solutions in non-convex optimization search spaces. Specifically, we propose three AI-based methods to tackle the sum-rate maximization problem: (i) genetic …  Read more

In 1940 an investigation of gaseous fluorides was undertaken in this laboratory as part of a search for new toxic respirator penetrants. A sample of supposedly pure sulphur hexafluoride, prepared by the passage of fluorine over sulphur, was found to be surprisingly toxic to mice. Fractionation of the gas yielded about 1% of a high molecular weight impurity, identified as disulphur decafluoride, S2F10, which proved to be the toxic ingredient. Importantly enough, lethal concentrations for small animals were odourless. Studies on the toxicity of S2F10 have been reported by Noble (1) and Geiling (2). [...] The work was therefore concentrated …  Read more

This dissertation will outline the integrated circuit design of an adaptive phase-locked loop that will be used to synchronize the sampling clock for a video speed analog to digital converter. The adaptive phase-locked loop (PLL) that will be described has not previously been used in the application of video synchronization. We shall demonstrate that this type of PLL will be able to out perform a static PLL in terms of its acquisition time, while still achieving a comparable noise performance. The PLL we shall describe will also be designed to be integrated on a single sub-micron BiCMOS chip. It is …  Read more

Sydney Owenson (Lady Morgan) was born in Dublin on Christmas Day in the year - some say 1783, others 1785, or 1787, and she herself refused to say. "What has a woman to do with dates?" she wrote in her Autobiography. "I mean to have none of them"(l). Her father, Robert MacOwen, "Anglice Owenson", an actor and director, well-known in Dublin theatrical circles of his time, was one of the MacOwens of Connaught. Her mother was Miss Jane Hill, "pious and prudent", daughter of a respectable burgess of the ancient city of Shrewsbury(2). Sydney seems to have been a precocious …  Read more

Hendry, Andrew (Supervisor1)  Read more

Purves, Clifford B. (Supervisor)  Read more

Bancroft, J. (Supervisors)  Read more

O'Neil, J. (Supervisors)  Read more

This thesis is concerned with the role of fairness in international environmental law and, by way of example, focuses specifically on the perspective of developing countries in the context of the climate change regime. A brief analysis of underlying conceptions of fairness in general international law serves as the backdrop for an evaluation of both procedural and substantive aspects of fairness within the climate change regime. This evaluation includes a detailed consideration of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol to that Convention. The thesis concludes that the role of fairness in the climate change …  Read more

That part of the soil which is composed of colloidal material is thought to be the seat of most of the reactions of the soil. Among the properties attributed to the colloidal fraction are those of base exchange, adsorption and retention of plant nutrients, reactivity toward chemical reagents, solubility, heat of wetting and water holding capacity (4). Bouyoucos (5) believes the physical properties of soils are largely controlled by the colloidal material while Truog (34) has indicated the function of soil colloids in plant nutrition. More recently Jenny and Overstreet (14) have suggested that cations are interchanged by plant roots …  Read more

This study argues that there is an essential unity to John Donne's poems and sermons. Chapter One is a survey of Donne criticism: Ilona Bell suggests Donne "seeks communion, but is continually prepared to recognize disjunction." It is argued that Bell's notion is validated in both genres where Donne renders concrete a movement of thought or emotion through figurative language. Chapter Two examines how the sermons move between the literal sense of scripture, and its multiform spiritual significance. Chapter Three examines the writerly tradition of the Church Fathers in relation to some of Donne's poetry. Augustine read the bible as …  Read more

Cette thèse prend pour objet la production photographique d'artistes autochtones nord-américains qui traitent dans leurs œuvres du colonialisme des colons, que celui-ci soit historique ou en cours. La photographie en tant que média se prête tout particulièrement à ce type de pratique artistique et à ses interrogations : d'une part, à cause du rôle qu'a joué la photographie dans la mise en place des pouvoirs coloniaux tout au long des 19e et du 20e siècles et, d'autre part, à cause de la conception problématique mais persistante de l'indexicalité de la photographie (avec ses implications constantes d'objectivité ou d'impartialité). Je construis …  Read more

Objective: This study examined the outcomes of patients diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) in adolescence. Neuropsychological measures of executive function and attention, as well as trait measures of impulsivity and affective lability were examined with clinical and demographic factors as predictors of outcomes of patients diagnosed with BPD in adolescence.Methods: 47 adolescent girls were assessed for a diagnosis of BPD; 31 had a past diagnosis of BPD while 16 did not meet criteria. Subjects were assessed with the SCID-I, the Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines - Revised (DIB-R), the Symptom Checklist – Revised (SCL-90-R), the Social Adjustment Scale – Self-Report …  Read more

In this master's paper, the author analyses some paratextual elements of the original editions of Le Second Enfer by Etienne Dolet published in Lyon and Troyes in 1544. On the one hand, she studies the title of the work, particularly the wide connotation field he alludes to and, on the other hand, the set of themes that links the poetical defence of Dolet to the texts that are added to it. On the basis of that analysis, the author tries to demonstrate the essentially argumentative function of the paratext and she explains how the Second Enfer, in his original architecture, …  Read more

Porter, J. (Supervisors)  Read more

Hemmeon, J. (Supervisor)  Read more

In this thesis, I examine two current approaches to political pluralism: group and relational pluralism. In the first chapter, I show that the two are founded on distinct social theories; whereas group pluralism rests on a social theory of associational opposition, relational pluralism rests on a theory of solidarity and cooperation between groups. Despite their different social-theoretical foundations, I argue that both are needed to understand authority in the real world, where relations between groups are marked by cooperation and conflict alike. In chapter 2, I turn to political pluralism’s two core justifications of associational governance, which are grounded in …  Read more

Halverson, Galen (Supervisor1)  Read more

La scoliose idiopathique de l'adolescent (SIA) est la maladie musculo-squelettique la plus courante chez les jeunes âgés de 10 à 16 ans mondialement. Des résultats néfastes pour la qualité de vie liée à la santé du patient, tels qu'une diminution de la fonction pulmonaire et des maux de dos, sont associés à la sévérité de la courbure vertébrale chez les patients scoliotiques. Les options de traitement actuelles visent à prévenir la progression de la courbe, mais sont limitées par la nature idiopathique qui élude notre compréhension actuelle des facteurs causaux menant à la maladie. L'instabilité vertébrale pendant la croissance semble …  Read more

Ce travail applique plusieurs méthodes de décomposition de traînée à l’intérieur d’un système basé sur la méthode adjointe pour l’optimization aérodynamique de géométrie. Dans cette thèse, le solveur numérique basé sur les équations moyennes de Navier-Stokes (RANS) est brièvement présenté. Les méthodes de décomposition de traînée, incluant une nouvelle correction de traînée induite se basant sur un détecteur de vortex, sont présentées et appliquées à des écoulements visqueux et non-visqueux. Le système d’optimization à méthode adjointe est aussi décrit; plus particulièrement le principle adjoint, la méthode de déformation de maillage à fonctions basiques radiale (RBF) et la stratégie d’optimization. Une …  Read more

I examined the nest site selection of the Spanish Imperial Eagle Aquila adalberti population of the Donana National Park (SW Spain) from 1984 to 1994, in relation to the microhabitat and macrohabitat representing vegetative composition, degree of human influence and land use. The study included 75 active nest sites and 75 random sites. Univariate analyses and Generalized Linear Models were used. Nest sites differed significantly from the random sites for 87% of habitat variables measured. The model correctly classified 85.3% of the nest sites and 86.7% of the random sites. The probability of occupation of a site by a Spanish …  Read more

Montreal est une ville d'A peu pres un million de personnes dont au moins les trois quarts de langue française, et un asaez grand nombre des autres oom prennent le français. Il est donc surprenant et presque incroyable de oonstater qu'un théâtre français ne peut subsister dans une ville de ces dimensions. Mais si noua examinons l'histoire du théâtre français àMontréal nous trouverons beaucoup d'essais qui, l'un après l'autre, echouaient. [...]  Read more

Gordon, Julius (Supervisor)  Read more

A new model is proposed for the calculation of relative depth doses for diagnostic radiology using a direct photon transport/ray tracing technique which incorporates both primary and first scatter dose. The x-ray spectra are generated from computer algorithms based on the Birch and Marshall semi-empirical model; the spectra are established by matching calculated and measured transmission data. The algorithms for the generation of x-ray spectra and for the calculation of depth doses are described. Relative depth doses are determined for a number of radiographic techniques. The calculations are compared with measured and published depth doses; the agreement is very good …  Read more

Recent years have witnessed a growing concern among foreign investors about the laws and policies concerning foreign investment in Quebec and Canada. This thesis focuses on the laws that affect non Canadians doing business in Canada and Quebec. The introduction deals with the history of the policies concerning foreign ownership in Quebec and Canada. Section two analyzes the juridical personality of foreigners. Thereafter, this thesis will study the different implications for aliens acquiring moveables or immoveables in Quebec. This writer will analyze the legislative provisions and policies concerning foreign investment that are enacted by the federal government and the provincial …  Read more

The present study was undertaken primarily to determine the prevalence of ABCA1 gene defects in a selected population with a HDL-C < 5 th percentile. The results showed that 30% of the selected patients had a lipid efflux defect and 16% (10/64) of those patients had a mutation in the ABCA1 gene. The cholesterol and phospholipid efflux showed a high correlation with HDL-C levels. In addition, both phospholipid and cholesterol effluxes (r = 0.64 p < 0.001 and r = 0.48 p < 0.001, respectively) were significantly correlated to HDL-C levels in selected hypoalphalipoproteinemia subjects. Knowing that ABCA1 is regulated …  Read more

Berry, Gregory Kenneth (Supervisor2)  Read more

Gehr, Ronald (Supervisor1)  Read more

Le micro-usinage au laser femtoseconde (fs) est capable de créer une grande variété de microstructures hiérarchiques en une seule étape sur tout type de matériaux, en toutes conditions, et sans avoir recours à un environnement sous-vide ou à des salles blanches. Ainsi, au long des années, le micro-usinage au laser femtoseconde est devenu une technique émergente d’ingénierie de surface. Puisque le résultat du micro-usinage dépend de plusieurs paramètres, pour exercer plus de contrôle sur le résultat, il est désirable de comprendre comment ces paramètres influencent la formation de structures de surface. Cependant, jusqu’à présent, la majorité des études s’est concentré …  Read more

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a progressive respiratory disorder, the leading cause of non-parturition hospital stay in Canada and the third leading cause of death globally, known for heterogeneity in its development, presentation, and progression. Treatment planning targets prevention and management of exacerbations since these aggressively impact lung function deterioration even in mild-moderate disease severity stage.There are gaps in our knowledge, among those with mild-moderate COPD, to support the detection of rapid decliners and the development of targeted therapeutics. Prevalent knowledge has evolved mainly through studies in severely ill patients and is not generalizable to milder stages. The overarching …  Read more

Shahin, Jason (Internal/Cosupervisor2)  Read more

En créant une barrière immunoprotectrice, l’encapsulation d’îlots pourrait mener à un traitement durable au diabète de type 1 tout en évitant le recours aux médicaments immunosuppresseurs présentement requis pour éviter le rejet de greffes d’îlots. Les techniques d'encapsulation par buse conventionnelles ont des taux de production limités et forment des billes qui sont perméables à certaines composantes du système immunitaire comme les anticorps. Une méthode basée sur l’émulsion de l’alginate sous agitation dans une phase organique a été proposée plus récemment afin de surmonter ces limitations, mais ce procédé génère des billes avec une large distribution de taille. L'émulsification par …  Read more