McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par B

Gold nanorod solutions absorb light strongly at specific wavelengths, due to plasmon resonances. The wavelength of peak absorption shifts depending on the refractive index of the solvent, which makes them ideal for optical biosensors. However, in solution multiple resonances are present because the nanorod orientation is random. Here, an attempt at developing a technique for creating an aligned nanorod sample is presented. A solution of gold nanorods suspended in liquid polymer was cured while exposed to an electric field. The samples were imaged using a near-field scanning optical microscope, which showed different morphologies for samples exposed to the field and …  Read more

Though a-pyrrolidinecarboxylic acid or proline occurs widely distributed in nature, it first, became knomn to chemists as a synthetic product. Inactive proline was first synthesizedby Willstatter (Ber. 33. 1160, 1900). He condensed monosodiomalonic ester with trimethylenedibromide to form l-brompropylmalonic ester. [...]  Read more

Une revue assez étendue de. différents problèmes soulevés par les réactions secondaires aux médicaments a été entreprise. La littérature spécialisée a été revue et critiquée suivant un schéma d'étude épidémiolocique. Une enquête rétrospective menée dans deux hôpitaux universitaires de Montréal a éprouvé un nouveau système de détection des réactions secondaires aux medicaments. Des méthodes et des résultats des plus importantes études épidémiologiques sur le sujet ont été compares. En conclusion, certains aspects du problème des reactions médicamenteuses ont été nouvellement identifiés et certaines suggestions pour l'amélioration des procédés de recherché ont été avancés.  Read more

Habitat loss is the primary driver of global amphibian declines and thus preserving habitat is our best hope for preserving species at risk. The habitat needs of amphibians are complex due to terrestrial and aquatic requirements throughout their life history. Many pond breeding amphibians spend the majority of their life cycle within terrestrial environments and thus terrestrial habitats are critical to their persistence. Cryptic and fossorial behavior makes observations of amphibians in terrestrial habitats difficult. Our knowledge of the terrestrial ecology of amphibians is therefore incredibly limited. I review the literature on habitat loss, amphibian declines and terrestrial habitat use …  Read more

In this dissertation I apply the literary and cultural theory of Fredric Jameson to some biblical texts. In the first chapter I present Jameson's theory as a complex relationship between an effort to account for the pluralism of methods and interpretations (metacommentary) and a specific Marxist method, comprising three phases of interpretation. In chapter two I apply metacommentary and the Marxist method to 1 Kings 11-14, moving from a formal and ideological analysis to questions of class and economics in an imperial context. In chapter three the method is similarly applied to two reinterpretations of the Kings passage: 3 Reigns …  Read more

In order to study the subcellular localization of the protein-tyrosine phosphatase MPTP, indirect immunofluorescence microscopy experiments were performed. The enzyme was thereby determined to localize almost exclusively to the nucleus. The nuclear localization signal was mapped by further immunofluorescence experiments performed with deletion mutants and $ beta$-galactosidase fusion constructs. The sequence $ rm sp{345}RKRIRED sp{351}$ was found to be capable and sufficient to localize MPTP and unrelated proteins to the nucleus, and a secondary domain was identified that is likely involved in mediating the nuclear retention of MPTP. To determine the in vivo functions of MPTP, its substrate specificity was …  Read more

A reef-associated zooplankton community was monitored at weekly intervals for 53 weeks. Samples were collected from quadrats of dense coral cover using emergence net traps. The numerical and biomass fluctuations of 15 taxonomic groups, 7 size classes and 5 feeding groups of the community were determined both temporally and spatially. The community was composed of abundant and diverse taxa (81) with cyclopoid copepods being the most important taxon. Larger-sized fauna (e.g. amphipods, decapods, mysids, etc.) were the second most important abundance and biomass contributors. Size class analysis illustrated a bimodal size distribution spectrum. The well developed second mode of the …  Read more

George, Massenburg, (Supervisor2)  Read more

Wanderley, Marcelo (Supervisor1)  Read more

George Grosz's paintings and drawings of Berlin during the Weimar period demonstrate a complex matrix of tensions between nature and the urban experience. In his work, mechanization, sexuality, gender and animality are recurring themes that cue the viewer to the profound anxiety that modernity had unleashed a chaotic force into the city. Using an ecofeminist analysis, I show how the disorder of the city was imagined as a primordial human condition in which a previously disavowed connection to nature was suddenly foregrounded. Though Grosz's renditions of Berlin scenes are ironic, they also revel in the demise of social order. In …  Read more

This dissertation considers the aesthetic strategies and ethical implications of contemporary earth art. Drawing from feminist and ecological critiques of phenomenology, it posits that an ethical preoccupation with the earth is identifiable in works that stage the artist's inability to condense natural phenomena into an intelligible art object thereby evidencing the earth's excess beyond the field of perception. Contemporary earth art has the paradoxical goal of evoking the sensorial plenitude of the earth without representing it as such. The first chapter analyzes Robert Smithson's monumental sculpture, the Spiral Jetty (1970), and suggests that the artist deploys the emblem of the …  Read more

Implementing neuromorphic algorithms is increasingly interesting as the error resilience and low-area, low-energy nature of biological systems becomes the potential solution for problems in robotics and artificial intelligence. While conventional digital methods are inefficient in implementing massively parallel systems, analog solutions are hard to design and program. Stochastic computing (SC) is a natural bridge that allows pseudo-analog computations in the digital domain using low-complexity hardware. However, large-scale SC systems traditionally suffered from long latencies, hence higher energy consumption. This thesis develops a VLSI architecture for an SC based binocular vision system based on a disparity-energy model that emulates the hierarchical …  Read more

Cette thèse expose l'injustice et les conséquences potentielles dans la common law canadienne des «mariages prédateurs» impliquant des personnes âgées. Dans les cas où un conjoint vulnérable, victime de manipulation dans le mariage, est indument influencé dans l'exécution d'un nouveau testament en faveur de son conjoint prédateur, cette thèse propose un recours en empêchant le conjoint prédateur d'hériter après la mort du conjoint victime. Cette proposition est développée à travers une étude comparative de la doctrine de l'influence indue du droit canadien et de ses équivalents du droit allemand. La «slayer rule» de la common law et la législation sur …  Read more

One of the outstanding consequences of our modern civilization is that the economic phase of life predominates all others. The "profit" motive has become the basis of individual endeavour; money-making is the goal of the business man, the dream of the youth and the incentive to work. The steady progress in the direction of improving the financial and banking systems, and the widespread education of the people in the advantages rendered by the banks to the community, have meant a greater utilization of banking institutions. With this development, the question of currency and mediums of exchange have asswmed great importance. …  Read more

Musicians and audio producers like vintage audio gear and for good reasons. The most beloved songs and sounds of the past were made on gear that now has become vintage. Examples of such gear are guitar pedals and amplifiers used by Jimi Hendrix (e.g., the Arbiter Fuzz Face) and the Mini-Moog synthesizer used by numerous artists since its debut in 1969. Unfortunately vintage gear is often expensive, hard to come by, impractical to transport and difficult to maintain.In order to replicate audio circuits that produce the sounds that vintage gear is famous for, multiple techniques from both industry and academia …  Read more

Commercial undertakings to arbitrate and arbitral awards are commonly recognized and enforced in both Canada and the United States. Chapter Eleven of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Investor-State Arbitration, now gives new meaning to the established arbitral regime. For the first time in any trade pact in the world to date, the NAFTA provides a mechanism by which a private investor may submit a claim against NAFTA Party government to dispute resolution through "binding" arbitration. This system not only established an innovative solution to a bureaucratic quandary by raising the investor onto a level playing field with a …  Read more

"In spite of all that is written, said, and done, this great, big, incontrovertible fact stands out-the Negro is progressing, and that disproves all the arguments in the world that he is incapable of progress." L'amélioration de l'état et de la position sociale des Noirs est un des faits les plus saisissants de notre vie d'aujourd'hui. Depuis le commencement du vingtième siècle, période plus libérale et plus tolérante que nulle autre auparavant envers le Noir, il commence à pénétrer dans tous les domaines de la pensée, de la vie intellectuelle, sociale et politique. Il reste beaucoup à faire, naturellement, car …  Read more

Alors même les recherches sur la construction sociale de nouveaux marchés s'accumulent, la littérature prend rarement en compte les communautés et les territoires où s'enracinent ces marchés. Cependant, des phénomènes intéressants apparaissent lorsqu'on resserre l'analyse sur l'encastrement des marchés dans des communautés spécifiques. Notamment, certains marchés, bien que très récents, finissent par s'inscrire dans l'histoire locale, et apparaissent comme authentiques et traditionnels. Cette thèse par article contribue à avancer nos connaissances en matière de construction de nouveaux marchés en mettant l'emphase sur la création de l' « authenticité » et sur l'influence des identités régionales. Un premier article propose une …  Read more

The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG), adopted in April 11, 1980, is an attempt to unify rules of international trade. A large number of states that represent a variety of legal systems and of degrees of development have adhered to this Convention. As a result of the divergence of approaches and rules in these systems, several issues were debated during the negotiations, among others the remedy of specific performance. This thesis examines the provisions regarding specific performance in the Convention in attempt to reveal the divergence of approaches between Common Law and Civil …  Read more

This thesis aims at clarifying Machiavelli's notion of political virtue by having recourse to Machiavelli's opinion of the empirical value of historical data. Thus, it takes the Florentine Histories as a work that can be used as a tool in support of any interpretation of Machiavelli's virtue when it comes to its ethical substance. I contend that this virtue most closely resemble a moderately deontological system of ethics where necessity acts as the threshold-setter. In chapter two I compare the qualities and attributes of the best princes and republics in order to make the point that political virtue is the …  Read more

La synthèse audio basée sur la physique trouve des applications de plus en plus diverses dans les domaines de l'infographie et de l'animation. Les approches classiques basées sur la synthèse modale sont appropriées pour les simulations de sons de contact corps rigide et de grands objets déformables, mais sont mal adaptées à d'autres primitives telles que les tiges élastiques et les coques minces en raison des effets non linéaires liés aux grands déplacements et aux contraintes de calcul. coût associé à des mailles très raffinées. Dans cette thèse, nous décrivons un framework logiciel pour la simulation de tiges élastiques et …  Read more

The main scope of this study consists in analyzing how the poetic and ideologic universe of Dante is implanted and transformed in the Russian culture of the late XIXth---early XXth century. Particular emphasis is made on the role of Dante's heritage in the philosophy and poetry of the first Russian philosopher and symbolist poet---Vladimir Soloviov, as well as on the further impact of dantesche images on some major representatives of the Russian Symbolist movement. This analysis will be done through a demonstration of major point of interference between Soloviov and Dante: these can be examples of direct influence (as is …  Read more

Small interfering RNA (siRNA) has the ability to silence virtually any gene of interest. The canonical structure, however, is negatively charged and hydrophilic. It is thus repulsed by the negatively charged phosphodiesters of the cellular membrane and prevented from penetrating the lipophilic membrane core. The main goal of this thesis is to synthesize siRNA conjugates containing 2'-sugar modifications that reduce the overall negative charge of the molecule and cause its unassisted cellular uptake, and to utilize these modifications to synthesize a biolabile analogue (a promoiety) in a prodrug siRNA (proRNA) construct. To this end, RNA conjugates were synthesized containing various …  Read more

An "autograph", also known as a "radioautograph", "autoradiography or "historadiograph", is the "signature" left by a radioactive particle in a photographic emulsion, and is, therefore, the visual evidence of the presence of radioactivity in the structure in contact with the photographic emulsion. Radioisotopes present in biological material may be detected in two ways: 1) chemically, using the Geiger counter method and 2) histologically, using the above photographic technique - autography. It is the latter technique, however, that not only reveals the presence of the radioisotope within the specimen but also allows the isotope to be traced to its precise site …  Read more

Ce projet vise à souligner de quelles façons les aspects de l'environnement familial influencent les pratiques parentales des parents d'enfants atteints de troubles neuro-développementales (TND). En se référant à des études sélectionnées à l'intérieur d'une recensement de la littérature systématique effectuée pour le projet "Parenting Matters !" et en utilisant un protocole de recherche ayant des critères d'inclusion et d'exclusion précises, ce projet vise à souligner les aspects les plus importants à considérer dans cette relation de variables. Un recensement de la littérature systématique a été réalisé sur la relation entre l'environnement familial et les pratiques parentales d'enfants atteints de …  Read more

Les connaissances sur les expériences des parents d'enfants atteints de troubles neurodéveloppementaux se sont développées rapidement au cours des trente dernières années. Pourtant, malgré des études plus approfondies, la recherche sur les «parents» et la «parentalité» est souvent neutre sur le plan du genre et reconnait moins les expériences parentales des pères. Cette thèse, issue du domaine du travail social, se compose de trois articles. Elle a été conçue pour explorer la façon dont les pères des enfants atteints de troubles neurodéveloppementaux conçoivent leur engagement auprès de leur enfant, avec le but d'approfondir les connaissances sur l'engagement des pères pour …  Read more

Détecter les variations dans les émissions de gaz volcaniques est essentiel pour prévoir les éruptions. Le dioxyde de carbone (CO₂) figure parmi les gaz les plus importants pour identifier les premiers signes d'activité volcanique, mais il reste difficile à surveiller efficacement. Les méthodes au sol manquent souvent de la résolution spatiale et temporelle nécessaire pour détecter des variations subtiles de flux, tandis que les observations satellitaires sont limitées par les concentrations élevées de CO₂ atmosphérique qui masquent les signaux localisés. Pour surmonter ces obstacles, nous avons développé une approche alternative utilisant les observations satellitaires de la santé de la végétation …  Read more

The separation of minerals by flotation depends on the effectiveness of the reagents used. The performance of depressants is paramount in rejecting the undesirable minerals while maintaining acceptable recoveries of the desired mineral. Iron-bearing minerals are the main contaminants in many ores: their removal is critical. Several different types of depressants have been used for this purpose, many of which are toxic. A shift has been made toward more environmentally friendly reagents including starch and dextrin. The purpose of this thesis was to determine the depression mechanism of dextrin on pyrite. A number of techniques were applied to give insight …  Read more

The focus of this thesis is to investigate the stability of the mineral phase yukonite–a calcium ferric arsenate–which may be important in controlling arsenic pore water concentrations in mineral processing-derived tailings. Yukonite has been found in association with gold mine tailings in Nova Scotia and the Yukon Territory in Canada, and laboratory accelerated ageing experiments suggest yukonite may form ferric arsenate phases in the presence of gypsum. Hence, this work fills a void in knowledge regarding the solubility/stability of yukonite.The results of this thesis are presented in the form of two manuscripts. The first study describes the synthesis and characterization …  Read more

Cette thèse fournit la conception d'une application Android capable de mesurer l'humeur et la performance de la mémoire de toute personne humaine. Cette application est destinée à un usage médical et à la recherche. L'application est conçue pour être facile à utiliser, rapide et fiable pour les utilisateurs de tous sexes et âges. L'application a de nombreuses fonctions utiles, comme la détection de l'humeur, l'évaluation de la performance de la mémoire, une section historique de l'humeur qui nous donne les valeurs en pourcentage de l'humeur (triste, heureux, calme) et de la performance de la mémoire, une section conseils de l'humeur …  Read more

L'uniformité des cannabinoïdes joue un rôle important sur la qualité et la valeur marchande du cannabis récréatif. La consommation d’énergie devient une préoccupation majeure car l’éclairage est l’un des principaux coûts des systèmes de production de cannabis en environnement contrôlé. L'objectif de cette étude est d'évaluer les stratégies d'éclairage pour maximiser le rendement et l'uniformité des cannabinoïdes dans les plantes de cannabis. Quatre traitements d'éclairage inclus une lampe horticole classique de sodium à haute pression (HPS) éclairage suspendue dont la lumière vient du haut, la lumière de diode électroluminescente (DEL) éclairage suspendue, HPS éclairage suspendue + intercalaire et DEL éclairage …  Read more

In this thesis, we investigate first-principles quantum transport in nano-electronic devices and develop a novel ab-initio technique to study linear responses in materials. In the first part of this thesis, we employ the state-of-the-art NEGF-DFT method to investigate quantum transport behavior of nano-devices which provide solid solutions for further miniaturization of future electronics. In particular, our first-principles investigation incorporates multiple disorder scattering using coherent potential approximation (CPA) which results in a thorough physical picture of quantum transport in realistic devices containing wanted or unwanted impurity atoms. First, we studied impurity-limited mobility of mono-layer black phosphorus (MBP) which is a strong …  Read more

Goodings, J. (Supervisor)  Read more

The reaction of active nitrogen with methyl chloride yielded mainly hydrogen chloride and hydrogen cyanide, together with smaller amounts of ethylene and cyanogen. The corresponding reaction with methyl cyanide yielded hydrogen cyanide as the main product, accompanied by smaller amounts of ethane and cyanogen. Plateau values were observed for the decomposition of methyl chloride and for the concomitant production of hydrogen cyanide. [...]  Read more

This thesis presents a probabilistic model, specifically a nonhomogeneous Markov model, for the description of fatigue crack growth. This model is capable of predicting the statistics of crack growth, the mean crack size and the variance in the crack size, at future times given two empirically determined system parameters, $ lambda$ and $ kappa$, and an initial crack size distribution. Prior to the mathematical development of this model a brief review of existing crack growth models is presented. After the mathematical development of the model has been presented the results from a previous application in the study of pitting corrosion …  Read more

This thesis uses a dictionary approach to text-analysis in an attempt to answer whether there was a spillover of far-right rhetoric from the grassroots movement of the Freedom Convoy Protest into elite-level discourse in the House of Commons. I find that while there are some indications that this rhetoric did impact the speeches of Conservative Party leadership candidates, these results are not statistically significant and could be clarified with further research on the topic  Read more

This paper is submitted as an accompaniment to my thesis presentation of April 25, 1973 at McGill University, Montreal. A tape recording of the concert, along with this paper will be deposited in the McGill University Archives. Herewithin are notes relating to l} production, 2} performance conditions, 3} a general description of the tape part of the work, and 4) the participation of the group METAMUSIC, in my piece, Piece for Four Track Tape Recorder Canada Unlimited Number Two -subtitled Sam McGee, abbreviated as PFFTTRCUNTsSMc. Preceding the body of the paper are 1) a table of abbreviations and 2} explanation …  Read more

In 1986 Thereza Imanishi-Kari, then an assistant professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was at the peak of her career. She had just coauthored a paper in the prestigious journal Cell with David Baltimore, a Nobel laureate. Their research was exciting and their findings promising. Margot O'Toole, Imanishi-Kari's postdoctoral fellow at the time, was unable to reproduce some of the experimental results published in the paper and could not resolve this with her postdoctoral supervisor. Subsequently, O'Toole became convinced that there were serious errors in the paper and, shortly afterwards, the National Institutes of Health began officially investigating the …  Read more

Continental thrust systems are responsible for mountain building and associated earthquake hazard. Carbonate and pelitic rocks dominate fault systems in shallow marine settings in both continental and subduction convergent plate boundaries, and are potential 'weak links' in the downgoing plates of low-latitude oceanic subduction zones. Exposed fold & thrust belts are excellent natural laboratories preserving records of diverse deformation processes. Study of these can test the interplay between brittle and ductile deformation, the different deformation mechanisms involved in ductile shearing, the effects of fluid alteration, and how these feedbacks ultimately control the structural architecture through embrittlement, affecting fault localisation. This …  Read more

Quach-Thanh, Caroline (Supervisor1)  Read more

Radioligand to receptor binding assessed with Positron Emission Tomography (PET) can be used to investigate dopamine (DA) concentration in vivo . The present dissertation focuses on the use of the PET DA D 2/3 receptor ligand [11C]raclopride to study DA release following the administration of drugs of abuse: amphetamine and alcohol. A number of experimental animal paradigms have indicated that DA transmission is generally potently engaged by the acute administration of addictive drugs (Di Chiara and Imperato 1988; Weiss, Markou et al. 1992), deficient during drug withdrawal (Markou and Koob 1991; Schulteis, Markou et al. 1995; Epping-Jordan, Watkins et al. …  Read more

Among all the works that the literary canon designates as "classics," the works of Francois Rabelais are certainly among those that were most, and for the longest time, censured and transformed by adapters and commentators. Literature for young readers, an ensemble of texts whose boundaries are defined by the target readership, is a veritable small industry which, having received a boost right after the Second World War, has not stopped growing since 1945. Nonetheless, the practice of adapting classical works in order to make them "accessible" for children has been current since the 19th century. The adaptations for young readers …  Read more

Les leucémies aiguës myéloïdes (LAM) sont des maladies hématopoïétiques agressives avec un taux de mortalité élevé chez les enfants et les adultes. Malgré l’avancement des connaissances en génomique du cancer et le développement de nouvelles approches thérapeutiques, le traitement des LAM a peu évolué au cours des quatre dernières décennies. Les patients LAM sont susceptibles de rechuter, ce qui mène souvent à une maladie plus agressive. La rechute est largement attribuée à la chimiorésistance des cellules souches leucémiques (CSL) qui maintiennent la maladie. Il est nécessaire de développer des thérapies capables d’éradiquer les CSL afin d’obtenir une guérison durable. De …  Read more