McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par R

The course on which this study embarks is largely uncharted by positive law. Although man's technical achievements in outer space already stand as monumental guideposts to scientists, the framers devoted to founding the legal regime are only beginning to formulate the structure through which law and order can be effected in this new region. It is, I believe, wise and commendable that the policy making bodies of the world have not been driven by a modern cry for progress in space law and have not set about solving with a sense of urgency imaginary problems based on prophecies of disputes …  Read more

The mineralogy of the soil has in recent years received considerable attention, and much progress has been made in the separation and identification of minerals in this field. The emphasis on mineralogical identification is due to the fact that a given mineral is not sufficiently characterized by its chemical composition alone. The bulk of the minerals in the soil may be considered to be of varying chemical composition, therefore, any given chemical analysis can be interpreted in many different ways as mixtures of two or more of these minerals.  Read more

This thesis contends that there has often been a critical tendency to understate the challenges to the genre of autobiography that occur in Audrey Thomas's three novels: Songs My Mother Taught Me, Mrs. Blood, and Blown Figures. Chapter one qualifies autobiography in terms of its reliance on the liberal humanist subject as both author and protagonist. In the context of poststructuralist criticism, the author cannot be the unified, unique, original locus of truth that the liberal humanist subject is posited to be. Thus, as the subject collapses the foundation of autobiography collapses. Chapter two is a detailed analysis illustrating that …  Read more

The biology of the spruoe saw-fly is known to some extent, though there is apparently no literature on its morphology. This paper consists of a brief discussion of the externalmorphology of the four stages through which the insect passes, of some internal structures of ectodermal origin, and also of the internal morphology of the adult digestive andnervous systems, together with certain associated organs. The term spruce saw-fly as applied to the species is not a satisfactory one, it having been previously applied to another speoies, Diprion (Lophyrus) abietis, of the same family (Swaine '13 and 115). This term was adopted, …  Read more

Bien qu'elles ne couvrent qu'une très petite portion de la surface de la Terre, les eaux douces abritent une étonnante biodiversité de poissons. Cependant, de nombreux facteurs menacent les systèmes d'eau douce et les animaux qui y vivent. Il est prévu que les épisodes de faible teneur en oxygène dissous (hypoxie) et les évènements de chaleur extrême augmenteront en fréquence et en gravité en raison du changement climatique; il est aussi prévu que ces facteurs de stress auront également des effets interactifs sur les poissons. Dans le cadre de mon doctorat, j'ai étudié les effets de ces facteurs de stress …  Read more

This work presents findings gained from primarily qualitative observations of 49 parent-child dyads reading print and e-books from various genres.Repeated book reading by parent and preschool aged child is believed to lead to a common shared reading script, which facilitates the reading partners' future interactions around books. It is not known whether the routines acquired in print book reading readily transfer to dyads' interactions around electronic books (e-books), or whether co-reading these media requires a somewhat different approach. In chapter one, methodological aspects that were common to the three studies constituting the research project are outlined. In chapter two, I …  Read more

Social work is a profession that espouses respect for the value of diversity. However, diversity is limited in social work programs as these programs focus primarily on the teaching of verbal methods of connection for social workers to engage with clients. Non verbal methods of communication are limited in social work programs. This inhibits diversity as research has demonstrated that many clients for various reasons are unable to communicate through verbal dialogue. This present study explored social workers attitudes towards the use of art in their therapy. Six social workers from a children's mental health agency were interviewed and the …  Read more

At the end of the 19th century, horse serum was introduced as a source of antitoxin in the treatment of human diseases. This event marked the beginning of an interest in the properties of equine antiserum. [...]  Read more

This paper consists of several parts which, while dealing with parasites of the agouti, are quite separate in themselves. A general historical account therefore, may be both disconnected and confusing. Wherever it is possible to do so, an account of previous work will be given before each undertaking. The family Dasyproctidae including about twenty three (23) species of agoutis and pacas is peculiar to the neotropical region. Two species of this family are found in Trinidad viz. Dasyorocta agouti and Coelogenys paca. The agouti, (Dasyprocta agouti) is found also in a few of the islands north of Trinidad but, with …  Read more

I explored the relationship between neurite outgrowth and the onset of synaptic activity in the central neuropil of the leech embryo. In order to follow changes in early morphology and the onset of synaptic activity in the same identified neuron, whole cell patch clamp recordings and fluorescent dye fills were obtained from dorsal pressure-sensitive (P) cells, the first neurons that could be reliably identified in the early embryo. I followed the development of the P cell from the first extension of neurites to the elaboration of an adult-like arbour. Following the growth of primary neurites, we observed a profuse outgrowth …  Read more

Although the interpretation of Anselm's Cur Deus Homo in the tradition of Albrecht Ritschl, Adolf von Harnack and Gustaf Aulen has led to a suspicion about its usefulness for a Peace Theology, a reading through the lens of more recent scholarship, which assumes its original Catholic, sacramental and sacrificial framework, reveals a beautiful understanding of the cross in this medieval classic that is perfectly compatible with a commitment to nonviolence. Three Mennonite scholars writing in pursuit of an Anabaptist Peace Theology, John Howard Yoder, John Driver and J. Denny Weaver display varying degrees of dissatisfaction with the explanation that Anselm …  Read more

As Mennonites take up the challenge to clarify their stance vis a vis the creation, the question arises as to whether there are dimensions or tendencies in the writings of their eponym that can assist them in the articulation of a theology that is world-affirming. The teachings of Menno Simons regarding the Incarnation, "the world" and "the flesh" reflect the ambivalent attitude toward the world which has characterized the Christian Church over the centuries. In his doctrine of regeneration, however, there is evident a profound hope concerning the possibilities for "this world". His commitment to a faith which transforms life …  Read more

Foster, J. (Supervisors)  Read more

Chemical kinetics is one of the most recent branches of physical chemistry. It has however amply justified its existence by throwing light on two of the major problems of chemistry. Suoh problems for example as: the mechanism of reactions and the nature of chemical change and to some extent the much discussed and investigated question of affinity, the latter prior to the last decade having been studied largely by investigations of systems in their initial and final states, with little or no consideration of the path by whioh they reached such states. [...]  Read more

In the mid-1930s, two sites of the British empire, the Bechuanaland protectorate, which in 1966 became the nation-state of Botswana, and Mandate Palestine, were visited by commissions of inquiry. In Bechuanaland, a controversy surrounding African slavery and autonomy brought a lone commissioner to investigate. His report precipitated a competing investigation by local missionaries, forcing into dialogue two different articulations of British rule in Africa. Not so in Palestine, where the outbreak of national anti-colonial revolt precipitated yet another large and well-publicized inquiry into the ‘root causes’ of unrest. Studying Bechuanaland and Palestine together shows that the inquiry was a vital …  Read more

The research used dendro-chemical analysis of ash tree rings and current year leaf litter to track Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu, Mn, Cr, and Sn spread and cycling from a closed garbage dump-toxic waste site. This technique allowed for determination of areal extent, contaminant levels and time period of initial contaminant contact. Only Zn, Sn, and Cu were found in elevated quantities in the xylem wood and Pb in the leaf litter. Elemental concentrations of Pb, Sn and Cd in xylem wood and leaves of ash were positively correlated. Tin was the only element to demonstrate a clear initial contact period …  Read more

In 1951, M. Deutsch (2) was able to show that a group of positrons, injected in a gas, did not all behave the same way before annihilation; that different decay periods were observed, and that some of these periods did not vary if the pressure in the gas was allowed to change. This phenomenon was explained by assuming another phase in the positron history: its existence in a bound state with an electron, just before annihilation. The system escapes the influence of the surroundings and can undergo annihilation with its mean life essentially independent of ambiant pressure.  Read more

Pour comprendre le comportement complexe des cellules dans les environnements de culture cellulaire en 3D, il faut contrôler et connaître les signaux mécaniques et chimiques qu'elles reçoivent. Les hydrogels d'origine naturelle sont largement utilisés dans les études de culture en 3D, par contre il peut être difficile de découpler les différents signaux entre les cellules et leur matrice extracellulaire (MEC) pour comprendre leurs rôles individuels. Les hydrogels synthétiques ont été conçus pour étudier soit les propriétés élastiques ou viscoélastiques, mais ils n'offrent généralement pas la restructuration plastique de la MEC que l'on peut observer dans leurs homologues naturels. En tant …  Read more

The hunting of narwhals (Monodon monoceros) has been an important element in the cultural and economic life of indigenous people in the eastern Canadian Arctic and Greenland for centuries. This dissertation explores factors that have motivated the hunters and ways that non-indigenous forces have intervened to restrict hunting activities. Particular attention is paid to commercial (trade) aspects of the hunt and to how these have developed and changed through time. Concern about narwhal conservation first arose during the late 1960s and early 1970s. This concern has focused on a presumed positive correlation between the monetary value of tusk ivory for …  Read more

La majorité des protéines liées au glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) entrent dans les cellules mammifères par le biais du compartiment de l'endosome précoce par l'intermédiaire d'une voie indépendante des clathrines et dynamines enrichie en GPI et du transporteur endocytosomique indépendant des clathrines (GEEC/ CLIC). En utilisant des protéines attachées artificiellement à des lipides, nous avons étudié la manière avec laquelle ces « ancres lipidiques » influencent le trafic endocytosomique des protéines suite à l'internalisation initiale à partir de la membrane plasmique. Dans la première partie de cette thèse, je démontre que les protéines solubles, lorsque attachées à du phosphatidylethanolamine (PE)-polyethyleneglycol (PEGs) directement …  Read more

Crawford, John E. (Internal/Cosupervisor2)  Read more

Cette thèse cherche à aborder un problème général dans la théorie du droit constitutionnel et du droit des droits humains, à savoir l’impasse entre l’universalisme et le relativisme. Elle formule l’hypothèse qu’une perspective anthropologique peut contribuer à dépasser cette impasse, en offrant une alternative située en dehors du cadre binaire de ce débat – celle des droits humains « pluriversels ». Plutôt que de rejeter entièrement les critiques relativistes ou les aspirations universalistes, elle plaide en faveur d’une approche pluraliste qui respecte les variations culturelles tout en maintenant la moralité interne du droit.En s’interrogeant sur la manière de pluraliser les …  Read more

Having critically examined the dominant approaches to the study of development now current in Irish geographical and historical research, the thesis outlines the need for a structurally based, historical analysis of uneven sectoral and regional development in Ireland from circa 1550 to 1750. This is achieved through examining the dialectical relationships between class, colonialism and development, involving an analysis of, in turn, land confiscation and colonisation policies, the creation of a new landed aristocracy, legislation against trade and manufacturing, and the overall retardation of development on the island. Uneven regional development is examined through contrasting the differing evolution of the …  Read more

Although the figure of the warrior woman has always existed as a literary topos, the popularity of the warrior woman figure has never been greater than in the period of the Italian Renaissance. The character of the female warrior in the 14th and 15th centuries in Italy results from many literary traditions ranging from the Amazons of classical and medieval times, to the many versions of the Aeneid to the character of Aigiarne in the Milione of Marco Polo. In addition, other examples exist of female characters who demonstrate their fighting capabilities who, without necessarily being considered warrior women, have …  Read more

Spence-Sales, Harold (Supervisor)  Read more

The thesis consists of a brief novel entitled, TowardsAmedeo’s Eden, plus an accompanying analytical essay, and alist of readings. […]  Read more

Haptic technologies bring touch-based interactions into computer interfaces, opening new possibilities for entertainment, music and art, virtual reality, education, and accessibility. In many of these applications, haptic interactivity is experienced as part of a multisensory experience, often including complementary visual or auditory elements. Such multisensory design, when done well, can improve the experiences of users, for example by providing richer feedback to performing musicians and creating interactive audio-haptic diagrams for blind and low-vision students. Despite this, most software for haptic design has limited support for other sensory modalities, requiring ongoing effort from the designer to follow a suitably multisensory approach. …  Read more

This research explores the visual representations of Scottish culture in William Notman’s collection of photographic portraits to demonstrate how Highlandism and Scottish cultural symbols were used by Montreal’s Anglo-Protestant community in efforts to express a distinct identity. The use of the Scottish national costume, linked to the military character of Highland culture, contributed to the Anglo-Protestant elite’s claims to status in 19th-century Montreal. Portrait photography of both children and adults was thus used to represent the values imagined to be associated with Scottish character, and played an important role in projecting and shaping identities of self, integrating the modern and …  Read more

Kakkar, Ashok K. (Internal/Cosupervisor2)  Read more

'It Is Nothing but Water Slipping through My Fingers" est une pièce composée pour ensemble de dix-sept musiciens dans le cadre d’une thèse validant un master de composition musicale à l’Université McGill. Cette thèse est constituée de deux volumes distincts. Le Volume I constitue l’analyse de la composition et traite des inspirations musicales, extra-musicales ainsi que des procédés compositionnels utilisés. Le Volume II contient la partition musicale de la composition.Cette pièce est une tentative d’explorer le maintien de l’identité, la continuité et la cohérence d’une trajectoire sonore ayant la forme d’une double hélice. Cette structure en double hélice est constituée …  Read more

Toxic antifouling agents such as tributyltin (TBT) and triphenyltin (TPT) have been released in aquatic ecosystems through the use of antifouling paint applied to ship hulls, pleasure crafts and fish nets. The purpose of this study was to assess the use of zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha ) as a biomonitor for investigating the geographical variations of organotin bioavailability along the St. Lawrence River. Organotins TBT and TPT and their degradation products were first measured in the soft tissues of zebra mussels collected from along the River. High concentrations of TBT were found in mussels from Bassin Louise, a marina in …  Read more

3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA/ecstasy) is a serotonin neurotoxin in animals. Human MDMA abusers exhibit evidence of disturbed serotonin transmission. Altered serotonergic neurotransmission in MDMA abusers might underline susceptibility to developing depressed mood. The acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) challenge was used to study altered serotonin levels in MDMA abusers. Sixteen MDMA abusers and nineteen age- and gender-matched controls were tested. In a double-blind crossover study, subjects ingested a 100g amino acid mixture with or devoid of tryptophan. Mood was measured before and after the ingestion of the amino acid, a total of three times throughout the day. Impulsivity was measured with the Go/No-Go …  Read more

Each year, there is an unprecedented number of refugee claimants in Canada. Upswings in asylum claims have prompted the federal government to open hotel-based temporary shelters exclusively for refugee claimants. Upon arrival, refugee claimant families, including youth, are temporarily housed in these shelters, experiencing high levels of social isolation with no access to coordinated mental health support. In response to these conditions, we conducted a photovoice study with twenty refugee claimant youth living in the temporary shelters in two Canadian cities. This thesis first seeks to document the lived realities and psychosocial well-being of refugee claimant youth, drawing on participant-generated …  Read more

Female genital cutting (FGC) has received much attention since the early 1980s. Decried as both a human rights violation and a barbaric example of the patriarchal subjugation of women and girls in developing nations, FGC has only recently been examined within the cultural framework in which it takes place. This thesis will focus on the Muslim communities in Egypt and Sudan who continue to engage in FGC as a required Muslim practice. Starting from the notion that FGC has a limiting effect on a woman's overall health, this thesis will use three foundational notions from Islamic medical ethics to argue …  Read more

This dissertation presents two new systematic feedback approaches for set point feedback stabilization of drift free systems which employ Lie algebraic techniques. Due to some special features, drift free systems are known to be difficult to stabilize. For such systems, linearization, and state feedback linearization techniques, fail to be useful. In this dissertation two new feedback approaches the guiding functions approach and the trajectory interception approach are introduced. The importance of these approaches is due to their simplicity and the fact that they do not require any special transformation techniques. The guiding functions approach delivers piece-wise constant control sequences and …  Read more

This thesis presents the experimental investigation of vortex flow structure over non-slender delta wing with leading edge sweep angle, Λ=45°. A comprehensive investigation has been conducted in a wind tunnel at Reynolds numbers ranging between 247,000 and 445,000. Seven-hole pressure probe measurements for flow characteristics such as normalized axial vorticity, normalized axial velocity, vortex trajectory and pressure variations are presented at various chordwise stations, angles of incidences and Reynolds number. The focus was on critical vortex flow characteristics and their dependency on the angle of attack, stream-wise movement and Reynolds number. The movement of vortex breakdown was also documented for …  Read more

Studies on fanfiction acknowledge its potential “as a tool of social criticism” due to an “explosion of postcolonial and ethnic American literature” as Western canonical texts such as Shakespeare’s Tempest and Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre are revised or extended to include the diverse impacts of colonialism and racism (Derecho 69). However, positive critical reception has mostly been relegated to published fanfics, with little consideration given to online ones, despite the fact that they too perform the same function and give a voice to marginalized communities that are either absent or crudely depicted in canonical texts. This thesis will therefore interrogate …  Read more

Settlement characteristics of silt have been studied in relation to those of sand and clay. This involved investigation of the immediate elastic settlement due to deformation occurring under constant volume, and consolidation as a function of pore pressure dissipation. Oedometer and Triaxial compression tests (undrained and consolidated-undrained) with pore pressure measurements were performed to obtain the values of the parameters my, the modulus of volume change, E, the elastic modulus, and pore pressure coefficient ’A’.  Read more

Soils which were known to have caused sedimentation problems in drain pipes were used in the investigations. Different envelope combinations such as soil-fabric, soil-gravel and soil-sand-fabric were evaluated. Nine 100 mm diameter, 250 mm high permeameters were used to determine the functioning of envelope materials and to improve the criteria for testing of envelope materials. To obtain a clear indication of success/failure of an envelope, a wide range of hydraulic gradients and different thicknesses of soils and envelopes were used. The most effective thicknesses were, 5 cm of soil with fabrics and 2.5 cm of soil plus 7.5 cm of …  Read more

Berry, Gregory Kenneth (Supervisor2)  Read more

RésuméObjectif: L'objectif global de cette étude était de comprendre les expériences et les perspectives des femmes musulmanes du Québec vivant avec une maladie mentale et qui ont récemment eu recours à des services de santé mentale. Les objectifs spécifiques comprenaient (i) l'examination des barrières et des facilitateurs de rétablissement qu'elles ont elles-mêmes identifiés ; (ii) l'exploration des liens entre la religion et la santé mentale ; et (iii) la satisfaction autodéclarée à l'égard des services de santé mentale reçus.Méthodes : Nous avons adopté une approche qualitative, permettant l'émergence de perspectives ascendantes. Nous avons réalisé des entretiens semi-structurés avec 20 femmes …  Read more

Leacock, S. (Supervisor)  Read more

Neck pain is an increasing problem in industrialized societies. Research is necessary to find ways to objectively measure neck dysfunction. The purpose of this Master's project was to examine the test-retest properties of a dynamometric system for neck force measurements and to obtain reference measures on isometric cervical strength in a healthy population. Twenty-eight healthy subjects participated in this study; 16 males and 12 females. Cervical strength was measured using the MCU(TM) Multi-Cervical Unit (BTE Technologies(c)) in six directions: flexion, extension, protraction, retraction and right and left lateral flexion. The test-retest reliability was good to excellent (≥ 0.85) for all …  Read more

The distribution, biology and host preferences of Cryptorhynchus melastomae Champion (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) were studied in Costa Rica from May to July 2005 and January to May 2006 to determine its suitability as a biocontrol agent for Miconia calvescens DC (Melastomataceae) in Hawaii. Specimen records compiled from various collections indicate a distribution from Mexico to Ecuador. In its native Costa Rica all life stages of C. melastomae are associated with M. calvescens and adults and larvae can severely damage or kill small seedlings. Adults are nocturnal and apparently prefer to feed and oviposit on M. calvescens seedlings. Comparisons between its environmental …  Read more