McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par N

This thesis examined several possible explanations for young bilingual children's code-mixing: the unitary language system (ULS) hypothesis, parental rates of code-mixing, parental discourse strategies in response to children's code-mixing, and children's language dominance. These explanations were examined in six French-English bilingual children, observed between the ages of 18 and 30 months. They were observed separately in interaction with each of their parents. The results showed that the ULS hypothesis cannot explain children's language use. Similarly, parental input could not explain children's code-mixing. In contrast, children's dominance was shown to be the best explanation of their code-mixing. It was suggested that …  Read more

Should civil aviation reach its promising full potential, it will inevitably be through the use and reliance upon Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and its innovative technologies. At present only one option seems clearly and 'directly' operational for the civil aviation challenge, and that is a---USA owned and controlled---GPS based GNSS. This thesis will critically discuss the legal and institutional issues of the GNSS. The issues considered will be based upon the discussions and conclusions recently reached within ICAO. The object of this thesis is to compare, contrast and criticise ICAO's international law-making propositions, related to GNSS, in the fight …  Read more

Contogouris, Professor A.P.  Read more

ABSTRACT Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by neurodegeneration, memory loss and premature cerebral circulatory deficits marked by a vascular structural pathology thought to involve elevated levels of amyloid-beta (Aβ) and transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1). We sought to investigate the role of Aβ and TGF-β1 in promoting cerebrovascular dysfunction as well as disturbances in glial, neuronal and cognitive function using transgenic mice overexpressing either (APP, TGF mice) or both (APP/TGF mice) peptides. We attempted to remedy arterial and hemodynamic deficits using a pharmacological approach with free radical scavengers and the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) agonist pioglitazone, compounds known to …  Read more

The number of species varies greatly among taxa. In birds, for example, the parvorder Passerida contains 3556 species while the Odontophorida (New World Quails) contains only six species. This uneven distribution of species among avian taxa is not random and therefore warrants an explanation. The behavioral drive hypothesis stipulates that the capacity for innovation, coupled with the rapid transmission of the behavioral novelty to conspecifics, may expose individuals to new selective pressures and help fix mutations that would otherwise not be expressed. This should lead to accelerated rates of evolution. I test this hypothesis by examining the link between behavioral …  Read more

The purpose of the study was to identify the lower limb kinematic adaptations made in normal gait to accommodate to static transverse slopes. Five male subjects were asked to walk along a platform at 0%, 5% and 10% slope. Kinematic data for the ankle, knee and hip were collected at 60Hz using the Ultratrak RTM (Polhemus Inc., Burlington, VT, USA) electromagnetic tracking system. Results indicated that significant (p < 0.05) joint angle changes occurred in both the uphill (UH) and downhill (DH) lower limbs. The adaptations served as compensatory changes to functionally shorten the UH limb and lengthen the DH …  Read more

Background: Globally, tuberculosis (TB) affects 9.4 million people every year, with an estimated 2 million deaths. Effective treatment of latent TB infection with isoniazid (INH) as a TB control strategy has been hampered by poor adherence to therapy. Research has shown that smoking is a risk factor for TB and that adherence to TB therapy may be lower among smoking individuals. Rapid tests are now available to detect smoking status as well as isoniazid treatment adherence in a clinic setting. Objective: The objective was to validate IsoScreen and SmokeScreen, two new point-of-care urine-based tests for INH metabolites and cotinine metabolites. …  Read more

Let Ei, i = 1, ..., n, be all the supersingular elliptic curves over Fp up to isomorphism. The modules of isogenies Hom(Ei, Ej), equipped with the degree map, are quadratic modules that give rise to theta series of level p. The space of modular forms of weight two for Gamma0(p) is thus spanned by the theta series coming from supersingular elliptic curves in this fashion. We generalize this classical result to Hilbert modular forms by showing that for totally real fields L of narrow class number one, the space of Hilbert modular newforms of parallel weight 2 for Gamma0( …  Read more

We try generalizing the description of the supersingular locus of the moduli space of polarized abelian surfaces with real multiplication by OL (see [1]) in the case where p is inert in OL . We present evidence to support a conjectural mass formula for superspecial points and a counting formula for such points, generalizing a classical result of Deuring on supersingular elliptic curves. This result would provide a geometric interpretation of a special case of the Jacquet-Langlands correspondence. The remaining portion of the thesis is preliminary work with a view toward arithmetical applications of the supersingular locus of Hilbert modular …  Read more

Experimental investigations of two ultrasonic lenses are presented, a graded acoustic index lens and a cylindrical lens. The first lens is a short rod which has a graded acoustic velocity profile in the radial direction giving it the ability to focus acoustic waves. Electron probe microanalyses, optical refractive index measurements and acoustic velocity measurements are used to characterize the lens. The ray acoustics approach is used for the theoretical interpretation and the focussing behavior is visualized with a Schlieren system. Potential applications of the lens are discussed. The cylindrical lens consists of a lead zirconate titanate (PZT) coated wire or …  Read more

The development of the Phase Rule by Willard Gibbs has caused a considerable interest in the various hydrated salts and the phenomena attached to their solubilities, vapour pressures, etc. There is much information to hand with regard to such salts as calcium chloride and copper sulphate, but there is still a great deal to be learned with regard to nickel sulphate and its hydrates. For instance until quite recently the action of sunlight was supposed to decompose the normal hydrate into a lower one but this theory was refuted by Dobrosserdorf (J.Russ. Phys. Chem. Soc..= 1900. 32. 300.) [...]  Read more

In this work we study the downlink transmission of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems using the Alamouti code in order to provide space time diversity. We will propose a novel spreading signature assignment technique for space-time coded single rate CDMA system, which, compared to other signature assignment methods, allows to reduce the number of spreading signatures necessary in order to solve the channel ambiguity problem while performing blind channel estimation. This encoding method is called "rolling signatures". We also introduce a new method for combining the Alamouti space-time code with multi-rate CDMA. Instead of block coding entire CDMA symbols …  Read more

Cette thèse trouve les états de base du modèle symplectique pour le comportement collectif nucléaire. Nous trouvons une base complète I d'états pour Sp(6), le plus important groupe de mouvements collectifs dans les noyaux. Parmi la multitude d'états propres possibles, nous ne sommes intéressés que dans ceux de type vibrationnel, dits de Bohr-Mottelson, qui forment en même temps une base dans le sous-groupe Sp(2) x 0(3) de Sp(6). La base que nous trouvons n'est pas orthonormale mais elle est complète et nonredondante et nous montrons comment l'utiliser pour calculer des éléments de matrices des générateurs entre ces états. Puisque le …  Read more

This thesis deals with the myth of Maitreya, the next Buddha to come. The myth is traced from its earliest emergence in the Buddhist scriptures, briefly through its metamorphosis in China, with a view to presenting its evolution in Japan. The myth's history in Japan spans thirteen centuries, and as a result it is interesting to explore it in its historical context to see how the myth evolves and changes according to the exigencies of the times. Buddhism has in many ways been synthesized into the Japanese indigenous Shinto context, with the result that the myth of Maitreya has emerged …  Read more

A planar joint dyad consists of two rigid bodies connected by a P (prismatic) or R (revolute) joint and similarly connected to a fixed third body. The nature of the quadric constraint surface in the planar kinematic mapping image space is investigated. The geometric reasoning concerning why five points in the image space are sufficient to define an RR dyad and why four are enough to define the workspace of a PR or RP dyad is described, explained and exploited. A general algorithm that combines both type and dimensional design synthesis to the planar joint dyad hence to the five-position …  Read more

Our interest is in designing reduced degree-of-freedom articulated mechanical assistive devices capable of tracing desired end-effector paths in the plane with the ability to be easily reconfigured for different sets of tasks. We examine the use of a manipulator configuration called Single Degree-of-freedom Coupled Serial Chains (SDCSC). Such SDCSC configurations combine the motion flexibility due to multiple articulations with the simplicity of reduced-degree-of-freedom control and actuation due to the presence of hardware constraints and offer a low-cost alternative to expensive robotic manipulators. Our interest is in designing manipulators, based on such an SDCSC configuration, whose end-effector can match or closely …  Read more

This thesis synthesizes the development of a graphical user interface for multi-converter research facility using Visual C++ 4.0 and Microsoft Foundation Class library on Windows95 platform. The multi-converter research facility is used in flexible ac transmission system control. The design of the user interface follows the user-centered design philosophy. The main idea of the user-centered design is to produce the user interface for the convenience and efficiency of the user rather than the software designer. The user interface manages the data transfer between the hardware and user and allows the user to change the hardware settings via interactive dialogs. It …  Read more

Insulated bayonet freeze pipes were investigate using experimental and numerical models.A numerical model for the air insulation was built and validated against literature experiments. The analysis showed that the boundary condition on the end caps can have important effects on the natural convection's process.A laboratory-scale model was built and its readings were shown to be repeatable. Experimental results were compared to a numerical model for frozen and unfrozen regimes. The active and transition zones were easily validated. However, the passive zone showed significant difference. A Nusselt number of around 10 would be required to make the data fit, which is …  Read more

The aim of this research was to determine the influence of iron deficiency on both the efficacy and metabolic patterns of albendazole in mice infected with Heligmosomoides polygyrus. Anthelmintic efficacy was markedly decreased in iron-deficient mice; the deficiency was also associated with a decrease in body weight, altered hematological parameters and a decreased net egg output; worm establishment in the deficient group was not affected by the deficiency. Although anthelmintic efficacy was significantly decreased by the iron deficiency, plasma concentration profiles of the main metabolites, albendazole sulphoxide and albendazole sulphone, were not changed by the deficiency. Levels of intestinal cytochrome …  Read more

We examine complex fluid systems where both translational and conformational degrees of freedom are present and focus on systems in which the interplay between the two sets of degrees of freedom is manifested in the macroscopic phase behaviour. We develop an efficient random lattice algorithm describing the translational degrees of freedom and analyze a series of microscopic models defined on a two dimensional fluid surface. Different degrees of complexity in the description of the microscopic coupling between the translational and conformational degrees of freedom allow us to study a variety of models related to pure lipid membrane and lipid-sterol membrane …  Read more

This thesis represents an attempt to utilize theories of economic change in the interpretation of the history of an innovating firm. As such, it draws heavily on Schumpeter's Theory of Economic Development and the refinements made by Professor Keirstead in his Theory of Economic Change. For reasons both of scientific inappropriateness and the lack of information which might permit doing so, very little use could be made of Neo-classical marginal analysis and value theory.  Read more

While replication origins, cis-acting sequences directing the initiation of DNA synthesis, have been well-characterized in many model organisms, the multiple sequence and protein components present at the chromosomal origins of higher eukaryotic organisms have not yet been fully defined. Genetic assays that identify origin function in cloned DNA fragments would provide a useful approach for the isolation and analysis of mammalian DNA replication origins. In this thesis, (1) cloned fragments from a known mammalian origin, the ori$ beta$ of the hamster 3$ sp prime$ DHFR region, are demonstrated to replicate autonomously, both following transfection into human cells, and when used …  Read more

La recherche translationnelle, telle que définie par le National Institutes of Health, comprend deux domaines de translation. D'une part, il s'agit du processus d'application des découvertes générées lors de la recherche, dans le laboratoire et dans les études précliniques, au développement d'essais et d'études chez les humains. D'autre part, il s'agit de la recherche ayant pour objectif d'améliorer l'adoption de bonnes pratiques dans la communauté. Cette thèse a pour but de vous présenter des exemples issus de mon travail de Ph.D afin d'illustrer ces deux domaines de translation. Le premier projet concerne l'étude de modèles précliniques de traitements de lymphomes …  Read more

The soviet thinker Mikhail Bakhtin, whose works, belatedly published and translated, have recently come to have a considerable influence on Western literary theory, devoted his most provocative early essays to questions of the relationship between the author and the character. The theories contained in theseessays attempt not only to give an account of the artist's act of creation, but also to establish analogies between the aesthetic activity of "authorship" and the everyday activity of interpersonal perception, between the author's relations to the hero in art and the self's relations to the other in life. This thesis offers an exposition of …  Read more

This thesis basically has a twofold aim: on the one hand, to make a somewhat neglected body of Renaissance prose more readable, by adding, in a punctual and miscellaneous manner, to our historical, philological and thematic understanding of it and by examining it in the light of some of our current theoretical preoccupations; and, on the other hand, to problematize the "realistic" rubric assigned to these works and to do so by cultivating a more thoroughgoing textual realism on the part of readers. These works, traditionally grouped together because of the interaction of their authors at the end of the …  Read more

Electrical stimulation of the ventral central grey, dorsal raphe nucleus, and a site in the cuneiform nucleus, evoked powerful analgesia in the cat. The analgesia was found to develop more gradually when pain preceded stimulation, and it was facilitated by an increase in emotional arousal. Moreover, the analgesia outlasted extended periods of stimulation by as much as five minutes or longer in some cats. 'The present study also revealed that stimulation of more caudal periaqueductal grey sites effectively reduced, or abolished, pathological pain and implicates the role of hormonal factors, such as increased levels of progesterone, in the pain mediating …  Read more

We demonstrated that the Polycomb Group (Pc-G ) gene Bmi-1 is essential for the self-renewal of both normal and leukemic stem cells. The molecular pathways through which Bmi-1 regulates stem cell function remain undefined. We identified p120E4F-1 as a novel factor, which specifically interacts with Bmi-1 in the cytoplasmic fraction of hemopoietic cells. We observed that the ability of Bmi-1 to extend the proliferative/replicative lifespan of primary fibroblasts correlated with a down-regulation of p120E4F-1 protein levels. This function of Bmi-1 occurred without affecting p120E4F-1 mRNA levels suggestive of a direct interaction between the two proteins. Conversely, p120E4F-1 levels were found …  Read more

Under deep-fat frying, food products undergo complex physicochemical changes including mass transfer phenomena (water evaporation and oil migration), generating a crisp exterior crust and moist centre, thereby enhancing palatability and eating satisfaction. Consumers' growing awareness of health issues associated with high-fat foods has increased the demand for low-fat products. Previous studies have shown that hydrocolloid coatings applied to foods prior to frying can act as external barriers and reduce mass transfer. The influence of protein and polysaccharide-based coatings [10% whey protein isolate (WPI), and 1% methylcellulose (MC), respectively], plasticized with either sorbitol (S) or xylitol (X) at different concentrations.The application …  Read more

Différents défis sont à surmonter lors de la conception et la construction d'interfaces pour l'expression musicale telles que les instruments de musique numériques (IMNs), les technologies portables pour la performance, entre autres. Les principaux enjeux techniques sont le développement rapide et imprévisible de la technologie, les changements dans le personnel de soutien et le manque de documentation technique. Ces défis, s'ils ne sont pas traités de manière adéquate, conduisent, dans de nombreux cas, à l'abandon de tels dispositifs. Cette thèse présente trois études de cas qui visent à fournir des recommandations relatives à l'entretien et à la conception pour la …  Read more

Axon outgrowth and path-finding are crucial points in the development of the Central Nervous System (CNS), where neurons use the distal tip of their axons— the growth cone— to navigate towards their final destination. The growth cone contains highly dynamic actin cytoskeleton and it carries the machinery to respond to various guidance cues, one of which is netrin-1— a secreted, laminin-like protein family. Netrin-1 signal through a cell membrane receptor protein— deleted in colorectal cancer (DCC)— to induce an attractive response. Mutations and small nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in different components of netrin-1/DCC signalling pathway have been implicated in neurological disorders …  Read more

Taking the structuralist approach as a starting point, this dissertation constructs a computable general equilibrium model for India using the social accounting matrix framework and along the lines of Lance Taylor's modelling of developing countries. The model is used to test the structuralist theories on the effects of a devaluation. The dissertation extends the testing of these models in two respects. First, by organizing the data in the form of traded and non-traded goods it studies the macroeconomic responses at a greater level of disaggregation than has been attempted earlier. Second, by constructing social accounting matrices for three time periods …  Read more

“Performing Cities: The Performance and Politics of Place: Mexico City, New York, Montreal” offers scholars interested in the relationship between performance and the city new strategies for reading the aesthetics and politics of performances that produce urban place. It is the first extended study venturing a taxonomy of ways in which we can understand the performance-city relation, advancing acting, ritualizing, and dramatizing as vital ways in which cities materialize through performance. With attention to cultural performances (or performances that occur beyond the frame of the theatre), “Performing Cities” uses a performance studies approach to consider the role of performance in …  Read more

In this moment of global environmental crisis, the accurate representation of ecological loss has arisen as an area of concern. What formal strategies best depict the diffuse, the protracted, the barely perceptible? In this thesis, I demonstrate that one strand of contemporary ecological art assumes a negative position: ecological loss, certain artists propose, is beyond representation. I demonstrate this premise across three chapters, each of which deals with one contemporary ecological artwork: American artist Mark Dion’s The Life of a Dead Tree (2019), New Zealand artist Sally Ann McIntyre’s Twin signals at Silver Stream (fragments of a landscape for specimens …  Read more

In the current work, the distinction between priming for associatively-related (AR) and unassociated semantically-related (SR) words is examined. Specifically, whereas associatively-related words demonstrate strong and robust priming effects when presented within the context of lexical-level tasks, generation of significant SR priming appears to require execution of an explicitly semantic task. This apparent levels-of-processing effect, if reflected in the neural-level implementation, would suggest that the mechanisms underlying priming may be localized to spatially and functionally distinct cerebral regions. In the first part of the thesis, an artifactual decision task (ADT) is developed and refined, which proved capable of producing strong immediate …  Read more

Petitto, Laura (Supervisor)  Read more

Ptolémée (fl. IIe siècle de notre ère) était l'astronome le plus influent de l'Antiquité et du Moyen Âge. Ses trois œuvres astronomiques majeures, l'Almagest, les Tables Faciles et le Livre des Hypothèses, ont été transmises à l'astronomie islamique prémoderne. Différentes théories de latitude planétaire ont été émises dans chacun de ces travaux qui ont fait l'objet de discussions approfondies en astronomie islamique. Cette thèse soulève la question suivante : Comment les différentes théories de latitude de Ptolémée ont-elles été reçues dans l'astronomie islamique ? Pour répondre à cette question, cette thèse examine comment les érudits sur une période de plus …  Read more

Kearney, Robert E. (Advisor)  Read more

Whether Aboriginal people should have special educational rights is a question that has simmered and occasionally boiled over during the past four decades. This dispute remains largely unresolved due to perceived tensions that exist between liberal values and minority rights. Will Kymlicka attempts to resolve this conflict by claiming that the liberal concept of autonomy can be used as a starting point for minority rights. However, there are several questions that are inadequately answered in his theory. Namely, why is autonomy so important? What is the significance of a particular culture? Should a liberal society support cultures that are illiberal? …  Read more

Le désir de réduire le poids des structures sans sacrifier des fonctionnalités spécifiques persiste depuis longtemps. Au cours des dernières décennies, les matériaux cellulaires ont ouvert de nouvelles voies pour alléger les éléments structurels. Diverses approches ont été proposées pour concevoir les matériaux de base et les topologies des structures cellulaires afin de réduire le poids et d’améliorer les performances. La plupart de ces approches impliquent des conceptions sophistiquées ou des technologies de fabrication complexes. Dans cette étude, nous présentons une stratégie simple pour concevoir des structures en treillis et ainsi améliorer les caractéristiques spécifiques sans toutefois augmenter le poids …  Read more

Les groupes agissant librement sur les $\mathbb Z^n$-arbres (les groupes $\mathbb Z^n$-libres) ont un rôle clé dans l'étude des actions non-archimédiennes de groupes. Suite aux idées de Stallings, nous développons des techniques graphes-théoretique afin d'étudier la structure de sous-groupes des groupes $\mathbb Z^n$-libres. Une des applications immédiate de notre méthode, est une solution algorithmique du Problème d'Occurance Uniforme et du Problème de Puissance dans les groupes $\mathbb Z^n$-libres.  Read more

Lignos, Dimitrios (Supervisor2)  Read more