McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par J

A method for obtaining a smaller bound for the post-Newtonian parameter alpha 2 is outlined. alpha2 is a parameter in the post-Newtonian formalism associated with violation of Lorentz invariance. The current bound found by Nordvedt, alpha2 < 1.2 x 10 -7, was obtained using solar system data. We show that, by analysing millisecond pulsar profiles and limiting the amount of secular evolution, a smaller bound can be obtained.  Read more

Starting with Jerome McGann's landmark 1979 essay "Keats and the Historical Method in Literary Criticism," the recent sixteen-plus years of Keats criticism brims to overflowing with the dominance of New Historicism and its archaeological recovery of the political, historical Keats against the previous preeminence of a formalist, aesthetic Keats. The grip of New Historicism now holds tightly enough, perhaps, to the point where it suffers from a lack of attention to formalist, aesthetic, stylistic differentials and peculiarities. A critical position, then, that addresses this lack of attention looks to be an assessment of the relationships between New Historicism and formalism: …  Read more

Translational control is an important means of regulating gene expression. Development of the Drosophila germ line relies on translational regulation to differentially express maternal mRNAs, allowing it to develop distinctly from the soma. One of the critical factors required for germ cell development and function is the conserved DEAD-box RNA helicase Vasa (Vas). The research presented in this thesis examines the role of Vas in translational regulation during Drosophila germ line development. A two-hybrid screen conducted with Vas identified a translation initiation factor eIF5B (dIF2), as a direct interactor. Mutations were created in eIF5B and were found to enhance the …  Read more

This thesis investigates Habermas's attempt to establish a credible form of universalism in moral and political philosophy by means of the theoretical approach which he terms "discourse ethics." The central question motivating this study is whether Habermas succeeds in this ambition. Discourse ethics specifies a procedure which purports to enable all agents involved in a conflict of interest in which issues of justice are at stake to come to a rational and cooperative resolution. It proposes a position unique among contemporary approaches to justice in the strength and character of its anti-relativist stance: the plurality of human cultures and the …  Read more

Using biomass as a heating source for greenhouses provides many benefits such as agricultural autonomy for remote regions, the potential for CO2 enrichment, and a carbon-zero energy cycle. This research focused on potential options for mitigating the pollutants in the flue gas from biomass combustion to remain below requirements for human and plant safety. In doing this, purified flue gas could be added directly to the greenhouse to provide a flexible, economical heating and CO2 enrichment option. Now in its second generation, the purification system, named the FlueTRU 2.0, was constructed and connected to the exhaust pipe of a SBI …  Read more

Biological invasions are among the leading causes of species diversity loss; however, the impacts of invasion are context-dependent and can vary with the local environment. The mechanisms governing variation in impact and their relationship to specific abiotic and biotic factors remain largely unexplored. Recent local declines in native unionid mussels have been attributed to the invasion of North American lakes and rivers by the Eurasian zebra mussel ( Dreissena polymorpha), as a result of intense fouling of unionid shells by zebra mussels. My research investigated the role of abiotic and biotic factors in mediating the impact of zebra mussels on …  Read more

The presence of inhabitants in protected areas, a common occurrence in developing countries, represents a major challenge for conservation. This MA thesis questions the state's strategy in the case of the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, in Mexico, a strategy which is officially based on the implementation of sustainable development through the participation of local communities. Working with the assumption that sustainable development is a political concept that implies a competition between different actors in order to define what has to be sustained, for whom, by whom, why, and how, I first analyze the factors that, until now, have impeded local …  Read more

Road irregularities are a source of structure-borne noise in a car cabin. An active suspension using an Hinfinity robust feedback controller is designed to reduce this vibration-induced noise. To define the control law on this suspension, a quarter-car suspension is first modeled through its resonance modes. Frequency responses are extracted from experimental measurements which are then curve-fitted to obtain the nominal model of the suspension and its parametric uncertainty. The vibration-induced noise in the frequency range 60-250 Hz is then reduced using robust feedback controllers. An Hinfinity controller and two mu-synthesis controllers are designed and compared. Simulation of these controllers …  Read more

Epilepsy in Medieval Islamic History focuses on the perception, etiology and treatment of epilepsy in the work of four medieval Islamic scholars, Ibn Sina, Razi, Ibn Qayyim and S&dotbelow;anawbari, while attempting to place their views in the wider context of a medieval Islamic cultural milieu. This work suggests that the understanding of epilepsy in the medieval Islamic period was both porous and flexible. Despite the fact that these scholars believed they were writing in different genres, in fact, they shared both healing techniques and theoretical perspectives. The Islamic culture which shaped all of these writers imbued them with a synthesized …  Read more

The Free-Trade Agreement between Canada and the United States (FTA) acts clearly as a pioneer in international trade in services by integrating binding obligations that will governe trade in services. It occurs at a crucial point as the establishment of a multilateral framework of principles and rules for trade in services is attracting the attention of the international community. The present document examines the eventual contribution of the FTA in developing pertinent principles and rules for international trade in services while considering some of the main principles and rules agreed upon during the mid-term ministerial review of the Uruguay Round: …  Read more

This thesis is primarily an analysis of two unstructured questions from a mail questionnaire sent, in 1956, to adopters in Quebec, Ontario, New York, Ohio and California. The method we have used is that of content analysis which is described in another section of this introduction. [...]  Read more

Hildegard of Bingen's Ordo Virtutum (c.1141), the earliest liturgical morality play, presents in small compass some of the Neoplatonic doctrines which formed the common property of theologians in the twelfth century, the most pervasive of which was that which posited a disparity between the sense-perceptible and intelligible realms, true reality being supposed to belong to the latter. For Hildegard, like her contemporaries, such a world-view is inseparable from symbolist modes of thought, and in this thesis explanations for the form and effect of Hildegard's use of rhetorical devices such as symbol and metaphor in the Ordo will be sought within …  Read more

In this dissertation I examine the issues concerning the problematics of historical-textual relations in the wake of the linguistic turn. I begin by showing how the emphasis on the generative rather than the mimetic properties of language has led a number of critics to reject the notion of knowledge as "accurate representation" (Richard Rorty), and then go on to demonstrate how this critical position has undermined the way in which literary and intellectual historians alike have traditionally understood such concepts as causality, human agency and social determination. I show that, in the light afforded by the linguistic turn, there can …  Read more

Cette thèse présente une nouvelle théorie reliée à l’interprétation du droit international humanitaire (DIH) et du droit international des droits de l’homme (DIDH) qui tient compte des relations entre un État et sa propre population civile et militaire. Traditionnellement, le DIH est perçu comme générant des obligations entre États, au contraire des droits de l’homme qui sont plutôt compris comme étant dus par un État à l’endroit de sa population civile. Toutefois, une nouvelle interprétation de ces règles permet de formuler d’autres conclusions : une analyse du DIH permet d’inférer l’existence d’obligations imposées aux États à l’égard de leur propre …  Read more

Jamieson, R. (Supervisor)  Read more

Three studies were done with combined hepatic vein and umbilico-portal catheterization in the evaluation of portal hypertension. Radiological study of cirrhotics and non- cirrhotics revealed umbilico-portography to be superior to splenoportography. Phlebography of the inferior vena cava (IVC) revealed a stenosis of the IVC in many cirrhotics. In the same patients wedge hepatic venous pressure and portal venous pressure were found identical. Catecholamine determination was done by a fluorometric method. Catecholamine plasma levels are not related to portal hypertension. A liver clearance for nor-adrenaline was observed. Hepatic blood flow (HBF) determination by Bradley' s method using BSP and ICG simultaneously …  Read more

Les comportements d’automutilation sont alarmants et répandus en milieu scolaire (Lewis et al., 2019). Les études effectuées au cours des dernières années ont permis d’identifier des vulnérabilités psychosociales chez les étudiants universitaires qui ont des comportements d’automutilation (e.g., Hamza & Willoughby, 2014; Whitlock et al., 2011). Toutefois, la manière dont ces jeunes s’adaptent à leur transition universitaire a moins fait l’objet d’études. Plus précisément, il demeure incertain si les étudiants qui se sont déjà automutilés au cours de leur vie s’adaptent différemment à l’université sur le plan personnel-émotionnel, social et académique comparativement aux étudiants qui n’ont jamais eu recours à …  Read more

L'automutilation non-suicidaire est définie comme étant une altération consciente, intentionnelle, et directe des tissus de l'organisme sans intention suicidaire et exclut tous comportements socialement acceptés ou à des fins esthétiques, tels que les tatouages et les perçages (Favazza, 1998). La fréquence élevée d'automutilation non-suicidaire chez les adolescents et jeunes adultes a incité les chercheurs à explorer les raisons occasionnant ce comportement. Alors qu'un important corpus de recherche a documenté le rôle de la régularisation des émotions dans les comportements d'automutilation, les fonctions sociales n'ont pas été autant étudiées et requièrent une attention supplémentaire (Muehlenkamp, Brausch, Quigley, & Whitlock, 2013). Des …  Read more

Instruction at a distance is rapidly becoming one of the most widely used modes for teaching post-secondary learners. One of the distinctive characteristics of distance education is the emphasis on course development and the models of course development which have evolved. To date, however, the literature offers little understanding of the knowledge bases upon which current practice in distance education course development is based. Expertise in course development has not been characterized in any systematic way, and it is not known how novice and expert DE course developers differ in the way they conceptualize and go about course development. Even …  Read more

Dans le domaine des technologies de l'information, l'approche source ouverte a offert aux programmeurs une alternative pour développer les logiciels. Au lieu du modèle traditionnel, individualiste et propriétaire reposant sur l'utilisation de la propriété intellectuelle, cette approche propose une alternative fondée sur la collaboration. Cette alternative a, non seulement un attrait utilitaire considérable, elle pourrait aussi permettre de promouvoir un plus grand épanouissement humain, au sens de la théorie de l'éthique de la vertu, en favorisant le développement de nombreuses vertus chez ses participants. Cet avantage potentiel mérite d'être étudié davantage, car il est d'un grand intérêt à une époque …  Read more

This thesis presents the design of a digital speech transformation system for developing aids for the hearing impaired. The system is required to perform, in real time, four basic speech transformations: time-scale modification, frequency-scale modification, pitch modification, and spectral envelope modification. It is based on the sinusoidal representation of Quartieri and McAulay, but achieves the required deconvolution of the speech signal by liner prediction, rather than homomorphic filtering. The system is implemented in software, and a detailed study is done to determine the type of hardware implementation required to perform the speech transformations in real time. The proposed implementation is …  Read more

Transposable elements (TEs) are mobile genetic elements that have successfully populated eukaryotic genomes. Although first viewed solely as selfish, TEs are now known as important vectors to drive the adaptation and evolution of their host genome, such as sources for novel genes. The latter is called exaptation, or TE- co-option, or molecular domestication, and refers to the exaptation of TE genes that evolve to contribute directly to the phenotypic function of the host organism. The frequency of TE exaptation remains unresolved and consequently the full evolutionary and developmental impact of this adaptive process cannot be assessed. Among the few cases …  Read more

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a highly aggressive brain cancer, characterized by rapid progression, robust invasiveness, and resistance to conventional therapies. These attributes contribute to a dismal median survival rate of approximately 14-15 months. GBM reprograms its microenvironment to facilitate rapid proliferation and treatment resistance through elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and dysregulation of redox-responsive transcription factors, including high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) and transcription factor EB (TFEB). Post-translationally modified HMGB1 (e.g., AcHMGB1) can activate immune cells, such as microglia, in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Microglia accumulate near the hypoxic core of the tumor and release high levels of …  Read more

Farah, Alain (Supervisor2)  Read more

Studying, diagnosing, and treating diseases are all becoming reliant on our ability to introduce drugs and genes into cells. Using an impinging inert gas jet promises to avoid the severe health risks associated with viral and chemical delivery, while also maintaining a low cost. This approach relies on applying a shear stress on the cellular membrane that will temporarily disrupt the membrane, allowing for macromolecules to passively diffuse into the cell. Work done at McGill University identified a range of gas dynamic pressures that cause temporary cell permeabilization for the specific setup used. This setup has been replicated to quantify …  Read more

"What does he do?" is a question which indicates the importance of occupational roles in everyday life. The answer tells us a great deal about the other person and helps us to decide how to behave towards him and what to expect from him. The more his occupation is like ours, the better we understand him; if his is the same as ours we may even enjoy some "shop talk"; the more it is different, the more we are likely to look upon him as a stranger.  Read more

There is a massive global demand for lithium-ion batteries that offer greater safety and energy density for electric vehicles and renewable energy storage systems. This demand can be fulfilled by replacing the liquid electrolyte with an inorganic solid electrolyte that is non-flammable and compatible with low/high potential electrodes. Although much research is conducted to optimize already known inorganic solid electrolytes and discover novel ones, it is slowed by conventional experimentation, which involves testing one composition at a time. Therefore, we developed high-throughput tools for synthesizing and screening ceramic inorganic Li-ion conductors. This high-throughput suite generates highly reproducible 30mg scale samples. …  Read more

A stereotype exists of party- and state-affiliated media as little more than passive reflections of the mobilizing agendas of their sponsors. In analyzing the evolution of Barricada, the former official organ of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), the thesis argues that alongside the paper's mobilizing function, there has evolved a professional function with its roots in core principles of journalistic craft. Transformations at Barricada since the Sandinistas' 1990 electoral defeat--in the areas of party/paper relations, editorial strategy, and business management--primarily reflect staffmembers' longstanding professional aspirations, as well as the newly-salient economic pressures that now confront the paper. The broader …  Read more

"Denitrification was studied in pure cultures of Flexibacter canadensis, a Gram-negative gliding bacterium found in soil. Flexibacter canadensis was capable of complete denitrification. Sulfide alleviated the acetylene (C 2 H2 ) inhibition of nitrous oxide (N 2 0) reduction by this organism. The properties of the gliding bacterium, Is-11, were reexarnined. Is- 11 was previously isolated from soil because of its ability to denitrify and reduce N2 o in the presence of normally inhibitory concentrations of c 2H2 . Although originally tentatively identified as a Cytophaga sp., extensive morphological, physiological, and biochemical tests, as well as G+C analysis, and DNA …  Read more

An analysis has been made of secondary emission spectra from copper and silver to discover the main features of the energy distribution of the electrons. Particular attention has been paid to the dependence of these spectra upon the energy of the bombarding electrons. For this purpose an experimental tube has been built. The principle of analysis which has been used is the differential deflection of electrons, according to their energies, by a transverse electric field. [...]  Read more

Recognising that NPT2 is the major Na/Pi cotransporter in the kidney, that hereditary hypophosphatemic rickets with hypercalciuria (HHRH) is caused by a renal Pi leak and, that Npt2 knockout mice demonstrate a biochemical phenotype similar to that of patients with HHRH, we sought to determine whether NPT2 was a candidate gene for this disorder. Using single-strand conformation polymorphsim (SSCP) analysis and sequencing in six unrelated pedigrees with the disease, we found no disease-causing mutations. Two polymorphisms were identified in the gene and used as markers to examine segregation of NPT2 with the disease. HHRH did not segregate with the gene …  Read more

Research between the two world wars on the causes of juvenile delinquency was dominated by scholars from Chicago. It was a period of exploration on a grand scale in which sociologists were aligned with each other in their search to uncover sociological factors in crime causation and in their desire to maintain an approach which was distinct from other approaches to the problem – namely that of psychologists. It was a period in which great contributions were made to theory and methodology. And it provided the foundations for the post war theories with which this research project is primarily concerned.  Read more

AbstractConcentrations of dissolved carbon dioxide (CO₂), dissolved methane (CH₄), and dissolved nitrous oxide (N₂O) were measured in open water areas across a freshwater mineral wetland in the Ottawa valley. 268 samples were collected on 19 sampling days from September 16th, 2022 to February 5th, 2024. Average dissolved CO₂ ranged from 111 μmol/liter in the spring, to 2548 μmol/liter in mid-winter. Average dissolved CH₄ ranged from 3.33 μmol/liter in the autumn, to 1414 μmol/liter in mid-winter. Average dissolved N₂O concentrations ranged from 0.016 μmol/liter below ambient to 0.036 μmol/liter. CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O accumulated under ice, resulting in high concentrations in …  Read more

Nutrient cycling and nutrient status control primary productivity, decomposition, plant community composition, and microbial community composition in ombrotrophic bogs. Ombrotrophic bogs in Canada are often nitrogen and phosphorus co-limited, meaning that changes in phosphorus concentrations have dramatic effects on ombrotrophic bog ecology. To study the current state of biotic phosphorus cycling, I measured microbial and labile phosphorus concentrations in Mer Bleue Bog near Ottawa, ON over a period of 14 months. Both microbial and labile phosphorus concentrations varied greatly through the year. This variation is linked to changes in water table depth and season. High water tables were associated with …  Read more

This commentary to Pindar's Nemean 6 was inspired as much by the absence of recent modern criticism as by the presence of those venerable works on the Nemean odes by Fennell, Bury and Farnell. I determined to examine these commentaries in particular since they are basic to any critical approach. I next determined to include more contemporary criticism which was either directed to the Nemean 6 in particular, or was generally applicable. I was guided in my selection of points of interest as much by personal curiosity as by a sense of their poetic, thematic, structural, syntactical, or textual importance. …  Read more

This professes to be a poetic commentary to the Nemean odes of Pindar. It argues for a re-evaluation of this poet's epinikia as poetry and has taken as its principal focus the stuff that is critically ignored or devalued. Much that Pindar writes is difficult in that it is at once dense and dynamic, obedient to the strictures of a genre and yet never ruled by them. He invites commentary and scholars have for the most part centred their considerable efforts on decoding genius. There is as much literature on the poet and his relatively inaccessible work as there is …  Read more

Martina Martinovic (Supervisor2)  Read more

Background: Individuals with a stigmatized medical condition may become reluctant to seek medical help. Among professional singers and actors there can be a stigma associated with voice disorders. However, evidence for this vocal stigma is limited and primarily anecdotal. No quantitative research has explored the impact of vocal stigma that may have on help-seeking behaviour in professional vocal performers. Primary goals of this study were to (a) quantitatively evaluate vocal stigma among professional actors and singers, (b) quantify the association between vocal stigma and help-seeking behaviour, and (c) explore personal factors that may influence vocal stigma.Methods: An online survey questionnaire …  Read more

1. Satark effect in the HD spectrum has been observed under high dispersion between the wavelengths 4860 and 6400 1.0.2. The Stark effect in 70 lines of the Fulcher bands of RD have been meaBured. Displacement. in 27 unclassified line. are &120 reported as are also24 line undisplaced in the electric field.3. Stark effect manifests itself in this spectrum in th1is region by simple small displacements toward the red. In some instances two componentsoccur, but more have not been detected.4. The effect is 1n general irregular. Both 1nitial and final states seem to be influenced by the field.5. the d1aplacemente …  Read more

Sodium/proton exchangers (NHEs) are secondary active transporters that catalyze the electroneutral exchange of Na+ and H+ down their respective concentration gradients using the inward electrochemical Na+ gradient established by the plasma membrane Na+ /K+-ATPase. NHEs play a fundamental role in maintaining the intracellular pH (pHi) homeostasis and cell volume which are required for stable protein activity, and ultimately cell survival. To date, nine NHE isoforms (NHE 1-9) have been identified, and are expressed in a tissue/cell specific manner, which indicates a degree of specialization in their respective cellular functions. NHE1 through 5 are plasmalemmal-type exchangers, whereas NHE6 and 7 accumulate …  Read more

There are, depending on the student's interest, many ways to view an industrial enterprise as, for example, a factory or a department store. The general economist may see it as a productive unit within a supply and demand frame of reference; the labor economist, as a collective bargaining unit within the frame of reference of a theory of wages; and the student of business administration may see it in terms of an organizational chart. Each of these points of view may be a legitimate way of regarding the phenomenon but each is incomplete - important elements may be neglected.  Read more