McGill University Thèses et mémoires publiés en 1993

Haanappel, Peter (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

In this thesis, the problem of fast identification is formulated in the framework of the theory of metric complexity. Several complexity issues of fast identification are investigated. Experiment design and model selection, two important components for achieving fast identification, are separated by splitting the estimation error into inherent and representation errors, which are functions of the experiment and the model sets respectively. The optimal inherent error, a measure of the time complexity of identification, is introduced as a notion of n-width (time n-width) related to the Gel'fand n-width. The optimal representation error is related to the Kolmogorov n-width. Estimates of …  Lire la suite

This work involves developing a method to numerically integrate smooth functions over a smooth, bounded, convex set in three dimensional Euclidean space. The integrand is assumed to have continuous sixth partial derivatives, and the boundary of the set is assumed to be a surface with bounded, continuously differentiable curvatures. The scheme consists of using an orthogonal mesh of width h to decompose the region into some standard group of geometrical subregions for which numerical integration formulae are developed. Error formulae for these standard subregions are derived by approximating the integrand with its local Taylor polynomial approximation. The method is adaptive …  Lire la suite

DNA has been visualized at high magnification in nuclei and mitochondria by the osmium-ammine technique. Newly-synthesized DNA has been localized by combining this technique with bromodeoxyuridine immunogold labeling. In mitochondria, DNA forms nucleosome-free filaments. In non-proliferating cells, nuclear DNA is visualized as nucleosomes forming nucleofilaments, which are either dispersed throughout the nucleoplasm or compacted into heterochromatin. In proliferating cells, changes in the nuclear DNA make it possible to divide their cycle into eleven stages. During the first stage, the DNA mainly consists of dispersed nucleofilaments as in non-proliferating cells. In stages II-V, nucleofilaments are packaged into larger and larger clusters. …  Lire la suite

Mort, J. S. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Gauthier, Louise (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

The analysis of electromagnetic resonance is important in the design of many microwave and optical devices. The finite element method has been applied successfully to this type of problem. To avoid the occurrence of spurious, non-physical modes in the computed spectrum, a special brick element has been developed--the covariant projection element. The brick is curvilinear, allowing a good fit to curved boundaries, but of low order: it uses a mixture of first and second order polynomials. In this thesis, a set of higher order elements is described. The elements are curvilinear quadrilaterals and bricks. Within an element, each component of …  Lire la suite

Albert, Paul (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Presented in this thesis are novel methodologies for the analysis and optimization of planar, spherical, and spatial linkages associated with the problems of function generation, path generation, and rigid-body guidance. An up-to-date literature survey in the area of mechanism optimization is also provided in the thesis. Both the input-output (I/O) equation and the I/O curve are employed in the input-output analysis of four-bar linkages. Based on these, the properties of a special class of linkage, the constant-branch linkage, as well as its engineering application are discussed. Two schemes are developed for the optimization of function-generating linkages, namely, a constrained least-square …  Lire la suite

The tyrosine phenol-lyase (TPL)-E.C. 4.1.99.2-activity of free and alginate-polylysine-alginate microencapsulated whole cells of Erwinia herbicola, was used to convert ammonia, pyruvate and phenol or catechol into L-tyrosine of dihydroxyphenyl-L-alanine (L-dopa). This conversion could serve as the basis of a novel system for the removal of toxic ammonia and phenol from the blood during liver failure. It was found that there were endogenous modifiers in the whole cell TPL system, hence the kinetic parameters vary with the amount of cells in the system. However typically the apparent $ rm K sb{M}$ for tyrosine varied from 0.2 mM to 0.28 mM, while …  Lire la suite

This study explores gender differences in the ways teachers interact with high school students from disrupted families. Four language arts teachers and five mathematics teachers from an urban high school in Montreal, Quebec were interviewed and observed in their classroom interactions with students. The findings revealed that gender differences were related to the teachers' perceptions of professional roles, and were reinforced by the segmentation of teaching and guidance responsibilities in urban schools. Female teachers were inclined to consider teaching as related to the upbringing of youths, and perceived themselves as responsible for the academic and social-emotional development of their students. …  Lire la suite

The effect of lake acidification was evaluated, in the field, in terms of its impact on both the structural and functional composition of the macrozoobenthic community. The littoral macrozoobenthic community and water chemistry of 45 Canadian Shield lakes was sampled. The water chemistry variables sampled included pH, total dissolved calcium, conductivity, and dissolved organic acid (measured as colour). Partial canonical correlation analysis and partial regression analysis were used to identify those components of the macrozoobenthic community that most directly reflected pH variability. This was done by first removing from the data that portion of the variability attributable to total dissolved …  Lire la suite

This is a history of Wilson College, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, from 1868 until 1981. It attempts to discover why Wilson, a small, private liberal arts college for women, managed to survive despite financial and enrolment problems which forced many other institutions to close in the 1960s and 1970s. This thesis locates Wilson historically among institutions of higher learning in the United States; traces the development of the College in terms of its founding, governance, curriculum, and campus life; and examines events leading up to Wilson's near demise in 1979. Wilson's small size, its practice of encouraging congenial interaction between students and …  Lire la suite

Newborn, M.  Lire la suite

The outwardly rectifying chloride channel is found in most vertebrate cells however its physiological role is uncertain. Patch clamp, short-circuit current, and electronic cell sizing techniques were used to investigate the role of the outward rectifier in transepithelial chloride secretion and cell volume regulation, the two main functions that have been proposed for this channel in epithelia. Patch clamp studies of the human cell lines PANC-1 and T$ sb{84}$ showed that the chloride channel blockers IAA-94 and NPPB decrease the open probability of the outward rectifier, with half-maximal inhibition at 15 $ mu$M and 23 $ mu$M, respectively. At these …  Lire la suite

Plagiorchis elegans is a typical digenean parasite that cycles through aquatic molluscs and insects as intermediate hosts. During emergence of P. elegans cercariae, infected snails moved to the top of the water column where they remained immobile for 2-3h. Consequently, the cercariae formed a dense cloud which dispersed slowly. The infectivity of cercariae was $<$20% upon emergence and peaked at 76% 4-6h later. This delay in reaching maximum infectivity may be an adaptation to prevent superinfection and the associated mortality of insect hosts. Cercariae transformed into metacercariae after penetrating Aedes aegypti larvae, the experimental insect host. Overall development of metacercariae, …  Lire la suite

Despite the social reforms led by Bourguiba during his presidency, the state of Tunisia, as modern as it was, gave way to a thriving Islamic revival movement to such an extent that during the '80s their activities disturbed Tunisia's political life. The years between 1986 and 1991 were marked by open conflict between the regime and the Islamists. Since this conflict was an ideological one, the population was influenced only marginally by its outcome. Perhaps the concerns of the Islamists were not involved enough with those of most Tunisians. An analytical approach to Tunisian Islamist thought reveals that political matters, …  Lire la suite

Gu, Minggao (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Sugar maple foliage litters from fertilized and unfertilized plots on a base-poor site and from a naturally base-rich site were incubated in litterbags of 1 and 3 mm mesh on fertilized and unfertilized plots at the base-poor site. Mass loss of unfertilized litter was slower in fertilized than unfertilized plots, suggesting a negative effect of fertilization on decomposers. Mass loss of fertilized litter was faster than unfertilized litter in the same plots, indicating that changes in litter quality due to fertilization enhanced microbial decomposition. Mass loss was higher in large mesh than in small mesh size bags, suggesting that larger …  Lire la suite

The dissertation identifies a body of public policies described as "politically intractable." These are policies which are of clear public benefit, but which involve high political costs to those who enact them. It is suggested that there are two routes to political tractability in the passage of these policies. The "low-risk" strategy entails insulating policy-makers from pressures applied by alienated vested interests. The "high-risk" strategy arises where actors responsible for passing intractable policies risk alienating vested interests if enacting the policy assists them to realize higher-order objectives. These higher-order objectives involve games of institutional design--attempts to reform or preserve (in …  Lire la suite

The entomopoxviruses (EPVs) of eastern spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana, Cf), two-year cycle spruce budworm (C. biennis, Cb) and the Indian red army worm (Amsacta moorei, Am) are the focus of this work. The replication of the A. moorei entomopoxvirus was inhibited by bromodeoxyuridine, whereas the baculovirus of Autographa californica was insensitive to this drug. This result was a biochemical indication that entomopoxviruses contained a kinase that phosphorylated this nucleoside analog and thus viral DNA synthesis was inhibited. TK genes from the three different insect poxviruses, Cb, Cf and Am, were identified, cloned and sequenced. AmEPV TK gene was expressed in …  Lire la suite

Reggae is a popular musical form that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960's and soon came to be closely associated with the oppositional, Afrocentric Rastafarian movement. During the 1970's it achieved global popularity and is now produced in many locations around the world. In Montreal, reggae is produced by and for a cosmopolitan community; however, certain conceptions of the distinctiveness of this music as an effective intervention in social processes, derived from Rastafarian philosophy, are maintained by its performers. This thesis examines reggae song lyrics and elements of discourse about reggae music in relation to Rastafarian cultural practices, showing …  Lire la suite

The proportional hazards model proposed by Cox (1972) is by far the most popular method of regressing survival data. This model is attractive becuase: (i) It has a simple interpretation; the impact of a variable upon survival is a constant and multiplicative effect on the hazard function. (ii) It facilitates the employment of the partial likelihood inference technique so that it requires no assumptions about the baseline distribution of survival times. Many numerical tests as well as graphical approaches have been proposed for assessing the adequacy of the proportional hazards model. However only a few authors have discussed strategies for …  Lire la suite

This study investigates the foreign market entry decision of multinational firms from three theoretical perspectives--namely transaction cost/internalization, competitive strategy and organizational capability. It is argued that each perspective primarily focuses on a different level of analysis--the firm or division, the transaction and the organizational unit respectively. The final decision regarding the means of foreign market entry is a choice made after considering these three forces simultaneously. The study contributes by developing an understanding of the role of organizational capability in the mode of entry decision. It further enriches theory through developing some of the interrelationships between the three perspectives. The …  Lire la suite

At present European air transport is undergoing radical changes as a result of the liberalization measures taken by the European Community. The traditional system, characterized by nationalism, protectionism, and bilateralism, which prevented true competition and protected national carriers, has broken up. The creation of a common air transport policy for the Community has important implications for relationships between Member States and third countries. The world airline industry is very much concerned by the emergence of a series of new principles and laws affecting the international air transport of third countries, such as the principle of non-discrimination, freedom of establishment, freedom …  Lire la suite

The propagation of a gaseous detonation wave into a porous medium has been studied experimentally and theoretically. The porous medium is composed of inert spheres of equal diameter contained within a detonation tube. The propagation mechanisms were elucidated by means of high-speed Schlieren and open shutter photography of the wave-particle interactions in 2-D obstacle arrays, to simulate the phenomenon in actual porous media. It is found that a Chapman-Jouguet (CJ) detonation can transmit into a porous medium filled with detonable gas and continue to propagate as a quasi-steady combustion wave. There exists a continuous spectrum of averaged combustion wave velocities …  Lire la suite

A computer controlled tissue strip oscillator has been constructed for the advanced study of lung parenchyma mechanics. The data acquisition and control are facilitated on a 486 personal computer. The tissue is maintained by a continuously circulating bath of Krebs-Ringer solution at 37$ sp circ$C bubbled with a 95% O$ sb2$ and 5% CO$ sb2$ gas mixture. The oscillator has a useful bandwidth to 20 Hz at 0.5 cm amplitude and step response with no overshoot at all amplitudes. The movement range of the motor is 5 cm with resolution 13.6 $ mu$m. The force resolution is 66 $ mu$N …  Lire la suite

The ability to model and predict debris flows, mudflows and sediment transport is currently hindered by a poor understanding of the fundamental aspects of solid-liquid flows. The present work attempts to further our knowledge through experimental studies of flows of highly concentrated, solid-liquid suspensions down inclines. Preliminary experiments, measuring grain velocities for two sizes of sand and two surface inclination angles were performed in a tank of stationary water. When sub-aqueous debris flows were developed by releasing Ottawa sand from a hopper onto a rough bed, various phenomena were observed: nonuniform flows, static dead-flow regions, uniform flows and roll waves. …  Lire la suite

Proximate analysis of the commercial shrimp meat waste samples indicated the presence of 94.6% protein and 4.2% fat on a dry basis. The HPLC analysis revealed the presence of 17 amino acids (proline most abundant) and 7 sugars (ribose being the most abundant). The changes in the concentration of the amino acids and sugars after heat treatment, are explained based on their interaction through the Maillard reaction and by the thermal hydrolysis of proteins and polysaccharides present in tissue. Carotenoid pigments ($ beta$-carotene, canthaxanthin, astacene, and astaxanthin monopalmitate) were extracted and separated by thick layer chromatography. Their structures were identified …  Lire la suite

The in situ microenvironmental organization of early precursor B cells in mouse bone marrow has been studied using three experimental models: (1) mutant mice with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), which develop pro-B cells but no pre-B and B cells; (2) SCID/myc transgenic mice having expanded pro-B cell populations, but no pre-B and B cells; (3) x-irradiated C3H/HeJ mice during early stages in the regeneration of pro-B cells in bone marrow seeded from a shielded marrow site. The in vivo localization of B220$ sp+$ cells was revealed by the binding of i.v. injected $ sp{125}$I-mAb 14.8 detected by light and electron …  Lire la suite

In this study, we interpret Isabel Allende's La casa de los espiritus as a microcosm that portrays a patriarchal society. Our purpose is to study the underlying principles that support this patriarchal order and examine the mechanisms that perpetuate it and repress the potential for change. The objective is then to analyze the main female characters since they constitute a subversive presence which is constantly challenging the patriarchal order and which is potentially capable of transforming it. Our goal is also to demonstrate that the writing of the female characters undermine patriarchal discourse. Our final objective is to examine the …  Lire la suite

Thermodynamics of irreversible processes in a radiation field is formulated, based on kinetic theory, by treating nonequilibrium radiation as a nonequilibrium photon gas interacting with matter. The generalized hydrodynamic equations for macroscopic variables necessary for describing temporal and spatial evolution of irreversible processes in the system of matter and radiation are derived from kinetic equations by using the modified moment method. The method rigorously yields the conclusion that entropy differential is not an exact differential when the system is away from equilibrium. Therefore, an extended Gibbs relation for the entropy density does not hold valid. However, an extended Gibbs relation-like …  Lire la suite

This thesis presents the results of a systematic study on the structural relaxation and the glass transition of ternary metal-metal glasses Zr$ sb{67}$(Ni$ sb{1-x}$Cu$ sb{x}) sb{33}$. Differential scanning calorimetry provides macroscopic evidence of structural changes from the compositional and temperature dependence of enthalpy change. Results from high precision x-ray diffraction and Mossbauer spectroscopy, performed mainly on $ rm Zr sb{67}Ni sb{10}Cu sb{23}$ (x = 0.7), complete the picture of structural changes at the atomic level. Irreversible structural relaxation leads to densification and enthalpy release. Shear-like atomic motion enhances local atomic order, highlighting the atomic processes during the irreversible relaxation. Reversible …  Lire la suite

Sharma, Arvind (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

The object of software frameworks is to mechanize human processes in order to accomplish high-level tasks that call upon diverse software tools. This thesis describes the ELISA framework prototype which performs power-system dynamic security analysis in the operations planning environment. ELISA mechanizes routines traditionally carried out by experts that are essential to power-system dynamic security analysis, greatly accelerating the realization of complex processes. Typically, ELISA executes appropriate load-flow and transient-stability simulations (i.e. using commercially available simulation software), performs result analysis, identifies and executes changes to the input and repeats this process until a user-defined goal, such as finding transient stability …  Lire la suite

A cost-effectiveness analysis is used to compare two alternative strategies for the control of tuberculosis in facilities providing long-term care to the elderly: (1) systematic screening of all new residents with the Mantoux test to identify persons infected with the tubercule bacillus, and preventive treatment of those who are most at risk of tuberculosis as recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and (2) clinical follow-up of the index-case contacts as recommended by the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services. Incremental effectiveness and cost associated with the American strategy are estimated with a Markov model applied …  Lire la suite

This thesis describes the research and design of a new CAD framework and implements a working prototype of the system. The strengths and weaknesses of some existing systems and the needs of modern tool development are described. An architecture is defined. The architecture uses object oriented programming methods and is implemented using the "C++" language on workstations running the UNIX operating system. This thesis describes the basis of an object oriented server and a base class library to be used by the client applications to obtain object persistence, transparent access to multiple servers, version control, rich modeling capabilities and operations …  Lire la suite

This thesis examines the role that dialogue and community play in the autobiographical enterprise and argues that autobiographer and community are dialogically interrelated. The central idea that governs Maxine Hong Kingston's The Woman Warrior, Smaro Kamboureli's in the second person, and Minnie Bruce Pratt's "Identity: Skin Blood Heart," is this: life-writing cannot be divorced from dialogical relations because living cannot be divorced from dialogical relations. Accordingly, if it is impossible to conceive and define ourselves without reference to other selves, it must be equally impossible to write our life-stories without reference to others. Hence, the process of "self-invention" or "self-fashioning" …  Lire la suite

Marchessault, Janine (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

There has been an ongoing effort to achieve very high quality speech coding at medium transmission bit rates. Consequently, the TIA has chosen the Vector SUM Linear Predictive (VSELP) implementation of an 8 kb/s coder to be the standard for North-American cellular digital telephony. However, it was only recently that, in view of the increased research focus on developing toll-quality speech coding at such bit rates, the CCITT has imposed a set of specifications for standardizing low-delay coders operating at 8 kb/s. The Low-Delay Code Excited Linear Predictive (LD-CELP) suggested by Chen is presently the only potential candidate for CCITT …  Lire la suite

In 1986, J. Bourgain showed that, for a given dimension d $ ge$ 2, there exists $ rho sb{d}$ $<$ d such that any harmonic measure in $ Re sp{d}$ is supported by a set of Hausdorff dimension at most $ rho sb{d}$. This thesis presents a detailed and comprehensive exposition of Bourgain's theorem. Formal definitions of harmonic measures and Hausdorff dimensions are provided and all the required preliminary results about these concepts are rigorously proved. Generally speaking, the proof of the theorem itself is similar to the one originally presented by Bourgain. However, a more structured approach and an …  Lire la suite

Abstract Not Available.  Lire la suite

By using rigorous conventional structure in her early work Anne Sexton was able to successfully contain some of her severe psychological instabilities stemming from childhood in poetic form. Sexton's artistic direction underwent a sharp change midway into her poetic career after she wrote the volume Transformations, a collection of story-poems based on narratives from the Grimm fairy tales. In this collection, Sexton took on the external persona of a witch, and with her new voice, she was boldly able to re-tell her version of the Grimm tales. The new persona enabled Sexton to shed her previous voice of passivity, and …  Lire la suite

The formulation of a co-located equal-order Control-Volume-based Finite Element Method (CVFEM) for the solution of two-fluid models of two-dimensional, planar or axisymmetric, incompressible, gas-solid particle flows is presented in this thesis. The main focus is on the development of a numerical method that allows computer simulation of gas-solid particle flows over a wide range of solid-phase volume concentration in complex irregular geometries. A general two-fluid mathematical model is presented. This model is essentially borrowed from published works in the area of granular flows. It is established here that this model is applicable to gas-solid flows over a wide range of …  Lire la suite

The protocols used for an Atmospheric Optical Ring Network (AORN) are investigated. Performance under bad-weather conditions are of particular interest. Under these bad-weather conditions, the Gilbert-Elliott model is the fading channel model used in the simulation of the network. Appropriate channel parameters are obtained and then protocol modifications are tested. Performance plots are obtained showing the effects on performance of lowering the token timeout value and the addition of additional parity bits in the datalink layer of the network. Furthermore, the performance is plotted as function of the Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) data block length for different values of …  Lire la suite

The purpose of this thesis project was to assess the value of chest radiographs as a screening tool for the diagnosis of diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH). Two "gold standard" physicians identified 45 DISH patients and 106 control patients (45 with thoracic spondylosis, 45 with "normal" spines, and 16 with ankylosing spondylitis). The chest x-rays on the 151 subjects were randomized and read independently using an ordinal diagnostic certainty scale by two "test" radiologists, experienced in reading bone radiographs. The average results for the two test radiologists were: sensitivity = 77%; specificity = 97%; positive predictive value = 91%; and, …  Lire la suite

During the last half of the nineteenth century, a remarkable number of European artists were influenced by Japanese art and culture, a trend which has been labelled "Japonisme." Among the major Post-Impressionist artists, Paul Cezanne (1839-1906) alone has been viewed as untouched by this influence, largely because of the strong three-dimensional quality of his art. This study provides a reassessment of the issue of Cezanne and "Japonisme" by concentrating on the flat, two-dimensional aspect of his art. The development of Cezanne's conceptualized and schematized treatment of the Mont Sainte-Victoire theme is considered both formally and iconographically in relation to the …  Lire la suite

Abstract Not Available.  Lire la suite

Unsaturated illitic soil was subjected to subfreezing temperatures to examine the effect of heat and moisture redistribution on contaminant migration. Three series of freezing column tests and two series of cyclic freeze-thaw experiments were performed with different liquid supplies: distilled water (pH = 5.8), a municipal waste leachate (pH = 6.9) and a leachate-heavy metal solution (pH = 2.5). Temperature distribution, water content, concentration of exchangeable cations and heavy metals in pore solution were determined in frozen soil as a function of time and space. The differential scanning calorimetry technique was used to calculate the quantity of unfrozen water in …  Lire la suite

Design recovery, a part of the reverse engineering process of a program, must supply a programmer with all the information they need to fully understand a program or a system. In this thesis, a connectionist method is proposed for analyzing the informal information (comments and mnemonics) in a program that can be used for design recovery in conjunction with more traditional approaches. A connectionist model was chosen because of its properties of being robust (capable of tolerating noisy inputs), its associative memory ability (capable of retrieving a concept given only the context of the original input word), and its generalization …  Lire la suite