McGill University Thèses et mémoires publiés en 1988

The structure and the regulation of the hepatic $ alpha sb1$-adrenergic receptors have been studied in the rat. The in vitro incubation of isolated liver cells in a serum-free buffer for 4 hr leads to the conversion of the adrenergic activation of glycogen phosphorylase from an $ alpha sb1$- to a $ beta$-adrenoceptor-mediated event. This change is associated with no change in the glycogenolytic response to vasopressin and a reduction of the glycogenolytic response to glucagon. The time-dependent shift in the adrenergic control of glycogenolysis does not influence the density or the affinity of ($ sp3$H) prazosin-labeled $ alpha sb1$-receptors …  Lire la suite

The role of tryptophan availability in the regulation of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT) metabolism and function has been examined in rats and humans, by manipulation of dietary components. It was demonstrated that in the rat, protein and carbohydrate can alter 5HT levels in peripheral tissues as well as brain. A new method for the determination of 5HT in the cisternal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of the rat was developed and used as an index of functional 5HT, using pharmacological agents known to act on 5HT function. Using this technique, it was then shown that tryptophan administration potentiates the release of 5HT when the …  Lire la suite

This dissertation investigates, within a Government-Binding framework, the licensing mechanisms which regulate the distribution of sentence-internal constituents. It is proposed that the licensing requirements apply across components, in the spirit of the Projection Principle of Chomsky (1981). Under the extended view of licensing proposed here ("Universal Licensing"), maximal projections must comply with the appropriate licensing requirements at every syntactic level of representation. This allows for a more constrained model of grammar, under which a number of facts follow in a principled way; this is the case particularly with respect to constructions involving null operators. Thus, from the D- and S-Structure …  Lire la suite

The purpose of the present study is to recover from selected Hindu and Buddhist texts ideas and images of aging and illumine their historical, semantic and metaphysical dimensions. The results of this endeavor indicate that as cultural adaptive systems, both religion and gerontology share a common concern in seeking to provide aging with purpose and meaning. Further, the internal logic and semantics expressing this relationship in the texts examined are governed by the formal and literary modes of simile, metaphor and myth. The analysis of such age-sensitive concepts as jara (aging), asrama (stages of life), kala (time), parinama (change), karma …  Lire la suite

A stable transferred arc was produced with plasmagas containing up to 20 percent molar TiCl$ sb4$ in argon, helium and argon/hydrogen mixtures. This was achieved by replacing the commonly-used thoriated tungsten cathode tip with a tantalum carbide tip. Thus, corrosive reactions at the cathode surface, which were shown to be the cause of the observed instability, were prevented. This allowed the characteristics of stable titanium tetrachloride plasmas in a transferred arc reactor to be investigated. Furthermore, an investigation was conducted into the feasibility of collecting titanium metal from the dissociated TiCl$ sb4$ molecule in the plasmagas. The titanium metal was …  Lire la suite

The decay properties of the neutron deficient nuclei $ sp{144}$Gd, $ sp{142}$Gd, $ sp{ rm 141g}$Gd, $ sp{ rm 141m}$Gd and $ sp{140}$Gd are investigated in detail for the first time and the new beta decaying isomers $ sp{ rm 141g,m}$Gd, $ sp{141}$Tb(A) and $ sp{140}$Gd are discovered. A gas-jet recoil-transport system and a conversion electron spectrometer are designed and constructed in order to measure the electromagnetic transitions emitted following their decay. Levels schemes are deduced for the daughter nuclei $ sp{144}$Eu, $ sp{142}$Eu, $ sp{141}$Eu, $ sp{140}$Eu, and $ sp{141}$Gd and spin-parity assignments are established for several states. The …  Lire la suite

This study investigated the underlying factor structure of second language (L2) cloze test performance as explained by a theoretical model including the following hypothetical constructs: cloze-taking ability, knowledge of language, knowledge of text content, and knowledge of contextual constraints. Eight cloze tests reflecting the posited factors were constructed and administered to 182 Francophone, university-level students. The factors were examined separately and in combination through a causal model building process. A model composed of three orthogonal factors was confirmed and accepted as the best explanation of the data. The results indicate that cloze performance is dependent upon knowledge of a specific …  Lire la suite

Hassani, F. P. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

The sample included 29 healthy competitive male distance runners. Bilateral measurements were taken for selected variables of the talocalcaneal flexibility by means of a mechanical goniometer, and of the peak isokinetic knee strength on a Cybex II device. The frontal and horizontal plane motions of the lower limbs of the subjects were recorded by high speed filming and videotaping while they were running on a motor driven treadmill at their training pace under two conditions: with running shoes and barefoot. A detailed description of each runner's history was obtained and bilateral dominance characteristics were determined. Significant functional asymmetries were found …  Lire la suite

Four experiments were conducted on hens of turkey and Japanese quail. In Experiment I, turkey hens were fed diets containing either 0% added fat, 3.5% animal-vegetable fat blend (AV) or 3.5% dry fat product (DF). In Experiment II with turkey hens, 2 holding diets and 4 breeder diets were investigated. The holding diets contained either 0% added fat or 5% of AV. The breeder diets contained 0% added fat of 5% of one of the following: AV, corn oil (CO) or olive oil (OO). In Experiment III with Japanese quail, 3 pre-breeder (PB) and 3 breeder diets (BD) were studied. …  Lire la suite

While the sixteenth-century transculturation of tobacco was an event of momentous significance in European and Amerindian history, no thorough, anthropological analysis of its effects has heretofore been attempted. This may be attributed partly to traditional acculturation models which have tended to emphasize only changes inflicted on native populations and have often failed to contextualize natives and newcomers within a single bilateral, historical trajectory. This study surveys the effects of smoking on European culture and on colonial activities in America. This is followed by an extensive scrutiny of ethnohistoric and archaeological evidence relating to the use of pipes and tobacco at …  Lire la suite

Surface properties of high-strength and high-modulus carbon fibers were studied by inverse gas chromatography. London components of the surface free energy were calculated from the increment per methylene group in the free energy of adsorption of n-alkanes at zero coverage. Values typical of low energy surfaces were obtained for both types of "as received" carbon fibers. Cleaning of the fibers at elevated temperatures under nitrogen caused a significant increase in the London component. This was attributed to the desorption of physically adsorbed species (CO$ sb2$, H$ sb2$O) that occupied the high energy sites on "as received" fibers. Similar results were …  Lire la suite

Pontomesencephalic tegmental cholinergic neurons were destroyed in cats by local injections of kainic acid in order to assess the role of these neurons in sleep-wakefulness states and in the defining variables of these states: EEG (electroencephalographic) and EMG (electromyographic) amplitude, PGO (ponto-geniculo-occipital) spike rate, REMs (rapid eye movements) and (OBS) olfactory bulb spindles. Loss of cholinergic innervation to forebrain and brainstem structures was also assessed by histochemistry. Histological and histochemical analysis of the brains after the lesion showed a major destruction of the pontomesencephalic cholinergic neurons and a major loss of innervation to thalamic nuclei and brainstem regions, including the …  Lire la suite

An experiment was undertaken to determine the effect of tillage and fertilizer on silage and grain corn production and on soil properties as well as to develop a crop yield model. Conventional, reduced, and zero tillage treatments in combination with inorganic or organic (cattle dairy manure) fertilizer treatments were applied yearly on a clay and a sandy loam soil from 1982 to 1986. The best yields were obtained for the combination of zero or reduced-till and inorganic fertilizers. Zero-till resulted in increased soil density and soil water content and a slight accumulation of P and K in the surface layer …  Lire la suite

This dissertation presents the first critical edition of the Aramaic Targum (translation) of the Biblical Book of Psalms, chapters 1-72. All known complete medieval manuscripts of this Targum were examined and recorded by the author, and compared to the Breslau manuscript--which has been selected to serve as the base text. The use of a computer for recording, manipulation, and printing of data was also an important innovation. A section of "Notes" is appended--dealing with certain orthographic, scribal, and linguistic features. The Introduction ("Part One") discusses the nature of Targum in general and of the Targum of Psalms in particular; the …  Lire la suite

Recent research has shown the Canadian peasantry of the eighteenth century to be less homogeneous than was once thought. Beyond the ebb and flow of the family cycle, the striking differences in productive resources from one household to the next can only have furthered accumulation among the peasants. Set in Riviere-du-Sud, a seigneury fifty kilometres downstream from Quebec on the south shore of the St. Lawrence, the present study is concerned with the forms and limits of that process. By 1720, the seigneury had entered what might be called the second phase of colonization; the population had taken root, but …  Lire la suite

Crop-available zinc is affected by P-Zn interactions in soils. Orthophosphate (OP) additions may decrease or have no effect, while pyrophosphate (PP) may increase or have no effect on Zn solubility. Mechanisms involved in the interactions are not well understood and need to be quantified on agricultural soils subjected to P fertilization. Top and sub-samples from three Quebec agricultural soils were equilibrated with OP or PP solutions, then with Zn solutions, and finally with solutions containing neither P nor Zn. The first equilibration evaluated P sorption effects on soil cation exchange capacity (CEC), the second equilibration evaluated Zn sorption (Zn$ sb{ …  Lire la suite