McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par W

This thesis presents the results of a field examination of a part of the north limb of the Marquette syncline. The oldest rocks of the region are Keewatin volcanics, and Van Rise and Leith consider that they are followed by the Mesnard quartzite, which is Lower Huronian age. The writer has recognized and here proposes the name "Mud Lake" series for the conglomerate, slates and greywackes that are separated from the underlying Keewatin and the overlying Mesnard by unconformities. The Mud Lake series has a stratigraphic position that makes its correlation with the Knife Lake slates, the Sudburian and the …  Lire la suite

The Canica-Cawatose area is from 47° 15' N to 47° 30 1 N latitude, and from 76° 55' w to 77° 20' w longitude, and is thus between the gold bearing district of the Abitibi and the Grenville subprovince as characteristically exposed near Mount Laurier. G.K. Lowther has mapped Keewatin-type and Temiskaming-type rocks characteristic of the Abitibi zone in the Villebon-Denain area at a locality only twenty miles north of the northern boundry of the map area here described.  Lire la suite

The catalysis of the transesterification reaction of 2-hydroxypropyl p-nitrophenyl phosphate HPNP by a series of copper(II) complexes is investigated. Dichloro- ((bis(benzimidazol-2-ylmethyl)amine)copper(II)$ rm rbrack{ cdot}CH sb3OH (Cu(N3))$ and chloro- ((bis(benzimidazol-2ylmethyl)hydroxyethylamine)copper(II)$ rm rbrack chloride{ cdot}3(H sb2O)$ (Cu(N3OH)) are the most reactive mononuclear catalysts for promoting HPNP cleavage. A second order dependence on catalyst and a second order hydroxide dependence is observed for the transesterification reaction of HPNP promoted by Cu(N3). A mechanism is proposed in which a dimerized complex provides double Lewis acid activation followed by nucleophilic attack of the internal alkoxide of HPNP. A dinuclear copper(II) complex dichloro- ((N,N,N$ sp prime$,N$ …  Lire la suite

The Qur'anic concept of ahl al-kitab ("People of the Book") has a theological significance for Muslims, showing a sympathetic perception of other religions, particularly Jews and Christians, who share the same monotheistic belief as Muslims. There are many references to abl al-kitab in the Qur'an which may be grouped into two categories: the sympathetic verses which give ahl al-kitab a status similar to that of Muslims and the ambivalent verses which condemn the ahl al-kitab. In this study, surat Al 'Imran (3): 64, 113, 114 and 115 are chosen as examples of sympathetic verses. Six major works of selected classical …  Lire la suite

Cette thèse étudie le project d'un fiqh indonésien tel qu'articulé par Muhammad Hasbi Ash Shiddieqy (1904-1975) pour combler l'écart qu'il percevait dans le droit islamique entre la révélation et la réalité (c-ada) de la société indonésienne. Alors qu'un fiqh indigène ne peut être conçu que par l'ijtihad la majorité des musulmans indonésiens croient que les portes de l'ijtihad sont irrévocablement fermées et s'opposent donc avec véhémence à toute suggestion visant à créer un fiqh indonésien. Pour rendre l'ijtihad à nouveau possible, Hasbi collabora avec les réformistes à un appel pour le "retour au Coran et à la Sunna." Le programme …  Lire la suite

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, zinc cluster proteins form a major family of transcriptional regulators for a variety of processes, yet many putative zinc cluster proteins have unknown functions. Previous studies assigned phenotypes to some of these proteins, a few of which showed previously unknown functions in pleiotropic drug resistance (PDR). The first study presented here focuses on a phenotypic analysis of double deletion mutants to further our understanding on functional relationships among zinc cluster proteins that mediate PDR. The second study focuses on a newly characterized zinc cluster protein, Asg1p, and its functional role in regulating stress response genes. In both …  Lire la suite

In mammals, mitochondria and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are transmitted through the female germline. Mature oocytes contain nearly 200,000 copies of mtDNA, organized at 1-2 copies per organelle. Despite the high genome copy number, mtDNA sequence variants are observed to segregate rapidly between generations, and this has led to the concept of a genetic bottleneck for the transmission of mtDNA. In this thesis, I demonstrate that a subgroup of replicating genomes in the early post-natal ovary is responsible for the rapid segregation of mtDNA. I show that the rate of segregation of mtDNA can be accelerated when mtDNA copy number is …  Lire la suite

This thesis is a part of a project underway in this laboratory, the aim of which is the syntheses of various nitrogen-containing steroids. Some amino steroids have been known to possess hypotensive or bacteriostatic properties. The syntheses or some other nitrogen containing steroids have been prompted by their similarity to various alkaloids. In the first part or the present work, the Mannich reaction of unsaturated and saturated ketosteroids derived tram cholesterol was studied. The hydrogen atoms in rings A or/and B were activated by the adjacent keto group(s), and also by the double bond in the case or unsaturated ketones. …  Lire la suite

Heat shock or stress proteins (HSPs), are a large family of phylogenetically conserved molecules that can be constitutively expressed at high levels under normal physiological conditions. These proteins are selectively synthesized following metabolic and environmental insult. This study was designed to determine whether cognate and/or inducible HSP production are altered in CD4-expressing lymphocytic cell lines concomitant with acute and chronic human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-l) infection. Our findings indicate that in CEM.NKR cells, HSP27 production is selectively altered at early stages of acute HIV-infection (6-24h post-infection), subsequent to virus internalization but prior to synthesis of viral progeny. Levels of …  Lire la suite

Contemporary discourse on children's rights is shaped by attempts to account for their full humanity. A core issue centers on the question of whether children's rights should take the cultivation of agency or the experience of vulnerability as their starting point. Martha Nussbaum employs her influential capabilities approach to argue that the cultivation of agency should be prioritized in children's rights if respect for their full humanity is to be demonstrated. This yields two key outcomes. First, Nussbaum's theory is shaped by an anthropology in which one's capacity to strive for self-determining agency in the face of worldly contingencies is …  Lire la suite

This study deals with the characteristics of Arabic historiography in Iraq down to the time of Abu Ja'fer Tabari (d. 310/923). The historical annals of Taberi provide both the specific focus of the study and a methodological approach. Since Tabari's work may be regarded as an anthology of the writings of the early historians, our first question concerns the characteristics of Iraqi historiography as they are reflected in the annals. Then we are concerned with the ways in which Tabari's work differed from his predecessors. Part One of the study comprises a historical survey of the main historians of the …  Lire la suite

This study is an attempt to reexamine prevailing views concerning the question of politioal power during the first three and a half decades of the fourth/tenth century Abbisid caliphate.  Lire la suite

Les émotions sont des réponses physiologiques adaptatives qui permettent aux individus de répondre aux menaces et de réagir aux stimuli sociaux. Cette réponse comprend à la fois des actions et des postures du corps entier, telles que les postures expansives qui signalent la domination, et un retour somatosensoriel qui contribue à l'expérience subjective de l'épisode émotionnel. Cependant, les différences individuelles en matière d'émotion sont rarement prises en compte au niveau des processus somatomoteurs ; aussi, les mécanismes neuronaux de la "pose de pouvoir", un paradigme expérimental qui s'appuie sur le retour d'informations provenant de postures corporelles expansives, n'ont jamais été …  Lire la suite

Leukotriene B$ sb4$ (LTB$ sb4)$ has previously been reported to be metabolized by porcine polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL) to 10,11-dihydro-LTB$ sb4$ and 10,11-dihydro-12-oxo-LTB$ sb4$ (Powell, W. S., & Gravelle, F. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 5364-5369). The 10,11-dihydro-LTB$ sb4$ fraction, prepared as described above, was resolved into two components by normal-phase (NP) high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). These products were identified as 10,11-dihydro-LTB$ sb4$ and 10,11-dihydro-12-epi-LTB$ sb4$ by gas-chromatography mass-spectrometry (GC-MS) and by co-chromatography with authentic chemically synthesized compounds. In the presence of NAD$ sp+,$ a microsomal 12-hydroxyeicosanoid dehydrogenase converted LTB$ sb4$ to 12-oxo-LTB$ sb4,$ which was identified by GC-MS. This …  Lire la suite

Le cisplatine est un agent chimiothérapeutique couramment utilisé. Malheureusement, de graves effets secondaires limitent son utilisation clinique telle que l'ototoxicité qui se présente comme une perte auditive neurosensorielle bilatérale et progressive. Il n'existe actuellement aucun traitement pour l'ototoxicité du cisplatine. La physiopathologie reste obscure, cependant, on croit que l'inflammation et le stress oxydant sont les principaux mécanismes conduisant à la mort des cellules. Dans cette thèse, différents aspects de l'ototoxicité du cisplatine et des stratégies thérapeutiques potentielles sont évaluées. Nous commençons par une revue générale de la littérature en ce qui concerne l'entrée et la sortie du cisplatine des cellules …  Lire la suite

How do immigrants to Canada experience exile and diaspora? What happens when a person does not identify with a nostalgic past "there" or a present "here," but rather with "nowhere"? I am interested in the development of a diasporic critical consciousness in three recent novels by Caribbean-Canadian women writers. This paper uses theories of diaspora, cosmopolitanism, hybridity, kala pani discourse, and anti-racist feminist analysis to discuss Ramabai Espinet's The Swinging Bridge (2003), Tessa McWatt's Out of My Skin (1998), and Dionne Brand's What We All Long For (2005). Overall the novels explore the potential of art and artistic strategies to …  Lire la suite

Past research has provided conflicting results concerning sex differences in the desire for status. The current study was designed to examine more explicitly sex differences in the desire to attain status. Eighty girls and 80 boys from kindergarten and grade four were placed in groups of four same-sex friends and were observed during a session in which they had to choose a leader, as well as during a drawing task. The children were also interviewed following the tasks using a questionnaire format. Results showed that there were no sex differences in the number of volunteers to be leader, in the …  Lire la suite

The dynamics of the atmospheric mesoscale and oceanic submesoscale are characterized by strong stratification and weak rotation, and the resulting energy spectra, though surprisingly universal, are still poorly understood. The aim of this work is to study the nonlinear dynamics and interactions of vortical motion (with potential vorticity) and internal inertia-gravity waves in the idealized context of homogeneous stratified turbulence, and to examine the extent to which they can account for the observations. We consider separately turbulence generated by vortical motion and internal waves using a combination of theory and numerical simulations. When vortical motion dominates the flow, the statistical …  Lire la suite

This study surveyed the attitudes of 59 Secondary V students of Greek origin who were studying in the French language. Their school, formerly an English Protestant High School, is located in the Province of Quebec. The school now contains groups of students in separate English-medium and French-medium programmes because language laws require more recent immigrants to be taught in French. The study showed that most of the students in the French programme are more proficient in English than in French, that their attitudes toward the French language are more instrumental or pragmatic than affective or integerative. These factors may be …  Lire la suite

Gender is a primary source of differentiation in the labour market. On average, women earn less than men even when they have the similar education, work full-time and in similar occupations. The availability of new data has also allowed researchers to explore whether labour markets are stratified by sexual orientation. This literature has found a hierarchy of earnings where heterosexual men earn the most, followed by gay men, lesbians and, lastly, heterosexual women. In other words, all men do better than all women but gay men are disadvantaged and lesbians are advantaged, relative to their heterosexual counterparts. To date, only …  Lire la suite

Ells, Carolyn (Supervisor1)  Lire la suite

While a number of studies have been concerned with the fears of children of various ages, little seems to be known about the objects end situations that are feared by adolescents and young adults. The present study is aimed at gaining some knowledge of the fears of these latter groups in order to get a more complete picture of the changes in fear with age. Relationships of fear to intelligence and personality are also explored. Each of the 85 subjects reported his or her fears in two or more interviews. These data were then treated statistically. Findings show that young …  Lire la suite

En utilisant un sous-échantillon de données Belle II de luminosité 189 femtobarns inverses, le taux de branchement d'un méson B en méson D(*), lepton et neutrino, est exploré. Cette analyse a d'abord contribué aux resultats publiés de Belle II sur le taux de branchement d'un méson B en un méson D(*), un lepton tau et un neutrino étiquetée hadronique oú le méson D* se désintègre en un méson D0 et un pion chargé, et oú le méson D0 se désintègre en un kaon et un pion chargé. Cette étude est élargie pour utiliser à la fois les désintégrations d'un méson …  Lire la suite

Exposure to childhood abuse is a persisting global public health concern. In developed countries, 44% of children have been subjected to adverse experiences, while the percentage rises to 59% in developing countries. In both children and adults, a history of childhood abuse has consistently been associated with structural, functional, and molecular alterations to fronto-limbic areas of the brain, yet the effects of childhood abuse on neurosupportive systems, such as the neurovascular unit, remain poorly characterized in comparison. Compelling evidence supports abuse-induced vascular endothelial dysfunction that primes for the development of cardiovascular disease later in life. Yet, despite the importance of …  Lire la suite

The work presented in this thesis describes methods by which biologically active substances could be isolated from extracts of crown-gall infected tomato stalks. Two active principles: tomatine and gomatine were isolated. Tomatine isolated from crown-gall infected tomato stalk extract was found to inhibit contractions of the isolated guinea-pig ileum preparation induced by: histamine, acetylcholine, bradykinin and barium chloride. Gomatine when assayed in vivo in guinea-pigs exerted significant protection against the effect of a lethal histamine aerosol. Gomatine also protected guinea-pigs actively sensitized to egg albumin against anaphylactic shock. When assayed in vitro, gomatine inhibited the contractions induced by histamine, bradykinin, …  Lire la suite

This thesis describes an S-Band parametric amplifier which was designed and subsequently built to study this type of amplifier at microwave frequencies. The signal, idling and pump were at the frequencies 2975, 7000, and 9975 megacycles respectively. The amplifier worked satisfactorily giving stable gains as high as 20 db. The bandwidth was, however, very low. Some theoretical investigations were performed on such topics as the stability and optimum load of the amplifier, and the negative conductance of parametric diodes. Some technical details about the construction, operation and measurements are also included.  Lire la suite

Discussions of the problem of time estimation often lead to unnecessary disagreements and confusion because of certain vagueness and ambiguity in the usage of terms. It is imperative, therefore, to clarify the terminology at the outset. In experiments on time estimation, the subject (S) is required to make judgments about temporal durations. The duration that S is asked to judge is called the standard. The estimate of the standard made by S is called the judgment.  Lire la suite

A review of the literature strongly suggests that poor family dynamics play a critical role in an adolescent's choice of suicide. This thesis examines the literature and research findings on adolescent suicide and family functioning. It will bring together recent findings to help professionals access the information on adolescent suicide as it relates to the family. The psychosocial and cognitive theories of development are explored to provide a framework for understanding adolescents and the reasons for the choices and problem solving they make in their quest for identity. Since social workers are increasingly implicated in the prevention of youth suicide, …  Lire la suite

Based on participatory fieldwork with government climate science advisors in the Southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais in 2017 and 2018, my dissertation documents the unprecedented and monstrous challenges of addressing climate change amidst rising authoritarianism. I explain how environmental and political disasters, ranging from toxic floods to assassinations, destabilize traditional forms of science and politics. I examine how destabilization erodes boundaries between categories and explore its effects on open and clandestine conflicts taking place within state bureaucracies. I show how the horrors of the climate crisis spur ethical self-reflection among climate analysts, producing a new form of "transversal" ethical …  Lire la suite

Gray, J. (Supervisors)  Lire la suite

The object of the work described in this thesis was the development of a technique by means of which specific heats and latent heats at low temperatures could be accurately measured. The theoretical significance of these measurements is discussed first. [...]  Lire la suite

The most northeasterly population of wood turtles (Clemmys insculpta ) was studied during 1996 and 1997 in Quebec, Canada. A total of 188 turtles (55 males, 83 females, and 50 immatures) was captured, measured and marked for future identification. The adult sex ratio was not significantly different from 1:1. Males were significantly larger than females for measures of carapace length, 214.5 and 201 mm, respectively. Wood turtles from northern populations are larger than those from southern regions. The population density was estimated to be 0.44 turtles/hectare. Courtship occurred in the spring but was more common in the fall. Nesting occurred …  Lire la suite

In the area of computer game playing, much effort has been spent to increase the efficiency of game-tree search. Parallel alphabeta game tree search is a powerful tool in this endeavor. Most parallel alphabeta algorithms involve some form of synchronization of processors during a search, generally resulting in a waste of time. Some algorithms, however, such as APHID, are asynchronous, with all processors working essentially independently during a search. Asynchronous algorithms are not necessarily limited to a search horizon in the way that synchronous algorithms are. Search beyond this horizon has been called speculative search. A series of experiments were …  Lire la suite

This work is an ethnography of post-conflict Luanda. It focuses on the informal aspects of the city, more specifically life in the peri-urban neighbourhoods, or what in Angola is referred to as the musseques, the informal neighbourhoods where the majority of the city's residents reside. After decades of armed conflict in the country, the capital city Luanda with its original infrastructure for less than 500 000 people built by the former colonial power, Portugal, inhabits 1/3 of the country's population, over six million people. This massive urbanization has led the majority of the urbanites to lead informal lives on the …  Lire la suite

This thesis is the result of ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Phalombe District in Malawi, Southern Africa, where I studied agricultural development projects in the village of Kachala. The focus of this investigation is on people's perceptions and ideas of development co-operation and the meanings of development and poverty in general. Perceptions of development and poverty among villagers in Kachala are compared to those of development agents working for development organizations in the area. These perceptions are also compared to the definitions of development and poverty found throughout development literature. This research demonstrates - through examples from Phalombe District and elsewhere …  Lire la suite

Dans cette thèse, nous présentons les détails mathématiques et d'implémentation d'une méthode \emph{ab initio} pour le calcul des propriétés de transport quantique polarisé en spin de dispositifs spintroniques de taille atomique sous un différence de potentiel appliquée. La méthode est basée sur la théorie des fonctionnelles de la densité (DFT) dans le cadre du formalisme des fonctions de Green hors équilibre (NEGF) de Keldysh pour calculer les densités de spin auto-consistantes. Cette technique de pointe étend les travaux précédents: i) en reformulant la théorie dans l'espace de spins de telle manière que la densité de charge hors équilibre peut être …  Lire la suite

The increasing intermingling of civilian and military space activities could lead to serious, and perhaps unintended, consequences. While international space law is very permissive with regard to military uses of space, there are considerable legal and security implications resulting from military and civilian dependence on the same space services. From a military perspective, intentional reliance on civilian systems must address, inter alia, national security concerns, contractual obligations, licensing restrictions, liability, and long-term political relationships, while respecting the interests of the commercial sector. Policy decisions leading to an increase in civilian-military space interdependence must also consider potential impacts of this symbiosis …  Lire la suite

The Centre of a city is generally thought of as the centre of community life and of business life for the city. Ideally, it is more than this. Underlying the functional relationship of the parts comprising the Centre, are the guiding principles that foster the social, economic, architectural and planning aspects of the Centre. In contrast to some other areas of the city, the Centre is seldom professionally planned from the beginning, except in the case of a new town. The development of a city Centre, therefore, is largely concerned with the redesign and extension of an existing city Centre. …  Lire la suite

Background. Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) are essential to the treatment of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). However, little data are available to determine whether their efficacy in reducing hospitalizations and mortality may differ between men and women with HFrEF.Purpose. To explore whether differences exist in the efficacy of ACEi/ARBs in HFrEF by sex.Methods. We conducted a pooled analysis of individual data from 4 randomized clinical trials: The Study of Left Ventricular Dysfunction (SOLVD) Treatment, SOLVD Prevention, Candesartan in Heart Failure: Assessment of Morbidity and Mortality (CHARM) Alternative and Added trials. The primary …  Lire la suite

L'estimation de la profondeur est l'un des défis critiques dans le domaine de la conduite autonome. L'estimation de la profondeur d'une scène fournit les informations nécessaires pour percevoir l'environnement et localiser la position du véhicule. La plupart des techniques d'estimation de profondeur de pointe reposent sur la combinaison d'informations de profondeur provenant de plusieurs capteurs tels que des caméras stéréo, LiDAR, RADAR à l'aide d'un modèle de fusion de capteurs. Cependant, malgré la disponibilité d'informations multimodales, l'estimation de la profondeur peut être peu fiable, selon le type de capteur. Par exemple, l'estimation de profondeur basée sur la stéréo fonctionne mal …  Lire la suite

Ordinary vinegar is dilute acetic acid obtained from the oxidation of alcoholic liquids, and it was probably in this form that it was known from the earliest times. Vinegar was mentioned in three books of the Old Testament and Hippocrates is reported to have prescribed it as a medicine for his patients. Livy, the Latin prose writer, reported in his book No. XXI that Hannibal overcame the difficulty offered to the passage of his army in crossing the rocks or the Alps by dissolving the rocks with vinegar so that a pathway could be made. Thus, vinegar was known for …  Lire la suite

La présente étude décrit les fondements et les résultats d'une étude sur la fusion par laser pulsé sur lit de poudre (P-LPBF) de deux alliages en aluminium. Cette étude se concentre en particulier sur l'opportunité unique que le processus de laser pulsé offre à l'industrie de la fabrication additive de contrôler la microstructure ainsi que les propriétés mécaniques des alliages d'aluminium à haute résistance.Premièrement, une revue de la littérature est présentée sur les sujets suivants: la fabrication additive, les alliages d'aluminium à haute résistance, la physique de la solidification et les phénomènes d'évaporation dans les systèmes de soudures. Ensuite, les …  Lire la suite

The time course of the spontaneous current spikes produced by the release of the catecholamines from individual vesicles was examined in bovine chromaffin cells by using the carbon filament technique in the amperometric mode. Frequency histograms of the rise and decay times of the current spikes showed a paucity of very short duration events. Scatterograms of the rise and decay times consistently showed a positive relation, and the best fitted lines intercepted the ordinate (the axis of the decay time) at: 16.06 $ pm$ 6.45 msec (n = 11). The effect of temperature changes upon the time course of release …  Lire la suite