McGill University Thèses et mémoires publiés en 2004

This thesis analyzes the representation of the Shoah in French-language Quebec literature. It first presents the numerous difficulties involved in the fictional representation of this genocide, which relate primarily to writers' authority: lacking the legitimacy of "true" witnesses, writers who address the topic run the risk of betraying the memory of those who were persecuted. The thesis then demonstrates that, despite theoretical obstacles, many novels and poems from Quebec touch upon the Shoah and express a feeling of guilt towards the victims as early as the 1950's. The last chapter postulates that since the 1980's, fiction has acquired a greater …  Lire la suite

Neuroimaging studies on visual priming have reported decreased activity in extrastriate and inferior prefrontal cortices for the second presentation of an object. This effect is also observed for alternative exemplars of the initially presented object (e.g. two different pencils). An unanswered question is whether this decrease in activity can be found for the successive presentation of similar complex visual scenes. We used a test in which landscape pictures were divided vertically into three segments. A first segment was presented and followed several stimuli later by a second segment. Reaction time was faster for the second segment than for the first …  Lire la suite

GEANT4 is a Monte Carlo code developed in an object-oriented environment. It provides three models of electromagnetic physics, namely Standard, Low-energy, and Penelope. In this work, we examined the accuracy of the photon and electron interactions, and developed a user code for external beam radiotherapy simulations. The code has the capabilities to collect phase space data, perform variance reduction schemes, and calculate dose distributions in a phantom. For all three models, the dose distributions of monoenergetic and clinical photon beams in water are in good agreement with the EGSnrc simulations. For electron beams, the results depend on the maximum electron …  Lire la suite

The following thesis is a work of cultural psychoanalysis in an era properly defined as "post-Holocaust". It begins with an extensive working through of Lacanian concepts, followed by an examination of fantastical appropriations of the trauma of the Holocaust---fantasies that serve as the very frame of our reality, or rather, hyperreality. After a further working through of the relations between the crypt and the unconscious (partially through a reading of Hamlet), the thesis then brings in Marshall McLuhan and Jean Baudrillard to help further elucidate some of the key arguments.  Lire la suite

This thesis explores everyday practices of Peruvian women at the soup kitchen, a self-help organization that feeds poor families. Every day, women put their culinary knowledge into practice and provide people with good tasting food in spite of limited material resources. In addition, these women share experiences and advice, affirm their authority towards male beneficiaries, and resist to the governmental control exercised through a national food aid program. I will argue that through these everyday practices and social interactions, women express forms of resistance. Concurrently, they are able to contest gender, socio-economic and political domination, and construct an identity of …  Lire la suite

Lasko, Paul (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Ce mémoire cherche à examiner des pratiques en art contemporain canadien qui ont pour but de questionner le concept du multiculturalisme en temps que « solution » allégée à la diversité culturale, raciale et ethnique dont est composée l’état-nation canadienne. En étudiant surtout les œuvres des artistes canadiens Jin-me Yoon, Kinga Araya et Ken Lum, j’explore la mythologie qui soutient les politiques pluralistes libérales au Canada. Cette dissertation problématize également la notion du nationalisme comme processus d’exclusion qui privilégie une norme anglo-canadienne de race blanche, compliquant davantage l’(im)migration. J’examine ainsi l’expérience psychologique de la non-appartenance, exprimée visuellement à l’instar de …  Lire la suite

Mendelson, Morton (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Le présent mémoire est une étude comparée de politiques d’action positive en vigueur dans sept pays : l’Australie, le Canada, l’Inde, les Pays-Bas, l’Afrique du Sud, le Royaume-Uni, et les États-Unis. Se basant sur une variété d’études universitaires, le mémoire aborde trois approches analytiques qui ajoutent à notre compréhension des différences entre les politiques : la distinction entre les mesures antidiscriminatoires dites douces et dures, les différences idéologiques, et les acteurs sociaux dont le comportement est visé par la législation. L’argument principal s’appuie sur la perspective théorique de définition de problèmes et soutient que la langue associée avec les politiques …  Lire la suite

This thesis reports results on the investigation of the thermodynamics and kinetics of adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) on a platinum electrode at pH 7.4 in a wide temperature range using the electrochemical techniques of cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and differential capacitance (DC). The adsorption of BSA at anodic potentials has been found to be a competitive process occurring in parallel with platinum oxide formation. It has been found that the adsorption charge is directly proportional to the amount of protein adsorbed. With the increase in temperature, the maximum amount of adsorbed BSA (saturated surface concentration) …  Lire la suite

One of the most attractive applications of composite materials is in robot industry. The reason lies in the fact that lightweight composite materials with excellent performance can dramatically overcome the tricky conflict of simultaneously achieving high end-effector positional accuracy and high link acceleration. This thesis describes the process of analysis and redesign of an anthropomorphic parallel robotic manipulator using graphite/epoxy fiber reinforced composites, which exhibit high stiffness-to-weight ratio and strength-to-weight ratio as well as good damping properties. From the structural viewpoint, by means of finite element analysis, the research into the composite robot arms covers the following aspects: redesign and …  Lire la suite

This thesis reports on the design and analysis of a novel robotic drive unit, intended as the driving kernel for multi-degree of freedom (dof) parallel manipulators. The transmission system of this unit features a planetary gear train and a ball-screw mechanism. Due to this special transmission design, two driving motors can be placed on the fixed base, thereby enhancing the load-carrying capacity of the robotic drive unit. Parallel robots constructed and actuated with the proposed units should exhibit higher load-carrying capacity and faster motion capability, as compared to existing drives. The conceptual design of the unit is first proposed, and …  Lire la suite

An experimental study of minor element elimination from copper smelter dust by vacuum calcination was carried out. The rationale for the study was to test the feasibility of vacuum calcination as a treatment to separate minor elements from copper smelter dusts and to recover the copper values in the dust. The physical, chemical and mineralogical nature of copper smelter dust as received was characterized using ICP, AA, XRD, EDS etc. The prevailing mineralogical components of the dust were copper sulfate, lead sulfate and magnetite. It was observed that the dust particles consisted of spherical and irregular shaped agglomerated solid droplets. …  Lire la suite

This research studied Quebec producers’ environmental attitudes and perceptions on environmentally friendly practices on farm, such as an environmental management system (EMS), using a survey. The contingency valuation method (CVM) was applied to elicit producers’ mean willingness to accept compensation (WTA) of adopting an EMS on farm, in terms of the percentage of direct costs of implementation. Factors affecting the mean WTA were studied to examine their influences. The results show that Quebec producers adopt environmental practices extensively and face many challenges in agro-environmental management. The results also show that producers have mixed perceptions in the benefits and difficulties of …  Lire la suite

Knowledge of optimum concentrations and ratios of major nutrients in tree foliage is required to assess the nutrient status of the boreal forest. This thesis aimed at determining foliar nutritional standards for white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss), black spruce (Picea mariana Mill. B.S.P.) and jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) and to assess the nutrient status of forest stands across Canada for all major nutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg and Mn) using critical values (CVA) and compositional nutrient diagnosis (CND). Trees were sampled at three locations in Ontario and Quebec to cover a gradient of soil fertility levels. A …  Lire la suite

An improved algorithm for classification of nystagmus was designed allowing the sorting of response segments even in severely non-linear patients and subjects with abnormally large phase shifts. The algorithm employs a model-based approach that was developed by Rey and Galiana (1991). The improved classification algorithm consists of two essential stages. In the first stage the eye velocity response is classified to obtain best possible estimates of the slow phase eye velocity intervals. In the second stage, the slow phase estimates are used to identify a response phase shift and non-linearity, and compensate for their effects. Multiple tests on simulated data …  Lire la suite

A three-dimensional mathematical model for the simulation of vertical direct chill (DC) slab casting of aluminum alloys has been developed. The model is based on the solution of the 3D time-averaged turbulent momentum (Navier-Stokes) and energy equations. The momentum equations are modified with a Darcy-type source term to simulate motion of the melt in the mushy region. The buoyancy force term is implemented in the model through the Boussinesq approximation. The low Reynolds number k-ε turbulence model of Launder and Sharma is used to calculate the Reynolds stresses and the turbulent heat fluxes. A variable heat transfer coefficient is used …  Lire la suite

In the present study, performance on a range of mathematical reasoning and number processing tasks was assessed across two syndrome groups for which numerical ability is under-researched: Fragile X syndrome and Down syndrome. Given the paucity of current research, it was unknown whether all aspects of arithmetic and number processing would be globally affected across groups or whether there would be syndrome specific proficiencies and deficiencies. Statistical analysis revealed that males with fragile X syndrome performed significantly worse on all tasks even when performance was compared to typically developing children of a similar developmental level. However, when performance was compared …  Lire la suite

Sundby, Bjorn (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

In the first part of this thesis, we present a new development platform especially tailored to Bioinformatics research and software development called Bias (Bioinformatics Integrated Application Software) designed to provide the tools necessary for carrying out integrative Bioinformatics research. Bias follows an object-relational strategy for providing persistent objects, allows third-party tools to be easily incorporated within the system, and it supports standards and data-exchange protocols common to Bioinformatics. The second part of this thesis is on the design and implementation of modules and libraries within Bias related to transcription factors. We present a module in Bias that focuses on discovering …  Lire la suite

Face recognition from 3D shape information has been proposed as a method of biometric identification in recent times. This thesis presents a 3D face recognition system capable of recognizing the identity of an individual from his/her 3D facial scan in any pose across the view-sphere, by suitably comparing it with a set of models stored in a database. The system makes use of only 3D shape information ignoring textural information completely. Firstly, the thesis proposes a generic learning strategy using support vector regression [11] to estimate the approximate pose of a 3D scan. The support vector machine (SVM) is trained …  Lire la suite

Sleiman, H. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

My dissertation focuses on the rise and spread of Aboriginal mobilization in Canada between 1951 and 2000. Using social movement and social-political theories, it questions the relationship between contentious actions and formal organizational growth comparing among social movement and political sociological perspectives. In most accounts, contentious action is assumed to be influenced by organization, political opportunity and identity. Few scholars, however, have examined the reverse relationships, namely the effect of contentious action on each of these. Drawing upon time-series data and qualitative interviews with Aboriginal leaders and representatives of organizations, I found that critical events surrounding moments of federal state …  Lire la suite

This thesis addresses the problem of minimum distance localization in environments that may have structural self-similarities. In other words, how can a robot most efficiently collect sensor data to estimate its position and rule out ambiguity (as opposed to merely increasing accuracy). The formalism is that a mobile robot is placed at an unknown location inside a 2 D self-similar environment modeled by a simple polygon P . The robot has a map of P, can sense its environment and hence compute visibility data. However, the self-similarities in the environment mean that the same visibility data may correspond to several …  Lire la suite

The Quebec Ministry of Education has implemented curriculum reforms that emphasize the integration of information technology into classroom teaching practices. Despite these efforts, however, many teachers appear to resist using computers in their classrooms. Some of these resistors are technologically literate! The purpose of this qualitative study is to better understand the reluctance of the technologically-literate teachers (with two to three years of experience) to integrate technology into their teaching practices. The six teachers participating in this study completed questionnaires and were individually interviewed using an open-ended approach. The data were then analyzed using the Constant Comparative Method. The results …  Lire la suite

Wireless network planning requires accurate, site-specific urban and indoor radio propagation models. Traditionally, such models have been developed using approximate asymptotic methods. This thesis examines rigorous solution methods for radio propagation in electrically large environments. The high-order locally corrected Nystrom (LCN) method is applied to the combined field integral equation (CFIE) for scattering from perfect electrical conductors (PEC) in two dimensions. The direct solution of the resulting linear system of equations requires O(N2) time per iteration of an iterative solver. Application of the multi-level fast multipole algorithm (MLFMA) reduces iteration time to O(Nlog N). The MLFMA employs an approximation however, …  Lire la suite

3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA/ecstasy) is a serotonin neurotoxin in animals. Human MDMA abusers exhibit evidence of disturbed serotonin transmission. Altered serotonergic neurotransmission in MDMA abusers might underline susceptibility to developing depressed mood. The acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) challenge was used to study altered serotonin levels in MDMA abusers. Sixteen MDMA abusers and nineteen age- and gender-matched controls were tested. In a double-blind crossover study, subjects ingested a 100g amino acid mixture with or devoid of tryptophan. Mood was measured before and after the ingestion of the amino acid, a total of three times throughout the day. Impulsivity was measured with the Go/No-Go …  Lire la suite

The following is a report of a qualitative inquiry regarding a team of novices and their journey in developing shared expertise and social creativity in the domain of group facilitation and process consultation. Using the format of public reflection, the participants engaged in an intensive collaborative process of meaning making, along with the university instructor as expert, while being teaching assistants in a course about group dynamics. Using the framework of evolving systems, the methodology employed an instrumental case study approach, with the case defined as the group. Data sets included videotaped debriefing and planning sessions, individual and group interviews, …  Lire la suite

The solubility of molybdenum trioxide in liquid-undersaturated water vapour has been investigated experimentally at 300, 320, and 360°C and 48 to 163 bars. Results of these experiments show that the solubility of MoO3 in the vapour phase is between 1 and 23 ppm, which is 19-20 orders of magnitude higher than that in a water-free system. Molybdenum solubilities increase linearly with fH2O , indicating that the metal forms a gaseous hydrated complex of the type MoO3·nH2O by the reaction: MoO3g+nH 2Og=MoO3· nH2Og A1 The hydration number, n, is interpreted to have a value of 2.6 at 300ºC, 2.5 at 320ºC, …  Lire la suite

Populations of Chlamydomonas were maintained in a benign laboratory environment as obligatory sexual or asexual populations for five years. Sexual reproduction is expected to facilitate the elimination of mildly deleterious mutations and thereby increase the mean fitness of a sexual population relative to an asexual population (Kondrashov 1988). Fitness in competition and in pure culture was measured. In neither of the fitness assays, both in solid and liquid cultures of Chlamydomonas, was a fitness advantage of sexual reproduction seen, even though the results varied depending on the definition of fitness. I hypothesized that the effect of mutation clearance could be …  Lire la suite

A double-pipe helical heat exchanger was studied numerically and experimentally for both heat transfer and hydrodynamic characteristics. Results from the numerical trials show that the inner Nusselt numbers in the heat exchanger were similar to literature data, despite the different boundary conditions. Nusselt numbers in the annulus were correlated to a modified Dean number. It was shown that the thermal resistance in the annulus to be the greatest limiting factor for the heat transfer, and heat transfer rates could be increased by increasing the inner tube diameter. The Prandtl number was shown to affect the inner Nusselt number; however the …  Lire la suite

The growth hormone receptor gene (GHR) has been previously documented to be a good candidate gene for detection of a quantitative trait locus (QTL) which influences milk production in Holstein cattle. In this study, the promoter region of the GHR gene and microsatellite markers AGAL29 and BM5004 were studied. Their effects on milk yield (MY), fat yield (FY), protein yield (PY), fat percentage (FP) and protein percentage (PP) were examined. DNA was isolated from 1746 used by the artificial insemination (AI) industry representing 26 half-sibling families. Three polymorphisms in the GHR gene were genotyped (GHRAlu, GHRAcc and GHR Stu) along …  Lire la suite

This thesis is a case study of the impact of culture on the management of water resources and the conflict over their usage by opposing riparian entities in the Jordan River Basin. It provides an overview of the historical background to the resource conflict in the area and continues on to examine the development of management institutions. In particular, it examines the impact of Islamic law on the development of water laws and management, paying particular attention to the affect of Islamic law on water usage in Jordan and how in turn this affect is seen in its relations with …  Lire la suite

The histories of the Theater and of the Novel have rarely been linked to one another. Nevertheless, studying the evolution of the two arts as of the seventeenth century, allows us to pinpoint and define the sources of contamination. It is more precisely in the nineteenth century that the history of both the Theater and the Novel became envenomed, going from fresh influences to disloyal relations during which time the Theater faded by admitting romanesque realism to take the stage. By denying its capacity to reveal the "real", the Theater failed its possibilities and let its art be disinterested from …  Lire la suite

Five studies were conducted to determine the effect of inoculating (Pioneer Sila-Bac 11H50RTM) on the silage quality and the feeding value of high DM (55.3 %) alfalfa silage. The inoculant contained multi strains of Lactobacillus plantarum developed by Pioneer Hi-Bred Inc. In the first study, the effects of inoculation on ensiling characteristics of alfalfa were determined in a completely randomized design using 30 mini-silos. In the 2nd study, 9 containers were used in a completely randomized design to determine the effect of inoculation on the aerobic stability of alfalfa silage. In the 3d study, 2 ruminally fistulated cows were used …  Lire la suite

This work focuses on the topic of identity and, particularly, on the study of lies as a component of identity through the analysis of the main character in the comedy La verdad sospechosa , and the Court represented in the play. The text has been divided into two sections: the text's reality and the stories invented by the main character. This distinction serves to establish the relation between the elements of both parts, as well as their consequent influence in the construction of the character's identity. Conditions such as space, time and, particularly, social surrounding are taken into account in …  Lire la suite

Typically, drought occurs once every three years across the Canadian Prairies. Most research addressing such droughts has concentrated on the large scale conditions associated with this form of extreme weather whereas little research has been conducted on its smaller scale characteristics. The present research begins to address the latter issue. Several datasets (surface observations, drought indices, and re-analysis products) were used to identify and analyze the 11 most severe droughts occurring over the Prairies since 1953. Warm season hourly surface observations (temperature, moisture, clouds, and precipitation) from 10 observational sites were then compared for extreme drought, drought, non-drought, and extreme …  Lire la suite

Gauvin, Raynald (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Important gender differences exist regarding affective disorders, and depression affects women two times more than men. Accumulating evidence suggests a functional interrelationship between ovarian steroids, the serotonergic (5-HT) system and depression. The objective of this thesis was thus to study the modulation of the 5-HT neuronal firing activity by neuroactive steroids and compare it between genders. It was achieved by means of in vivo extracellular unitary recordings of dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) 5-HT neurons in anesthetized rats. The basal firing rate of DRN 5-HT neurons was significantly higher in males (M) and pregnant females (P17) as compared to freely cycling …  Lire la suite

Recurrent pregnancy loss is associated with anti-phospholipid antibodies (aPL), in particular in women with anti-phospholipid syndrome. aPL are a large family of autoantibodies, directed against phospholipids and phospholipid-binding proteins (e.g., prothrombin and beta2-glycoprotein I). Although the association between aPL and recurrent pregnancy loss is well documented, little is known about which aPL subset is responsible. To address this, we characterized a panel of six murine monoclonal aPL, which were subsequently administered to pregnant mice via passive transfer. While both anti-beta2GPI antibodies evaluated caused significant increase in fetal resorption, the effects of anti-PT antibodies varied from no effect to increased pregnancy …  Lire la suite

Only a minority of women with a human papillomavirus (HPV) infection eventually develop cervical cancer. This suggests a role for immune mechanisms in viral acquisition and clearance, most notably presentation of HPV antigens as mediated by gene products of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) complex. A longitudinal cohort investigation of cervical HPV infections was utilized to examine the role of selected HLA class I and II alleles in determining risk of HPV positivity and persistence for students attending McGill and Concordia universities in Montreal. HPV positivity was measured at baseline and then once every six months for a period of …  Lire la suite

The protein synthesis inhibitors cycloheximide and anisomycin were administered during training in an attempt to block the consolidation of the memory for a morphine conditioned place preference. The systemic injection of 2.5mg/kg of cycloheximide post-training failed to block consolidation, though there was a trend towards an attenuated preference, however cycloheximide produced a conditioned place aversion if paired with one compartment. To examine the effect of more complete protein synthesis inhibition and reduce the aversive effects, the less toxic protein synthesis inhibitor anisomycin was infused into the lateral ventricles of the brain either pre-, post- or 3 hours following training. Post-training …  Lire la suite

Epithelial morphogenesis is an important signaling program in normal embryonic development involving cell proliferation, migration, invasion and cell matrix turnover and also during tumourigenesis. The Crk adaptor family of proteins has been implicated as promoters and mediators of such biological responses downstream of various extracellular signals. Our laboratory has defined the involvement of Crk adaptor proteins in the signaling of Met-dependent anchorage-independent growth, cell dispersal, cell invasion and epithelial morphogenesis. In an MDCK epithelial cell model CrkII overexpression was sufficient to promote cell spreading. This initial biological response was dependent on Rac activity. In Chapter 3 I demonstrate that MDCK …  Lire la suite

Polysemy refers to word forms that have semantically related or overlapping meanings. Studies of polysemy are few in number and contradictory. Some find differences between polysemy and homonymy (Frazier & Rayner, 1990); others find similarities (Klein & Murphy, 2001). Here, polysemous words independently rated to have low, moderate, or high semantic overlap of their distinct meanings, were studied using the methods of Klein & Murphy. Participants judged the sensicality of phrases consisting of a modifier and a polysemous word as a function of a cooperating, conflicting, or neutral context. Low and moderate-overlap words elicited slower judgments than high-overlap words, and …  Lire la suite

The meteorite impact that formed the 32-km-diameter Upper Pennsylvanian (285 +/- 23 Ma) West Clearwater structure, situated about 125 km east of the Hudson Bay arc, northern Quebec, formed a sheet of impact melt now exposed on a central ring of islands. At least seven marble enclaves have been mapped in the melt sheet; this report is based on observations made on samples from two of these enclaves. These blocks represent recrystallized remnants of a cover of Middle Ordovician limestone, now completely eroded in the area. While the impact melt was still above its solidus, the locally fossiliferous dolomite-bearing limestone …  Lire la suite

This qualitative inquiry describes the linguistic perspectives of eighteen grade six students at Ecole Duncan, a multiethnic primary school (grades K-6) located in Park Extension, an inner-city neighbourhood of Montreal. Employing standard tools of ethnographic enquiry, such as interviews and participant observation, I examined the childrens' perception of the interplay of language and identity, and rooted the inquiry within the theoretical framework of social constructivist learning. The key element of the lived experiences of these children that surface in the data is that their perceptions and experiences are largely determined by a sense of belonging and opportunities to participate in …  Lire la suite

The three reported articles examine self-mutilation (SM) in a community sample of adolescents. First, the frequency of the behavior, gender differences and self-mutilative practices were examined. In addition, two models of self-mutilation, the anxiety reduction model and hostility model were explored in order to gain preliminary information regarding possible etiological factors in the manifestation of self-mutilation. Finally, other related maladaptive behaviors such as depressive symptomatology and eating pathology were also investigated. Four hundred and forty students from two schools, an urban and a suburban high school were given a screening measure designed to assess for SM. Students who indicated that …  Lire la suite

Renaissance art historians concur that women were characteristically depicted as ideal types in Renaissance portraiture. Nonetheless, the historiography of portraits of women in Renaissance Italy reveals generational shifts between scholars. Male scholars writing in the nineteenth-century to the mid twentieth-century applied formalist and cultural historical methodologies. Recent scholars raise issues that were previously neglected, such as social historical and feminist concerns. Following this rationale, I argue that the changing interests of scholars have altered the interpretations of portraits of Renaissance women. Moreover, this historical difference is split along gender lines in the historiography of Titian's La Bella. A critical review …  Lire la suite

Presented in this thesis is a novel systematic approach to determine the general characteristics and stability of an EDFL, and a thorough experimental investigation of a mode-locked dual-wavelength EDFL. The novel method to characterize an EDFL consists of performing an extensive set of measurements, and from these measurements a set of parameters is calculated. These parameters quantifiably describe the laser in terms of its temporal and spectral characteristics, signal power and wavelength variations, and number of occurrences for which the laser ceases its multi-wavelength operation. An experimental investigation of a free-running mode-locked dual-wavelength EDFL with different signal wavelength spacing and …  Lire la suite

RasGAP-SH3 binding protein (G3BP) is a player in the ras signal transduction pathway and is involved in mRNA turnover. G3BP is a multifunctional protein affecting cell growth, cell stress responses, and cell transformation. The goal of this study was to define ex vivo function(s) of G3BP in several systems. We developed two RNA interference methods to knockdown G3BP in murine cell lines. We observed that the partial plasmid-mediated RNAi knockdown of MmuG3BP1 does not affect muscle cell differentiation. To improve efficiency, we successfully developed lentiviral-mediated RNAi against MmuG3BP1 resulting in significant knockdown in NIH-3T3 cells. We also developed vectors for …  Lire la suite