identifier: Neri, Saloni  (2007) Distributed architecture for resource reservation protocol traffic engineering (RSVP-TE).  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The explosive growth of the Internet saw a corresponding expansion of information exchange dwarfing the very modest designs of early networking elements. With increasing dependence on this exciting medium the number of users has increased manifold. The exponential growth in the services that needed to be supported has spurred traffic volumes, resulting in the need for huge bandwidth and faster communication. Network infrastructures had to keep pace with these rapid developments but were unfortunately saddled with severe bottlenecks that the only solution was costly upgrades.  Routers, the mainstay of the Internet had to cope with a wide range of protocols. They have undergone several design modifications over the decades. A router essentially must perform two fundamental tasks-compute best routes and forward data packets. The evolution of routers is often described in terms of three generations of architectures. From the first generation with single CPUs and multiple interface cards with a shared bus, the routers evolved to the third generation with a switch fabric.  Reservation signaling protocols have become an indispensable part of the Internet service. Resource reservation protocols were originally designed to signal end hosts and network routers to provide quality of service (QoS) to individual real-time flows. Recently, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have been using the same signaling mechanisms to set up provider-level Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) in the form of MPLS Label Switched Path (LSP). Traditional IP router architectures cannot scale to meet these demands, forcing architects to explore alternative designs. However, due to rapid growth of the Internet, the architecture of the third generation routers are not able to meet the expected amount of traffic (i.e., multiple terabits or petabits per second). This development results in emergence of next generation routers with large switching capacity and high speed interfaces.  The traditional centralized software model, where the control card is solely responsible for all routing and management operations is not able to efficiently utilize the new hardware platform architecture of line cards. Distributed architecture is one of the promising trends allowing routers to improve their robustness, scalability and resiliency. In this thesis path calculation and memory resources are proposed to be available on both control and line card in order to perform routing and forwarding tasks.  We investigate the ability to reallocate components of the current MPLS/RSVP-TE architecture on to the line cards in order to share the load between the control card and line card. This allows significant improvement in scalability, resiliency and robustness of the system. New mechanisms for message exchange, synchronization, table and session management, and storage are developed. Performance evaluations in terms of CPU consumption, memory requirements, load balancing and bandwidth utilization for both centralized and the proposed distributed software architectures indicate that the processing time and memory utilization are significantly reduced


identifier: Iordanova-Maximov, Marta  (2007) Visual velocity aftereffects in radial flow : inherited and unique features.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

type: Thesis NonPeerReviewed

abstract: A realistic radial flow field contains a range of local velocities, yet global movement is perceived at a single speed. The present experiments explore the contribution of complex motion sensors to this velocity percept, by recording changes in speed perception and speed sensitivity after adaptation to "scrambled", or to coherently expanding/contracting radial flow. A large-scale drifting concentric sine grating, conveying motion in depth, was confined to non-abutting display sectors, defining different global patterns of flow. After adapting to a flow pattern in one display region, observers compared its speed to that in a non-adapted region. Velocity aftereffects (VAEs) from continuous unchanging motion were independent of the pattern of flow: apparent speed was reduced and speed discrimination improved in inverse proportion to the speed of the test. Sensitivity to speed differences, however, was pattern specific, and superior for expansion. Also, adapted expansion recovered its apparent speed when tested against non-adapted contraction, and direction reversals of the adapter attenuated scrambled, but not coherent VAEs. No VAEs were recorded for test motions opposite to the adapted direction. It is concluded that higher-order optic flow mechanisms are not uniquely involved in velocity estimation per se, but modulate velocity judgments in response to changes in the ongoing flow. Independent expanding and contracting velocities rival and do not suppress one another when juxtaposed in space or over time. This unique motion opponency appears to be transient and depends on the 3D quality of the flow. It ensures that the speed of approaching objects is correctly perceived, regardless of stimulus history.


identifier: Mahdavinezhad, Pedram  (2007) Supervisory control of discrete-event systems with output : application to hybrid systems.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In this thesis, the problem of supervisory control of Discrete-Event Systems (DES) with output is presented and discussed at length. In such systems, causal output functions are employed to assign each sequence of inputs with a corresponding sequence of outputs. When the specification of the desired behavior is given by a formal language over the output alphabet, necessary and sufficient conditions are derived for the existence of nonblocking input as well as nonblocking output supervisory controls. An algorithm is presented to extend the results of nonblocking input/output supervisory control from language-based framework into finite automata framework, making the proposed results applicable to large scale discrete-event systems. The idea of siblings is introduced to solve the problem of nondeterminism in discrete-event abstractions of hybrid systems, giving rise to the development of a theory for nonblocking supervisory control of hybrid systems. Our results enable one to apply classical supervisory control theory to design supervisors for DES approximations of hybrid systems, and to import many interesting concepts from classical theory such as modular and hierarchical control.


identifier: Asswad, Nadine  (2007) L'image-danse : quand la danse et le cinéma se rencontrent dans l'immanence.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The obvious link one can make between dance and cinema is that both disciplines involve movement. Movement is what a dancing body does and is what the filmed image shows. The dancing body and the cinematic image have more in common than one might imagine at first. In a traditional engagement with the intersection of dance and cinema, the focus had tended to be on the representation of the dancing image on the celluloid. In this case, the cinematic image has a tendency to be interpreted as a backdrop for the dancing body. Yet, both dance and cinema are about more than representation. One way to move beyond representation is to turn to movement. To bring cinema and dance together is therefore to begin to address aspects of cinema that extend beyond narrative into abstraction. It is also to express the ways in which cinema is not simply a visual medium, but an overall affective experience. This thesis will explore the ways in which the dancing body and the moving image intersect. Inspired from the philosophy on movement, time and images of Henri Bergson and Gilles Deleuze, I want to propose that the fusion of the cinematic image with the dancing body is happening in immanence. Movement perceived in the virtual rather than in the actual, in this case, has to be considered. A relationship between the body in movement and duration is at stake here, in order to make visible on screen the invisible sensations perceived in the dancing body in movement.


identifier: Salik, Farakh Nayaab John  (2007) Acoustic anomaly detection using robust statistical energy processing.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: An anomaly is the specific event that causes the violation of a process observer's expectations about the process under observation. In this work, the problem of spatially locating an acoustic anomaly is addressed. Once reduced to a problem in robust statistics, an automated observer is designed to detect when high energy sources are introduced into an acoustic scene. Accounting for potential energy from signal amplitude, and kinetic energy from signal frequency in wavelet-filtered sub-bands, an outlier a robust statistical characterization scheme was developed using the Teager energy operator. With a statistical expectation of energy content in sub-bands, a methodology is designed to detect signal energies that violate the statistical expectation. These minor anomalies provide some sense that a fundamental change in energy has occurred in the sub-band. By examining how the signal is changing across all sub-bands, a detector is designed that is able to determine when a fundamental change occurs in the sub-band signal trends. Minor anomalies occurring during such changes are labeled as major anomalies. Using established localization methods, position estimates are obtained for the major anomalies in each sub-band. Accounting for the possibility of a source with spatiotemporal properties, the median of sub-band position estimates provides the final spatial information about the source.


identifier: Song, Yue  (2007) Ultra wideband CW pumped optical supercontinuum source.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Optical supercontinuum (OSC) laser source is a new generation wideband laser which has various commercial applications such as telecommunication, biomedicine, and optical sensing systems. However the high costs of current OSC laser sources generally have impeded them to be used more widely. In this thesis, we demonstrated a low-cost OSC laser source based on a continuum wave (CW) pumped Erbium/Ytterbium co-doped fiber (EYCDF) ring cavity with a 1.2 km highly nonlinear fiber (HNLF). This OSC laser source has 350nm spectral coverage, from 1550nm to 1900nm in wavelength. This is the first CW pumped OSC that generates continuum spectrum above 1750nm. The wide spectral coverage in the long wavelength range allows more advanced utilization of OSC sources.  In this thesis, the evolution mechanism of the CW pumped OSC is discussed. The analysis of the results shows that self-phase modulation (SPM), and stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) dominate the evolution of OSC. Therefore, the evolution pattern is different to those of previous CW pumped OSCs where the modulation instability (MI) and SRS effects, or purely SRS effect dominate OSC generation. In addition, the experimental results suggest that the OSC generated by this evolution pattern has high flatness, which is caused by two reasons. Firstly, the intense SRS effect suppresses the MI effect, which could induce spectral vibration. Secondly, SPM induced spectrum broadening produce a smooth spectrum. The intense SPM and SRS effect are benefited from the ring-cavity structure which effectively increases the effective length of nonlinear fiber.  Keyword. Supercontinuum, ultra wide optical source, nonlinear optical effects, continuous wave pump, ring cavity laser


identifier: Isenberg, Connie  (2007) An examination of regret as expressed in the life reflections of older adults : predictors of regret intensity and frequency, and association with well-being.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study focused on the experience of regret in older adults as expressed within the context of a life history framework, using quantitative and qualitative methods. The goals were to explore the differential impact of demographic, personality, dispositional and other relevant variables on frequency and intensity of lifespan regret, the impact of both intensity and frequency of regret on psychological and physical well-being of older adults, to examine regret themes and dimensions of regret as derived from an in-depth life history interview and on the basis of qualitative data, to arrive at high- and low-regret profiles that may indicate proneness to regret. This study was the first to use a lifespan-interview measure of regret with older adults as well as the Big Five and several dispositional variables, autobiographical memory and values as predictors of intensity and frequency of regret, and to control these variables in examining the impact of regret on well-being. In Phase 1 of the study, 111 older adults participated in a Life Reflection Interview that yielded measures of intensity and frequency of regret, emergent values, quality of experience of aging and physical well-being. They also completed a battery of self-report questionnaires assessing personality, dispositional optimism, intolerance of uncertainty, depression and happiness. In Phase 2, a subsample of 71 participants completed measures assessing dispositional coping, perceived control and perceived autobiographical memory. The findings show that relatively healthy, educated older adults do not have high levels of regret, that predictors of intensity and frequency differ, that more variance in intensity compared to frequency of lifespan regrets is explained by the variables, and that regret does predict indicators of psychological but not physical well-being. The results suggest that the methodology used facilitates the measurement of self-defined regret by evoking a spontaneous expression of feelings. Future research should examine if the interview process may contribute to the working through of negative life experiences by providing an opportunity for the sharing and discussion of regrets with an interested and involved listener. Research should also focus on the identification of older adults who may be at risk.


identifier: Laporte, Pierre-André  (2007) A wave pipeline-based WCDMA multipath searcher for a high speed operation.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The multiplexing technique of the Wideband-Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) is widely applied in the third generation (3G) of cellular systems. The WCDMA uses scrambling codes to differentiate the mobile terminals. In a channel, multipaths may occur when the transmitted signal is reflected from objects in the receiver's environment, so that multiple copies of the signal arrive at the antenna at different moments. Thus, a wideband signal may suffer frequency selective fading due to the multipath propagations. A Rake receiver is often used to combine the energies received on different paths, and a multipath searcher is needed to identify the multipath components and their associated delays. Correlating some shifted versions of the scrambling code with an incoming signal results in energy peaks at the multipath locations, when the locally generated scrambling sequence is aligned with the scrambling sequence of the incoming signal. A path acquisition in such a process requires a speed of millions of Multiply-Accumulate (MAC) cycles per second. The performances of the multipath searcher are mainly determined by the resolution and the acquisition time, which are often limited by the operation speed of the hardware resources.  This thesis presents the design of a multipath searcher with a high resolution and a short acquisition time. The design consists of two aspects. The first aspect is of the searching algorithm. It is based on a double-dwell algorithm and a verification stage is introduced to lower the rate of false alarms. The second aspect in the design is the circuit of the searcher. This circuit is expected to operate at the chip rate of 3.84 MHz and the search period is chosen to be equal to the time interval of 5 slots, which requires a high operation speed of the computation units employed in the circuit. Moreover, in order to reduce the circuit complexity, only one Complex Multiplier-Accumulator (CMAC), instead of several ones in many existing searcher circuits, is employed to perform all the computation tasks without extending the search period, which make the computation time in the circuit more critical. Aiming at this challenge of the high speed requirement, a structure of the CMAC cell is designed with the technique of the wave pipeline, which permits the signal propagation through the circuit stages without constraints of clocks. For a good use of this technique, the circuit blocks are made to have equalized delay, by means of pass transistor logic cells, and by keeping such a delay short, the total computation time of the CMAC can be made within the required time limit of the searching.  A complete circuit of the CMAC has been developed. It has two versions, with the Normal Process Complementary Pass Logic (NPCPL) and the Complementary Pass-Logic Transmission-Gates (CPL-TG), respectively. The structures of the arithmetic units have been chosen carefully so that the fan-in/fan-out constraints of the NPCPL and the CPL-TG logics are taken into consideration. The results of the simulation with a 0.18 om models have shown that this wave pipelined CMAC can process four inputs of 8 bits at a rate of 830 Mb/s. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the searching algorithm, a Matlab simulation of the searcher circuit has been conducted. It has been observed that the proposed multipath searcher can lead to low probabilities of misdetection and false alarm for the test cases recommended by the 3 rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard. A test chip of the CMAC circuit has been fabricated in a CMOS 0.18 om technology process. The circuit is currently under test.


identifier: Timmermann, Lisa  (2007) Trauma as trademark : the textual and extratextual significance of psychological wounds in Roman Polanski's films.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study deals with the representation of traumatic experience in Roman Polanski's oeuvre. I focus particularly on four films: Chinatown (1974), Bitter Moon (1992), Death & the Maiden (1994), and The Pianist (2002). My argument is that in these films, trauma acts not only as a textual (thematic and formal) motif, but also as an extra-textual element that offers insights into the emotional and psychological effects of traumatic experience. Polanski's own traumatic history--beginning with his experience of the Holocaust--makes him a fascinating and tragically fitting candidate for study. By examining Polanski's work from an authorial perspective as well as in relation to various psychoanalytic concepts, I trace the director's signature in the films' portrayal of male and female traumas. Through my analyses, I hope to show that a psychoanalytic auteur study generates an insightful point of entry into the discussion and understanding of Polanski's work.


identifier: Mahmoudi, Arash  (2007) On observer design for a class of impulsive switched systems.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In this thesis, the problem of state observation for a class of impulsive switched systems is addressed. Corresponding to each subsystem, an identity Luenberger observer is employed and a switching observer is constructed accordingly. The asymptotic stability property of the proposed switching observer is discussed and LMI-based algorithms are given which provide necessary conditions for the asymptotic stability of the switching observer for the switching signals with an average dwell time greater than a specific value. Since switched systems without impulse are a special case of impulsive switched systems, all the results in this work can be applied to design observers for switched systems without impulse. The design of finite time switching observers for a class of linear switched systems is another problem addressed in this work. The finite convergence time property of the proposed switching observer is discussed and the exponential stability of the observation error is investigated. An LMI-based algorithm is given which provides conditions for the exponential stability of the switching observer. Finally, the idea of finite time observers for linear continuous time systems is extended to linear time invariant discrete time systems. The main motivation for this extension is that unlike the famous dead-beat observers designed for discrete time systems, the proposed observer in this work need not place all the eigen-values at the origin, which leads to a much more flexible design compared to the existing techniques.


identifier: DeWolfe, Stacey  (2008) The affective correspondence of sado-masochism and sound in Lars von Trier's Breaking the Waves and Dancer in the Dark.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Much has been written on the work of Danish director Lars von Trier, though the majority of these texts have limited scope, focusing primarily on matters of aesthetic and auteurist interest. What is lacking in these investigations is any detailed discussion of the films' sonic properties, sado-masochistic structures, and affective potentialities.  Centering on two of his recent films, Breaking the Waves and Dancer in the Dark, this thesis seeks a greater understanding of these facets of von Trier's work, as well as a deeper appreciation of the receptive body as a sensing body --experiencing the cinema on a level beyond cognition. Turning away from traditional film-theoretical approaches such as the psychoanalytic and hermeneutic, this thesis moves into more philosophical terrain, locating the roots of its methodology in the work of French philosopher Gilles Deleuze. Building on Deleuze's conceptualization of the cinema as an intertextual body comprised of two complementary semiotics--the movement-image and the time-image --this thesis looks at the films through the prism of a new theoretical construct, one that imagines the cinema as composed of two parallel texts: the first sadistic, the other, masochistic. The site of our affective experience is located in the interval that exists between these space-times, an interval felt most profoundly, perhaps, in the realm of sound.  This project submits a new model for understanding the films of Lars von Trier, but more importantly, offers a new approach to thinking cinema that moves beyond more traditional ocular-centric and formalist practices


identifier: Li, Shu Ren  (2007) Vision-based curve reconstruction.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: Vision-based curve reconstruction

abstract: A typical curve reconstruction problem is to generate a continuous linear representation of a curve from a set of unorganized sampling points on the curve. These unorganized points should be joined by edges in the order in which they appear on the curve. There are many methods to reconstruct curves from existing point clouds. Most of the existing algorithms are designed based on concepts from computational geometry. The current algorithms have difficulties in reconstructing curves with sharp corners or noisy points and they depend on predefined parameters. The present thesis proposes a different way to reconstruct curves, that is, to reconstruct curves based on the experiments of human vision. The curves should be reconstructed in the same manner that human beings perceive them. In the present thesis, statistical experiments are conducted to construct a vision function. A software system, based on that vision function, is developed to simulate human vision for curve reconstruction. The experiments investigate the relationships between points and the relationship between points and curves, by using methods from Design of Experiments (DOE), ANOVA and the multivariate non-linear regression model. The errors between the predicted values using the regression model and the observed values from vision experiments follow normal distribution. The algorithm based on the constructed vision function uses the key factors as input to identify curves for given points. Examples show that the curve reconstruction results using this new algorithm are advantageous by comparison the results with from existing algorithms.


identifier: Muneer, Wadah  (2007) Rician-K factor study for temporal and spatial variations.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis investigates indoor propagation by measurement and simulation using ray-tracing. An automated site survey measurement system is described. This site survey measurement system is used for measurements in two environments, a hallway and a microwave lab. Measurements were taken along a path at 1.5 cm intervals and at each point 30 time samples were taken, at 2 second intervals. Both the temporal and spatial variation of the signal strength are represented with Rician probability distribution functions. The Rician-K factor is computed by three methods found in the literature, called in this thesis the K G /K 24 method, the K 12 method and the K MLE method. The value of the Rician-K factor for the temporal data is investigated. Since the measured data revealed little time variation, high Rician-K factor values were found. The spatial variation of the received signal is investigated by taking the average of the temporal data at each distance point. The spatial variation of the Rician-K factor is investigated. The measured data showed rapid variation with distance, and thus small values of Rician-K factor were found. The two measurement environments are modeled for analysis by ray-tracing. The results obtained from the simulations are compared with the measured results. The comparison is based on four factors obtained from measured and simulated data: small-scale fading, path loss index, large-scale fading and space-varying Rician K factor. The measured and simulated small-scale fading data matched poorly in the hallway. This is attributed to the wall model in the ray-tracing simulation, which is a poor representation of the actual wall construction. For the microwave lab, a more detailed representation and the location of the metal file cabinet and equipment gave good agreement between measured and simulated small-scale-fading. The path loss index indicates good agreement in the hallway and in the microwave lab between the large scale fading of the measurements and the simulations. Of the three methods for calculating the Rician-K factor, K G /K 24 is found to be the best for the large Rician-K factor values determined for time variations. However, the K MLE method is the best to find the much smaller Rician-K factor values in space variations.


identifier: Patterson, Glenn  (2007) Modelling of extreme data in a wireless sensor network through the application of random field theory.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) consist of a large number of small, simple sensor nodes which support sensing, processing, and wireless transmission capabilities in order to monitor some physical environment. The data that they collect will be transmitted to an information sink where it can be accessed by the user. Due to the vast number of nodes expected in many WSN applications, there is the possibility that at certain times the network may have potentially huge amounts of data to transmit to the sink. The fact that the nodes have limited energy resources means that when a huge amount of data is generated, the nodes' batteries will be depleted at aggressive rates as nodes try to forward this data to the sink. This problem will be particularly severe in regions of the network close to the sink, as nodes in these regions will be responsible for routing the data from large areas of the network to the sink. This phenomenon is often described as a "data-implosion" around the sink. We develop a model of the node data in a wireless sensor network based on a stochastic model of the underlying phenomenon being observed by the network. The model is based on a stationary Gaussian random field and we use this model to study the size and spatial distribution of the sets of nodes that observe statistically high data. This knowledge is exploited in order to ameliorate the data-implosion problem. Effectively, we implement a data suppression scheme that only lets nodes which sense statistically high data attempt to transmit their data to the sink. Further, we also use our model to study network data that belongs to a given contour level and show that we can achieve further data suppression by only transmitting node data if it belongs to some predefined contour level. Finally, we show how the knowledge of the size and spatial distribution of statistically high node data in a WSN can be used to study the traffic in both schedule and contention based MAC protocols.


identifier: Caruana, Douglas A  (2008) Dopaminergic modulation of entorhinal cortex function.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The neurotransmitter dopamine has been shown to play an important role in the mnemonic functions of the prefrontal cortex, but it is unclear how dopamine may affect sensory and mnemonic processing in the entorhinal cortex. Midbrain dopamine neurons project to the superficial layers of the lateral entorhinal cortex and may modulate olfactory inputs that also terminate in this area. In awake rats, increasing extracellular dopamine levels in the entorhinal cortex with a selective dopamine reuptake inhibitor facilitated basal synaptic transmission in piriform cortex inputs to layer II. Experiments in slices of the entorhinal cortex maintained in vitro demonstrated concentration-dependent, bidirectional effects of dopamine on synaptic responses; a low 10 oM concentration of dopamine enhanced synaptic responses and higher concentrations of 50 and 100 oM dopamine suppressed responses. The facilitation of responses was dependent on activation of D 1 receptors and the suppression was dependent on D 2 receptors. Intracellular recordings of mixed and isolated synaptic responses demonstrated that the dopaminergic suppression is mediated by a D 2 receptor-dependent reduction in glutamate release and a D 1 -dependent drop in cellular input resistance. The drop in input resistance was mediated by a D 1 receptor-dependent K + conductance. In additional experiments, patterned stimulation of the piriform cortex that induces persistent changes in synaptic strength in the entorhinal cortex was used to assess the effects of dopamine on mechanisms of synaptic plasticity in awake rats. Long-term potentiation and depression were successfully induced in control animals, but the same stimulation protocols failed to alter synaptic function in animals treated with a dopamine reuptake inhibitor. The effects of depleting dopamine in the entorhinal cortex on olfactory memory were also assessed using an olfactory non-match-to-sample task. Rats with 6-OHDA lesions of the entorhinal cortex made more errors and took nearly twice as long to reacquire criterion performance relative to control animals during post-surgical retraining. However, once criterion performance was re-attained, the behavior of lesioned animals was indistinguishable from controls on a version of the task involving longer delay periods. These findings point to multiple mechanisms through which exposure to different concentrations of dopamine may modulate sensory and mnemonic processing by modulating synaptic transmission within the lateral entorhinal cortex.


identifier: Fu, Jing  (2007) New approaches for nonlinear acoustic echo cancellation.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The nonlinearity of amplifier and/or loudspeaker gives rise to nonlinear echo in acoustic systems, which degrades seriously the performance of speech and audio communications. Many acoustic echo cancellation (AEC) schemes have been proposed by researchers to cancel the disturbing echo. In this thesis, two approaches for nonlinear echo cancellation, namely, the 2 nd order Volterra filter-based canceller and the sigmoid-transform-based (STB) canceller, are developed.  Volterra filter (VF) plays a critical role in modeling a nonlinear acoustic system where the nonlinear distortion is mainly caused by a loudspeaker. However, the large number of coefficients and the high computational complexity always make the VF difficult to be used in practice. By analyzing a general 2 nd order VF model and a cascade model consisting of a 2 nd order VF and a transversal filter, this thesis proposes a simplified 2 nd order VF structure with relatively low computational complexity for the echo canceller, which is shown to be more efficient in acoustic echo cancellation applications. A theoretically justification is also provided to show the feasibility of such a simplification. Moreover, a normalized least mean square (NLMS) algorithm for kernel-separated 2 nd order VF is derived to accelerate the convergence speed of the coefficients of the nonlinear filter. This algorithm uses a new range of the step size or called convergence factor to ensure the stability of the adaptive filter. The outstanding performance of the proposed AEC is verified by computer simulations  For solving the nonlinear distortion caused mainly by an amplifier, a simple yet efficient nonlinear echo cancellation scheme is proposed by using an adaptable sigmoid function in conjunction with a conventional transversal adaptive filter. The new scheme uses the least mean square (LMS) algorithm to update the sigmoid function and the recursive least square (RLS) algorithm to determine the weight vector of the transversal filter. The proposed acoustic echo canceller is proved to be convergent under some reasonable assumptions. Extensive computer simulations show that the proposed AEC has a very satisfactory echo cancellation performance for saturation-type nonlinear distortion


identifier: De Pontet, Stephanie Brun  (2008) Using theories of control and self-regulation to examine the leadership transition between a parent and child in family-owned businesses.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Family owned businesses are central to the economy (Astrachan & Shanker, 2003), yet have been historically understudied. Improving understanding of the challenges these companies face in the inter-generational succession process is vital as many fail at this point (Ward, 1987). While a field of family business research has emerged in recent decades (Sharma, 2004), little empirical research on the challenge of succession has been informed by theories from psychology. This research begins to bridge this gap by applying contemporary control theory to understanding business succession.  This project involved three studies of Canadian family-owned businesses whose incumbent leader was at, or nearing, retirement age. The first considered the association between indicators of business readiness for succession and levels of control held in the business by the incumbent and successor. Results suggest indicators of succession are more reliably associated with control for the successor than for the incumbent. In addition, there were few associations between the levels of control of the two generations, implying succession may impact each differently.  Study 2 was a longitudinal follow-up, and found indicators of succession readiness at Time 1 associated with change in the amount of control held by the successor at Time 2. As in the first study, there were very few associations between the predictors and the extent of control held by the incumbent.  Study 3 considered the role that personality may play in incumbent beliefs and behaviors relating to retirement. Cross-sectional and longitudinal results indicate incumbent goal adjustment capacities are associated with their expectations and planning for retirement. Further, an interaction between disengagement and business performance was revealed, suggesting goal adjustment may protect leaders from an escalation of commitment if their business had been recently struggling.  Overall, these findings clarify that progress towards succession has little effect on control for incumbent leaders, but theories of control may point to individual differences in self-regulation capacities among these leaders that may have a bearing on family business succession. Implications from these results are discussed.


identifier: Doiron, Kathy M.J  (2008) Study of the Escherichia coli vsr endonuclease and its interaction with MutL.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In all living organisms, DNA repair proteins are essential for maintaining the accuracy of genetic material. In Escherichia coli , methyl-directed mismatch repair (MMR) corrects most types of misinsertion errors that arise during DNA replication. In contrast, very short patch (VSP) repair, corrects T/G mismatches caused by the deamination of 5-methylcytosine to thymine in C(T/G)WGG (W = A or T) sequences. Initial experimental data had revealed that the over production of the Vsr endonuclease resulted in a spectrum of transition and frameshift mutations similar to that produced by MMR deficient strains. This spectrum of mutations was also observed for two mutant Vsr proteins known to be defective in VSP repair. These results strongly suggested that the inhibition in MMR repair was due to an interaction between Vsr and one or more of the MMR proteins. The finding of an interaction between Vsr and MutL using both the yeast and bacterial two-hybrid systems further strengthened this hypothesis. Utilization of the two-hybrid systems further revealed that Vsr mutants, with the amino-terminal truncated, still showed an interaction. Conversely even the smallest deletion of the Vsr carboxyl terminal resulted in loss of interaction.  A new purification protocol for Vsr yielded a more stable protein that did not precipitate, nor lose its amino terminus and preserved its activity even after long-term storage at -80°C. In vitro endonuclease assays revealed that the activity is equivalent to established values. Single turnover, time course experiments confirmed that MutL does not have a stimulatory effect on Vsr under these conditions. In contrast, under conditions where Vsr is not limiting, MutL does have a stimulatory effect. In addition, Vsr was found to be stimulated to the same extent by MutL mutants deficient in nucleotide binding and/or hydrolysis as it is by wild type MutL. Vsr stimulation in the presence of MutL was unaffected by the presence or absence of ATP or ADP. These results lead us to conclude that the interaction between Vsr and MutL is not nucleotide dependent.


identifier: Leduc, Antoine  (2008) Behavioural and ecological implications of ambient acidification on the chemosensory alarm functions in juvenile salmonids.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Alarm cues play important roles allowing prey individuals to act with context appropriate responses, increasing their chance to survive predators. One such type of alarm cue is chemical in nature and typically released following mechanical damage to the skin as would occur during a predation event. These damage-released chemical alarm cues are known to mediate local predation risks in many freshwater fish species. Under weakly acidic conditions (pH {598} 6.0) however, individuals exposed to chemical alarm cues have been shown to be impaired in their ability to detect these cues and respond with species-typical alarm behaviour. However, this effect has been demonstrated in only a single field study. In my first chapter, I conducted field observations in nursery streams ranging in pH from 5.71 to 7.49 on two year-classes (young-of-the-year and parr) of wild juvenile Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ). I assessed if the detection of these chemical alarm cues was dependent on the ambient pH or if variations in the detection occurred between populations regardless of the acidity levels. Salmon present in any acidified streams did not respond to alarm cues while those in neutral streams exhibited species-typical alarm responses. Secondly, I conducted experiments to further assess whether population or environmental differences was most likely to explain the loss of response to chemical alarm cues observed under acidic conditions. Thus, I conducted a reverse transplant experiment between salmon populations found under neutral (pH range {598} 7.0-7.3) and weakly acidic streams (pH range {598} 5.8-63). I later assessed if five different populations of salmon produced chemical alarm cues enabling consistent antipredator behaviour in a receiving population. My results showed that population differences did not account for the observed difference in alarm response, where ambient acidity created a behavioural impediment to normal chemical alarm function. I then determined at which pH value the loss of alarm function occurs. Using juvenile rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) in a laboratory study, my results showed that between 6.4 and 6.2 (pH unit), a steep decrease in alarm behaviour occurred despite the introduction of chemical alarm cues suggesting a graded loss of response with increasing acidity. In my fourth chapter, I wanted determine if the learning of a novel odour could occur when paired with chemical alarm cues, under both neutral and acidic conditions. I showed that although it was possible to condition salmon under neutral conditions, no conditioning occurred under acidic conditions. I finally determined under laboratory conditions if a survival cost (increased mortality) from predation exists for juvenile rainbow trout exposed to acidified or neutral alarm cues in the presence of a predatory largemouth bass ( Micropterus salmoides ). Trout exposed to acidified alarm cues had a significantly shorter survival time when compared to trout exposed to neutral alarm cues. Altogether, these results suggest that even subtle chemical changes in ambient acidity may interfere with the use of chemical alarm signal in otherwise pristine conditions.


identifier: Gold, Nicholas  (2007) Proteomic analysis of the Clostridium thermocellum cellulosome.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: A metabolic isotope-labelling strategy was used in conjunction with nanoLC-ESIMS peptide sequencing to assess quantitative alterations in the expression patterns of subunits within cellulosomes of the cellulolytic bacterium Clostridium thermocellum, grown on either cellulose or cellobiose. The effects of adding xylan, pectin and galactomannan to these cultures were also explored. In total, 55 cellulosomal proteins were detected, including 50 type I dockerin-containing proteins, which count among them all but one of the known docking components and 28 new subunits. All differential expression data was normalized to scaffoldin CipA such that protein-per-cellulosome was compared for growth between the different substrates. Proteins that exhibited higher expression in cellulosomes from cellulose-grown cells as compared to cellobiose-grown cells were: cell-surface anchor protein OlpB; exoglucanases CeIS and CeIK; and GH9 endoglucanase CeIJ. Conversely, lower expression in cellulosomes from cells grown on cellulose as compared to cellobiose was observed for GH8 endoglucanase CeIA; GH5 endoglucanases Ce1B, CelE, CelG; and hemicellulases XynA, XynC, XynZ, XghA. GH9 cellulases were the most abundant group of enzymes per CipA when cells were grown on cellulose, while hemicellulases were the most abundant group on cellobiose. The results support the existing theory that expression of scaffoldin-related proteins is coordinately regulated by a catabolite repression type of mechanism, as well as the prior observation that xylanase expression is subject to a growth rate-independent type of regulation. However, concerning transcriptional control of cellulases, which had also been previously shown to be subject to catabolite repression, a novel distinction was observed with respect to endoglucanases.


identifier: Ralevski, Olivia  (2007) North American art and modern forms of investment.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The relationship between art and commerce has a very long history dating back to ancient Rome. Traditionally, art was enjoyed not only for financial gains but for decorative purposes, as a sign of social prestige or religious morality and most for aesthetic pleasure. However, in recent decades, the emergence of art solely as a speculative asset has not only raised questions but also fears about the negative impact it will have on artwork. Some believe that art has become as immaterial as stocks traded on the stock market with their aesthetic value rendered meaningless.  The purpose of this study is to examine the development of two new types of art investment strategies which have modified the role of art as a commodity: art in investment portfolios and art-investment funds. More precisely, this study will situate these developments in a North American context, focusing on how American and Canadian art might function in an investment portfolio and an art-investment fund.  While American and Canadian art is not used as a tool for diversification in a traditional investment portfolio, American art-investment funds are prevalent but as yet for the most part unsuccessful. Therefore, since art's development as a strong alternative asset class is still in its early stages, it is somewhat early to predict the full impact these modern types of investments will have on the North American art world.


identifier: Kanaan, Krystel  (2007) A heterologous system for exploring the localization of Arabidopsis tRNA nucleotidyltransferase.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The tRNA nucleotidyltransferase enzyme is crucial for normal tRNA maturation in eukaryotic cells. Sequence analysis revealed a possible nuclear localization signal (KDTKGKSIPVVNHIFKFSMKRK) in the Arabidopsis thaliana tRNA nucleotidyltransferase. We set out to examine the role of this sequence by expressing wild-type and variant Arabidopsis tRNA nucleotidyltransferase proteins in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Viability assays implementing plasmid shuffling and complementation of a temperature-sensitive strain revealed that while the wild-type enzyme could replace the nucleocytosolic role of the yeast tRNA nucleotidyltransferase the variant enzymes could not. Subsequent enzyme activity assays revealed that enzyme activity was significantly reduced for the variant enzymes. Localization studies utilizing tRNA nucleotidyltransferase-green fluorescent protein fusion proteins showed a pattern of distribution inconsistent with the role of the modified region as a nuclear localization signal. In fact, the patterns observed seem to point to a possible stability-modulating function for our candidate region with a marked augmentation in fluorescence in the cytosol and nucleus in the variant proteins. Future experiments will be required to accurately define the role of this sequence in tRNA nucleotidyltransferase structure and function. Furthermore, additional studies are needed to define any nuclear localization signals that may be present in the Arabidopsis tRNA nucleotidyltransferase.


identifier: Marley, Kate  (2008) The end of art criticism? : art writing in the age of the internet.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The title of this thesis is a play on Arthur Danto's 1984 essay title The End of Art . Danto states that in the postmodern condition where ordinary objects such as soup cans and Brillo boxes can be considered art, the traditional model of the Western Canon and its progression of styles has become obsolete. Similarly, writing art criticism was traditionally the province of specialized publications, arts sections in newspapers, and professional art critics. In the age of the Internet, however, anyone with access to a personal computer can write and post their own "art criticism" on the World Wide Web.  Through an analysis of the history of the genre and of hypertext and its parallels with several literary theories, I will examine three art writing websites. These case studies will provide an overview of the diversity of the art writing that is available on the Internet, with a view to establishing the current state of art critical writing that can be found on the World Wide Web.


identifier: Mogilevsky, Klarita  (2008) The roles of polo-like kinase A in cell cycle regulation and development in Aspergillus nidulans.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The Polo-Like Kinases (PLK) comprises a family of conserved serine/threonine kinases that play critical roles throughout the cell cycle. PLK are up-regulated in various cancers, and thus are being targeted by several anti-cancer therapies. While higher organisms contain multiple PLK homologues, lower organisms contain a single copy, which is essential. Aspergillus nidulans is a filamentous fungus that is used as a model organism for eukaryotic cell cycle research. A previous study isolated PLKA in A. nidulans, the first polo-like kinase reported in any filamentous fungus, but the functions were not clear. In this study, we explored the function of PLKA through constructing strains deleted for plkA or carrying a single copy under control of the regulatable alcA promoter. Surprisingly, our results show that plkA is not essential, despite being the single PLK in A. nidulans. However, it is required for proper colony growth and polar axis formation in hyphae, since colonies were compact and hyphae were multi-branched with split tips in the absence of the gene. The absence of plkA also resulted in numerous abnormal spindle patterns and an abnormally high proportion of cells with telophase spindles, suggesting roles in spindle formation and possibly mitotic exit, as seen with other PLK. Chromosome segregation was also abnormal in a significant proportion of cells, which has not been seen with other PLK mutants. Nuclear division could occur in the absence of plkA, suggesting that it is not essential for nuclear division. However, absence of plkA partially suppressed the G2/M block in nimT Cdc25c cells at restrictive temperature, suggesting a novel role for PLKA in negatively regulating the G 2 /M transition. Surprisingly, PLKA was not required for septation/cytokinesis, unlike all other PLK. PLKA may be carrying out its functions in part through regulating microtubule dynamics, since the compact growth phenotype was cold-sensitive, and could be suppressed by low doses of the microtubule-destabilizing drug benomyl. Finally, the absence of plkA also resulted in a repression of asexual development but induction of sexual structures, suggesting a novel role for this cell cycle regulator in controlling developmental processes. Thus, despite the fact that PLKA is not essential in A. nidulans, we have demonstrated that the gene has conserved but also novel functions in regulating the cell cycle and, intriguingly, development. The results expand our current knowledge of the functions of an important group of cell cycle regulators, and thus have important implications for the control of cell growth and the relationship between the cell cycle and development.


identifier: Fyfe, Heather Dianne  (2008) Mira Godard : Canada's art dealer.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: Mira Godard : Canada's art dealer

abstract: The role of the dealer in promoting art is an essential but too often neglected area in the discourse surrounding the history of Canadian art, and this is equally true in discussions of the contemporary period. This thesis will consider the career and influence of the Canadian art dealer Mira Godard and her promotion of the work of Canadian and international artists from 1960 to 1983. During these years, Godard owned three galleries: the first was located in Montreal (1961 - 1979), the second in Toronto (1972 - present), and the third in Calgary (1979 - 1983). This thesis will argue that Godard played a significant role in bringing Canadian and international contemporary art to public attention through the numerous exhibitions held in each of her galleries.  This text is structured in three principal chapters. The first chapter is concerned with a brief overview of the history of art dealing and the contribution of selected art dealers. The focus then moves to a general discussion of the Canadian art market and is followed by a brief biography of Mira Godard and the origins of her gallery in Montreal. The second chapter is devoted to Godard's Montreal gallery and its promotion of Quebec artists as well as the production of international art exhibitions. The following chapter deals with her gallery in Toronto, the widening of her stable of artists and her relationship with the international gallery, Marlborough. Because Godard's Calgary gallery was active for a relatively short period, it will be discussed in the concluding chapter. The thesis is further supported by two appendices: a chronology of the exhibitions at her three galleries from 1961- 1982, followed by a list of the publications published by Godard from 1961 to 1984.


identifier: Oren, Daniel  (2008) Analysis of the NAC gene family in Triticum aestivum employing novel bioinformatics tools.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: A novel pipeline was created to sift through large Expressed Sequence Tag (EST) data sets of Triticum aestivum, and assemble only sequences identified as being of the NAC gene family. This approach bypassed the bottleneck of assembly of large EST data sets, enabling the full cycle of sequence quality trimming and assembly to take place on a Personal Computer (PC) in a matter of a few hours.  An iterative sequencing conjoined with assembly approach was employed to fully sequence full length cDNA clones. Sequences were then reduced to a unigene set using both CAP3 assembly and MegaBLAST.  A software prototype designed to find protein coding regions, particularly in EST assemblies, was built and used to automatically identify full length NAC cDNA clones for sequencing, and create NAC nucleic and amino acid sequences trimmed to the protein coding regions and conserved domains.  A total of 130 NAC gene sequences were identified, 41 of which contained the entire protein coding region. Sequences containing the entire NAC conserved domain were used for conserved domain analysis, and a phylogenetic tree was built with previously identified NAC gene families in Orzya sativa, and Arabidopsis thaliana. At least one wheat NAC gene could be found in every phylogenetic group in which a rice NAC was present. Interestingly, a number of wheat NAC clusters without any definitive rice orthologs were found.


identifier: Clarke, Christopher  (2008) The Rucksack Revolution : the Beat Generation's views of nature.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis is the result of my passion for Beat literature and ecological ethics. The 1950s and the Beat Generation are rarely discussed regarding the evolution of environmental ethics in the United States of America. This is an obvious intersection of two fields that could be of use to our society that today faces great environmental challenges. This thesis uses the published and unpublished works of Beat writers Jack Kerouac, Gary Snyder, Michael McClure and Lew Welch in an attempt to understand their interpretations of nature and humankind✹s role within it. It concludes that they exhibited important ecological principles in their writings and lifestyles and that we can better appreciate the evolution of Deep Ecology and eco-centrism more broadly by studying the Beats.


identifier: Bessoudo, Mark  (2008) Thermal comfort conditions near highly glazed façades : an experimental and simulation study.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: There is a current trend of designing new commercial buildings with large glazed façade areas. Maintaining comfort in the perimeter zones of these buildings is difficult due to their exposure to solar radiation and cold outdoor air temperature. Designing these buildings with high-performance fenestration systems, however, can improve energy performance, provide a high-quality thermal and visual environment, and reduce thermal loads.  This study presents an experimental and simulation study of thermal comfort conditions of a perimeter zone office with a glass façade and solar shading device. The study investigates the impact of climate, glazing type, and shading device properties on thermal comfort conditions. The objective of this study is to determine the façade properties that will provide a comfortable indoor environment without the need for secondary perimeter heating.  Experimental measurements were taken in an office equipped with two different shading devices: venetian blind and roller shade. The thermal environment was measured with thermocouples, an indoor climate analyzer, and thermal comfort meter.  For the simulation study, a one-dimensional transient thermal simulation model of a typical glazed perimeter zone office and a transient two-node thermal comfort model were developed. The impact of solar radiation and shading device properties on thermal comfort was also quantified. Simulation results were compared with experimental measurements.  The impact of diffuser location for primary heating supply on indoor airflow and comfort is also investigated using computational fluid dynamics software and it is shown that good comfort is achieved without the presence of perimeter heating.


identifier: Dubey, Bhasker  (2007) Integration of structural health monitoring information to reliability based condition assessment and life cycle costing of bridges.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: According to Transportation Association of Canada (TAC), the rough estimate of number of bridges in Canada is 80,000 with the replacement value of $35 billion. A large number of bridges will need replacement during 2005 to 2015 which will result in 50% annual increase in replacement cost. Recent alarming incidents of the Laval De la Concorde Overpass collapse (2006), Canada and the I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapse (2007), USA show the gravity of the situation. One of the main factors responsible for this situation is the present available techniques of the bridge condition monitoring and rehabilitation are not able to cope up with the drastic deterioration and ageing of the bridges. The widely employed method for bridge inspection is visual inspection, and it lacks the reliability-based assessment of bridge and its components. The instrumentation of the bridge with Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems and assessment of the bridge condition and behaviour based on the information obtained from SHM systems is one of the promising solutions of the present problem. The main focus of the current research is to integrate SHM data with traditional information (e.g. visual inspection), develop a reliability based structural condition index using the updated information on a structures operational performance, and assessing the value of information for SHM in regard to the overall lifecycle cost of a structure. This study develops a methodology for a reliability based assessment of the bridge components using SHM system information, and information updating by fusing SHM data with traditional information for precise evaluation of expected life cycle cost.  The methods developed herein have been demonstrated through a case study based on an existing bridge namely, the Crowchild Bridge in Calgary, Alberta. A finite element model of the bridge has been developed and validated against the field data. This validated model has been used to simulate the static load test on the bridge, deterioration in the bridge and to study the bridge response under the different loading conditions. The artificial neural network (ANN) technique has been used for the diagnosis of the SHM data, and then the reliability index of the bridge deck has been calculated using the Monte Carlo Simulation technique.  A method for updating the bridge deck repair strategy is introduced based on the reliability index calculation. The maintenance and rehabilitation strategy is updated based on the hypothetical results. The results of updated strategy are compared with un-updated one using the Bayesian Theorem.  The expected life cycle cost is evaluated considering the capital cost, maintenance and rehabilitation cost, user cost, and failure cost. Capital cost is treated as deterministic while maintenance and rehabilitation cost, and user cost are considered probabilistic. Each individual cost and then total cost is calculated per m 2 . The value of information is also discussed.


identifier: Geneviève., Bloch-Torrico  (2008) Changes in parenting to or from changes in adolescent well-being? : a transactional perspective.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The present longitudinal study examined the relation between initial and changed levels of parenting practices and changes in adjustment from early to middle adolescence. In particular, the associations of parental autonomy granting, behavioural control and warmth to adolescent depression, self-esteem, delinquent behaviours and substance use were investigated. Bi-directionality from early adolescent functioning to changes in parenting was also assessed.  Results of a series of path analyses indicated that initial levels of parenting, particularly warmth, were related to early adolescent adjustment; and that initial levels of parental warmth were associated to changes in self-esteem, but not in the other indices of adjustment. Other findings revealed that changes in all three parenting practices were connected to change in the developmental trajectories of adolescents over a four-year period, from approximately age 13 at Time 1 year of the study and age 16 at Time 2. Transactional effects were found for two of the early adolescent variables, depression and substance use; these results revealed that early adolescent adjustment was linked to changes over time in parental behavioural control and warmth.  These findings point to the potential significance of adapting parenting practices throughout adolescence to enhance adolescent well-being over time, as well as to the value of contributions from specific early adolescent adjustment variables to changes in parenting practices. Thus, the study demonstrated the importance of assessing initial levels of parenting, changes in parenting, and the contribution of early levels of adolescent adjustment to changes in parenting practices over time.


identifier: Fares, Hussam A  (2008) Evaluating the risk of water main failure using a hierarchical fuzzy expert system.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Water distribution systems are the most expensive part of the water supply infrastructure system. In Canada and the United States, there are 700 water main breakae every day, and there have been more than 2 million breaks since the beginning of this century, which have cost more than 6 billion Canadian dollars in repairs costs for the two countries. Municipalities and other authorities that manage potable water infrastructure often must prioritize the rehabilitation needs of their water main. This is a serious challenge because the current potable water networks are old (i.e. deteriorated) and require certain modifications to bring them up to acceptable reliability and safety levels within a limited budget. In other words, municipalities need to develop a balanced rehabilitation plan to increase the reliability of their water networks by rehabilitating (first) only those pipelines at high risk of failure.  The objective of this research is to develop a risk model for water main failure, which evaluates the risk associated with each pipeline in the network. This model considers four main factors: environmental, physical, operational, and post-failure factors (consequences of failure) and sixteen sub-factors which represent the main factors. Data are collected to serve two purposes: to build the model and to show its implementation to case studies. The required data are collected from literature review and through a questionnaire sent to the experts in the field of water distribution network management. From the collected data, pipe age is found to have the most significant indication of water main failure risk, followed by pipe material and breakage rate. In order to develop the risk of failure model, hierarchical fuzzy expert system (HFES) technique is used to process the input data, which is the effect of risk factors, and generate the risk of failure index of each water main. In order to verify the developed model, a validated AHP deterioration model and two real water distribution network data sets are used to check the results of the developed model. The results of the verification show that the Average Validity Percent is 74.8 %, which is reasonable considering the uncertainty involved in the collected data. Based on the developed model, an application is built that uses Excel ® 2007 software to predict the risk of failure index. At last, three case studies are evaluated using the developed application to estimate the risk of failure associated with the distribution water mains.


identifier: Shiri, Maryam  (2008) Supporting UCM requirements evolution by means of formal concept analysis.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Software evolution refers to the process of adapting software systems to modification request caused by requirements and technology changes that occur after the initial system delivery. Prior to implementing a requirements change, decision-makers must determine if a modification request is feasible and the cost associated with it. Traditional modification analysis approaches have focused mainly on the analysis of source code to determine the potential impact of a change.  In this research, we present a novel approach to support modification analysis early in the software evolution lifecycle thus allowing management, who are not necessarily familiar with the detailed system implementation, to determine the impact associated with a modification request. In our research we develop several analysis techniques to support the system evolution at the requirements level, namely impact analysis at the requirements level, prediction of regression testing effort, feature interaction analysis including detecting potential bad smells of the requirements, in order to provide support for improving the comprehensibility and maintainability of requirements. In our approach, we combine Use Case Maps, as a notation to model requirements, with Formal Concept Analysis in order to explore the applicability of Formal Concept Analysis during modification analysis at the requirements level. We implemented a proof of concept tool and several case studies are presented to demonstrate the applicability of our methodology.


identifier: Steele, Christopher J  (2008) Tides of change : identifying the neural correlates of motor sequence learning.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The present study combines behavioural and neuroimaging techniques to investigate the learning of a motor sequence task within- and across-day. The goals of this study were to identify behavioural changes during learning, determine the patterns of activity associated with learning, and investigate the relationships between behaviour and brain activity over the course of learning. Participants were trained on a relatively complex motor sequencing task and a simple baseline task. They performed these tasks in an fMRI scanner while behavioural and functional data were collected. Behavioural performance increased within, but not across, day. The initial learning network included activity in CB cortex, posterior BG, PMC, PL, and preSMA/SMA. Within-day changes included increased activity in anterior BG, CB nucleus, and STS; with decreased activity in M1/S1, SMA, and planum temporale. Across-day increases were found in the left anterior BG, no decreases were found across-day. These results may be interpreted as a shift in activity from the visual to the spatial corticostriatal loop, and are discussed within the context of two current theories of motor sequence learning.


identifier: Hachem, Caroline  (2008) Microbial volatile organic compounds in full scale stud cavities identification and transport analysis.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: An experimental project is carried out, as a part of the Collaborative Research and Development (CRD) project, to investigate the capacity of wall cavities to contain mold products, emanating from studs with 10% of their surfaces covered with mold, and to constrain their penetration into the indoor space. 20 full-scale stud cavities were constructed to incorporate six experimental parameters related to the design of air leakage path (direct and long), mold contamination, wall construction configurations (vapour barrier, insulation and sheathing material) and ambient conditions (wet and dry conditions). Twelve specimens incorporate wood studs that were inoculated with three predetermined mold species and prepared for about 3 weeks in a mycological lab until 10% of mold coverage was reached. A stainless steel sampling chamber over drywall induced prescribed air infiltration. The tests were designed primarily to study the movement of spores. The project was subsequently extended to investigate the identification of microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOCs) and their transport through the building envelope. This thesis reports the identification of mold related VOCs, the analysis of transport of these MVOCs from the stud cavity to the indoor space and the assessment of the influence of the parameters on this transport. The chemical analysis of the VOCs (volatile organic compounds) samplers and the identification of the chemical components were performed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The identified compounds include VOCs that are commonly found in the indoor air (e.g. Benzene, Toluene, Xylenes, etc.) as well as frequently reported MVOCs (e.g. Furan 3-Methyl). The results were analyzed using multiple regression analysis to identify the mold related VOCs, and to determine the transport through the building envelope. Five VOCs (1-propanol, cyclohexanone, furan 3-methyl, alpha pinene and pentadecane) were identified as significantly related to the presence of mold in the stud cavity, at 5 % level of significance. The transport of these MVOCs from the sampling chamber to the cavity was confirmed, however, no significant effect of the parameters related to wall construction configuration were detected.


identifier: O'Neill, Brendan  (2008) Model-based control of venetian blinds.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: Model-based control of venetian blinds

abstract: Commercial and institutional buildings are being designed with increased transparent areas of the façade. Provision of views to the exterior is desirable, but more importantly, human health and productivity benefits may result from well day-lit interior spaces. The increased use of natural light, coupled with daylight responsive lighting systems, can reduce the peak electrical load and internal heat gains caused by artificial lighting. However, excessive transmission of solar irradiance can result in a net increase in energy consumption required for cooling, and may also affect the visual comfort of occupants. Manually operated shading devices are commonly used to deal with this problem, though their control is generally not optimal.  This thesis investigates the potential of an automated model-based control strategy for diffuse reflecting venetian blinds. Radiosity theory was used to numerically approximate the transmittance of a blind and glazing system for clear-sky conditions, and to determine the venetian slat angle required to maintain favourable transmission values based on the HVAC demand and the visual comfort of the building occupants.  Experimental measurements were carried out using a controlled motorized venetian blind installed on a clear glass window unit in a small-office space. The daylight transmission of the system was quantified and compared to the modelled prediction. A dimmable luminaire was also installed in this zone to determine the electric lighting energy savings possible in perimeter zones with the blinds continuously controlled to intercept direct sun rays


identifier: Tsagaroulis, Thrasivoulos  (2007) Kernel dimension reduction approaches for multivariate process control.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The great challenge in quality control is to devise computationally efficient algorithms to detect and diagnose process defects. Univariate statistical process control charts are currently used as an integral part in statistical quality control of engineering processes. Unfortunately, most data are inherently multivariate and need to be modelled accordingly. Major limitations such as higher data complexity and difficulty in interpretation have limited the application of multivariate techniques in process control. Motivated by the recent advances in dimensionality reduction algorithms and in order to effectively monitor highly correlated data, we introduce in this thesis new multivariate statistical process control charts based on the eigen-analysis of kernel matrices. The core idea behind our proposed techniques is to develop a theoretically rigorous methodology for multivariate statistical process control. We use scalp-recorded electroencephalograms (EEGs) as our real-world multivariate data source to demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed algorithms. EEGs consist of vast amounts of complex data that require a trained professional to perform a proper analysis. Moreover, the currently used methodologies for analyzing EEGs are very labor-intensive. To circumvent these limitations, we show through extensive experimentation that our proposed approaches can be applied successfully in the analysis of EEGs by automating the detection of events. The task of classifying the events would still, however, be left to a professional clinician.  For ease of visualization and analysis of EEGs, we designed a user-friendly Graphical User Interface (GUI) to test the performance of the proposed kernel dimension reduction techniques, and to also perform a comparison with the most prevalent methods used in multivariate process control


identifier: Gavrila, Alex M  (2008) Long double-stranded RNA-mediated suppression of PER2 in the SCN disrupts circadian locomotor activity and PER2 rhythms in the limbic forebrain.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Studies with targeted disruption in the Period2 ( Per2 ) gene suggest that the PER2 protein participates in the regulation of circadian behavioral rhythms. Moreover, it has been shown that direct suppression of PER2 expression in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) with antisense oligonucleotides disrupts photic resetting of the SCN clock. The effect of such suppression on behavioral rhythms is unknown. Here double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) to Per2 was used to transiently suppress PER2 expression in the SCN of adult rats. Bilateral infusions of dsRNA into the SCN (6 g/side) disrupted circadian wheel running activity rhythms for up to 10 days in experimental rats housed in constant darkness; whereas, control infusions into the SCN or dorsal infusions of dsRNA to Per2 had no effect. Relative to controls PER2 suppression in the SCN was evident 12 days post-dsRNA infusion; however, maximal suppression was observed at day 3. In addition to the suppression of PER2 expression in the SCN, a blunted PER2 rhythm was observed in the oval nucleus of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, central nucleus of the amygdala and dentate gyrus. These results provide direct evidence that the expression of PER2 in the SCN is essential for the maintenance of circadian locomotor activity rhythms and for the expression of PER2 rhythms in the limbic forebrain in rats. The specificity of this effect was validated by demonstrating no difference between cFos expression in any of the above areas in control rats and rats treated with dsRNA to Per2.


identifier: Payrow, Pouria  (2008) Effect of synthetic fiber surface treatment on the post-crack residual strength and toughness of fiber reinforced concrete.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This research involves an experimental investigation into the improvement of bonding characteristics between a mixture of polyethylene/polypropylene fibers and concrete comparing various chemical and physical surface treatments and their effect on the mechanical properties of the fiber reinforced concrete (FRC). For the chemical surface treatment, several techniques of chemical etching of the fiber's surface were used, such as two types of chromic acid solutions, potassium permanganate, and hydrogen peroxide solutions. For the physical surface treatment, UV treatment and a combination of UV and Ozone treatment were used. Non-treated and treated fibers were added at 0.32% by volume and 0.50% for the best treatment method. Compressive, flexural strength and contact angle were measured to quantify bond improvement. Among the chemical treatment techniques, chromic acid solution type B was found to be the most efficient technique versus potassium permanganate which had negative effect on the bonding strength between fibers and concrete. Investigations of physical treatment techniques showed using UV does not have a significant change on the bonding strength, but 10 minute exposure of fibers to the UV lamp in presence of ozone gave the best result in bonding of fibers. As a cumulative result, using the chemical treatment was found to be a more efficient technique rather than the physical treatment in surface modification of fibers. The contact angle was found to have no correlation to the toughness. The higher volume of fibers gave better properties than the surface treatment techniques indicating surface treatment may not be an economical alternative.


identifier: Hussain, Kamran  (2007) Abstract property verifier based on multiway decision graphs.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Symbolic model-checking tools encounter state-explosion problem when verifying designs with large data paths. Multiway Decision Graph (MDG) model-checker uses abstract data representation and applies abstract operations to address the state explosion problem. The MDG verification tool, also known as Abstract Verifier, takes as input the specification (written as properties) and the description of the design, and then proves or disproves if the design satisfies these properties. The original specification language of the Abstract Verifier was called L mdg that provides temporal operators and abstract data types to formalize properties. Meanwhile, the Property Specification Language (PSL) has changed the verification world by introducing very rich temporal operators but without abstract data types. In this thesis, we propose a new specification language called Abstract Property Language (APL), for the MDG model-checker. This language replaces the L mdg specification language by introducing new operators borrowed from PSL to improve its expressiveness. We provide the formal definition of this language in BackusNaur form (BNF) and provide its formal semantics based on the computational model of the Abstract Verifier. APL is associated with a front-end translator that accepts APL specifications and builds verification-ready models to be handled directly inside the MDG model-checker. Finally, we have validated our APL language and the translator tool on the verification of several test benches including Look-Aside Interface (LA-1) design.


identifier: Dorvlo, Sitsofe Kudjoe  (2008) Utilization of mode-match technique for calculating the dispersion characteristic of 2D periodic structure.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In this work the Mode-Matching-Point-Matching (MM-PM) has been applied to determine the dispersion characteristics for a two-dimensional (2-D) structure. The 2-D structure is defined as a structure with a homogeneous dielectric substrate backed by a ground-plane on one side and an array of strip lines on the other. In this case, a strip line is assumed to have an infinitesimal small thickness.  The developed MM-PM technique uses two well documented methods: the mode- matching and point matching technique to solve for both the transverse electric (TE) and the transverse magnetic (TM) modes at an interface. The two methods together produce a set of equations which are expressed in a homogenous matrix form. Using singular value decomposition, the homogenous matrix is solved to produce the dispersive characteristics of the microstrip.  The generated numerical results for both the one-dimensional (1-D) and 2-D structures are compared to Ansoft Designer and Ansoft HFSS simulated results. Also experimental results from fabricated structures are compared to theoretical results. A good match is obtained from all the different results.  Overall the results are in general very good agreement. These results demonstrate that the MM-PM technique, characterized by its simplicity, can be used as a possible alternative method for the determination of dispersion characteristics of structures


identifier: Proskiw, Gary  (2007) An innovative airtightness test procedure for separating envelope air leakage from interior partition air leakage in multi-zone buildings.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: A new airtightness test procedure has been developed for separating exterior envelope air leakage from interior partition leakage, when testing a single zone within a multi- zone building. Historically, envelope leakage from a single zone within a multi-zone building could only be measured if exact equalization was achieved of the pressure differentials across all interior partition surfaces using a masking blower(s). Experimentally, this has proven to be problematic with the result that the procedure is seldom used. The new technique, called the "Parallel Flow Airtightness Test" method (PFAT) permits partition leakage to be measured and subtracted from the total leakage of the test zone thereby allowing the exterior envelope leakage to be isolated and quantified. However, instead of requiring exact equalization of the interior partition pressure differentials, the new technique only requires that they be modified from their original values. Experimentally, this is a much easier condition to achieve and offers significant advantages to practitioners.  As part of this thesis, the PFAT test procedure was proposed, validated in a series of laboratory trials and then applied to three different buildings to assess its practicality under real-world conditions. Using the results of the laboratory and field work, guidelines were then developed for applying the methodology to other structures.  Under laboratory conditions (with no wind or indoor-to-outdoor pressure differentials to account for), the PFAT method was capable of measuring the exterior envelope air leakage with a maximum error of about 2% at 75 Pa, when a second blower was used to modify the pressure regimes in the adjacent, buffer zone. When the pressure regimes in the buffer zone were modified by simply sealing or unsealing a duct to the buffer zone, the accuracy of the procedure degraded significantly, producing errors of up to 26%.  The field trials were then carried out on three multi-zone buildings in Winnipeg. From these trials it was concluded that the procedure seems well suited to field work and offers advantages, in terms of time and equipment, over the traditional pressure-masking technique. However, greater skill and better planning are required relative to that needed for a conventional, single-zone airtightness test. Overall, it was concluded that for many applications the PFAT method provides a workable method of separating interior partition air leakage from exterior envelope building


identifier: Sharifi Zanjani, Mohammadreza  (2007) Productivity assessment for fixed steel jacket platform fabrication.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Simulation is a sophisticated concept that has influenced the construction industry for more than three decades. Sectors within the construction industry utilize new innovative theories, methods and applications such as simulation modeling. Research in productivity analysis of oilrig and offshore steel structure fabrication has not been adequately studied in comparison to other sectors of the construction industry. Therefore, current research addresses the shortcomings of productivity analysis for offshore fabrications using a combination of concepts from three major areas: offshore engineering, steel fabrication and process modeling.  The primary objective of this research consists of modeling fixed steel jacket platform fabrication. In accordance with this objective, a detailed analysis of results for the simulation model will be performed for three different jacket platforms. This thesis presents a new approach that assesses the influence of configuration complexity on total fabrication productivity; as a result, it introduces the Factor of Fabrication Complexity (FFC) in offshore industry. The secondary objective of this research is the assessment of inspection impact on total productivity based on the simulation technique.  This research begins with the classification of the oil development process and the application of different platforms in the oil field. Secondly, the full fabrication and installation of steel jacket platforms are described. In this dissertation, three different cases of steel jacket modeling, using MicroCYCLONE as the simulation program, are exercised. Data used in these simulations are based on real conditions from three case studies.  In conclusion, results are interpreted to produce insightful graphs and tables based on the industries' requirements and needs to assess the fabrication productivity. Sensitivity analyses are performed to provide engineers and managers with different alternatives for the assessment of inspection on total productivity. Finally, the system output is evaluated where the fabrication model's results closely depict real world practical data


identifier: Tan, Xiangyang  (2008) Automatic code compliance checking in designing building envelopes.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Automating the checking of building envelope design according to design regulations is a complex process because design regulations consist of complicated logic statements covering multiple functions. Existing mechanisms of building code computer-aided checking have some limitations dealing with design regulations. This thesis presents a new approach to automate code compliance checking for building envelope design based on simulation results and the building codes. In this approach, building codes and building performance simulation results are independent from the compliance checking software.  During the process, a hierarchical object-based representation of simulation results called EBIM (Extended Building Information Model) is proposed to describe the attributes of a building and its sub-systems. A new representation of building codes based on decision tables called EBC (Extended Building Codes) is also proposed so that users can check the building envelope design against building codes based on the standardized simulation results. A rules engine is applied for matching the data of the EBIM against the rules derived from the EBC.  This new approach integrates building information modeling, simulation applications, building codes, and decision tables together for automated code compliance checking in designing building envelopes. A prototype implementation system is developed based on the proposed approach. The case study gives two examples: the first one is the procedure of evaluating the hygrothermal performance of an exterior wall of a house using this system, and the second one is an energy analysis comparison when an energy-efficient wall system is installed in a small building as a replacement


identifier: Teyssedou, Gabriel  (2007) Computer model of the refrigeration system of an ice rink.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: During the past years, the increase of energy costs has led to the development of energy calculation models for the prediction of the energy performance of buildings. Ice rinks are buildings using significant quantities of energy because they have simultaneous refrigerating and heating needs. However, only a limited amount of information related to the simulation of ice rink refrigeration systems has been published so far.  This thesis presents the development of a computer model for the simulation of the refrigeration system of an ice rink by using the TRNSYS environment. Thermodynamic principles and empirical relations are used to identify the parameters of the compressor and heat exchangers from manufacturer's data and measurements collected in an ice rink located in Montreal. The model used to simulate the chiller is based on the ASHRAE Toolkit-I. The ice-concrete slab is simulated using an analytical and a correlation-based model. The controller model uses empirical relations to determine the number of compressors in operation based on the brine temperature.  The thesis present the analysis of the collected data and the mathematical description of the models developed for the refrigeration system. Simulations are performed using several days of measurements. The effects of a heat recovery system on the reduction of energy use and the corresponding CO 2 emissions are also investigated


identifier: Nguyen, Kim-Khoa  (2008) Enabling architectures for QoS provisioning.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Nowadays, new multimedia services have been deployed with stringent requirements for Quality of Service (QoS). The QoS provisioning is faced with the heterogeneity of system components. This thesis presents two research: on architectures for QoS management at the application layer, fulfilled mainly by software components; and on distributed software architectures for routing devices providing desired QoS at the underlying communication layer.  At the application layer, the QoS architecture we propose, based on the Quality Driven Delivery (QDD) framework, deals with the increasing amount of QoS information of a distributed system. Based on various QoS information models we define for key actors of a distributed system, a QoS information base is generated using QoS information collecting and analysis tools. To translate QoS information among different components, we propose mechanisms to build QoS mapping rules from statistical data. Experiments demonstrate that efficient QoS decisions can be made effectively regarding the contribution of all system components with the help of the QoS information management system.  At the underlying layer, we investigate distributed and scalable software architectures for QoS-enabled devices. Due to the huge volume of traffic to be switched, the traditional software model used for current generation routers, where the control card of the router performs all the processing tasks, is no longer appropriate in the near future. We propose a new scalable and distributed architecture to fully exploit the hardware platforms of the next generation routers, and to improve the quality of routers, particularly with respect to scalability and to a lesser extent to resiliency and availability. Our proposal is a distributed software framework where control tasks are shared among the control and line cards of the router. Specific architectures for routing, signaling protocols and routing table management are developed. We investigate the challenges for such distributed architectures and proposed various solutions to overcome them. Based on a general distributed software framework, an efficient scalable distributed architecture for MPLS/LDP and different scalable distributed schemes for the routing table manager (RTM) are developed. We also evaluate the performance of proposed distributed schemes and discuss where to deploy these architectures depending on the type of routers (i.e., their hardware capacity)


identifier: Dastagir, Ghulam  (2008) Voltage and frequency regulation of a stand-alone self-excited induction generator with an unregulated prime mover.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The squirrel-cage induction machine is very attractive for small and medium power generation schemes because of its low cost, robustness and high power density (W/kg). However, the magnitude and the frequency of the generated voltage depend upon the rotor speed, the amount of capacitive excitation, and the load in stand-alone systems with unregulated prime movers. A common approach for providing regulated voltage and frequency to the load is the use of an asynchronous link (ac-dc-ac) power electronic converter. The main disadvantage of this scheme is that the two series connected ac-dc converters have to be rated at least to the rated generator output power.  This thesis investigates the use of a single reduced rating ac-dc converter, or voltage source inverter (VSI), connected to the stator of a self-excited induction generator (SEIG) for regulating purposes. Reactive power control is used to regulate the voltage magnitude while active power control, made possible by using a battery bank at the dc side of the VSI, regulates the voltage frequency. An experimental set-up is implemented for the proposed scheme operating with unregulated micro hydro and wind turbines, implemented on a prime mover emulator. The experimental results are in agreement with the simulation results, theoretical analysis and design specifications


identifier: Luo, Yan  (2007) Statistical defect prediction models for software quality assurance.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Software defects entail a highly-significant cost penalty in lost productivity and post-release maintenance. Early defect prevention and removal techniques can substantially enhance the profit realized on software products. The motivation for software quality improvement is most often expressed in terms of increased customer satisfaction with higher product quality, or more generally, as a need to position SAP Inc as a leader in quality software development. Thus, knowledge about how many defects to expect in a software product at any given stage during its development process is a very valuable asset. The great challenge, however, is to devise efficient and reliable prediction models for software defects. The first problem addressed in this thesis is software reliability growth modeling. We introduce an anisotropic Laplace test statistic that not only takes into account the activity in the system but also the proportion of reliability growth within the model.  The major part of this thesis is devoted to statistical models that we have developed to predict software defects. We present a software defect prediction model using operating characteristic curves. The main idea behind our proposed technique is to use geometric insight in helping construct an efficient prediction method to reliably predict the number of failures at any given stage during the software development process. Our predictive approach uses the number of detected faults in the testing phase. Data from actual SAP projects is used to illustrate the much improved performance of the proposed method in comparison with existing prediction approaches


identifier: An, Shaofeng  (2008) A recursive computation of the 2-D DCT : algorithm, architectures and FPGA implementation.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The discrete cosine transform (DCT) is widely used in the area of signal and image processing. The 2-D DCT has been used in image compression and become part of image and video standards. The 2-D DCT computation involves a large amount of data. Many applications require the systems to be in small volume and operate in real-time. Designing such a system for 2-D DCT is a challenging task.  In this thesis, a new recursive algorithm and two types of circuit architectures are presented for the computation of the 2-D DCT. The new algorithm permits to compute the 2-D DCT by a simple procedure of the 1-D recursive calculations involving only cosine coefficients. A recursive kernel for the proposed algorithm contains a small number of operations. Also, it requires a smaller number of pre-computed data compared to many of existing algorithms in the same category. The kernel can be easily implemented in a simple circuit block with a short critical delay path. In order to evaluate the performance improvement resulting from the new algorithm, an architecture for the 2-D DCT designed by direct mapping from the computation structure of the proposed algorithm has been implemented on an FPGA board. The results show that the reduction of the hardware consumption can easily reach 25% and the clock frequency can increase 17% compared to a system implementing a recently reported 2-D DCT recursive algorithm. For a further reduction of the hardware, another architecture has been proposed for the same 2-D DCT computation. Using one recursive computation block to perform different functions in each clock cycle, this architecture needs only approximately one half of the hardware that is required in the first architecture, which has been confirmed by an FPGA implementation