McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par J

This thesis studied empirically the air-handling etiology of the nonspecific symptoms of the eyes, respiratory tract, skin, and central nervous system in office workers, often termed the sick building syndrome. The results of a four-period crossover trial in 75 office workers suggest that 70% air recirculation when accompanied by an adequate intake of outdoor air can be used without causing adverse effects. A cross-sectional study of 2678 workers in 41 randomly selected office buildings from Helsinki metropolitan area provides evidence that mechanical ventilation, air conditioning, steam and evaporative humidification and air recirculation are risk indicators of studied symptoms in the …  Lire la suite

The manufacture of ceramic composites has traditionally been a complex and often expensive process. A new processing method, the DIMOX$ sp{ rm TM}$ process, takes advantage of the high temperature oxidation behaviour of aluminum alloys to produce a ceramic-metal composite. Although this process is fairly simple to implement, there has not been any attempt to link the starting materials and manufacturing conditions to the properties of the final composite. This work attempts to identify some critical parameters in the manufacturing process and how they affect the end product. The reaction temperature, alloy composition, and powder bed condition were optimized with …  Lire la suite

Issues associated with dynamical modelling and control of a spacecraft-mounted robotic manipulator capturing a spinning satellite are investigated in this research. The formulation of the post-capture dynamical equations of the system was carried out by writing the individual Lagrange's equation for the mother spacecraft, the two-link robotic manipulator, and the captured payload. These equations were then assembled to obtain the constrained dynamical equations of the system as a whole. This method, however, introduces the non-working constraint forces and moments which substantially complicate the dynamical analysis and therefore have to be eliminated. A novel technique that involves the use of the …  Lire la suite

This dissertation deals with two aspects of the history of the Companions of the Prophet: the pattern of their geographical distribution and their political alignments---taking as its test case the Battle of S&dotbelow;iffin. Based on biographical dictionaries of the Companions written by selected Traditionists (i.e., Ibn Sa`d, Ibn `Abd al-Barr, Ibn al-Athir, al-Dhahabi and Ibn H&dotbelow;ajar), and on the Traditionist definition of what constitutes a Companion, an attempt will be made to identify on the one hand the Companions who settled in Iraq, Syria and Egypt, and on the other those Companions whose loyalties during the Battle of S&dotbelow;iffin are …  Lire la suite

This thesis considers Herman Melville's Moby-Dick as a textual strategy of possible, alternative models of reading, as well as a text in itself. I approach the text as a drama of interpretations and argue that the individual consciousnesses of different interpreters represent different interpretive strategies, and that these differences suggest distinct structures of community. This approach becomes more focussed in the discussion of Ahab and Ishmael as representatives of two contrasting interpretive possibilities, of "reading" the text as a "pasteboard mask" which conceals a stable identity and single "truth," versus "reading" the text of the "defaced" and hence indeterminate surface …  Lire la suite

Friedrich, Matthias Gero (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

Iran Air Flight 655 was terminated by two missile attack on July 3, 1988. The aim of this study is to analyze the aeronautical incident of July 3, 1988 (IR655) from the point of view of general international law and air law. Specific attention is given to the consideration of the case by the Council of ICAO, the legal coordination of civil/military flight operation and the legal status of NOTAM. The study also comments on the concept of self-defense in international law and responsibility of state. The conclusion outlines the scope of the decision of the Council and compares it …  Lire la suite

A fast and accurate treatment planning system is essential for radiation therapy and Monte Carlo (MC) techniques produce the most accurate results for dose calculation in treatment planning. In this work, we developed a fast Monte Carlo code based on pre-calculated data (PMC, Pre-calculated Monte Carlo) for applications in radiation therapy treatment planning. The PMC code takes advantage of large available memory in current computer hardware for extensive generation of pre-calculated data. Primary tracks of electrons are generated in the middle of homogeneous materials (water, air, bone, lung) and with energies between 0.2 and 18 MeV using the EGSnrc code. …  Lire la suite

This thesis examines the social reforms ushered in by the prewar Asquith cabinet. It deals with the progressive intellectual environment and how it related to the budget of 1909 and the National Insurance Act of 1911. The following demonstrates how ideologies contribute to a public policy process riven by political, personal and administrative forces.  Lire la suite

Dans le spectre, de plus en plus étendu, des tumeurs gliales, les glioblastomes (GBM) sont les variantes les plus fréquentes et les plus agressives chez l’adulte, ainsi que la cause principale de décès par cancer chez l’enfants. Des recherches antérieures ont mis en évidence, qu'une proportion importante de GBM pédiatriques contient une mutation somatique des gènes codants pour des protéines histones. Les gliomes pontiques intrinsèques diffus (DIPG), un sous-type agressif des GBM pédiatriques, ont une mutation faux-sens, Lysine-en-Méthionine, au résidu 27 (K27M) des gènes codants des variants de l'histone 3 (H3). Cette mutation d’histone entraîne une modification des profils de …  Lire la suite

In a hard real-time system, the notion of time is very critical. For this reason, specific designing methods and different scheduling algorithms were developed. However, the scheduling algorithms are dependent on task attributes that are artifacts from system design, and the designers still do generate them by a trial and error process. [SH96] presents a resource conscious design method to systematically generate these attributes so that the task deadlines and the system end-to-end constraints are met. Using this method and the Rate Monotonic scheduling algorithm, I developed a tool that calculates the response time of each task of the system …  Lire la suite

Henderson, Janet (Supervisor2)  Lire la suite

Stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG) is the gold standard for delineation of surgical targets in focal drug-resistant epilepsy. SEEG uses electrodes placed directly into the brain to identify where seizures start (seizure-onset zone, SOZ). The major limitation of SEEG is its limited spatial brain coverage, sometimes giving rise to misidentification of the ‘true’ SOZ. Here we developed a novel approach to assess adequate SEEG sampling based on a spatial perturbation framework. It examines the SOZ implantation by (i) constructing a system that couples epileptic biomarkers with their spatial distribution and (ii) measuring the system’s response to a perturbation of this coupling. We demonstrated …  Lire la suite

Wastewater treatment plants are transitioning into resource-recovery centers that reduce pollution from the wastewater by transforming it into valuable resources. Purple phototrophic bacteria (PPB) have been shown to exhibit accumulative properties under anaerobic conditions while utilizing infrared light as their primary energy source, which reduces energy input into the biochemical process. Manipulating their accumulative properties will allow carbon, phosphorus and energy recovery from wastewater in the form of poly-hydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), poly-phosphates (poly-P) and hydrogen gas, respectively. This work first aimed to investigate the viability of treating wastewater using PPB. A 4-L anaerobic photobioreactor was constructed and illuminated with 850 nm …  Lire la suite

Gauvin, Raynald (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

This study focused on the reproductive response to elevated CO2 of plants possessing below-ground storage. I tested the hypotheses that under elevated CO2: (1) Plants with greater non-foliar storage capacity win show more reproductive response and (2) The altered foliar physiology of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) use will cause increases in seed number and quality. Carbon dioxide treatments of High (650 muL L-1) and Ambient (360 muL L-1) were used in a controlled environment, simulated growing season, and in a natural pasture community. Hypothesis 1 was tested experimentally using four Raphanus varieties that differed in hypocotyl and leaf sizes. …  Lire la suite

The chemical composition of bark has been investigated for many years by a large number of workers, who found it to be made up of a complex mixture of substances which varied in relative amount and chemical detail with the species of bark examined. Further variations in composition were associated with such factors as the age of the tree, the height at which the bark sample was taken and the season of cutting. All attempts at elucidating the nature of the various bark components depended on the separation achieved by extraction with a variety of organic or aqueous solvents.  Lire la suite

Il est connu que la performance des systèmes de communication par la voix se détériore lorsqu'ils sont utilisés dans des environnements acoustiques peu favorables. En effet, la présence du bruit cause la perte de l'intelligibilité et engendre la fatigue chez les auditeurs. Ces problèmes peuvent rendre les systèmes existant sur le marché inintressants pour les clients surtout que les services offerts par les compagnies de télécommunication ne comportent aucune restriction sur les endroits où ils seront utilisés. Dans ce contexte, les algorithmes qui visent à améliorer la qualité du signal parole sont très importants du fait qu'ils permettent à ces …  Lire la suite

In this thesis, I analyze the Germanophone reception of Gustav Meyrink's The Golem (Der Golem) between 1916 and 1996 with respect to its treatment as light fiction (Trivialliteratur). I examine a representative selection of literary criticism concerning the dominant themes and narrative structures of the novel. Since The Golem could not be ascribed to a distinct genre or period within the canon, its reception has been characterized by profound dichotomies. Meyrink's novel can be seen as a blank screen upon which critics have projected their respective ideological agendas. By applying new historicist and genre studies, I contextualize the trends across …  Lire la suite

In the inflammatory brain lesions characteristic of multiple sclerosis (MS), both infiltrating macrophages and their central nervous system counterparts, the resident microglia, are present in large numbers and, along with reactive astrocytes, are implicated as potential antigen presenting cells (APC)s. The demyelinating pathology associated with the infiltration of self-reactive T cells in MS requires local antigenic re-stimulation in the context of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules. Human microglia and, less commonly, astrocytes, have been found to express APC molecules in MS brains. This, combined with the potential for production of immunomodulatory and toxic mediators upon activation, highlights the central role …  Lire la suite

The field of municipal finance has been signally neglected by Canadian economists. With the exception of a few isolated articles and the very indifferent publication known as “The Municipal Review of Canada”, little is written on the subject. The Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities at its Conventions sometimes discusses salient municipal problems, but only too often its proceedings are of little interest to the academic observer. A number of Royal Commissions have sat to consider municipal problems but, apart from obvious generalities, their reports have only too often been of parochial interest only. The main conclusion I can come to …  Lire la suite

The city of Montreal is known for its linguistic diversity, with both French and English being dominant languages in specific spheres. Montreal has also long had a strong LGBTQ presence, which is a draw for many queer people moving to the city. However, for many non-binary people in the city, linguistic expression is a challenge, especially as grammatical gender in French makes expressing oneself as a gender other than male or female quite difficult. Using Queer Linguistics, poststructuralism, and Rymes’ (2014) concept of communicative repertoire as groundwork, this interview-based inquiry aims to create a better understanding of how young English-and-French …  Lire la suite

Cette thèse décrit l'utilisation des phospha-Münchnones, une nouvelle classe d'ylures d'azométhines, comme une méthode de synthèse des 2-pyrrolines. Les phospha-Münchnones peuvent être facilement préparés à partir d'imines, de clorures d'acides et de composés organophosphorés et peuvent être utilisés dans des réactions de cycloadditions 1,3-dipolaires. Comme décrit dans le Chapitre 1, plusieurs d'ylures d'azométhines peuvent être utilisés dans des cycloadditions 1,3-dipolaires pour générer des 2-pyrrolines. Toutefois, plusieurs d'entre eux font face à des problèmes en ce qui concerne la régio- et la stéréosélectivité, certains motifs structuraux et la modularité de réaction. Le but de cette recherche est donc d'utiliser le couplage …  Lire la suite

Studies were made of the effects of Vitamin A supplementation on the course of artificially induced lungworm infection in calves. Vitamin A deficient, Jersey bull calves, were infected with 2,000 D. viviparus larvae and supplemented with either 2 ug/lb/day or 60 ug/lb/day of Vitamin A. [...]  Lire la suite

Over the years, epithelial cells of the male reproductive tract have been suggested to be involved in apocrine secretion. However, this method of secretion has not been fully accepted, nor is it well understood. In the present study, apocrine secretion was examined in the mouse epididymis and rat and human vas deferens. Throughout these regions of the duct, the apex of the epithelial principal cells often shows protrusions extending towards the lumen of the duct, referred to as apical blebs (ABs). Of different shapes and sizes, ABs appear to form at the apex of principal cells, and morphological and immunocytochemical …  Lire la suite

Intercellular junctions within the mammalian testes play an important role during spermatogenesis. The cadherins are a superfamily of integral membrane proteins that mediate calcium-dependent cell adhesion and are involved in the formation of intercellular junctions. The cadherin subtype, known as N-cadherin, mediates the interaction between the germ cells and Sertoli cells of the testis. Previous studies have shown that estrogens are able to modulate N-cadherin mRNA levels in the 7-day-old mouse testis. I have examined the estrogen effects on N-cadherin protein levels in the testes of 21-day-old rats. The rats were injected with either 17$ beta$-estradiol, the anti-estrogens Tamoxifen and …  Lire la suite

A series of research workers in the Department of Geography at McGill University have for several years been engaged in a study of the physiography and plant geography of Quebec-Labrador. The principal results of this study up to the present are two series of reconnaisance maps of the physiographic surface-type and the cover-type, usually the plant-cover. [...]  Lire la suite

Until the last decade or so, scientific material concerning the Queen Elizabeth Islands has been derived almost entirely from the work of expeditions. Some of these, it is true, went to the area only in attempts to discover new lands, to traverse the mythical "open polar sea", or to reach the North Pole itself, but several expeditions also made careful and detailed scientific observations. At least two such meteorological records are still of interest and value in the study of the climate of the northern part of Ellesmere Island.  Lire la suite

Les patients souffrant de la maladie rénale chronique et de la maladie hépatique peuvent exiger de la filtration sanguine extracorporelle pour éliminer les toxines de leur sang. Des matériaux absorbants sont utilisés dans des dispositifs d'hémodialyse recirculation et les dispositifs hemoperfusion, mais ils peuvent être coûteux à fabriquer. Des sphères actuelle et de particules en formé de matériaux absorbants créer de grandes chutes de pression quand ils sont soumis à un fluide passent. Pour résoudre ces problèmes, un nouveau matériau absorbant a été développé dans cette thèse en déposant de carbone activé et de l'alginate sur un treillis d'acier inoxydable …  Lire la suite

If a condenser with a capacity of several microfarads is charged to a voltage sufficient to break down the dielectric insulation of nitrogen gas, the resulting discharge causes the gas to glow with a yellow phosphorescence which persists even after the cessation of discharge. This phenomenon, first noted by E. P. Lewis, is called the nitrogen afterglow. [...]  Lire la suite

Essentially, this work is a petrographical study of 504 feet of drill core taken from the top of the Potsdam sandstone at the Mallet well near Sainte-Thérèse, Québec. It is hoped that from this study additional information will be obtained concerning: The original rock types from which the material forming this part of the Potsdam sandstone was derived. The type of weathering undergone by this material and the conditions under which it was deposited. The number of cycles of erosion and deposition represented by the material in the Potsdam sandstone. [...]  Lire la suite

The area lies along the "Grenville front" in a heavily glaciated area of southwestern Labrador. About 250 modal analyses and associated optical and X-ray determinations, 17 semiquantitative spectrographic iron-formation analyses, 2 chemical analyses of gabbro and amphibolite, and other analyses are reported on. A granitic basement complex is overlain unconformably by metamorphosed, over lapping, stable, shelf-type rocks of the Labrador Geosyncline such as quartzmica- plagioclase schist, graphitic schist, meta-orthoquartzite, silicate-oxidecarbonate iron-formation, and amphibolite of possible volcanic origin. These rocks were probably folded when the Ungava Fold Belt was formed. Later, the area was profoundly affected by the Grenville orogeny. Basic …  Lire la suite

This thesis explores the relationship between humanity and the environment in the context of nuclear fallout aftermath, as depicted in the films Stalker and Ispytanie. Through an analysis of these films, particularly examining their portrayal of radioactive wastelands as non-human actants, the study delves into the implications for understanding the Anthropocene. Drawing on the events of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster and the Semipalatinsk failed nuclear test of 1949 as contexts, the thesis examines how directors Aleksandr Kott and Andrei Tarkovsky animate the environmental actants, representing the Earth as a sentient being reacting to nuclear fallout. By positioning the Earth as …  Lire la suite

The neurologist and neurosurgeon are familiar with the aseptic meningitis that follows subarachnoid haemorrhage, whether it be due to intracranial operation, craniocerebral injury, or ruptured or leaking intracranial aneurysm. The aseptic nature, however, often is not assured until the meningitis has uneventfully passed, v\^en the causative agent is attributed then to blood in the subarachnoid space. Of great concern to many neurosurgeons is a recurrent form of aseptic meningitis following certain intracranial procedures. Finlayson and Penfield in 1941 postulated that the cause of this form of meningitis is due to the presence of breakdown products of a blood clot entering …  Lire la suite

The seasonal trend of the digestibility of young mixed pasture herbage by steers and sheep, and its chemical composition are reported. A definite seasonal trend of the digestibility of the herbage studied cannot be established, at least for regions where climatic conditions are as variable from year to year as they are at Macdonald College. The digestibility of artificially dried herbage was not changed after six months storage. None of the chemical entities studied gave any indication of nutritive value, and crude fibre and crude protein may be very misleading if used as indices of nutritive value for mixed pasture …  Lire la suite

The theory of leadership as an area of social psychology has undergone a significant change within the past decade, linen the first experimental study in this field was reported by Terman (33), he distinguished between two opposed historical traditions. One, stemming from Carlyle, conceived leadership to be one or more traits in the person of the leader. The other, formulated in its most extreme form by Marx, maintained that leaders exist only insofar as they satisfy the needs and purposes of followers; they are the creation of the led. It is this dichotomy which has been breaking down in recent …  Lire la suite

Cette étude recourt à une approche de modélisation à base d'agents dans le but de simuler la dynamique résidentielle d'un quartier de Boston, une ville où l'on observe une forte hausse de l'embourgeoisement depuis quelques décennies. Le modèle est instancié au moyen des données relatives à l'habitation du Assessing Department de la ville de Boston et applique des règles simples de prise de décision à quatre catégories d'agents afin de simuler la dynamique résidentielle du quartier à l'étude. Le modèle se sert de l'explication des habitudes de consommation, qui cause l'embourgeoisement en attirant les individus vers la ville, et examine …  Lire la suite

L'hippocampe est une structure corticale connue pour son implication dans les processus d'apprentissage et de mémoire. Au niveau éléctrophysiologique, l'hippocampe est caractérisé par la survenue d'activités oscillatoire aux rythmes delta, thêta et gamma. Il était communément admis que ces différents types d'activités oscillatoires étaient dus à l'activité synchrone de structures extra-hippocampique. Au cours de ce travail de doctorat, nous avons pu montrer que l'hippocampe intact contient les réseaux neuronaux nécessaires et suffisants à la genèse spontanée des activités delta, thêta et gamma. De plus, ces rythmes sont générés spécifiquement dans des sous-régions de l'hippocampe indiquant que chaque aire hippocampique possède …  Lire la suite

The interest in the problem of veteran rehabilitation was derived from the experience gained while working for the National Research Council of Canada, under the direction of Dr. D. Ewen Cameron during 1945 and 1946. The report which was written at that time was entitled Psychological Adjustment of Ex-Service Personnel. Much of the material which has been used in this thesis was gathered for the above mentioned report. However, it was not analysed in respect to the frame of reference used herein. The educational data was not included in the report. Interviews with civilians, student veterans, faculty members, labour leaders, …  Lire la suite

During the past half-century, there has been a growing tendency to take Shakespere from the theatre and place him on the bookshelves of educational institutions and private homes. Consequently, Shakespere is thought of more in literary than in theatrical terms, and there has grown up a whole generation of people whose closest association with Shakespere has been in the school or college classroom. In his day, the plays were witnessed, heard, and felt; even in our grandfathersf and fathers' day there were still repertory companies which presented Shakespere as a part of their regular programme. Our ovm generation is one …  Lire la suite

Since the early 1990s, it has been all but impossible to ignore the media hype prompted by the sudden advent and appeal of the computer-mediated communications context. However, as alarmist tales of alleged online dangers have moved to the fore, legislators in some jurisdictions have called for new regulatory measures to limit its communicative potential. This dissertation undertakes a socio-historical analysis of this phenomenon. Influenced by the historical perspective of Ithiel de Sola Pool (1983), its initial goal is to illuminate how the introduction of print, common carrier and broadcast-based communications technologies has prompted key social actors to advocate, or …  Lire la suite

In the pessimistic world of Hans Henny Jahnn it is refreshing to find one subject which the author illuminates with hope. Youth is a theme which Jahnn portrays again and again, sensitively depicting its joys and turmoil even in his later works, when his own youth lay far behind him. The youth Jahnn glorifies is not childhood in general, but rather that time in a child's life when he stands on the threshold to manhood. [...]  Lire la suite

The general goal of this thesis was to examine and quantify the role of rooted submerged aquatic macrophytes in the cycling of metals in the littoral zone. An empirical study using data from an extensive literature survey showed that aquatic plants do not differ markedly in element composition from the sediments in which they grow, and that during uptake the plant's roots do not discriminate between elements essential and not essential for growth. The organic content, pH and redox potential of the sediments were shown to affect the bioavailability of metals to the plants. Biomass density was used to categorize …  Lire la suite

The contribution of use-dependence to the actions of two novel antiepileptic drugs acting upon the GABA neurotransmitter system was investigated using the rat hippocampal slices preparation. The first study of this thesis demonstrated that tiagabine, a GABA uptake blocker, causes a more pronounced increase of GABAergic responses evoked by high-frequency stimulation (HFS) than of those elicited by a single stimulus. The predominant effect of tiagabine on HFS-evoked responses was to facilitate the generation of GABAA receptor-mediated depolarizations (DRs) which were capable of triggering bursts of action potentials when evoked from the stratum radiatum. Since these results suggested that tiagabine may …  Lire la suite

Closure of bone defects that do not heal spontaneously require some form of bone inducing agent in order to ensure complete repair. Autogenous bone is the clinical gold standard for the management of these types of defects. Present research is aimed at finding acceptable alternatives to harvesting autogenous bone grafts in patients for obvious reasons. Recent literature supports that demineralized bone matrix (DBM) is osteoinductive, although this is not the case for all commercially available forms of DBM. An in vivo study was conducted which attempted to evaluate the healing of critical sized defects in New Zealand white rabbit calvarium …  Lire la suite

In dieser Arbeit war mein Bestreben, die organische Entwicklung der Kunst Gottfried Kellers und die engen Beziehungen von Leben und Kunst darzustellen, und zwar zuerst in den einzelnen TIerken und dann in Zusammenfassung, mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der grössten bildenden Einflüss auf die Persönlichkeit und das Schaffen des Epikers, Ethike und Humoristen. [...]  Lire la suite