McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par R

Dostie, Josee (Supervisor2)  Read more

Forest harvesting is blamed for a perceived increase in the flashiness and turbidity of the Cascapedia River's water. This has raised questions over the source of the sediment (harvest parcels, roads, or stream banks) and its potential impact on the sedimentology of the river. The objectives of this research are twofold. The first is to ascertain if harvesting operations are associated to a widening of low-order tributaries, creating a source of sediment. The second is to determine if variations in the sedimentology along four segments of the Cascapedia can be associated to harvesting operation intensity. Firstly, analysis of stream width …  Read more

Klein, Denise (Supervisor1)  Read more

In order to investigate if the ERG could be used to monitor the function of the retina as it is adapting to a new luminous environment, we measured the impact of pre-exposure to a bright luminous environment on the electrical response of the retina recorded (1) immediately after closure of this bright background luminance (i.e., at the onset of dark adaptation) and (2) immediately after a reduction of the background luminance from a brighter to a dimmer level. Our experimental approach resulted in highly significant and transient modifications in the amplitudes and in the peak times of most of the …  Read more

This thesis analyses the process of social construction of women's citizenship rights in Peru under the regime of Alberto Fujimori (1990--2000). It builds on an existing body of literature on democratization and women's movements in Latin America, to develop an understanding of the forms of women's mobilization under new democratic regimes and the impact of the pattern of state-society relations on the advancements and losses in women's citizenship rights. More specifically, it shows that the 1990s witnessed a significant range of advances in women's civil and political rights, while social and economic rights suffered serious reversals. It is argued that …  Read more

Yau, Man K (Internal/Cosupervisor2)  Read more

In this work we solve two new matrix models, using standard and new techniques. The two models are based on matrix ensembles not previously considered. They are represented by special forms of antisymmetric matrices and are classified in the DIII generator ensemble. It is shown that, in the double scaling limit, their free energy has the same behavior as previous models describing oriented and unoriented surfaces. We also found an additional solution for the chapter 3 model.  Read more

In this thesis we investigate three approaches to generating new solutions to low energy string theory. The first one consists in gauging WZW models. We construct a gauged extension of a model first introduced by Witten and Nappi. Then we look at Garfinkle's wave generating technique and apply it on a known five-dimensional black string to generate a new family of solutions. We investigate their properties with a special emphasis on singularities. Finally, in the last part, we study O(d, d + p) transformations and duality and we explore the effect of gauge transformations on those transformations. With the latter, …  Read more

This thesis aims to show how the North in Gabrielle Roy's work is a liminal figurative space that, far from freeing individuals from society's constraints, allows them to reconnect with it in a simplified way. It argues that the characters' "northern" experiences and the mode of their actions, in La Petite Poule d'Eau (The Water Hen) and Alexandre Chenevert (The Cashier), are best defined as pastoral, because they result from an unresolved conflict – a contradiction – between their moral ideals and their passions. Torn between living a solitary life and a communal one, Roy's characters are unable to choose …  Read more

The aim of this paper is to investigate why, despite experiencing the longest civil conflicts in the Middle East and Africa, Lebanon and Sudan continue to exemplify durable traditional clientelistic regimes based on sectarianism. This research, based on literature on domination theory in a post-colonial framework, examines the creation and reformulation of nationalist discourse in the years prior to independence found in two primary indigenous publications: La Révue Phénicienne in Lebanon and The Sudan Notes and Records in Sudan. These publications show the political elite's agency, with the colonial authorities' endorsement, to write the national history along the lines of …  Read more

In response to stresses such as the accumulation of misfolded proteins, the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) triggers cytosolic and nuclear signalling events, which are integrated by the cell to result in adaptation or apoptosis. The activation of stress-responsive kinases (SAPKs) and the mitogen-activated kinases (MAPKs) are known to have a key influence cell fate determination. We developed a technique to study the regulation of these kinases by the ER in response to drugs inducing protein misfolding. We isolated ER like compartments with a relatively high degree of purity using magnetic beads coated with anti-calnexin antibodies and vie reconstituted in a cell …  Read more

Within the framework of international trade liberalization which has given rise to considerable thought about the fundamental contribution of cultural diversity to sustainable development, we explore the upholding of the educational rights of recognized linguistic minorities and of the aboriginal and treaty rights of First Nations under the Constitution Act, 1982. We examine these rights in the light of relevant judgments of the Supreme Court of Canada in order to confirm our initial hypothesis that the highest court in the land can show governments here and abroad the steps to take to ensure that the cultural rights specific to some …  Read more

Macklem, Dr. P. T.  Read more

A phase-field approach describing the formation and evolution of an hexagonally patterned surface is presented. We studied a free-energy and a time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equation for which the order parameter is non-conserved. We give a review of the scaling phenomena in general and of hexagonal systems in particular, both from theoretical and experimental points of views. A squared shaped grid of varied sizes, with periodical boundary conditions, was used for the simulations. First, we studied the evolution of surfaces themselves. Then, we considered the evolution of the structure factor's maximum amplitude, and full width at half maximum. Scaling laws as a …  Read more

Hydrogel surface interactions are highly relevant for biomedical applications. Despite the availability of several surface modification methods for a large variety of biomedical materials, plasma-based surface modification of hydrogel surfaces hasn’t been the subject of a thorough evaluation, partly due to the nature of hydrogels and due to the challenges of treating moisture-rich materials in low pressure plasma reactors. Owing to the prevalent use of hydrogel-based materials as biomedical devices, it is critical to understand the nature of their governing parameters.Even though hydrogels are commonly used materials for biomedical device fabrication, their surfaces are often not optimised for such applications. …  Read more

This study questions the effects that discrimination has had on aviation and what changes, if any, can be expected in the near future. The central theme of the study is discrimination, specifically racial discrimination, sex discrimination and age discrimination. Of particular importance is the discriminatory role that various government agencies have played in labeling a person unfit to serve as a pilot simply because that person happens to be a woman, black or has reached a certain chronological age. This study questions the position taken by such institutions as the International Civil Aviation Organization, the Federal Aviation Administration and the …  Read more

The somatosensory representations of hands and feet were determined using spatio-temporal source analysis of median and posterior tibial nerve somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs). In 10 control subjects, modeled generators mapped on MRI correlated well with the primary somatosensory cortex identified with strict radiological criteria. For median nerve stimulation, the main generator was located 3.5 mm from the central sulcus on average (after correction for eccentricity) and was perpendicular to it. For posterior tibial nerve stimulation, the main generator was slightly anterior to the central sulcus (average distance 6.6 mm) and pointed predominantly posteriorly and towards the longitudinal fissure. In 3 …  Read more

The neutron current and density of a uniform neutron stream may be determined by inserting a disc-shaped neutron detector at right angles to the direction of the stream and measuring the activities induced over the front and back surfaces of the detector. The sum of these two activities will be referred to as simply the "activity" of the detector. [...]  Read more

Au cours des dernières décennies, de nombreuses études ont fait état des effets bénéfiques des feuilles de bleuets. Toutefois, de la recherche a été publiée récemment sur les pratiques post-récolte pour la feuille de bleuet. Ces recherches ont guidé l’énoncé de la présente recherche visant à explorer l’extraction des feuilles de bleuet et à analyser les différents facteurs affectant la concentration en composés phénoliques des extraits.Dans la première partie de cette recherche, pour l’extraction efficace des composés anti-oxydants de la feuille de bleuet, une étude expérimentale a été effectuée afin de choisir le meilleur solvant éco-biologique, pour la meilleure méthode …  Read more

Cholinergic signaling is important in the physiological functions of several organs, including the heart, lungs and bladder, and in centrally mediated physiological functions such as learning, memory, movement, circadian rhythm, and sleep-wake cycles. During high frequency firing, most of the acetylcholine (ACh) is released and the cholinergic nerve terminal must continuously resynthesize ACh using choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) in order to contend with its demand. The rate-limiting step for the ACh synthesis reaction is the uptake of choline into the presynaptic terminal through the high affinity choline transporter (ChT). Although much is known about how cholinergic synapses function, little is known …  Read more

Mirror matter is a dark matter candidate that consists of an exact copy of the Standard Model gauge group. Assuming the Z2 mirror symmetry between ordinaryand mirror matter is unbroken, the chemical and nuclear processes of each sector havethe same rates, which makes the model fully predictive given the temperature anddensity of mirror matter. In this thesis, we study the cosmology of mirror matter,focusing on structure formation, in order to constrain the parameters of this theory.We first give a review of the evidence for dark matter and the tensions within the colddark matter paradigm. We then go over the main …  Read more

Barker, Philip (Supervisor)  Read more

Dynamic and localized changes in the proteome are often engendered by post-transcriptional pathways which rapidly alter the rates of mRNA translation and degradation. Specifically, the microRNA (miRNA) class of non-coding RNAs silence target mRNA transcripts through sequential mRNA translation suppression and decay. Despite a deeper understanding of the manner by which miRNAs commit their targets to the 5’-3’ mRNA degradation pathway, the molecular basis for translation inhibition by miRNAs remains unclear. Here, we have endeavoured to identify microRNA-induced silencing complex (miRISC)-associated proteins that may impact mRNA translation, and assess the functional relevance of these proteins for miRNA function. First, we …  Read more

Marketing analytical studies of optimal salesforce compensation policies typically rely on a set of restrictive assumptions. In this paper, a model of decentralized salesforce compensation is developed, wherein some of the classical assumptions are challenged. Response Surface Methodology is used to optimize decentralized compensation policies over a set of simulated conditions. The proposed approach is then illustrated with two empirical applications in artificial and real settings. The objective is to provide some preliminary evidence about decentralized structures and to recommend salesforce compensation policies.  Read more

Des études ont été effectuées sur le développment du foie de rat et sur la structure et la fonction de la membrane cytoplasmique postnatale de foie de rat à la suite de l'ingestion maternelle d'alcool pendant les périodes de grossesse et de lactation. Une étude sur le développement de l'alcool déshydrogénase (ADH) n'a révelé aucune différence dans l'activité et certaines propriétés cinétiques de l'enzyme chez la progéniture d'animaux témoins et alcoolises. Néanmoins, une accumulation d'acides gras dans le foie des rats alcoolises a coïncidé avec l'apparition de l'ADH au dix-neuvième jour de la gestation. […]  Read more

Epileptiform EEG discharges consisting of alternate waves and spikes at a frequency of 3 seconds and occurring synchronously in both cerebral hemispheres are classically associated with the clinical condition of petit mal. No focal pathological lesion has as yet been demonstrated to account for this form of human epilepsy. Some clinical and EEG observations as well as the animal experiments by Jasper and Droogleever-Fortuyn (1947), Ingvar (1955), and Perot (1961) suggest that this type of epileptic discharge may originate in a mesencephalo-diencephalic system with diffuse bilateral projection pathways often referred to as the "centrencephalic system" (Penfïeld, 1950; Penfield and Jasper, …  Read more

Hypotheses regarding the distribution, texture and trace element concentrations of lake sediments were tested by empirical analyses of multi-lake data sets (52 to 83 lakes). Sediment distribution was best characterized by the deposition boundary depth (DBD), the abrupt transition from coarse- to fine-grained sediments. The DBD can now be predicted from either empirical models or empirical-theoretical simplifications of wave of sediment threshold theory, both in terms of exposure (or fetch) and bottom slope. The texture (organic content, water content and bulk density) of profundal sediments was related to the inorganic sedimentation rate and exposure, but not to the lake trophic …  Read more

La végétation aquatique est une constituante essentielle des écosystèmes d'eau douce, fournissant un habitat pour la faune, stabilisant les sédiments, modifiant les régimes d'écoulement et améliorant la qualité d’eau. Les communautés végétales sont cependant sujets à de nouvelles pressions croissantes en raison du changement climatique et des perturbations humaines accrues. La surveillance et la gestion de ces écosystèmes sont donc essentielles pour le maintien des services rendus par les plantes aquatiques. La télédétection est suggérée comme méthode préférée pour surveiller ces habitats, mais la technologie n'a pas encore été mise en œuvre à grande échelle, en particulier pour la végétation …  Read more

The europium in arc melted EuCu₂Si₂ and EuCu₂Ge₂ has remarkably different behaviours. The europium in the silicide is intervalent, while in the germanide it is divalent, exhibiting antiferromagnetic ordering below 12.89(6) K. When grown from an indium-flux both compounds are antiferromagnetic with a spin flipping process, as observed by 151-Eu Mössbauer spectroscopy. We use flat plate neutron diffraction and single crystal Mössbauer spectroscopy to find and compare the static and dynamic magnetic structures of the compounds.Neutron diffraction patterns at a wavelength of 2.37 Å of both arc melted and indium-flux grown EuCu₂Ge₂ are fitted to planar helimagnetic structures. The arc …  Read more

The objectives of this work were to investigate and improve impregnation of regular (2-8mm thickness range) black spruce wood chips in CMP-AQ pulping. Impregnation and pulping experiments were performed while varying several pulping parameters. Experiments were analyzed in terms of yield, lignin content, percent screen rejects, and strength properties. The goal was to determine optimum pulping conditions that would improve chemical impregnation. Impregnation is a function of percent screen rejects: well impregnated chips have fewer rejects. Cooking temperature and cooking time were held constant in all experiments at 170$ sp circ$C and 30 minutes, respectively. The liquor pH was adjusted …  Read more

Psychotherapy research indicates that metaphors are often used to express a client's meaningful experience. This study measured the impact of client-generated metaphors on in-session experiencing. The research question explored whether client-generated metaphor use would be associated with greater in-session experiencing as rated by the Experiencing Scale (EXP; Klein, Mathieu-Coughlan, & Kiesler, 1986). It was also asked whether metaphor use would increase the subsequent experiencing of a client. Forty-seven client-generated metaphor events were randomly selected from 47 psychotherapy transcripts of clients in therapy with counsellors-in-training. For each metaphor event, a pre-metaphor and post-metaphor client utterance was selected. A total of 140 …  Read more

Collagen is an abundant extracellular material found in animal tissue and is widely used as a biomaterial in various applications such as tissue engineering, pharmacy, and cosmetics. However, traditional methods of harvesting collagen from human or animal tissue pose challenges related to supply, cost, purification, and immunogenicity. To address these issues, an alternative to animal collagen called Scl2 collagen-like protein (VCL) has been developed. VCL is derived from Streptococcus pyogenes and offers advantages such as non-cytotoxicity, non-immunogenicity, and ease of industrial-scale production.In our study, we aimed to enhance the gelation and functionality of VCL, which currently falls short compared to …  Read more

The Montreal Occupational Therapy and Rehabilitation Centre represents, in its statement of function, the latest approach towards treatment of handicapped people, namely, that of providing a number of different services and utilizing a diversity of professional skills in an agency setting, to provide for the total possible rehabilitation of its clientelle of handicapped patients.  Read more

During the past two decades, an extensive body of empirical evidence has accumulated in that area of social psychology labeled variously as social perception, empathy, or person perception. As the reviews by Bruner and Tagiuri (1954) and Taft (1955) indicate, the focus of attention in the early research was on the accuracy of one person's perception of the personality characteristics of another. Many such studies have centered on the accuracy of the guesses by one person of the way others responded to personality questionnaires. Summarizing his impressions of these investigations, Cronbach (1958) points out that the findings are "interesting, statistically …  Read more

The interplay of religion and politics has been a consistent theme in the comparativepolitics of identity, and more specifically with regard to Middle Eastern politics Yetcoverage of religion and politics in the region is generally focused on the Muslimmajority and neglects the existence and impact of non-Muslim religious elements inMiddle Eastern societies. The most prominent of these are the various groups ofChristian Arabs.This work begins with a reassessment of common comparative theoretical approaches tothe study of religion and politics. It introduces a critical and dynamic constructivistapproach to religion, defining it as belief'. Using belief the political environment, andrelative demographics as …  Read more

Central administration of neurotensin (NT) stimulates hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) activity in freely-moving rats. Increases in adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone (B) were observed 15 min following central (i.c.v.) NT administration and remained elevated for up to 4 hours. Of the two NT fragments tested, NT$ sb{1-8}$ and NT$ sb{8-13}$, only NT$ sb{8-13}$ was found to significantly elevate ACTH and B levels. Moreover, NT$ sb{8-13}$ activated the HPA axis with a temporal profile similar to NT$ sb{1-13}$, suggesting an interaction with the pharmacologically and molecularly characterized NT receptor. Animals pre-treated intravenously with the corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) antagonist, $ alpha$-helical CRH, showed attenuated …  Read more

Central administration of pmol and low nmol doses of neurotensin (NT), rapidly stimulated hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) activity, increasing adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone (B) release for several hours. This suggests potent effects of centrally administered NT and a role for this neuropeptide in HPA regulation. Of several brain areas thought to be involved in mediating NT-induced effects, one site of particular interest is the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVNh). Chronic implants of the NT antagonist, SR 48692 (powdered form), into the PVNh area decreased HPA activity under both basal and stress-induced conditions. These findings suggest an endogenous role for …  Read more

Dale, J. (Supervisors)  Read more

The eighteenth century public sphere has been defined by Habermas in terms of its rational, critical style of debate and egalitarian ideals. In eighteenth century America the public sphere comprised mainly elite merchants. This group mediated between civil society and the state in order to influence government decisions. Motivated largely by commercial interests, they nevertheless claimed to represent the entire society. But around the mid-nineteenth century, the American public sphere began to expand, mainly due to the emergence of a middle class. Debate over Shakespearean drama had a profound effect on the ways in which 19th century civil society presented …  Read more

This thesis investigates variations in solar irradiance incident upon sloping surfaces under deciduous forest in winter. A model is presented for prediction of solar irradiance at the surface which accounts for slope inclination and orientation, surrounding topography, isotropic absorption of solar radiation by the crown space, and shadows cast by the stem space. Field data from two sites of different slope and aspect attest to the validity of the model; errors, based on 20-minute averages of instantaneous values, are 15.5% (RMSE) and $-$1.9% (MBE). Error is partially due to reliance upon global radiation measurements above canopy at a different site …  Read more

The fifteenth century brought to the live of Scottish people the beginning of economic, religious, and social change. Slow to be influenced by the Renaissance that had awakened Europe, Scotland was nevertheless stirring uneasily under the bonds and restrictions of the Middle Ages, and was reaching toward the promise of a freer, more enterprising existence. Gradual though the change was, it touched every aspect of Scottish life, and like all changes, it had to contend with the old order before it could be accepted.  Read more

Farookhi, Riaz (Supervisor)  Read more

In this thesis, the development of a Dominion government telegraph on a portion of the Canadian frontier is analyzed as a formative moment of socialization and cultural expression. It utilizes a socio-cultural framework for understanding the 'experience of space'; notably how changes in presence or access to one another--facilitated by this new mode of communication--are central to this experience. The thesis argues that the telegraph is crucially related to issues of public confidence. Its approach draws upon recent social and cultural treatments of communication technologies which stress the ways that the material reality of such technologies become part of a …  Read more

Considerable work has been done on the Stark effect for gases, notably hydrogen and helium, but muoh less is known regarding the Stark effect for metals. The application of such a study to metallic spectra is particularly important and instructive since by its aid much light may be thrown on the series relationships of a particular metal. Moreover, in the electric fields which obtain in 10 Surdo discharge phenomena appear whioh are difficult or even impossible to obtain elsewhere. For example, certain spectral lines only appear in very intense fields whereas others are brought out by moderate field intensit1es, disappearing …  Read more

The experimental facts of the stark-effect in hydrogen and helium are quite well known. In 1913 J. stark discovered that the spectral lines emitted by a gas were broadened, and in some cases were actually split if the gas was subjected to a high electric field. This effect, named after its discoverer, has been examined in great detail by many later workers.Stark and his collaborators used a modified canal-ray tube in which the electric field was produced between the usual perforated cathode and an auxiliary oathode placed a few millimetres away. [...]  Read more