McGill University Thèses et mémoires publiés en 1996

Hechtman, Peter (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Governments started regulating the telecommunications industry, firstly, because the governments thought that the industry possessed the characteristics of what is generally known as 'natural monopoly' and, secondly, to protect the users of telephone services from potential abuses that are associated with the monopoly power. The governmental intervention went so far that, with the exception of few countries, virtually everywhere in the world telecommunications services were provided by the government departments of Post Telephone and Telegraph (PTT). However, with the technological advances made in the telecommunications industry, the industry can no longer be characterized as 'natural monopoly,' and, therefore, the primary …  Lire la suite

A study of the symbolism of love and melancholy in the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, an architectural treatise of the Italian Renaissance written as a dream, in which an alchemical narrative structures the shaping of an adept through the education of his cognitive faculties. This author has speculated on the representational strategies of this satyrical and literary architecture and translated into English several key passages from the hero's rhythmythical journey through a musaic architectural wonderland.  Lire la suite

Competition law, as it applies to the maritime industry has on a global scale been subject to a "laissez-faire"-attitude. In fact, collusion has been encouraged. Collusion in the maritime industry has its historic origin in the colonial period. The evolution within this particular industry truly is a study in industrial organizational structure. This Thesis sets out to explain and analyze the current regulatory scheme of the European Union, as it applies to the maritime industry (European, as well as non-European). This is accomplished through an in-depth statutory interpretation of EU Council Regulation 4056/86 dated 22/12 1986, laying down detailed rules …  Lire la suite

Future mobile robots are expected to demonstrate a greater awareness of their environment through the use of computer vision algorithms presently under development. With the help of machine vision sensors, mobile robots would be able to detect looming objects well ahead of a collision. Such mobile robots would 'see' far greater distances than is possible with conventional range imaging. They would be able to map out their immediate surroundings passively without the need for expending energy to drive laser or SONAR range finders. With the help of higher-level algorithms, mobile robots would begin to recognize objects in the world around …  Lire la suite

Roberts, G. W. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Turner, Jeffrey D. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

This study involves an examination of Anglo-American relations between the years 1933 and 1938 through the policies of U.S. Secretary of State, Cordell Hull, and British Foreign Secretary, Anthony Eden. It is based on the thesis that both of these foreign ministers believed strongly in the need to establish a "special relationship" between Great Britain and the United States as a means to counter the growing world economic and political crisis that developed during the 1930s, but that in spite of these sentiments, they failed in this effort. This work explores the reasons for this failure. The study begins by …  Lire la suite

A new approach for computing qualitative part-based descriptions of 3D objects from single- and multi-view range data is presented. This research is motivated by both a theory of human image understanding (Recognition-by-Components) and the need for qualitative recognition by an autonomous robot in order for it to efficiently interact with its environment. Object descriptions are obtained in two consecutive steps: (1) object segmentation into parts and (2) part model identification. Segmentation is achieved by first computing the simulated electrical charge density distribution on a tessellated triangular mesh of the object surface. The algorithm then detects the object part boundaries where …  Lire la suite

Van De Ven, T. G. M. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Three bovine casein peptides, LLY, PGPIPN, and TTMPLW, have been reported to stimulate phagocytosis of sheep red blood cells by murine macrophages. TTMPLW also protected mice against Klebsiella pneumoniae infection. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of these three peptides on cytokine (TNF-$ alpha$ and IL-6) production and nitric oxide (NO) release by bone marrow macrophages (BMM). The peptides alone were incapable of stimulating cytokine production or NO release in naive or IFN-$ gamma$-primed BMM. However, when BMM were coincubated with the peptides (1.0 $ mu$M) and LPS (100 ng/ml), an augmentative effect on TNF-$ alpha,$ …  Lire la suite

Butler, I. S. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

In many (social, economic, and political) strategic situations, conflict and cooperations coexist and group (or coalitional) behavior is as important as individual behavior. This dissertation studies several issues in such situations. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the theoretical background and motivates the analysis undertaken. Chapter 2 analyzes strategic situations with diverse coalitional interactions to ascertain the "stable" outcomes that will not be replaced by any rational (hence farsighted) coalition of individuals, and the coalitions that are likely to form. The analysis takes into full account the perfect foresight of rational individuals, which has been overlooked in the literature. Chapter …  Lire la suite

GM$ sb2$ ganglioside hydrolysis requires the formation of a ternary complex consisting of substrate, enzyme ($ beta$-N-acetylhexosaminidase A = Hex A), and the GM$ sb2$ activator protein. In order to study the interaction between Hex A and GM$ sb2$ activator, the human GM$ sb2$ activator cDNA was cloned into the p-FLAG vector. The fusion protein (FLAG-AP) was expressed in E. coli, and purified to homogeneity using immunoaffinity chromatography. A retardation assay was designed using the immunoaffinity column to detect transient interactions between FLAG-AP and Hex A. Hex A and Hex S are retarded by the column, but not Hex B …  Lire la suite

Murty, Ram (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Photovoltaic cells with a ZnO/CdS/CuInSe$ sb2$ structure have been fabricated on bulk CuInSe$ sb2$ substrates. Conversion efficiencies of more than or near 10% were routinely obtained on cells with an active area of up to 8 mm$ sp2$ and without the use of an antireflection coating. The highest conversion efficiency of 11.5% was obtained on a cell with an active area of 4 mm$ sp2$. This cell is comparable in conversion efficiency to the highest value of 12% (1) reported in the literature for monocrystalline CuInSe$ sb2$ cells but has an active area of more than five times larger. The …  Lire la suite

Recent research suggests that rural people develop a rich array of informal support and exchange among their kin, neighbors and friends. These informal exchanges are argued to develop in response to the weak penetration of formal state structures and capitalist market relations in peripheral regions. This case study of the survival strategies of low income rural mothers who live in Quebec village demonstrates that these mothers' avenues for economic and social integration are restricted by the formal and informal sectors which constitute and reinforce one another. First, an extensive data and document analysis of the Quebec pronatalist and welfare policies …  Lire la suite

Two independent studies have been developed in this thesis. In the first study, the reactivities of metal-alkoxide and metal-hydroxide nucleophiles are compared for cleaving phosphate diesters. In the second study, the reactivity of a dinuclear metal complex is compared to a mononuclear metal complex for hydrolyzing RNA. Copper(II) complexes of bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amine (Cu(II)bpa), N-(2-hydroxyethyl)bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amine (Cu(II)hebpa) and N-(3-hydroxypropyl)bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amine (Cu(II)hpbpa) have been synthesized and their reactivities and mechanisms for cleaving bis(2,4-dinitrophenyl) phosphate (BDNPP) have been investigated. Cu(II)hpbpa is observed to be the most reactive (k = 7.2 $ times$ 10$ sp{-1}$ M$ sp{-1}$ s$ sp{-1}$ at 25$ sp circ$C, pH 8.8) for cleaving …  Lire la suite

Although leukotrienes (LTs) are implicated in the pathogenesis of asthma, it is still unclear which types of cells are of primary importance in their formation in asthmatic lungs. To elucidate the mechanism for the increased LT formation in asthma, we investigated the pulmonary cellular infiltration and LT synthesis by dispersed lung cells from BN rats following allergen challenge. To enable us to do these studies we have developed improved HPLC methods for the analysis of complex mixtures of eicosanoids in biological samples using binary gradients containing trifluoroacetic acid. Samples containing PGB$ sb2$ (the internal standard), cysteinyl-LTs, LTB$ sb4,$ hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids …  Lire la suite

Traditional methods to test integrated circuits (ICs) require enormous amount of memory, which make them increasingly expensive and unattractive. This thesis addresses this issue for scan-based designs by proposing a method to compress and decompress input test patterns. By storing the test patterns in a compressed format, the amount of memory required to test ICs can be reduced to manageable levels. The thesis describes the compression and decompression scheme in details. The proposed method relies on the insertion of a decompression unit on the chip. During test application, the patterns are decompressed by the decompression unit as they are applied. …  Lire la suite

A language L is said to have a neutral letter e, if for any word in L, the action of inserting or deleting this letter anywhere in the word does not affect membership in the language. In this thesis we study the set of languages having a neutral letter that can be expressed by a first order expression. The conjecture which we are studying is that this class is equal to the star-free languages which have a neutral letter. We give detailed and complete proofs of the following cases. We prove that it is true if the alphabet has only …  Lire la suite

Watt, D. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

A mobile robot control architecture called SPOTT$ sp1$ is proposed and implemented as a real-time system of concurrently executing and co-operating modules. What distinguishes SPOTT from other behavioral architectures is that it is able to guarantee task completion for navigational tasks under many different scenarios. SPOTT provides a bridge for linking behavioral (i.e., reactive) and symbolic control and has actually been interfaced with the logical reasoning system called COCOLOG. One of the roles of the symbolic reasoner is to help guarantee task completion in the situations where SPOTT is not able to solely do so. In essence, SPOTT is a …  Lire la suite

Green, David (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Half-scale models of two-way column-footing hinge connections were tested under constant axial load and reversed cyclic lateral load. In one of the specimens, the column and hinge were circular in cross section; in the other specimen, the column and hinge were square in cross section. The main objective was to assess the seismic performance of these details, which are common in existing bridge structures in moderate seismic regions. The test results confirmed that the lateral column displacement was due almost entirely to rotations in the hinge. Horizontal slip at the hinge and flexural deformation in the column were insignificant prior …  Lire la suite

In the N$ sb2$ fixing legume symbiosis, suboptimal root zone temperatures (RZTs) not only decrease N$ sb2$ fixation. but reduce the formation and development of nodules. The purpose of this thesis was to elucidate the mechanism by which suboptimal RZTs affect nodulation and nodule development in legumes, such as soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) and to attempt to find ways to overcome this inhibition. Initial studies characterized the RZT response in soybean plants inoculated with Bradyrhizobium japonicum. In plants grown at RZTs from 25 to 17$ sp circ$C, the time between soybean inoculation with B. japonicum and the beginning of …  Lire la suite

High quality MOS (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) devices have been fabricated on InSb substrates using an anodization method. Hysteresis free MOS devices with minimum interface state density of $ rm2.3 times10 sp{11} cm sp{-2} eV sp{-1}$ and oxide charge density of $ rm2.8 times10 sp{11} cm sp{-2}$ have been achieved, which are among the best results reported so far on anodized InSb. The C-V (Capacitance-Voltage) curves of these devices show that both accumulation and inversion of the InSb surface can be reached within a small bias voltage range. Quantitative information concerning the interface state density and the oxide charge density of these devices …  Lire la suite

Quasi-two-dimensional turbulent flows were produced in a tank of small thickness to study confinement and friction effects on large-scale turbulent motion of small depth. The tank was constructed of two parallel walls. The space between the walls (4.4 cm, 1.57 cm and 0.59 cm) was small compared with the height (108 cm) and the width (210 cm) of the tank, and was varied during the experiments for different confinement and friction effects. Two series of experiments were conducted. In the first series turbulent flows were produced by the injection of water in the form of shallow jets into the tank …  Lire la suite

Several investigations involving strongly interacting matter at high temperature and density are pursued. First concentrating on relativistic heavy ion collisions slightly below the GeV/nucleon range, we perform studies of the equation of state (EOS) for nuclear matter. The non-equilibrium aspects of such collisions are simulated by the Boltzmann-Uehling-Uhlenbeck transport model with a momentum-dependent nuclear mean field. The EOS effects on the collective flow observables and dielectron spectra have been systematically and quantitatively examined by comparing with the experimental data gathered by the DIOGENE, Streamer Chamber, Plastic Ball, EOS TPC, E848H and DLS collaborations. The importance of the precise functional dependence …  Lire la suite

The morphological characteristics of highly crew-cut micelle-like aggregates of asymmetric polystyrene-b-poly(acrylic acid) copolymers PS-b-PAA, was studied by transmission electron microscopy and light scattering. The insoluble PS block contents in the copolymers ranged from 80 to 98 wt. %. The aggregates were formed by the water addition to the copolymer solution in N,N-dimethylformamide, and then were isolated in aqueous solutions. Spherical micelles were formed when the PAA content in the copolymers was relatively higher. The PS core radii scaled as R$ sb{ rm core} sim$ N$ sb{ rm PS} sp{0.4}$ N$ sb{ rm PAA} sp{-0.15}$, where N$ sb{ rm PS}$ and …  Lire la suite

Fertilizer P accumulates in soils, with potential for movement to waterways, causing eutrophication. Fertilizer P reactions in monoculture corn (Zea mays L.) production over time will determine environmentally sound soil management practices. Soil P changes over time were determined on a Chicot sandy clay loam (Grey Brown Luvisol) and a Ste. Rosalie clay (Humic Gleysol). Fertilizer P was added at 44 and 132 kg P ha$ sp{-1}$ and to the Chicot soil only, manure containing 60 kg P for the first five years. Mehlich-3 (M3) extraction, soil P fractionation, $ sp{31}$P NMR analysis, P in leaching water, and path analysis …  Lire la suite

Six pathogenic fungal species were isolated from naturally-infected Echinochloa species and evaluated as biological control agents for E. crus-galli, E. colona, and E. glabrescens in rice. Bipolaris sacchari, Curvularia geniculata, and Exserohilum monoceras were non-pathogenic to rice and caused high mortality of Echinochloa species. E. monoceras was selected for further study. Under regulated greenhouse conditions, an inoculum dose of 2.5 $ times$ 10$ sp7$ conidia/m$ sp2$ killed E. crus-galli and E. glabrescens seedlings while 5.0 $ times$ 10$ sp7$ conidia/m$ sp2$ caused 100% mortality of E. colona seedlings. The 1.5-leaf stage was the most susceptible growth stage for all three …  Lire la suite

Lee, H. C. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

We introduce the notion of harmonic thin sets and establish a refinement of the Fatou-Naim-Doob theorem in the axiomatic system of Brelot. We also introduce in a Brelot harmonic space several notions of sets of determination for harmonic functions which were introduced by Bonsall (5), Hayman and Lyons (18), and Aikawa (1) for the classical Laplace operator on $ IR sp{n}.$ We then discuss the relation between our results on harmonic thinness in such an abstract setting and certain recent results of Bonsall (5), Hayman and Lyons (18), Gardiner (12), Essen (11), and Aikawa (1). We consider in particular the …  Lire la suite

This thesis is devoted to the analysis of nonlinear shell problems. First, using the tangential differential calculus and the oriented boundary distance function, we derive two intrinsic nonlinear models for thin/shallow shells made up of a Saint Venant-Kirchhoff material or a homogeneous, isotropic, elastic material. The models extend the natural theory of plates to thin/shallow shells. Next, we prove the regularity property for the solutions of the linear model, and differentiability of the nonlinear operators associated with the nonlinear models in the given spaces. Finally, we prove existence and uniqueness theorems for the solution of the two nonlinear models using …  Lire la suite

This thesis reports on some sequencing and functional studies on chromosome I of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Eight open reading frames (ORFs) have been identified in S. cerevisiae which have similarity to the canine 24kD glycoprotein, gp25L (Wada et al., 1991). In chapter 2 of this thesis, I report the gene disruption and functional characterization of three of these ORFs: YAR002Ac, YAL007c and YGL002w. Disruption of YAR002Ac resulted in calcofluor white resistance, disruption of YGL002w increased sensitivity to this compound, while yal007c$ Delta$ mutants had no calcofluor white phenotype. The expression of Kre9p was partially increased in the ygl002w$ Delta$ mutant. All …  Lire la suite

Concern about NO$ sb3 sp-$-N leaching and groundwater pollution from monoculture corn (Zea mays L.) has prompted investigation of alternative production systems which reduce N leaching. Both intercrop systems and water table controls alone have been shown to increase nitrogen (N) uptake and reduce soil NO$ sb3 sp-$-N accumulation in cropping systems. There is a need to maintain crop productivity while reducing the potential for soil NO$ sb3 sp-$-N leaching into groundwater. However, there has been no information available regarding agronomic and physiological aspects of N and water management for monocrop corn and corn competing with annual Italian ryegrass (Lolium …  Lire la suite

Finch, J. A. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Today, China's securities markets are facing a number of regulatory problems. Many central regulatory problems arise from the fragmented regulatory system, which is not effectively structured to further the goals of securities legislation. The purpose of this thesis is to review, and make recommendations in respect of, the securities regulatory system in China with particular attention to the regulatory role of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC). After examining the characteristics of China's securities market development and identifying existing problems in the regulatory system, the thesis adopts a broad outlook through a comparative survey of securities regulators in selected jurisdictions …  Lire la suite

In this Ph.D thesis the conductance fluctuations of different physical origins in semi-conductor nanostructures were studied using both diagrammatic analytical methods and large scale numerical techniques. In the "mixed" transport regime where both mesoscopic and ballistic features play a role, for the first time I have analytically calculated the non-universal conductance fluctuations. This mixed regime is reached when impurities are distributed near the walls of a quantum wire, leaving the center region ballistic. I have discovered that the existence of a ballistic region destroys the universal conductance fluctuations. The crossover behavior of the fluctuation amplitude from the usual quasi-1D situation …  Lire la suite

This thesis focuses on the effects of adenosine release on neuronal activity in the CA1 region of rat hippocampal slices, especially during energy deprivation, and related events. The overall aim was to find out how brain function is suppressed when metabolism is greatly reduced by the lack of oxygen or glucose, or by cyanide applications, and therefore to provide some insights in the cellular mechanisms underlying these depressant effects. Experiments were carried out on hippocampal slices kept submerged and constantly superfused with oxygenated saline at 33-34$ sp circ$C. Energy deprivation was produced by either removal of oxygen or glucose, or …  Lire la suite