McGill University Thèses et mémoires publiés en 2002

This thesis studies the works of Gabrielle Roy in an attempt to bring to light both the continuity and the evolution that characterize the novelist's writing. To do so, her works have been divided into four groupings. The first, composed of Bonheur d'occasion, La Petite Poule d'Eau and Alexandre Chenevert, identifies the poles of a paradox around which all of Roy's subsequent novels are articulated: disenchanted realism and idyllic chronicle are bridged, in an ironic mode, through the story of the Montreal bank teller. The second grouping, also governed by this principle of alternation whereby each book seems to be …  Lire la suite

Using strain distribution pattern in a series of recombinant inbred strains derived from malaria susceptible A/J and resistant C57BL/6J (B6) inbred strains of mice, it was established that the genetic control of infection with Plasmodium chabaudi AS is multigenic. Quantitative trait linkage analysis in backcross and F2 crosses derived from A/J and B6 mice identified a major locus on mouse chromosome 8 (Pchr/Char2) controlling the extend of blood-stage parasite replication. The Chr.8 interval contains several candidate genes, one of them being the macrophage scavenger (Scvr) locus encoding for the scavenger receptor type A (SR-AI/AII) expressed at the surface of monocytes …  Lire la suite

The CD45 protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) is a large transmembrane glycoprotein abundantly expressed on all nucleated cells of the hematopoietic system. CD45 plays an essential role in signal transduction through the antigen receptor in T and B lymphocytes, mainly through the regulation of Src-family tyrosine kinase activity. Previous work has shown that cross-linking CD45 with monoclonal antibodies can induce caspase-independent apoptosis in murine immature T cells. The exact mechanism whereby CD45 cross-linking can lead to cell death, and whether the PTP activity of CD45 is involved in this process have not been determined. In this study, a CD45-deficient T-cell line …  Lire la suite

I examined the kinetic properties of macroscopic and single channel currents produced by an isoform of the rat CaV3.1 T-type voltage-gated calcium channel, expressed in HEK-293 cells. Whole cell currents were measured in 2 mM extracellular Ca2+, and single channel activity was recorded from cell-attached patches in 120 mM Ba2+. We found that macroscopic rates of activation, deactivation, inactivation, and recovery from inactivation each have voltage-dependent and voltage-independent components. Single channels opened and closed rapidly in bursts before inactivating, with a mean open time of 1 ms, a mean intra-burst close time of 0.3 ms, and a mean burst duration …  Lire la suite

It has been argued that agency and communion define the fundamental dimensions of human existence. Agency represents strivings for expansion and elevation that surface as efforts to pursue social dominance. Communion represents strivings for contact and congregation that surface as efforts to preserve social bonds. From an evolutionary perspective, agency and communion define the problems of group living to which our ancestors were historically required to adapt. From a dyadic-interactional perspective, agency and communion organize the domain of behavior that individuals in contemporary societies are presently able to demonstrate. The purpose of this research was to explore the agentic and …  Lire la suite

Mid-crustal deformation of orogenic belts was investigated through studies of exhumed terrains in the Belmont Domain of the Composite Arc Belt deformed during the Grenvillian Orogeny. The western study area shows a family of broad (~10 km) antiformal sheath structures with NNE-trending axial traces (FM), separated by tight, nearly upright synforms. Within FM entrained parasitic, very tight folds are found (FT). The eastern study area shows similar but more subdued sheath structures. A late fold set (FL), with NW trending axial traces and moderate plunges perturbs FT and F M. Seismic lines through the region show the crust is dominated …  Lire la suite

Standards are complex phenomena that exist in almost every area of human life, whether in the form of language, stock scenes in literature and films, computer user interfaces or protocols that allow data transfer over the internet. They are important building blocks for any form of human activity. Property rights in standards, provided by the laws of intellectual property, can foster their development by giving incentives to create technologies or works that are capable to become standards; but property rights can also impede further innovation since they allow the owner to exclude others from the use of the protected standard. …  Lire la suite

Wallace, Jo-Ann (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

This paper investigates whether or not the experience of survivors of the Holocaust through the dying process follow the stages and tasks of dying as defined in the theoretical literature and the ramifications this has for the social worker serving these individuals and their families. The methodology employed was a library search to overlay the literature on death and dying upon the literature concerning Holocaust survivors. The study concludes that, for the most part, there is little congruence between the theories of dying and the coping mechanisms of the Holocaust survivor and that a different model of death and dying …  Lire la suite

Cultural resources like traditional medicinal knowledge need to be recognized in their role tied to important regional practices in Zimbabwe. This is especially as a nexus of legal definitions for biological, intellectual and cultural resources will inform a National Sui Generis Legislation for the protection of these resources. Even further, because foreign pharmaceutical companies seeking plant genetic resources, called 'green-gold', benefit from derivatives of traditional medicinal knowledge it is important to protect these practices as part of an entire social and symbolic system. This system can be conceived as traditional medicinal knowledge is accessed, kept, shared, used and valued as …  Lire la suite

This thesis investigated the influence of mindset on the accuracy and bias of relationship evaluations. Because deliberation about important decisions is a time when people are more realistic and impartial in processing information about themselves and the world, a deliberative mindset was expected to increase the predictive accuracy of relationship appraisals compared to an implemental mindset. Four studies using different methodologies tested this hypothesis. In Study 1, relationship mindset assessed via content coding interacted with commitment in predicting the survival of the relationship 4 months later. In Study 2, mindset assessed via closed questions about academic goals interacted with explicit …  Lire la suite

This thesis investigated the influence of mindset on the accuracy and bias of relationship evaluations. Because deliberation about important decisions is a time when people are more realistic and impartial in processing information about themselves and the world, a deliberative mindset was expected to increase the predictive accuracy of relationship appraisals compared to an implemental mindset. Four studies using different methodologies tested this hypothesis. In Study 1, relationship mindset assessed via content coding interacted with commitment in predicting the survival of the relationship 4 months later. In Study 2, mindset assessed via closed questions about academic goals interacted with explicit …  Lire la suite

Jacques Ferron, Quebecois writer famous for his incisive and polemic style, has created his literary works with numerous genres of great diversity. Although the author has never published any poetic works, the manuscripts found at the National Library of Quebec demonstrate all the interest Ferron had for the poetic genre. In fact, the Jacques-Ferron Archives contain over fifty poetic texts, which are being edited for this study. The first part, which presents Ferron's unpublished poems, also exposes the editorial principles that guided the task of transcribing the manuscripts. In the second part of this study, I reflect upon the idea …  Lire la suite

The purpose of this study is to develop and test the validity of an algorithm allowing the classification of the decedents as were dying of, died of and died with BC, using administrative data, for the study of service delivery to the terminally ill. Validation was carried out through a chart review of a sample of BC decedents extracted from a tumor registry. The algorithm was then applied to the decedents of a cohort of women with BC. The three groups were compared for their distributions of age and place of death. The validation showed an excellent crude agreement (0.96). …  Lire la suite

Compilation to bytecode paired with interpretation is often used as a technique to easily build prototypes for new programming languages. Some languages, including Java, push this further and use the bytecode layer to isolate programs from the underlying platform. Current state-of-the-art commercial and research Java virtual machines implement advanced just-in-time and adaptive compilation techniques to deliver high-performance execution of Java bytecode. Yet, experimenting with new features such as adding new bytecodes or redesigning the type system can be a daunting task within these complex systems, when new features invalidate assumptions on which the internal dynamic optimizing compiler depends. On the …  Lire la suite

The specific characteristic of Jean Ethier-Blais' works is the continuity of a French Canadian tradition against the spirit of rupture that prevailed during the Quiet Revolution. His intellectual, literary and political thought was strongly influenced by his master, Canon Lionel Groulx who taught him the importance of the nation and its history. He was also influenced by the exiled French Canadian poets (Marcel Dugas, Paaul Morin, Robert de Roquebrune), particularly by Francois Hertel who was an incomparable intellectual master while he was a Jesuit priest. Charles Maurras represents the best incarnation of French and classical intelligence who led Ethier-Blais and …  Lire la suite

This study examined the relationship of amateur golfers' perceptions of their perceived physical self-efficacy to their performances on the golf course. Ninety-one amateur golfers completed two questionnaires and a participant profile. The perception of their physical ability in general was measured by the Physical Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Perceived Golf Ability Questionnaire was developed to assess their perceptions of golfing self-efficacy. Respondents were asked to play 15 consecutive golf games and record their scores on an especially designed detailed scorecard. The participants' data were divided into five levels of performance based on their handicap indexes. It was hypothesized that players …  Lire la suite

Fung, Joyce (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

This thesis examines how the Narmada damming project in India is constituted and contested by the state, affected tribal peoples ( adivasis), and a transnational advocacy network led by the Narmada Bachao Andolan (Save the Narmada Movement). Based on ethnographic fieldwork, and employing critical anthropological perspectives on development and globalization, the power relations underlying dominance and resistance are mapped out. The conflicting discourses, strategies and practices of Narmada proponents and opponents are conceptualized within local, regional, national, and transnational sites and modalities. Further, the negotiation of state dominance and adivasi resistance is analyzed through contradictory practice and shifting political alignments. …  Lire la suite

Coenzyme Q (ubiquinone or UQ) is a prenylated benzoquinone lipid that is found in membranes throughout the cell, and functions in a wide variety of enzyme-mediated redox reactions. One of the primary roles of UQ is its involvement in respiratory metabolism, where it functions in the inner mitochondrial membrane of eukaryotic cells as a transporter of electrons and protons in complexes II and III. The biosynthesis of UQ involves two separate O-methylation steps. Coq3p which is 40% identical to the Escherichia coli O-methyltransferase, UbiG, catalyzes both O-methylation steps. In order to elucidate the function of genes involved in UQ biosynthesis, …  Lire la suite

Anomalously high concentrations of arsenic and phosphate are found in the sediments of the Saguenay Fjord relative to those of the Gulf and St. Lawrence Estuary. Whereas the source of phosphate is likely anthropogenic, arsenic appears to be scavenged from the bottom marine waters by settling detrital and authigenic particles. The surface waters of the Saguenay Fjord show a particulate aluminum anomaly ([Al]tot/[Al]diss > 1) that decreases downstream or with increasing salinity. The mineralogy of the aluminum particulate matter may be akin to gibbsite given the refining activities in the region. The adsorption of phosphate and arsenic to various mineral …  Lire la suite

The language and communication abilities of a deaf child (15;9) acquiring American Sign Language (ASL) as his first-language after puberty were investigated. The participant had been exposed to ASL for approximately three years at the time of testing. Background information and data concerning the participant's language and communication skills were collected from his foster parents. Videotaped language samples were collected in conversational and narrative contexts using various elicitation devices. Data from the language samples were transcribed and analyzed with respect to the participant's lexical, morphological, syntactic, and pragmatic skills. Comparison of the results of these analyses to what is known …  Lire la suite

Invasive amebiasis, caused by the protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica, is one of the leading parasitic causes of mortality worldwide, and there are no vaccines available to control the disease. The heavy subunit of the E. histolytica Gal-lectin is regarded as a potential subunit vaccine candidate. A Th1 (cell-mediated) immune response is protective against invasive amebiasis, and DNA vaccination is a strategy to induce such a response against specific antigens. The objective of this study was to construct and test a Gal-lectin-based DNA vaccine against E. histolytica. DNA encoding as 894--1081 of the Gal-lectin heavy subunit was resynthesized using a gerbil …  Lire la suite

The Solar Tower Atmospheric Cherenkov Effect Experiment (STACEE) is a ground based gamma-ray telescope located in Albuquerque, NM. This thesis describes the development of an instrument, at McGill University, to study the angular response of the STACEE photon detectors to specific lighting conditions. The STACEE photon detectors consist of a photomultiplier tube (PMT) which is optically coupled to a Dielectric Totally Internally Reflecting Concentrator (DTIRC). A deeper understanding and parameterization of each constituent of the STACEE detector is integral to optimizing of the performance of the detector itself.  Lire la suite

In this thesis, I trace the evolution of the rap market from its emergence in 1979 in New York City to its development into a national industry in 1990. I analyze the motivations of the producers of rap and the mechanisms that led to their current organization. Independent labels were the primary producers of rap records until they made distribution deals with major record companies in the second half of the eighties. I argue that the division of labor between production and distribution, which became the most common context for the production of the music, is both the result of …  Lire la suite

An important task of research on trace metals in soils is to evaluate how much metals are potentially bioavailable and may cause toxic effects. In this thesis, the chemical speciation and complexation of cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg) and lead (Pb) were examined in eastern Canadian soils collected from different locations around smelters. Our goal is to be able to predict metal binding in the soil solution and on the solid phase under a wide range of field conditions. In Chapter 2, speciation of Cd, Cu and Pb in the lysimeter soil solutions was determined using an ion exchange …  Lire la suite

This inquiry explores how eight young francophone scientists within anglophone and francophone postsecondary institutions in Montreal and Paris developed academic literacies in English and French, and constructed identities as members of national, linguistic, academic, and socio-cultural groups. I define literacy development as an individual's development of writing competencies and appropriation of language and social practices in and around written texts within specific socio-cultural, interactional, and discursive contexts. I adopt a socio-cultural, hermeneutic approach to literacy and identity to propose an integrated model of academic biliteracy development and identity construction inspired by Bakhtin, Halliday, Ricoeur, Taylor, and Vygotsky. To understand how …  Lire la suite

This thesis explores temporal forms of architectural meaning through the investigation of the dramatic space of "ritual theatre." In particular, it analyzes the thought and several theatrical productions of the twentieth century Polish theatre director, Jerzy Grotowski: Grotowski is of particular interest because he designed a "total dramatic space" that incorporated both the actors and the spectators (although without necessarily integrating them) for each of his dramatic works. In each case, the spatial relationships created by the theatrical architecture were indissolubly connected to the meaning of the drama itself. In this way, space was used as a kind of third …  Lire la suite

Anastassios, Stalikas (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of HBO2 therapy on exercise-induced muscle damage. Subjects (n = 16 university student volunteers) were randomly divided into an experimental group that received HBO2 therapy and a control group that did not receive any treatments. HBO2 treatments consisted of 5 sessions of breathing 95% oxygen at 2.5 atm abs for 100 min. Temporary muscle soreness was created using a single-leg eccentric exercise task involving the quadriceps femoris. Over the next 14 days, measurements were obtained on muscle soreness, leg circumference, quadriceps peak torque, quadriceps average power, fatigue and plasma creative …  Lire la suite

The human androgen receptor (hAR) is a member of the steroid receptor family of nuclear receptors (NRs) that acts as a ligand-activated transcription factor. Mutations in the androgen receptor impair normal male sexual development resulting in a clinical continuum of virilization disorders known as the androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS). Characterization of key AR mutations has enabled a better understanding of structure-function relationships of the AR, and serves as a prototype for steroid receptor mechanisms of action. NH2-/COOH-terminal (N/C-terminal) interactions appear to be critical for AR function in vivo as evidenced by the association of AIS with single amino acid mutations …  Lire la suite

Siddiqi, Kaleem (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

A high electric field RFQ device was developed and tested to investigate the design requirements needed for such a device to effectively cool and confine ions in gaseous environments. Segmented cylindrical quadrants placed 1mm apart were used to create axially confining fields similar to present trapping systems. High Q air-cored resonating coils were designed to drive the RFQ device at 4.76 MHz and place up to 5.4 kV between adjacent electrodes in vacuum. By removing the transformer cores from the resonating circuit and using a 1 kW RF amplifier it was found that up to 15 kV of RF potential …  Lire la suite

The airline industry has undergone an unprecedented crisis in the aftermath of the events of September 11th, 2001 in the United States. At that time, the U.S. federal government rapidly moved to create and implement an important rescue package to ensure the sustainability of the U.S. airlines. Contrarily, the European Commission decided to keep the existing legislations and policies regarding state aid, allowing limited support from the Member States to their national carriers. For the Commission, the U.S. state-involvement in the air industry, as well as similar developments in other countries, was bound to create distortions of competition. This situation …  Lire la suite

Little theoretical or empirical research has examined how an animal that has found and exploited a new patch should determine whether and when it will renew. A rapid series of visits to the patch should provide information concerning the probability of a quick renewal. If a renewal is not encountered, however, a subsequent decrease in the rate of visits should allow monitoring of the patch at minimal cost. After a long period without renewal, a patch should not be visited at all. By analogy with area-concentrated search, I propose the term 'time-concentrated sampling' (TCS) for this pattern of visits and …  Lire la suite

Chapter 1 of this thesis will describe the problem of unruly passengers and try to outline and explain some of the possible reasons for this phenomenon. Afterwards, the existing legal system will be analysed and scrutinized for its effectiveness. Currently, the system to prosecute unruly passengers does not govern the problem to its whole extent so that many offences, especially minor ones, generally stay unpunished. In addition, it contains several loopholes and States do not provide sufficient law enforcement. This is partly due to insufficient rules of jurisdiction since powers of jurisdiction and prosecution can be allocated to several States. …  Lire la suite

This dissertation addresses the issues pertaining to composite products (CPs). CPs are defined as products formed by combining knowledge from two distinct domains, for example, digital cameras, which combine knowledge from digital products and cameras. The three research questions addressed in the dissertation are: (1) how is knowledge combined from two distinct domains of a CP, (2) how are CPs categorized vis-a-vis their two components, and (3) what brands, among those associated with one of the two domains, are preferred in CPs? The thesis here is that CPs can be construed as conceptual combinations---that is, a combination of two concepts, …  Lire la suite

The last few years have seen scientific advancements that were thought to be possible only in the realm of science fiction. From nuclear transfer to exogenous pregnancies, implantable brain chips to transgenic engineering, cyborg to chimera, we may be taking the next step in our own evolution. As barriers between the species begin to blur and blend, should humans retain special elevated status? How will these affect notions of "personhood"? In this thesis, I analyze and review the literature of classical ethical, religious and legal definitions of personhood. I explore which significant developments in biotechnology may affect evolving legal and …  Lire la suite

Space-time coding is an important research topic in wireless telecommunications systems. A novel framework for multi-dimensional multi-transmit antenna space-time coding systems is presented that includes Aggregate Transmit Antenna (ATA) systems and Orthogonal Transmit Antenna (OTA) systems. The former is a generalization of Tarokh, Seshadri, Calderbank's (TSC) approach where there is total sharing of dimensions among transmit antennas and the latter is a generalization of many traditional diversity schemes, where there is no sharing of dimensions between transmit antennas. This framework naturally accommodates cellular downlink OCDMA and models and derivations for this particular application and for cellular downlink slow fading Rician …  Lire la suite

This dissertation consists of two parts. Part One is a written text which defines compositional processes and provides an analysis of the musical material incorporated in weight, my composition for orchestra. Part Two of the dissertation comprises the musical score for weight. weight is a nineteen-minute composition for symphonic orchestra [2222, 4231, piano, percussion (2 players), timpani, strings (16,14,10,10,8)] which attempts to exploit the various allusions conjured up by the title. The term "weight" implies lightness or heaviness which can be applied to various musical elements (e.g., where a chord is "heavier" than the previous, a rhythm is becoming "lighter," …  Lire la suite

The present study investigated how the issues of perceived and desired confidentiality are related to the working alliance between adolescent clients and their counselors. Fifty-one students between the ages of 14 and 18 years were recruited through two school boards in Canadian cities. Results indicated that adolescents preferred greater levels of confidentiality than they thought they would actually get in hypothetical situations, but preferred significantly less in actual situations. In addition, the level of confidentiality adolescents preferred in both hypothetical and actual situations did not impact the working alliance. The level of confidentiality adolescents thought they would get in hypothetical …  Lire la suite

This study investigated the EMG muscle activation patterns of forward ice hockey skating at three velocities. Seven varsity hockey players from McGill University (age = 22.1 +/- 1.2 years, height = 1.8 +/- 0.1m, weight = 82.1 +/- 8.5 kg) participated. Testing was done using a skating treadmill. Skin was shaved, abraded and cleansed in the area of the electrode placement over the vastus medialis (VM), adductor magnus (AM), biceps femoris (BF), gluteus maximus, tibialis anterior (TA), peroneus longus (PL), and lateral gastrocnemius (GL) of the right lower limb. Subjects skated at 12 km/hr, 18 km/hr, and 24 km/hr. Repeated …  Lire la suite

We have previously demonstrated that Mid2p is required for the activation of the PKC1-MPK1 cell integrity pathway during cell exposure to mating pheromone, calcofluor white (CFW), and heat. Accumulating evidence indicates that Mid2p might regulate this pathway via the small GTPase, Rho1p. To understand the mechanism by which Mid2p signals, we initiated a two hybrid screen using the essential cytoplasmic tail of Mid2p as bait. ZEO1 (YOL109w), a previously uncharacterized open reading frame, was identified. ZEO1 encodes a 12kDa protein that co-localizes to the plasma membrane and interacts with the cytoplasmic tail of Mtl1p, a Mid2p functional homologue. Like mid2Delta …  Lire la suite

Boivin, Jean-Francois (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

In 1986, Landweber, Ravenel, and Stong introduced a new family of generalized cohomology theories. As these theories are in a sense defined by elliptic curves, they were dubbed elliptic cohomology theories. In this thesis; we survey the mathematics behind the construction of elliptic cohomology. Topics treated include the theory of universal formal group laws and the Lazard ring, the formal group law of an elliptic curve, the group law (up-to-homotopy) on CPinfinity , oriented and complex cobordism theories, the universal elliptic genus, and Landweber's exact functor theorem.  Lire la suite

Shih, Ishiang (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Brotman, Shari (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Hydrolase catalyzed reactions are used for selective chemical catalysis. With directed evolution, rational mutations and molecular modeling the selectivity of these hydrolases can be increased and the origin of selectivity determined. This study investigates four selective hydrolase catalyzed reactions. Using molecular modeling the unusual regioselectivity of Pseudomonas cepacia lipase (PCL) and the selectivity of Candida antarctica B lipase (CAL-B) in nucleoside acylation reactions has been attributed to the binding of the nucleoside base within the active site. The enantio-selectivity of Pseudomonas fluorescens esterase (PFE) has been improved using a rational approach to directed evolution and models to explain the origin …  Lire la suite

Listeria monocytogenes is a human and animal pathogen responsible for severe and sometimes fatal infections. Several outbreaks have been associated with contaminated commercial foodstuffs such as raw milk, soft cheese, fresh and frozen milk, poultry, seafood, fruits and vegetable products. Currently, the official method recognized by the Government of Canada for the detection and isolation of L. monocytogenes can take up to six days without confirmation, which can require two more days. An approach based on molecular beacons that fluoresce upon hybridization was developed and tested to detect L. monocytogenes and the genus Listeria in food. Two different beacons were …  Lire la suite

Proteins from the pRb family have all been demonstrated to actively repress transcription of E2F target genes. Previous studies have shown that they recruit both HDAC-dependent and -independent repression functions. RBP1 has been found to participate in the recruitment of HDAC to pRb through interaction via its R2 domain with the Sin3 HDAC complex. RBP1 also bring HDAC-independent repression to pRb via its R1 domain. However, the repression mechanism of R1 remains elusive. Preliminary studies suggested that HAT activity might be associated with the ARID domain portion of R1. The present study demonstrates that there is no HAT activity associated …  Lire la suite