McGill University Theses and dissertations by author name (F)

A versatile apparatus for studying short-lived nuclear isomers has been constructed. Using high resolution semi-conductor gamma-ray and conversion electron detectors, detailed studies of short-lived isomeric activities were undertaken. Improved data were obtained concerning a 90 micro-seconds isomer previously assigned to 121I . New information includes multipolarity determinations, relative intensity measurements, a revised assignment (to 122I), improved energy measurements, and the detection of at 1east one new transition (51.9 keV) and possibly two others. A new 293 micro-seconds M2 isomeric transition of 117 keV energy was assigned to 190Ir. New isomeric transitions, 166.5 keV (E2) and 47 keV (M2, or possib1y …  Read more

It was first pointed out by Doob and Kakutani the connection between classical potential theory and Brownian motion. In [10] one finds that if P(t,x,A) is the probability transition function, i.e. P(t,x,A) = probability that a particle moves from the point x to the Borel subset A of a set I in time t, then the potential kernal, K(x,A), is defined as follows [...]  Read more

This thesis explores the (mis)understanding in youth peacebuilding by analysing the objectives of the United Nations Security Council’s Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS) agenda and those of grassroots youth peace organisations. Through an interpretative content analysis of UNSC resolutions 2250 (2015), 2419 (2018), and 2535 (2020), and intertextual comparison with documents from 65 member organisations of the United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY), the study uncovers fundamental differences in the framing and implementation of YPS objectives. While the UNSC focuses on youth as key agents in overcoming global security issues, grassroots organisations emphasise building everyday, durable peace that benefits both …  Read more

Ce mémoire s’intéresse à la traduction du dialecte et de la langue non genrée. En première partie, il analyse trois œuvres d’autaires autochtones qui joignent ces deux pratiques : Noopiming: The Cure for White Ladies/Noopiming : Remède de guérir de la blancheur de Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, Jonny Appleseed de Joshua Whitehead, traduits par Arianne Des Rochers ; et Love After the End/L’amour aux temps d’après, dirigé par Joshua Whitehead et traduit par Sophie Voillot. À l’aide de la traductologie, de la sociolinguistique et des études queer, le mémoire se penche sur les effets qu’a cette langue doublement non normative sur …  Read more

Terroux, F. (Supervisor)  Read more

Les caractéristiques et les fonctions d'une cellule sont définies par la séquence linéaire de nucléotides dans l'ADN. S'il devait être aligné bout à bout, le génome humain serait d'une longueur d'environ deux mètres. Celui-ci est toutefois confiné dans un noyau ayant une taille bien inférieure. Un repliement complexe de l'ADN est donc nécessaire pour satisfaire cette contrainte physique. Plusieurs études suggèrent un lien entre ce repliement, la régulation génique et d'autres propriétés du génome. Ces découvertes sont supportées principalement par le développement rapide d'une technique de biologie moléculaire nommée 3C qui permet de caractériser l'organisation tri-dimensionnelle de la chromatine, à …  Read more

Collagen production by skin fibroblast cell strains from normal subjects and age-matched patients with the mendelian disorder--Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI)--was studied in culture. Number of generations in culture, phase of growth, labelling times, and site of biopsy did not influence collagen production by normal skin fibroblasts. OI cell strains from patients with dominantly inherited OI have abnormal morphology and growth in culture. The ratio of Type I to protype III collagen is reduced in OI Types I, II and IV (Sillence classification). Type III OI could not be distinguished from normal strains by the analysis used. From the collagen phenotype (biochemical …  Read more

Wallace, Jo-Ann (Supervisor)  Read more

A dextran sulphate (DS) model of ulcerative colitis was used to examine the effects of macronutrient restriction with (MR+PRO) and without (MR) probiotic supplementation (VSL#3RTM) on protein metabolism and growth. MR and MR+PRO decreased weight and chest circumference gain, but had no effect on linear growth of piglets. MR decreased the protein fractional synthesis rate (FSR) of liver, masseter, longissimus dorsi, colon, as well as plasma albumin, measured by stable isotope tracer L-[ring-2H 5]phenylalanine. MR+PRO increased the FSR of hepatic proteins by greater than 70% and increased both the FSR and absolute synthesis rate (ASR) of the total plasma protein …  Read more

Barton, T.H. (Supervisor)  Read more

There is a growing body of research on highly successful (serial winning) coaches. A common characteristic of these coaches is their ability to develop and implement a high-performing culture where all team members actively work towards a shared goal. Research has largely focused on how these coaches have achieved success and created a winning team culture, without exploring how these coaches approached and overcame barriers to success. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore the strategies and behaviours employed by University team sport serial winning coaches during a season where both team culture and performance were low. Participants …  Read more

This ethnobotanical project screened and evaluated the use of traditional medicine of the Cree Nation of Quebec as part of a study directed at preventing complications associated with Type 2 diabetes (T2D). Antidiabetic plants used by the Cree that treat T2D symptoms were identified. Quantitative ethnobotany and analysis of antioxidant activity were conducted. Results from Whapmagoostui were compared with those found in Mistissini and also the literature. Twenty-one plant species were cited during the survey. Although Cree medicine throughout Quebec and Canada is homogenous, geographical and vegetation gradients show some variations. Medicinal plants have better antioxidant potential than non-medicinal plants …  Read more

Elledge, C. H. (Supervisor)  Read more

We used a mailed questionnaire to investigate over-the-counter (OTC) analgesic medication use. The response rate was 77% (n= 1.339). 79% of women and 64% of men had consumed OTC analgesics in the past month, mostly on only 1-3 days, but 6% of users took them every day or almost every day. The most common reason for use was headache, followed by back and joint pain. 5% used larger doses than recommended. Women took more analgesics, but reported suffering more problems: gender differences disappeared when the number of problems was controlled. Remembered mood before and after medication indicated a substantial improvement …  Read more

The eastern race of the Loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus ssp. migrans) is a grassland bird federally listed as endangered. There are approximately 30 pairs remaining in the Canadian wild today. Captive breeding and release programs have been developed in Canada to help alleviate the decline. However, little is known about the fate of the released birds and the factors influencing their reproductive success. To help in the understanding of the movement, behaviour and survival of the shrikes post-release, we tested whether radio telemetry was an effective technique to follow these birds. Despite limited behavioural effects in captivity, a tail-mount was …  Read more

A physical surgical simulator, the McGill Inanimate System for Training and Evaluation of Laparoscopic Skills (MISTELS) is used to examine the acquisition of laparoscopic skills, as well as to determine a summative evaluation of these skills. The cumulative summation method (CUSUM) is used to characterize individual and group learning curves for a MISTELS task. To examine transfer of learning in laparoscopy, novice laparoscopists were randomized to either practice a basic psychomotor task (peg board transfer) or to a no-practice control group. After forty iterations, the novices performed a more complex task (suturing); those who practiced the basic task significantly improved …  Read more

A validation methodology is proposed for natural language software specifications of standard graphics functions. Checks are made for consistency, completeness and lack of ambiguity in data element and function descriptions. Functions and data elements are maintained in a relational database representation. The appropriate checks are performed by sequences of database operations. The relational database manager INGRES was used to support a prototype implementation of the proposed technique. The methodology supports the development of a scenario-based prototype from the information available in the specification. This permits various function sequences to be checked without implementation of the environment specified. The application of …  Read more

It is increasingly recognized that because humanitarian healthcare workers are trusted to provide support and assistance to vulnerable groups and populations, they have a fiduciary responsibility rendering it important for them to be explicit and thoughtful about how and why they make ethical choices. This thesis explores the ethics of humanitarian healthcare aid and examines how health care professionals can best engage with these issues, from the realm of ideal ethical theory, to the realm of applied ethical analysis tools. It begins with a brief introduction outlining important elements in the history, ideology and ethics of humanitarian healthcare aid. The …  Read more

This thesis's objective is to demonstrate and discuss a literary character type. The thesis has been prepared, in the case of the creative work, after a course of reading that has included works of fiction and non-fiction, and a period of reflection. As regards the analytical essay, the research methods were much the same, but in place of the period of reflection a process of intuitive argumentative leaps was substituted.  Read more

How is women's right to dignity protected in time of armed conflict? This project begins with an empirical study of the author's interviews with Israeli and Palestinian women regarding the challenges and dilemmas of their right to dignity in the on-going armed conflict. Based on this research, the author proposes an alternative approach to a right to dignity grounded in women's sexuality. This right is informed by the greater legal framework of international human rights and humanitarian law, and challenges the limits of certain feminist schools of thought/viewpoints. In the context of armed conflict, this approach will allow for greater/broader …  Read more

Mongrain, Rosaire (Supervisor1)  Read more

Following melt alloying and chlorine fluxing in reverberatory-like aluminum holding furnaces, it is common practice to allow the melt to settle for about an hour prior to casting operations. The purpose of this procedure is to allow inclusions to settle to the surface bottom or to float out to an overlying layer of dross. Mathematical modelling of this process reveals that significant natural convection currents are generated, particularly during the early part of this holding period, and that as these currents gradually diminish, so does the rate of precipitation of inclusions. A 6.25 ton pilot scale holding furnace was used …  Read more

This thesis reviews the statutes of repose in force today in the United States and their influence on general aviation litigation. Chapter One will first consider the historical development of statutes of repose and the arguments for and against their use in products liability actions. Chapter One will then review the legislative history of the "General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994" ("GARA") and identify the factors proffered for enacting a national statute of repose for the benefit of general aviation manufacturers. The remainder of this paper is intended to serve as a practitioner's guide by compiling and analyzing the various …  Read more

Le design de réseaux robustes (RND) est celui qui applique le concept de robustesse, issu de l'optimisation avec incertitude, au domaine de la conception de réseaux. Les principales motivations derrière cette application découlent de demandes provenant des réseaux de télécommunication. La prémisse principale est que les demandes à travers les réseaux sont variables ou imprévisibles. Toutefois, nous savons que ces demandes proviennent d'un ensemble prédéfini appelé univers de demandes. De plus, des contraintes pratiques du design de réseaux requiert que le routage des demandes soit inconscient, ou fixé d'avance, et qu'il ne dépende pas d'une instanciation particulière de l'univers de …  Read more

Toposition (s) # 3 is a musical composition of twenty minutes for saxophone (alto and baritone), prepared piano interior, cello, percussion and twelve microphones. In its broadest sense, the piece metaphorically embodies the idea of metamorphosis, or how concrete matter is constantly changing, evolving and fleeing. To do this, it relies on an ecomimetic method of composition. Through this method, it is a matter of analyzing sound samples of the environment with the sonogram to derive contents of frequencies, dynamics and rhythms. These collected and classified data integrated in typological differentiated axes, contribute to the development of formal processes that …  Read more

The presence of homologues to the signal sequence receptor (SSR) and associated proteins, gp25L and calnexin was evaluated in yeast. Yeast genomic DNA was explored by Southern blotting, genomic DNA and lambda-gt11 libraries were screened with various DNA probes, lambda-gt11 expression libraries were immunoscreened, and degenerate oligonucleotides synthesized from putative conserved peptide regions, were used to prime polymerase chain reactions. These techniques failed to identify yeast genes with significant sequence homology to the mammalian DNA coding regions of SSR-alpha, SSR-beta, and gp25L. However, a 60-kDa protein of yeast microsomal membranes cross-reacted with anticalnexin antiserum. SSR-alpha DNA coding region was cloned …  Read more

Ethler-Blais, J. (Supervisor)  Read more

Lavoie-Tremblay, Melanie (Supervisor1)  Read more

Kobiela, Marta (Internal/Supervisor)  Read more

The performance of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is known to be highly sensitive to synchronization errors at the receiver. Inaccurate synchronization can increase channel estimation errors which further degrade OFDM performance. While effective independent synchronization techniques exist, performance gains can be expected by jointly estimating all synchronization errors and channel parameters. The research presented in this thesis aims to improve the performance of synchronization and channel estimation in burst mode OFDM systems by employing the non-linear recursive least squares algorithm (NL-RLS) to perform joint synchronization and channel estimation. This thesis presents two joint synchronization and channel estimation algorithms. The …  Read more

eiF-4E is a 25 kDa phosphoprotein which is believed to mediate binding of mRNAs to ribosomes through its interaction with the S' cap structure (m 7GpppX, where X is any nucleotide), eiF-4y and the RNA helicase, eiF-4A. This interaction is believed to result in the unwinding of secondary structure in the S' non-coding region to facilitate ribosome binding and/or migration. eiF-4E overexpression can cause deregulated growth of HeLa cells and certain fibroblast lines, suggesting a role in normal growth control. We show here that phosphorylation of this factor accompanies the stimulation of cell growth or differentiation by polypeptide growth factors, …  Read more

Queer studies have generally ignored twelfth and thirteenth-century "canonical" Arthurian verse novels, concentrating on the more explicit chansons de geste and prose romances. However, I argue that these Arthurian novels present both sexual ambiguity and homoeroticism, be they declared or latent. They are expressed by Arthur's knights' "special friendships," and by their constant desire of engaging in hand-to-hand fights. Though the use of war and sickness vocabulary to express love has been observed by scholars, an assiduous reading of Chrétien de Troyes and his successors' novels reveals that they resort to a similar rhetoric in describing a knight's desire both …  Read more

The magnitude of the problem of ascites is not readily apparent to the clinician. A classification of conditions in which ascites occurs and a consideration of therapy occupy his thinking when confronted by a patient with the sign. Those actively engaged in investigative work on ascites have attempted to proceed further than their clinical colleagues. The vast void that exists in our knowledge becomes apparent with review of the literature. Only relative success of surgery in ameliorating chronic ascites has prompted the efforts presented within this report.  Read more

Programming a robotic workcell involves much more than simply writing a program for each element, because the operations to be performed are tightly coupled by precedence constraints on their time ordering, and by constraints associated with the shared resources. The situation is further complicated because robotic workcells are typically configured to repetitively perform a desired application; we would therefore like to optimize the order in which operations take place, so as to minimize the total time required. But even when the operations have deterministic outcomes, there may exist alternative sequences with different durations, due to non-determinism in the workcell sequencing …  Read more

Over the past two decades, Taylor (1983; Taylor & Brown, 1988) has explored the tendency of individuals to develop positive illusions in coping with stressful, or traumatic events. These illusions consist of unrealistic positive self evaluations, exaggerated perceptions of control or mastery, and unrealistic optimism. According to Taylor, illusions are important in accomplishing several tasks associated with successful adaptation, namely, search for meaning, regaining a sense of mastery, and restoring self-esteem through processes of social comparison. The purpose of the study was threefold: (a) to explore the construct of positive illusions (PI), (b) to explore employees' use of PI in …  Read more

La dépression est l'une des principales causes de décès et d'handicap à l'échelle mondiale. Malgré sa prévalence, il reste encore beaucoup à comprendre en termes d'étiologie et de fondements biologiques de la dépression. Par conséquent, nous ne sommes toujours pas en mesure de prédire prospectivement avec suffisamment de précision qui développera une dépression, ce qui rend difficile toute intervention avant l'apparition du trouble. Cela s'explique en partie par le fait que la dépression est un syndrome très hétérogène, dont les causes peuvent être multiples d'un individu à l'autre. En se concentrant sur des endophénotypes neurobiologiques spécifiques et quantifiables en tant …  Read more

The central puzzle this thesis has sought to solve is: under what conditions does become politically salient in an authoritarian regime? In order to solve this puzzle, this thesis first established criteria that could be used to evaluate and compare the political salience of corruption across cases. These criteria included the conception of corruption, the attribution of corruption, and the resonance of corruption. It is argued that when corruption is conceptualized as being unjust, when corruption is attributed to the regime or key individuals within the regime, and when grievances about corruption resonate with important actors, the political salience of …  Read more

Invasive research procedures, such as biopsy for pharmacodynamic study, often have no value for patient-volunteers in terms of diagnosis or clinical management. Accordingly, their burdens are generally justifiable only by appeal to knowledge value (that is, the benefit to future patients) rather than direct benefit. This thesis is an exploration of knowledge value production as a justification for invasive research biopsy in cancer research. The premise of this thesis is that human investigations can only enable knowledge value insofar as they are reported in ways that enable a broader scientific community to use their findings for planning new investigations. We …  Read more

It is now well established that free radicals play an important part as intermediates in many chemical reactions. However, until 1929 the existence of free radicals was the subject of a vehement controversy. As early as 1834, the possible isolation of alkyl radicals through the action of potassium on their chlorides or iodides was predicted (1). In 1900 Gomberg (2) attempted to prepare hexaphenylethane by the reaction of triphenylchlormethane with metallic magnesium, and obtained an unusually reactive material which he concluded was free triphenylmethyl.  Read more

The role of the liver in the control of body water was evaluated by performing body space measurements before and after total hepatectomy in the doge Standard isotopic dilutional techniques were carried out, using tritium for Total Body Water; Na22 and Inulin for Extracellular Water; Cr51 for Red Cell Volume and I121 for plasma volume and Glomerular Filtration Rate. The only significant changes observed were for the PV and RCV and these changes can probably be accounted for by pre, intra and post-operative blood loss. The stable extracellular spaces were parallelled by unchanging large vessel and whole body hematocrits. Although …  Read more

The global coffee industry is in a state of crisis. Small-scale producers are those most seriously impacted by the crisis, facing the challenges of a precarious and changing market, despite limited resources. In Oaxaca, Mexico, a prominent response among indigenous small-scale farmers has been to join independent coffee producer unions. Within theses unions there is currently a move to encourage organic coffee cultivation among campesinos, so that these groups might niche market their coffee. This niche, or "conscience", market is shaped by the "organic coffee discourse" which emphasizes the themes of environmental protection, social justice and indigenity. By examining the …  Read more

This thesis argues that a strong correlation exists between Islamic militancy and socio-economic and political conditions. Under 'normal' everyday conditions, passive elements of the Islamic community, the mutadayyin, dominate, but in times of crisis or challenge, it is the militants, the isl amiyyin, who react against the state, its institutions and its employees. The Egypt of Anwar al-S ad at (1970-1981) will be used in order to test this hypothesis. The everyday conditions in which the people live, work and survive will be examined in order to establish the constant, the invariable. These conditions include the sectarian strife between Muslims …  Read more

This study is ecological in objective; primarily it attempts to evaluate environmental factors limiting the distribution of a wide-ranging species of fish, Gasterosteus aculeatus, in one sector of its holarctic range. Two approaches to this investigation are made: comparative and deductive. The comparative method is possible because many studies have been made on temperate-zone populations of the species; modified behaviour observed in the present study are consequently viewed as probably adaptive to the different environmental conditions of the north. [...]  Read more

For many years the Engineering profession, and especially the structural field of that profession, has been very interested in the application of welding to the fabrication of structures. Arc welding has come more and more into use as time has passed, and as confidence in its results increased. Even now, however, large factors of safety are employed due to certain unknown conditions which arise in arc welding. The first of these unknowns is the personal element, the fact that no two welders using the same materials and equipment will obtain exactly the same results. The importance of this factor has …  Read more

The structure and petrology of an area of 602 square miles in Northwestern Q.uebec is described. The region is between the Timiskaming and Grenville petrological provinces and is known as the belt of banded gneisses or Ottawa mountains. The area is between Val-d’Or and Malartic and is 15 miles south of the Canadian National line from Quebec to Cochrane. About 70 per cent of the area is covered by lacustrine clay through which project northeast-trending ranges of hills or isolated outcrops consisting mainly of granite or pegmatite. All the consolidated rocks are Precambrian in age. The oldest rocks are metamorphosed …  Read more