McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par A

Bartown, H. (Supervisors)  Lire la suite

When Emily Dickinson died in 1886, she left behind thousands of unpublished poems, some of which were bound up in forty small booklets that have come to be known as "fascicles." Over time and due to decades of publishing strife, these fascicles were split and their poems studied apart from one another. It would not be until Ralph Franklin's 1981, The Manuscript Books of Emily Dickinson, that a wide audience would finally be able to revisit Dickinson's poems in these arrangements. Since then, several scholars such as Eleanor Elson Heginbotham have looked to uncover thematics, narratives, and discourses that arise …  Lire la suite

Leaders within high-performing sport contexts are under increasing amounts of pressure to build a successful (winning) program. This is due to many factors, especially considering the increased financial rewards associated with achieving success in high-performance sport. In addition, professional sport coaches and executives are being increasingly scrutinized by their respective national sport councils, governing bodies, club owners, the media, the public, and fans. To date, most research in this domain has focused on coaches and athletes, which does not take into account teams that have an individual with a greater role, the General Manager. Few positions in sport are as …  Lire la suite

Forty years (1958-97) of observed and four simulations of Arctic sea-ice concentration (SIC) data are compared to document and better understand Arctic sea-ice variability. The four simulations result from four different forcings, and they are used in an attempt to quantify the relative importance of thermodynamic and dynamic forcings in the Arctic and its peripheral seas. The four runs (A through D) are forced as follows: Run A is forced with monthly varying monthly mean wind stresses and monthly varying climatological air temperatures, Run B is forced monthly varying monthly mean wind stresses and monthly varying monthly mean air temperatures, …  Lire la suite

Social safeness is the warm soothing affect system that is theorized to motivate and reinforce social connection and attachment processes (Gilbert et al., 2008). Together with positive and negative affect (PA and NA), it comprises Gilbert’s tripartite model of affect (Gilbert et al., 2008). This three-dimensional model stands in contrast to two-dimensional models including the model from which PA and NA were derived (Watson et al., 1988). The independence of social safeness from and precise relationships with PA and NA are not well established. The aim of the present work was to investigate the precise relationship of social safeness with …  Lire la suite

Entrainment is the tendency of conversational partners to align their behaviour with that of their interlocutor. This phenomenon, known as linguistic alignment when referring to speech, has been found to correlate with many social outcomes, such as relationship and conversational success. Although traditionally studied in a laboratory setting, linguistic alignment has begun to be investigated in large datasets, including those comprising speech conducted entirely through online communication. Adding to a growing literature investigating linguistic alignment and other language norms on social media sites, we conduct a multi-experiment investigation of the phenomenon of linguistic alignment on the social media site Reddit. …  Lire la suite

The goal of this research was to investigate the relationships between narrative processes and narrative process shifts, alliance, session evaluation, and trainee therapist facilitative interpersonal skills. Study 1 provided evidence that narrative process shifts can be used to track client-therapist interactions and session progress. Study 2 showed that trainee therapist facilitative interpersonal skills relate to client-rated depth, client-rated smoothness, client emotional arousal, and therapist emotional arousal. The participants for Study 1 and 2 were M.A. counselling trainees in their first clinical practicum experience; the clients were undergraduate students. Clients completed the Target Complaints questionnaire (TC) and the Working Alliance Inventory …  Lire la suite

Files, H. (Supervisors)  Lire la suite

Ce travail présente une étude de faisabilité sur l’application de l’aéroacoustique numérique pour les trains d’atterrissage. Un code de calcul basé sur la méthode de Boltzmann sur réseau disponible commercialement a été utilisé. Le bruit en champ lointain a été prédit en utilisant une analogie acoustique basée sur l’équation de Ffowcs-Williams et Hawkings. Les résultats aérodynamiques et acoustiques numériques ont été comparés à des résultats expérimentaux obtenus en soufflerie.En premier lieu, le bruit provenant de l’écoulement autour de deux cylindres parallèles a été étudié pour valider les outils numériques sur une géométrie simple dont les mécanismes de génération de bruit …  Lire la suite

The earliest indication of the importance of chain mechanisms in gaseous reactions came from the work of Bodenstein. His calculations of the quantum yields of several photochemical reactions demonstrated unequivocally that the Einstein Law of Photochemical Equivalence could not be applied to the overall processes. Nernst was one of the first to suggest that atoms were the chain carriers in these reactions, and for this reason the "Nernst Chain" - proposed for the photochemical synthesis of hydrogen chloride - still bears his name. [...]  Lire la suite

Car dependency has resulted in traffic congestion in the Champlain Bridge corridor between the South Shore and Montreal CBD. This thesis addresses the ongoing debate of whether an inflexible rail or more flexible express bus system is better suited for travel in the corridor. An exploratory analysis of commuters revealed dispersed work destinations, suburb-to-suburb commuting, and public transit constraints for car users, providing evidence that rail would not be an effective solution. Factors known to affect mode choice such as access walking time, cost, and number of transfers were quantified in a discrete choice model of mode choice by commuters …  Lire la suite

The acceleration principle is a concept which has precipitated a series of controversies about its meaning, its importance, its mathematical form, its applicability, and the variables which it relates, to mention only a few. Like the female principal of the modern novel, the acceleration principle in the modern economic literature enjoys a questionable reputation. Despite the fact that its virtues and vices have been under more or less active consideration for the past thirty years, economists seem no closer to agreement than they were at the beginning on whether the acceleration principle should be granted a place among "respectable" economic …  Lire la suite

The legal relationship between trade unions and the subordinate units (locals, branches, regions etc) of which they are made up, has received little academic attention despite its importance in Canadian labour relations. Traditionally the link has been viewed as contractual, but the law of contract, developed in the context of individual rights, is ill-equipped to address the competing group interests which are at stake. This paper is a study of "disaffiliation" or the severance of ties between the "parent" and the "local" union, an event which more than any other reveals the subordination inherent in the relationship and the way …  Lire la suite

Levy, Jacob (Supervisor3)  Lire la suite

Galiana, Henrietta L. (Internal/Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Developmentally mature mammalian striated muscle contains minimal activity of the BB isoenzyme of creatine kinase. Most creatine kinase activity is attributable to the MM and MB isoenzymes. Fetal and, frequently, pathological muscle contain substantial BS activity. I have studied SS in normal and pathological rabbit muscles to learn about its role and regulation in these tissues. After I developed an automated fluorometric assay for creatine kinase, I purified SS from rabbit brain. Antibodies to the purified isoenzyme reacted specifically with SB but not with MM or MB. I observed substantial quantities of immunoreactive, enzymatically inactive BS in normal mature rabbit …  Lire la suite

An accurate and rapid method for the determination of hemicellulose both in woody and in succulent tissues is seriously needed at the present time. Such a method is desired by many workers in such widely different fields as plant physiology, microbiology, entomology, and animal nutrition. The methods now being used, although quite inadequate, will be briefly examined. [...]  Lire la suite

The shortage of edible fats and oils in Canada following the out break of war became critical during the latter part of 1942 and early 1943. Since linseed oil is the only vegetable oil produced in appreciable quantities in Canada, this study was projected to investigate the possibility of utilizing it in the manufacture of an edible shortening. Complete hydrogenation to a stearin would allow the use of small proportions in blending with low-melting fats, but could provide only for the use of very limited amounts. Attempts to use a partially hydrogenated linseed oil (having suitable physical properties for a …  Lire la suite

The tirst cytological work on Stooks was carried out by Allen (1924) who found the diploid chromosome number to be 14. In 1919 Frost reported the discovery of an eversporting race,Snowflake, which constantly produces a small percentage of mutant types in its progeny. Upon cytological examination by Frost and Mann (1924) these proved to be simple trisomics (2 n + 1) with an extra chromosome or chromosome fragment. In consequence of their nature these aneuploid mutants do not breed true but 1/4 to 3/4 of their progeny consist of normal Snowflake. [...]  Lire la suite

In [1], Birkhoff and Pierce introduced the concept of f-ring. In (7], [9], and [10] it was shown that certain Archimedian f-rings can be represented as rings of continuous extended real valued functions on various topological spaces. It was noted that the m-topology on rings of continuous real valued functions (see problem 2N of [6]) could be generalized to arbitrary f-rings provided they were convex in the sense of [5]. It was also shown that every f-ring can be embedded in a smallest convex f-ring. [...]  Lire la suite

This thesis examines the debate between peace and justice in northern Uganda that transpired following the announcement of the International Criminal Court's (ICC) decision to investigate the conflict between the government of Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army in January 2004. The announcement of the ICC to investigate the conflict was met with resistance by many of the local religious, political, civil society, and traditional leaders in northern Uganda, particularly those from the Acholi sub-region. The debate between peace and justice in northern Uganda is an important debate that will impact the future of the ICC as well as approaches …  Lire la suite

This thesis examines how and why two amateur videos, broadcast across Canada in 1995, contributed to the disbandment of the Canadian Airborne Regiment. A brief history of the Airborne highlights discipline problems that were known to exist before the videos were broadcast. Common assumptions about images, particularly amateur video images, are explored. The concept of the "media event" is used to show how mediation magnified the videos' impact. A detailed examination of the videos and their constructions as news stories demonstrates how narrative frames and the newsmaking process in general shaped what the public saw. A general content analysis of …  Lire la suite

The idea for this thesis originated with a graduate essay on the money market; the difficulty in locating any information on the topic presented something of a challenge. Research had elicited the information that published studies on Canadian money-market institutions are few in number; books on the short-term market are not only few in number, but non-existent, and their possibility seemed to be precluded by the generally-accepted statement that no such market exists in Canada. [...]  Lire la suite

The recent history of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts in the House of Commons of Canada is examined against the background of Canadian and British practice and procedure. The procedure and organisation of the Committee of Public Accounts in the United Kingdom is described in detail. The Chairman of that Committee is a member of the opposition. The Committee is small. It meets in camera. Through the Permanent Secretaries as Accounting Officers the Committee exercises a continuous control over the executive.  Lire la suite

This inquiry examines observations made by nine former participants in the 1996 Dalhousie University Summer Language Bursary Program (SLBP) in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The SLBP is a five-week residential total second language immersion characterized by its intensity. In individual interviews, the informants were encouraged to explore whether and to what extent they had perceived changes in themselves as a result of their participation in the immersion program. These changes were not related to target-language proficiency. Rather, they focused primarily on aspects of the informants' self-perceived or other-perceived identities, which are conceived of as contextual, multiple, fluid and dynamic. Analysis of …  Lire la suite

A theory has been developed for the temperature dependence of the work functions of monovalent metals which predicts major contributions from thermal vibrations and thermal expansion. The former has been calculated from the velocities of elastic waves making some allowance for anisotropy and dispersion, the result is only approximate for the alkali metals because of uncertain elastic constants; the latter has been calculated from the cohesive energy and consequently is more accurate for sodium and potassium than for copper and silver.  Lire la suite

An apparatus has been constructed to extend measurements of electrical noise spectra to sub-audible frequencies. The system of measurement incorporates a process of recording the noise magnetically and later playing the noise back for analysis at a much higher speed. The process makes low frequency noise measurable by conventional apparatus in the audio frequency range. The apparatus has been tested and found to be linear and independent of frequency in its range of use. The noise power spectra of a 6SJ7 pentode has been measured. Above 10 kc/s shot noise predominated, at lower frequencies flicker noise became important. The l/f-spectrum …  Lire la suite

Leaf surface wetness duration time is an important agrometeorological parameter that determines fungal infections and spread of plant diseases. Surface wetness could also contribute to the reduction of transpiration and enhance pesticide effectiveness. For these reasons, field and laboratory performances of commonly used electrical resistance (ER) sensors were compared with a beta-ray gauge (BRG). The BRG provided the most accurate measure of surface wetness duration which agreed favourably with visual observations since it uses a real leaf as a sensor. A commercially available electric grid sensor (Model 237, Campbell Scientific), which employs a hard epoxy-fibreglass board, was found to be …  Lire la suite

DuPorte, E. (Supervisors)  Lire la suite

The sub-nanosecond dynamics of a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) are studied in conditions of high fields and low temperatures. Three main regimes are identified. Firstly, the propagation of sub-nanosecond, or GHz, signals in a 2DEG waveguide at low temperature (2 K) and high magnetic field (9 T). Here we show that the 2DEG waveguide can be fully parameterised by the Hall resistance and a new 'microwave scaling constant'. Secondly, the physics of plasmons confined at the edge and in a magnetic field (9 T): edge magnetoplasmons (EMPs). Here we resolve multiple plasmon modes, where as well as the standard EMP …  Lire la suite

The disclosure of adverse health events is the imparting, by healthcare providers to patients or their family, of information pertaining to any unexpected health event affecting the patient. Even though both the law and professional codes of ethic require the disclosure of all adverse health events, only a fraction of such events are actually disclosed. This disclosure gap is a reflection of the morally difficult decision about whether and how to disclose adverse events to patients. This thesis examines deontological and casuistic theoretical ethical perspectives on the healthcare professional's duty to disclosure adverse health events. Three case studies with different …  Lire la suite

Menard, Lucie (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

This thesis deals with the concept of the Perfect Man in the thought of both Ibn 'Arabi (560/1165-638/1240) and Iqbal (1877-1938). The concepts of these two figures are analytically compared by way of their views of wujud, the evolutionary process of human being, qada' and qadar, and the classifications of the Perfect Man. In Ibn 'Arabi's system, these concepts are based on wahdah al-wujud and, in Iqbal's system, on his philosophy of Khudi. Although Iqbal criticized many aspects of Ibn 'Arabi's thought, this thesis will show that their concepts of the Perfect Man are quite similar, and that Iqbal was …  Lire la suite

From service time and sorption gradient studies on sulfur dioxide and carbon tetrachloride, it was found that: ( 1) the equilibrium sorption weight could be represented by the Langmuir Adsorption Isotherm; (2) the “critical length” was a linear function of the initial concentration; (3) the length of the sorption gradient and the dead length varied as the logarithm of the initial concentration; (4) the weight of sorbed at any point in the charcoal bed increased with time according to: x = K e^-k/t and (5) the initial sorption of the gas by the first layers of the charcoal bed followed …  Lire la suite

Modern Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems have achieved remarkable success across a wide spectrum of domains. In reinforcement learning (RL), agents now master game-playing tasks such as AlphaGo and extend to real-world applications like autonomous control and fusion stabilization. In parallel, large language models (LLM)—including systems such as GPT, PaLM, and LLaMA—have demonstrated unprecedented capabilities in reasoning, generation, and interaction. However, this progress often relies on large, overparameterized models trained on massive datasets, which impose significant financial, environmental, and societal costs. In practice, a substantial fraction of these parameters can be pruned without meaningful loss in performance, suggesting that effective learning …  Lire la suite

In Reinforcement learning (RL) framework, an agent is trained using a designed reward function to solve a particular task. Often designing reward function requires specific reward engineering. Imitation learning provides an alternative to reward engineering ambiguity, where an agent is trained to imitate expert without considering reward from the environment. As these algorithms only learn a policy, they fail miserably when there is a change in environment dynamics. Thus in inverse reinforcement learning (IRL) agent rather learns the underlying objective of expert through approximating reward function and trains a policy accordingly. But it comes with a cost of bad imitation …  Lire la suite

Most Swiss writers participate actively in the affairs of their country: they take sides on political and economic issues and, like all other Swiss male citizens, cast their votes several times a year. In the tradition of Swiss Literature, the figure of the energetic or didactic writer predominates. Most writers are active in another profession in addition to writing. It could even be said that they consider their art only as a secondary profession. Until recently, the Swiss had a tendency to respect those writers only who had proved their qualities in business or industry before they took to writing. …  Lire la suite

We divided 640 consecutively live-born newborns into two overlapping groups: a traditional very low birthweight (BW) cohort (500-1500 g, mean BW 1055 g) and a gestational age (GA) cohort (23-30 weeks, mean BW 1070 g). We showed: (1) An illusory protective effect of intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) for in-hospital mortality in the 500-1500 cohort: odds ratio (OR), 0.55. In the 23-30 cohort the crude OR was 1.19; adjusting for differences in GA between IUGR and non-IUGR infants resulted in an odds ratio of 3.15 (95% C.I., 1.57-6.32). (2) Confounding by growth status was demonstrated in a hypothetical observational study of …  Lire la suite

Emergency revascularization may be the treatment of choice in selected cases of acute myocardial infarction, but its benefits and the time available to carry it out have not been well documented.  Lire la suite

Leaf and associated soil samples from 15 locations in Quebec showed that grey tobacco contained less N, P, K, Ca, B, nicotine, total alkaloids, organic acids, fatty acids, but more Fe and Al than non-grey (normal) tobacco. Soils producing grey tobacco had less N, Ca, organic matter, a lower cation exchange capacity but more Cl. Fe('55) fed to tobacco plants grown in soil known to produce grey tobacco was translocated to vascular and associated tissue in leaves. The grey disorder symptoms were duplicated in hydroponically grown plants. In a two-year field study, grey tobacco had 20% less dry weight and …  Lire la suite

Stern, Muriel (Supervisor)  Lire la suite