McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par B

Prior to the introduction of a suitable control policy for the internal parasites of sheep in Canada it was believed by competent authorities that parasitic disease was the greatest deterrent to profitable production of sheep in many parts of the country. Particularly in Eastern Canada, even with the general methods of control employed at that time, losses through internal parasitism continued to occur in lambs and breeding stock. In 1936 Swales initiated a thorough investigation into the incidence and economic importance of the parasites of sheep in Canada which eventually culminated in a highly successful control program. One of the …  Lire la suite

The dosimetric characteristics of a standard Varian 52-leaf multileaf collimator (MLC) and BrainLAB m3 micro-multileaf collimator (micro-MLC) have been investigated for square, rectangular, and irregular fields for 6 MV and 18 MV photon beams provided by a Varian Clinac 2300 C/D linear accelerator (linac). The percentage depth dose data and the conventional collimator factor are unaffected by the addition of MLC or micro-MLC shaped field unless, in the latter case, the tertiary field is much less than the jaw setting. However, relative dose factors for a given MLC or micro-MLC field size depend on the jaw setting. The penumbra is …  Lire la suite

Un nombre sans précédent d'immigrants devrait arriver au Canada entre 2023 et 2025. Le Canada projette une image superficielle d'être accueillant envers les immigrants et de leur fournir un soutien suffisant pour leur intégration. Cependant, la littérature suggère que les nouveaux arrivants au Canada subissent de la discrimination, de la solitude et de la marginalisation. Cela indique un besoin de mieux soutenir l'intégration sociale des immigrants. L'intégration sociale comprend l'acquisition d'un capital social et culturel, le développement d'un sentiment d'appartenance, la négociation de l'identité et la formation de relations. Ces aspects de l'intégration sociale sont influencés par les discours sociétaux …  Lire la suite

The capacity of some populations of insects to tolerate quantities of poisons which are far in excess of the quantities which are required to eliminate populations of their forebears has been called "tolerance" and "resistance". The difference between these two terms is one of degree. Low levels of resistance or tolerance in insects has been called "vigour tolerance" when it shows itself as a wide spectrum effect against a number of pressures. There exists a considerable controversy about its existence. Resistance in a noxious species poses serious economic problems in the control of that species. [...]  Lire la suite

Rosenblatt, David (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

During the past fourteen years, Kohler and his students (1 ) have prepared a series of substituted cyclopropane in order to determine the effect of the substituent groups on the opening of the ring by various reagents. The valuable information so acquired, has made it possible, in many cases, to predict the probable behaviour of substituted cyclopropane with the various reagents used to open the ring. In eyery case investigated all three carbon atoms of the ring bear substituents. Recently, however, a method has been devised (2) for the preparation of cyclopropane ketonic derivatives which have one carbon atom unsubstituted. …  Lire la suite

Mole, Thomas (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

Ten front-line maternal social workers were interviewed to determine how they are managing in terms of combining their work and family responsibilities. Supervisor support, and the effectiveness of family-friendly work place policies were explored. All agreed, that motherhood, has had a positive impact on practice including increased empathy and understanding, for both parents and children. The following workplace initiatives were determined to be helpful: flexible and predictable work hours; part-time options; and compressed-work-week. Despite half feeling unsupported by their supervisors, the majority indicated that they are managing well primarily due to flexible work hour scheduling. The attitude of supervisors, regarding …  Lire la suite

The Clubhouse model of psycho-social rehabilitation is a growing movement providing non-traditional mental health services worldwide. Little research has been done on how working in such an un-structured environment affects burnout levels among staff. The study sample was chosen by categorizing the Clubhouses by city size, and selecting 14 American and six Canadian Clubs at random with a total of 149 staff, of whom 97 responded, including both frontline staff and executive directors. Respondents completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory, and a questionnaire which was designed for this study, to measure work-related, worker-related, and client-related predictors of burnout. Burnout scores for …  Lire la suite

A randomized clinical trial was undertaken to compare the effectiveness and direct costs of shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) and laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) for the treatment of symptomatic gallbladder stones. Over a period of 24 months from a total of 468 patients screened, 35 patients were randomized to ESWL, and 25 to LC. 32 ESWL patients were treated, all as out-patients, with a mean convalescence post-ESWL of 0.5 $ pm$ 1.2 days. In contrast, all LC patients were admitted to hospital for a mean duration of 2.8 $ pm$ 1.5 days with a mean post-operative convalescence of 18.2 $ pm$ 16.8 …  Lire la suite

To better define the differences between laparoscopic (LC) and mini cholecystectomy (MC) in treating cholelithiasis, we conducted a randomized controlled trial with 70 patients (LC:38, MC:32). Both groups were comparable at baseline. The median length of post-operative hospital stay and time to full diet were significantly shorter in LC than MC (p $<$ 0.005 for both). Mean duration of convalescence was 11.9 ($ pm$9.1) days for LC and 20.2 ($ pm$16.5) days for MC (p = 0.04). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis confirmed these results. Using Cox's proportional hazards model, duration of convalescence was only found to be associated with the type …  Lire la suite

Des etudes anterieures ont ete incapbles de determiner quels facteurs sous-tendent l'identite sociale. A l'aide de plusieurs innovations methodologiques (une mesure permettant d'exprimer librement les facteurs relies a l'identite sociale, le fait de choisir l'endogroupe et l'exogroupe et une conceptualisation de l'identite sociale comme etant composee de l'attirance envers l'endogroupe et du rejet par l'exogroupe), cette etude avait pour but d'etudier l'influence des trois facteurs postules par Tajfel (cognition, emotions et evaluation) et les croyances symboliques (coutumes, valeurs et normes) sur l'identite sociale. Les resultats de cette etude indiquent qu'une evaluation positive de l'endogroupe, les emotions positives envers l'endogroupe et …  Lire la suite

According to self-categorization theory (SCT), environmental context is the key factor in determining whether or not a social identity will be activated. Blanz (1999) has extended SCT by suggesting that there are certain social categories (i.e., race and gender) that people will chronically use to categorize individuals. However, neither of these two perspectives addresses the notion that individuals could differ in the chronic accessibility of a given social identity. The present research explored this hypothesis. By adapting Higgins and colleagues' (1982) methodology for studying the chronic accessibility of personality traits, three studies were conducted to determine if there are differences …  Lire la suite

Bradley, Martin A. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

The thesis is in two parts. The major part is a translation of the contemporary Hungarian play, Makra, written by Akos Kertesz. The translation is faithful to the original Hungarian and attempts to preserve the idiom of the play. However, wherever a choice had to be made, dramatic clarity and effect was favored over a literal or strict rendering of the Hungarian. There is also a critical introduction which has a twofold purpose. It provides the Western reader with some literary and social background that is necessary for a full comprehension of the play. Another function is to demonstrate that …  Lire la suite

Mondialement, le tabagisme est la cause principale de décès évitables. Comme les outils actuels pour arrêter de fumer ne montrent qu'une efficacité modeste, de nouvelles interventions sont nécessaires. Compte tenu que le stress est un puissant déclencheur de la consommation de cigarettes, le présent essai clinique randomisé a testé si le stress pouvait augmenter les effets d'une intervention d’actualisation de la mémoire (« memory updating ») qui consiste à réactiver les souvenirs liés à la consommation de cigarettes, puis les affaiblir suivant les principes de reconsolidation de la mémoire. Au total, 1365 fumeurs non-motivés à cesser de fumer ont participé …  Lire la suite

During development of the mammalian cerebral cortex, precursor cells in the ventricular zone sequentially produce neurons and glial cells. This process clearly involves a complex interplay between intrinsic cellular machinery and extrinsic cues. Remarkably, embryonic cortical precursor cells isolated at the onset of neurogenesis, and cultured under serum-free conditions, will mimic the temporal differentiation pattern observed in vivo, producing neurons first, and then glia. In the studies presented here, I have used this system to identify critical components of the intracellular machinery that co-ordinately control two essential steps in neuronal differentiation, exit from the cell cycle (via the retinoblastoma family) …  Lire la suite

Though historically the word "tachyon" has been used to describe hypothetical particles which propagate faster than the speed of light, in a more modern context the term has been recycled to refer to certain unstable states in field theory. This thesis explores the role of tachyonic instabilities in cosmology considering tachyons which arise in string theory and also more conventional, field theoretic instabilities. Our study of such instabilities is, in part, motivated by attempts to embed inflation into string theory. We will argue that the study of string theory models of inflation is well-motivated and may provide a rare potential …  Lire la suite

This thesis seeks to add to the understanding of wage determination in Canada. Data from the Labour Market Activity Survey and the Survey of Displaced Workers are analysed to indicate the degree to which wages for workers of given observable characteristics vary across industries. Possible explanations for such differentials are considered, with market-clearing models argued to be unconvincing compared to the main alternative, efficiency-wage theory, which allows for a persistent distribution of labour rents across industries. In particular, the key mechanisms in versions of the efficiency-wage hypothesis appealing to workers' concern for fairness are found to be relatively free of …  Lire la suite

Although historically causing only mild febrile illness, recent Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreaks have been associated with more severe neurological complications, such as Guillain-Barré syndrome and fetal microcephaly. Several evolutionarily-acquired polymorphisms have been identified throughout the ZIKV genome that are hypothesized to impact viral replication, transmission, and/or pathogenesis. However, the molecular mechanism(s) by which evolutionarily-acquired polymorphisms affect viral replication in cell culture are not well established. Herein, we hypothesized we could use reverse genetics systems to determine the mechanism(s) by which evolutionarily-acquired polymorphisms affect ZIKV replication in cell culture. To address this hypothesis, we: 1) characterized strain-specific differences in ZIKV fitness …  Lire la suite

Oshima-Takane, Yuriko (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Gold, Ian Jeffrey (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

The following thesis sets out to analyse the holocaust speech given by former Bundestag president Philipp Jenninger on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Reichskristallnacht in 1988. Through international media attention, pragmatics, and rhetorical analysis, I shall interpret a speech which has brought both national and international condemnation as well as point out pragmato-rhetorical errors, both of which forced Mr. Jenninger's resignation. The first chapter is a stenographic copy of the speech, supplied by the West German Parlamentary Archives. The second chapter divides international media reports into sub-headings, which distinctly exemplify the importance of a strong knowledge of pragmatism …  Lire la suite

Timothy Crow's evolutionary theory of schizophrenia has received a great deal of attention since its incarnation in the 1990s (Crow, 1990); the theory postulates schizophrenia to be a form a developmental delay resulting from deficient lateralization of function, at least "for some key aspects of language" (1990). However, since rates of schizophrenic psychopathology hold stable (WHO, 1967), Crow himself acknowledges the theory is thus limited by the absence of a potential balancing factor to account for the retention of the cortical symmetry he believes automatically generates symptomatology (Crow, 1997); research has of yet been unable to identify such a factor. …  Lire la suite

Although civil war affects all civilians, it impacts men and women in different ways, and it influences their gender roles and responsibilities. Comparatively little attention has been given to assessing the gender sensitivity of international organizations who implement post-conflict reconstruction programs. The different social, economic and political dimensions of war to peace transitions, and how they impact on gender relations, can shed some light on the complicated intersections of needs and interests in wartorn societies. An examination of the policies of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Bank reveals that there is relatively little gender mainstreaming …  Lire la suite

Prissick, F. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Idiopathic central precocious puberty may compromise adult height. Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogues (GnRHa) suppress puberty and increase final height prediction, but their influence on final height is unclear, especially in girls with pubertal onset just below eight years of age, the traditional limit of normal. At seven children's hospitals, we identified 53 treated and 24 untreated patients (24 and 7 to final height, respectively) whose pubertal onset was between ages 5--8 years. At baseline, bone age advancement and predicted adult height were similar in the two groups. In both groups, the predicted adult height slightly overestimated the final height. What role, …  Lire la suite

The subject matter of this thesis has been divided into two main sections, one on the Thermal Constants of Liquid and Solid Carbon Dioxide and the other on the Latent Heat of Fusion and Specific Heats of Ice. While the principle underlying the experimental method employed in each part is the same, namely, adiabatic calorimetry, the two general problems investigated can be presented more conveniently and clearly if separated. A third section has been introduced on new experimental technique that has been developed in connection with this research and which 1s applicable to certain general calorimetric problems where precision measurements …  Lire la suite

Maass, O. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Despite being dismissed as low brow, nonsensical and a cheap form of entertainment, the present cultural phenomenon of reality television reveals a shared space where people are exposing more personalized, emotional aspects of themselves than typically seen in other genres of television programming or areas of contemporary public life. This recent trend of reality TV is both heightening and challenging many of the long-standing ethical debates over the boundaries between public and private, individual and collective as well as rational and emotional experience and needs to be considered within a pedagogical context. This study will explore reality television's position as …  Lire la suite

The peninsule of Labrador-Ungava* (Map 1) is a population desert, having harsh, cold winters and brief, warrn, fly-cursed summers, but offering the glacial geomorphologist ample scope for working on virgin territory, with abundant landforrns often of textbook simplicity. However, it is only in recent years thot extensive aerial photography has been undertaken, and this, together wlth certain military and economie developments within the peninsule, has led to an increasing awareness of the significance of the glacial history of the a rea. These developments led ultimately to the establishment in 1954, of the McGi Il Sub-Arctic Research La bora tory, through …  Lire la suite

This thesis deals with the letters of Frances Stewart, and the memoirs of Catherine Traill, Susanna Moodie, and Anna Jameson, which describe Canadian life between 1822 and 1850from the point of view of the gentlewoman. [...]  Lire la suite

Angeles, Jorge (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

Organic phosphorus (P$ sb{ rm o}$) in farm animal wastes must be mineralized to inorganic P for subsequent plant use. This study was conducted to determine if feed additives affect P$ sb{ rm o}$ mineralization, manure decomposition, and plant growth. Feed additives in aqueous systems affected the P mineralization of inositol hexaphosphate by phytase and of adenosine monophosphate by alkaline phosphatase. Pronounced effects were produced by bacitracin and both enzymes and by neomycin on phytase. Feed additives in dairy cattle (Bos taurus L.) manure produced effects on microbial activity as measured by gas production that differed from those produced on …  Lire la suite

Experiments involving single pass laboratory rolling and isothermal salt bath annealing were carried out; three steels were studied: a titanium stabilized interstitial free grade and two low carbon grades, one of which contained a particularly low level of manganese ($ sim$0.009wt.%). The two low carbon grades were produced such that any complication from AlN precipitation was avoided. X-ray, neutron diffraction, optical metallography and mechanical testing measurements were carried out on the samples before and after annealing. The main aim of this work was to further the understanding of the metallurgy of recrystallization after ferrite rolling at temperatures between room temperature …  Lire la suite

A number of organometallic and biological systems have been investigated by infrared and Raman spectroscopy. The IR and Raman spectra of 17$ beta$-estradiol have been assigned. In pressure-tuning IR studies, hydrogen bonding of 17$ alpha$-ethinylestradiol through the 17$ alpha$-ethinyl group was detected, while in organometallic estradiol derivatives, the effect of substitution mainly affected the region near the point of substitution. In analogous pressure-tuning studies of $ alpha$- and $ beta$-(Cr(CO)$ sb3$) estradiol derivatives, differences between the two diastereomers were observed and the steric effect of the $ alpha$-diastereomer on hydrogen bonding was observed. In surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) work, …  Lire la suite

Two new techniques for the study of biological molecules using vibrational spectroscopy have been investigated, and are presented in this thesis in two parts. In Part I, the application of centrifugal vacuum techniques for sample preparation in FT-IR spectroscopy is demonstrated. This technique is used in the development of an agglutination immunoassay for bovine serum albumin (BSA) using polystyrene latex particles as both a solid support and an IR label. The synthesis of new organometallic labels for use in LPIRIA has been undertaken and is described in detail. A competitive non-agglutination LPIRIA for BSA using anti-BSA covalently bound to carboxylate-modified …  Lire la suite

Because of the impact of sedentary behavior on health and because physical activity behavior tracks from youth to adulthood, there is increasing interest in the early determinants of physical inactivity. Baseline and one-year follow-up data on level of physical activity were collected in classroom questionnaires from 1060 4th and 5th grade students (64.8% of eligible children). Physical activity was measured in an adaptation of the Weekly Activity Checklist. 11.8% of boys and 23.4% of girls were physically inactive (i.e. reported $<$1 activity/day). Multivariate logistic regression analyses identified the following independent predictors of physical inactivity: Boys: low past year physical activity, …  Lire la suite

With dramatic increases in obesity in North America and declining levels of physical activity (PA), identification of the determinants of PA in children that are amenable to improvement, is a public health priority. The purpose of this thesis is fourfold: to identify factors that predict decline in PA among school children; to investigate if selected (school-level) opportunities for PA at school are associated with overall (student-level) PA behaviour; to describe school-based opportunities for PA; and finally, to identify environmental correlates of 'high opportunity' schools. Not participating in school-based team sports predicted decline to an inactive status after one year in …  Lire la suite

The development of precise data for the effect of chemistry and processing variables on the fracture toughness of low to medium carbon cast steels, is paramount to an increased understanding of the fracture behaviour of these important engineering materials. This knowledge would, in itself, lead to improvements in alloy development/selection rationale and increased cast steel usage, particularly in critical areas. Toward this end, an investigation into the influence of Cr, Mn and Ni additions on the room temperature fracture toughness and flow properties of 0.30, 0.40 and 0.55 wt% C cast alloys was conducted. In order to avoid the chemical …  Lire la suite

The objective of this research was the selection of the most efficient arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus on pepper (Capsicum frutescens L. cv. North star) and sweet corn (Zea mays L. cv. Bicolor) growing under controlled and field conditions. The inoculum treatments consisted of 9 different AM inocula and an autoclaved mix of roots and sand used as a control. Plants were inoculated and planted in a pasteurized growth medium (greenhouse) and non-fumigated soil in 4 different field locations for each crop. Glomus intraradices (GinA) and both the same strain (GinA) and a mix of Sclerocysitis rubiformis and G. fasciculatum (Sru$+$) …  Lire la suite