identifier: Cattaneo, Jessica S  (2000) The relationship between menstrual ideology and practice in the lives of women in South-western Ontario.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The purpose of this thesis is twofold. First, it is an exercise in the application of critical anthropological theory and methodology to a subject matter that has not been treated by these approaches. In the process, the construction of anthropological knowledge is consistently questioned and evaluated. Second, an exploration of menstrual ideology and practice is provided through the experiences of women living in south-western Ontario. Research was conducted through various methods: 100 women of different ages and ethnic backgrounds participated in a menstrual care product questionnaire. Store managers and owners were interviewed regarding the sales and merchandising of menstrual care products, as well as a thorough search of the feminine hygiene industry's different web sites. 18 women were interviewed regarding their menstrual history, sexuality, family experience, health, and their perceptions and choices of menstrual care products. Six different families participated in life history interviews. Four of these families are presented in the thesis in the form of 14 individual life histories. The topics discussed include: menarche, pregnancy, divorce, abortion, sexuality, work, family relationships, Toxic Shock Syndrome, Polycystic Ovarian disease, menopause, and commercial menstrual care products.


identifier: Chen, Yongqiang  (2000) COM-tester : a script testing tool for MS COM.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

type: Thesis NonPeerReviewed

abstract: The purpose of this thesis is to develop a tool to test the COM object. Although COM development is so important and so popular, there is no general tool to test it. In industry, the cost to test COM-related software is so high that there is a need to develop a simple and general tool for the test. This thesis focuses on developing such a tool called COM-Tester.  COM-Tester is a small scripting language tool designed for writing test scenarios. The main goal of the tool is to reduce the costs related to the testing activities of Microsoft COM-based software. The core distinctive features of COM-Tester are: (1) A high-level simple interpreted language where the notion of a test is directly supported by a specific syntax. (2) Primitives to create and work easily with COM components. (3) Merging of source code and documentation. (4) Automatic generation of testing report.


identifier: Cleveland, Mark  (2000) An international empirical comparison of in-store information search antecedents for a Christmas gift.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study examines the underlying determinants of in-store information search for a Christmas clothing gift, specifically focusing on cultural differences. A self-administered survey, containing personality, situational and demographic measures, was distributed to actual consumers residing in three culturally similar nations: Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Measurement items were factor analyzed, and country sample differences were assessed using chi-square tests, ANOVAs, MANCOVAs, and multiple regression analyses. Three distinct and reliable indices of in-store information search emerged (macro information search, micro information search, and salesclerk help), along with twenty-two independent factors (eleven personality and eleven situational). Country sample differences were found with respect to the influence of various antecedent factors on information search. Unexpected differences with respect to total information acquisition were also obtained: Canadian subjects achieved higher aggregate search scores than either American or British subjects. Furthermore, information search patterns were found to vary between males and females, and between different age groups. Practical implications and directions for future research are also discussed.


identifier: Colburne, Karen A  (2000) The emergence of triadic play in mother-infant interactions : play context and nonverbal communicative behaviors.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: As infants become more interested in their nonsocial surroundings, triadic play, where a toy is added to infants' play with their caregivers, becomes an increasingly frequent play context. Yet, little is known about the emergence of triadic play within the first year of life. Identifying the play contexts in which infants participate is integral to understanding the processes by which infants develop into increasingly competent social beings. The present research consisted of two studies. In Study 1, the Relational Play Category Coding Scheme was developed to delineate characteristic bouts of triadic play occurring between mothers and their infants aged 4 to 7 months. Five different triadic play categories were identified. The coding scheme was applied to a sample of mothers and their infants in Study 1 who participated in a longitudinal study of free play when their infants were 4, 5�$1�


identifier: Conrod, Kevin  (2000) The hot working characteristics of Al-0.65% Fe, and Al-0.5% Fe-0.5% Co conductor alloys.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Recrystallized, rolled rods of the two conductor alloys were deformed in continuous torsion tests between 200 and 500C̕ and 0.02 and 5 s -1 , and in interrupted torsion tests at 400 and 450C̕, and 0.1 and 1.0 s -1 . The flow stresses were found to depend on the strain rate through a hyperbolic sine function with exponents of 3.1 and 3.5, and on temperature through an Arrhenius term with activation energies of about 260 kJ/mol, much greater than Al. Flow stresses were considerably higher than commercial Al at 200C̕ and 300C̕, consistent with their resistance to creep softening in that range. The strengthening depends upon the dispersion of the eutectic rods which were refined by Properzi casting, were fractured and dispersed by rolling, and have very low solubility. The hot ductility increased with temperature but decreased with strain rate and with rising levels of alloy addition. The strain to fracture varied inversely with the strain to steady state and hence the level of dynamic recovery. In interrupted testing, fractional softening increased with rise in temperature or hold time, or decline in strain rate. With repeated passes, the strength of the alloys declined substantially compared to continuous testing.


identifier: Corsi, Maria  (2000) Evaluation of the potential impact of electrochromic windows on the energy performance of commercial buildings.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Electrochromic windows appear to be the most promising emerging technology to improve building performance as they provide greater control of solar gains; they have a potentially significant impact on the indoor visual environment and energy requirements of commercial buildings. The research work presented in this thesis, which is accomplished using computer simulation, proposes to undertake an engineering evaluation of the performance of electrochromic glazings and to advance knowledge in the field by developing a new model to simulate their control. First, the performance of an experimental electrochromic coating is compared relative to conventional glazing types. The APPLIED FILM LAMINATOR and WINDOW 4.1 computer programs are used to evaluate the global parameters characterizing window performance (solar and visible transmittance, U-value, and solar heat gain coefficient). A critical evaluation of existing control strategies is performed using DOE-2.1E to study the effect of several driving variables for switching on the cooling load of an existing large commercial building. The present capabilities of the DOE program are expanded using the Functional Values approach in order to study the effect of the electrochromic glazing switching time for the building's perimeter zones. Since electrochromic windows affect both building energy consumption and visual quality, the optimization of the switching time is formulated as a multi-objective model with two conflicting objectives (energy and visual quality). Pareto optimum solutions are shown for different weighting coefficients applied to both objectives. This approach constitutes the basis of an automated optimized electrochromic glazing switching strategy that is developed and incorporated in the DOE-2.1E program.


identifier: Couture, Mélanie  (2000) Are children with special needs successfully integrated in school-age care programs?  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study examined the extent to which children with special needs were successfully integrated in school-age care programs. It also investigated the factors presented in the literature as being related to successful integration. These included quality of the environment, attitude and level of education, training and experience of staff members, preparation and planning, communication with the parents, modifications made to programs, and centre policies on integration. Twenty school-age care programs in the metropolitan area participated in the study. Interviews were conducted with 20 directors and 17 educators of the school-age care programs regarding the factors related to successful integration. Participants also answered a questionnaire investigating the child care staff's attitude and experience with integration. Parents of the special needs children attending the participating school-age care programs were sent a questionnaire examining their satisfaction with the quality of the centers as well as their previous and actual experience with the integration of their children. The quality of the school-age care programs was assessed with the School-Age Care Environment Rating Scale. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)


identifier: Dan, Manas  (2000) Single bubble sonoluminescence.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

title: Single bubble sonoluminescence

abstract: In recent years considerable attention has been directed to the phenomenon of single bubble sonoluminescence, SBSL in which a single, stable, acoustically levitated bubble is made to oscillate with sufficiently large amplitude so as to emit picosecond light pulses in each cycle of the acoustic drive pressure. Remarkably, the phenomenon represents about twelve orders of magnitude of energy focusing.  SBSL has been carefully and thoroughly studied in part of parameter space by previous authors. In the present work, the experimental observation of the influence of another important parameter namely the ambient pressure will be presented. It is the first complete and controlled study of the modifications of the bubble dynamics and SL emission due to the variation of the ambient pressure. It has been observed that the equilibrium radius as well as the maximum radius increase as the ambient pressure is decreased at constant driving pressure. Furthermore the expansion ratio ( R max / R min ) increases as the ambient pressure is decreased, resulting in a change in the SL radiation. The intensity of SL emission increases about seven times for only a fifteen percent decrease of ambient pressure at constant driving pressure. However, it is not possible to push SL radiation beyond a certain limit by continuously decreasing the ambient pressure. On the other hand increasing the ambient pressure decreases the equilibrium radius, as well as the expansion ratio leading to a decrease of SL intensity.  Amongst the SBSL emissions the light emission has been investigated rather elaborately. The other single bubble emission is the acoustic emission, AE . Here a detailed study of AE will be presented. The AE has been measured by a calibrated needle hydrophone in different regimes of bubble motion. The hydrophone response shows a large amplitude AE pulse which corresponds to the principal collapse, along with smaller amplitude pulses which can be associated with the after bounces of the bubble just after the initial collapse. The pressure amplitudes of the main AE spike are much weaker below the sonoluminescing regime. The amplitude of the principal AE spike in the sonoluminescing regime is about 1.2 atm at 7.2 mm from the bubble. The rise time as well as the FWHM of the principal spikes and after bounces in three different regimes of bubble motion has been reported. A light scattering experiment has been carried out to study the bubble dynamics. An extremely strong correlation between the results of light scattering and those of AE has been found.


identifier: Das, Suporna  (2000) Frames and reproducing kernels in a Hilbert space.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Let H be a Hilbert space. A set of vectors [Special characters omitted.] ∈ H, i = 1, 2,..., n , x ∈ X , where X is a locally compact space with Borel measure v on it, constitute a rank-n continuous frame, F ([Special characters omitted.] , A, n ) if for each x ∈ X the set [Special characters omitted.] is linearly independent and there exists a positive operator A ∈ GL ( H ) such that [Special characters omitted.] Further the frame becomes discrete if (*) is replaced by [Special characters omitted.] We first study discrete frames and then move to the continuous case, where we develop a connection between frames and reproducing kernels and using this connection we categorize the frames into various kinds. Finally space H using reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces H K on H = L 2 ( X, v, C n ).


identifier: Daviault, Christine  (2000) Look who's pulling the trigger now : a study of girls'/women's relationship with video games.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Video Games are rich social and cultural texts, often dismissed by academics as children's toys not worth much study. However, they are starting to be taken seriously for several reasons. First, they account for a fast increasing share of children's leisure time, especially that of boys. Secondly, they are seen as a portal to the larger field of computer and communication technologies, as a way to acquire the necessary skills, particularly in the case of girls/women who only represent a dismal proportion of students and workers in technical and computer-related fields.  This has led to a lively debate as to what should be done to encourage girls/women to play video games. A number of software companies, run and staffed mostly by women, have dedicated themselves since the early 1990s, to designing games that answer the expectations of young girls. In contrast, female gamer groups, such as "Quake girls", started appearing and competing on-line. These women believe that it is the adaptation of existing games, allowing for the inclusion of more female characters, that will lead to an increased number of female video game players. These two views are at the core of the present thesis which highlights their arguments and contradictions.


identifier: De Bellis, Tonia  (2000) The effects of age and size of canopy gaps on the mycorrhizae of yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britton) and sugar maple (Acer sacchrum Marsh.) from deciduous forests of the Québec city region.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Effects of different sized and different aged canopy gaps on the ectomycorrhizae of yellow birch and vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae of sugar maples collected from two deciduous forests in central Quebec were examined. The colonization of maple roots by arbuscules, vesicles, and coils were quantified. Colonization by ectomycorrhizal fungi was quantified and characterized using morphotyping and molecular techniques. In the 1-yr old 1000 m 2 cuts, colonization increased in the maple roots as the season progressed. In October, there were more arbuscules in the seedlings from the gaps vs those from the uncut areas. No differences in ECM colonization between uncut and 1-year old gaps were noted in the yellow birch seedlings and high levels of colonization occurred throughout the season. In the 5- and 10-yr old gaps, colonization in both species increased as the season progressed, and higher colonization levels were present in the large (V100 m 2 ) vs small naturally occurring gaps (0-2 m 2 ). Based on morphotypes, species richness on yellow birch was unaffected by gap size and age, but diversity was slightly greater in the older gaps. Sixteen different ECM morphotypes were found, 10 of which were characterized using molecular methods, yielding 17 different restriction patterns. These results emphasize the importance of using molecular methods to back up morphological assays of ectomycorrhizal species richness.


identifier: Drolet, Pierre  (2000) Le processus de l'acceptation chez les blessés médullaires.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: La présente étude exploratoire se penche sur l'acceptation du handicap chez les blessés médullaires. Cinq (5) hommes et cinq (5) femmes blessés à la moelle épinière depuis plus de cinq (5) années, et qui avaient plus de dix-huit (18) ans au moment de l'accident traumatique, furent interviewés, de même que trois intervenants. Il ressort de ces données, ainsi que d'une revue exhaustive de la littérature et de l'analyse des statistiques incidentes, qu'il est possible pour un médullolésé d'accepter fondamentalement, au bout d'un certain temps, son handicap et de pouvoir vivre avec celui-ci dans une relative sérénité. Plus cette personne rencontre les besoins fondamentaux tels que définis par Abraham Maslow, plus il lui sera facile de le faire.  Le modèle d'acceptation d'Élisabeth Kübler-Ross est employé ici et divers facteurs influençant l'acceptation (le sexe, le type de lésion, le revenu, etc.) sont analysés. L'auteur propose différents sujets de recherches futures, notamment que soit examiné plus en profondeur le support de l'entourage en tant que variable favorisant l'acceptation.


identifier: Eftekhari, Farzad  (2000) Foam-surfactant technology in soil remediation.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Recently, the use of gas-liquid foams as a means of delivering chemicals to the subsurface is being considered as an important to in-situ soil remediation. However research in this area has been limited. Column experiments were conducted to investigate the factors that limit the use of foam as an agent for soil flushing. Pressure build up in the soil is an important factor that was studied for foam with different characteristics. In addition, the capability of this technology for the removal of contaminants (Pentachlorophenol, "PCP") from soil and the principal factors that influence the removal efficiency were investigated. The fate and transport of pentachlorophenol, (aromatic pesticide and is mostly used as a wood preservative) was studied in the presence of foam with different properties formed by using two different types of surfactant. TritonX100 and JBR425 were used as representatives of nonionic and anionic surfactants, respectively. The results obtained from this study on a sandy soil showed that foam can be used as a fluid to enhance soil remediation under low pressures compared to other fluids such as liquid surfactant solutions.


identifier: Ferguson, Ian M  (2000) Microevolutionary processes in natural populations of the waterstrider Aquarius remigis.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Traits are often assumed to be optimal, but evolution may be constrained by genetics, the adaptive landscape, development, and functional limitations. Optimal body size is determined by the net effect of selection acting throughout the life history of the organism. Body size is correlated between the sexes, and sexual size dimorphism (SSD) provides natural experiments in the evolution of traits constrained by genetic correlations. In this thesis I relate sex-specific fitness functions, opportunity for selection, and genetic correlations among body size components to the adaptive significance of SSD in the waterstrider Aquarius remigis . Laboratory studies have revealed significant genetic correlations among body size components but Lynch's (1999) method of "estimation in the absence of pedigree information" does not provide useful field estimates in this study, and the use of polymorphic genetic markers to improve these estimates remains untested. I use multiple regression to estimate fitness functions for total length and components of body size, and compare these with observed trait distributions. My analysis shows that female-biased SSD in total length is favoured in A. remigis , but evolution of total length is better understood through analysis of selection on body size components. Partitioning opportunity for selection, I , indicates that although the strongest selection reported in A. remigis occurs during the reproductive season, the greatest determinant of fitness through the adult stage is survival ability from eclosion to first reproduction. I suggest that while I is a useful adjunct to selection gradient analysis in studies of the adaptive significance of trait values, its most important contribution may lie in studies of the evolution and adaptive significance of life history components, which are themselves components of fitness. I find evidence of spatial and temporal heterogeneity in fitness functions, and conclude that variance in the pattern and intensity of selection on total length observed in this species may be due to interactions between phenotypic distributions of components of body size and locally variable fitness functions. This suggests that evolutionary equilibrium may be dynamic, and estimating selection in one population or generation may fail to detect long-term or broad-scale fitness functions actually driving trait evolution.


identifier: Fu, Roy  (2000) Struggling productions : Ying Chen and the representation of cultural identity in Quebec, 1992-1999.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In this thesis I explore the definition of cultural identity as 'representation', that identities don't exist as forms of fixed, absolute, and/or natural essence; instead, they are merely conceptual constructs, definitions of culture and cultural difference, produced in accordance with evolving historical situations and political intentions. I therefore examine a body of texts that constitutes representation of identity, in a specific historical--namely, 'diaspora'--context: the four novels published by Ying Chen, and the various critical and artistic responses inspired by these novels in Quebec. I argue that Chen's literary representations of identity are primarily characterized by a progressive conceptual trajectory towards anti-essentialist definitions. Meanwhile, the various secondary texts tend to re-inscribe the author and her works according to the metaphors of 'Chinese writer' and 'immigrant writer'. In the process, they inhibit key articulations in Chen's works from effective circulation in the Quebecois cultural milieu. These circumstances, I argue, reflect the confrontation of two historically distinct and opposing discourses of identity, and indicate a broader historical struggle for power in the social realm.


identifier: Furtado, Lucia  (2000) Courtship in the personals : how relationship goals affect signaling patterns.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The following study utilized a content-analysis of 407 personal advertisements by gay men to distinguish between signals used in search of long term versus purely sexual relationships of gay men in the personals. The data were obtained from four randomly selected issues of the gay magazine Unzipped. A comparison was made to a study conducted 20 years ago by Laner and Kamel (1978). The results indicate that in 1998 gay men were more interested in a long term/intimate relationship as opposed to a purely sexual one. Whereas in 1978 the reverse was true, gay men were more interested in sexual relationships. I then examined the contemporary personals in more detail to determine whether relationship goals had an impact on the signaling patterns. In this study signaling patterns are reflected in the descriptive words used by the men placing the ads. In spite of the fact that the relationships found to be significant were weak, they suggest that in comparison to 1978, contemporary gay men desire a long term versus a purely sexual relationship. In addition, the results of this study suggest to some extent that relationship goal influences signaling patterns.


identifier: Gariépy, Nadine  (2000) The therapeutic power of play : examining the play of young children with leukemia.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Play has been described as a medium through which children explore their social and physical environments, interact with others, and develop their social and cognitive skills. Recently, the idea that play may serve a therapeutic function has been investigated. The present study was designed to investigate the therapeutic effects of play on children with leukemia as compared to a group of healthy children. The participants with leukemia ( n = 11) were from the external hematology-oncology clinic of a large, Francophone children's hospital in a major urban area; they were in their first year of treatment and received weekly treatments. Children were observed in the playroom of the outpatient clinic. Control children ( n = 11) attended a day care center. All children were 3- to 5-years-old. A Stress Inventory (Chandler, 1981) assessed the two groups' experience with stress. Children's social and cognitive play behaviors during free play were coded (Rubin, 1978). As well, a self-distress measure (Weisz et al., 1994) rated children's daily moods. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)


identifier: Gendron, Marie-Josée  (2000) The effects of arousal on memorial accuracy : a comparison of arousal as part of content material and arousal as part of contextual environment.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In an attempt to examine the effect of arousal on memory, the present study investigated whether the source of arousal had any influence on the incidental memory of a short slide show. Specifically, memory of arousing content was compared to memory of material while in an arousing emotional state. A total of 104 volunteers were randomly assigned to one of four experimental groups. All groups watched the same 11 slides but heard either an arousing or neutral version of the story accompanying the slide show. Furthermore, half of the subjects were exposed to background sounds that were either arousing in nature or neutral while watching the neutral version of the slide show. Subjects' memory was tested either immediately following the slide show or after a one-week delay. The memory test consisted of both a free recall task and a multiple-choice recognition test. The free recall task was closely examined for gist, central and background detail, erroneous substitutions, fictional additions and attributions. Being exposed to arousing background sounds consistently impaired memory more significantly than exposure to neutral background sounds. Viewing the arousing story did improve memory on the free recall task for gist and background details, especially when the retention interval was delayed. However, this group also made consistently more errors in their recall as well, especially after a delay. A capacity for imagery and imaginative thinking (as measured by the Individual Differences Questionnaire) was found to reliably predict the number of memory intrusions (i.e., errors and attributions) subjects made in their recall. Implications for eyewitness testimony and memory for traumatic events are discussed.


identifier: Gerard, Christine  (2000) Modelling readers of news articles using nested beliefs.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Due to the wealth of documents available on-line, information retrieval on the Internet, in document databases or newspaper web sites can often lead to hundreds of documents being selected of which only a small number are of any interest to the user. This thesis is concerned with creating models of readers of news articles which could be used to filter and evaluate information to present to the reader only those articles containing information relevant to the reader's search.  News articles are of special interest since they consist of information told to a reporter by game sources. Such reported speech can only be adequately modelled using nested belief models to represent the reader's beliefs about the reporter's beliefs about the source's beliefs. This thesis proposes a method for representing a news article, analysing it to extract encoded information, determining the reliability of the information reported in the article, creating models of all the agents in the article, and simulating how a reader of news articles acquires or adopts information from the sources in the article.  A system called Percolator is presented. Percolator is a stand-alone implementation of one component of the more complex system required to model the nested beliefs of readers of news articles. It demonstrates how a technique called modified belief percolation can be used to simulate how a reader can acquire beliefs from the sources in an article.


identifier: Ghadiali, Delna  (2000) Aminolysis of the 4-acetoxybenzoate anion catalysed by cyclodextrins.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: From the kinetic investigation of the cleavage of the 4-acetoxybenzoate anion (4-ABA) in the presence of three cyclodextrins (Ì-CD, Ý-CD, and Þ-CD) in basic aqueous solution, the results indicate that 4-ABA binds to Ì-CD fairly weakly while no binding is observed between 4-ABA and Ý-CD or Þ-CD.  The effects of the three CDs on the kinetics of the aminolysis of 4-ABA by primary amines have been investigated. Rate constants for the nucleophilic attack by free and CD-bound amine are obtained. For Ì-CD, values of the reactivity ratios for the linear amines are low (<1) implying deceleration of the aminolysis reaction due to binding to the CD. In the case of Ý-CD, the reactivity ratios are slightly larger (>1 for both n -alkyl and branched amines), implying modest catalysis. As for Þ-CD, the values of the reactivity ratios are >2, which also signifies modest catalysis


identifier: Haggar, Janette  (2000) Issues in community art education : developing a profile of the community art educator.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: My thesis examines the unique role of the community art educator, the practice of teaching art in community settings, and how these relate to the particular skills needed to succeed as an community art educator. This thesis interviews four community art educators and describes their reasons for choosing this career. The goal of this thesis is to develop a descriptive profile of the community art educator.


identifier: Hart, Susan Elizabeth  (2000) Traditional war memorials and postmodern memory.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: War and how it is remembered are still timely and significant subjects for many Canadians as witnessed by the recent ceremony to mark the reburial of Canada's Unknown Soldier in the newly completed tomb at the base of the National War Memorial in Ottawa. Although literature on Canadian war memorials is plentiful, the memorials have been primarily discussed in terms of their production and meaning within an historical context. As we enter a new millennium, it is time to look at our abundant heritage of twentieth-century war memorials through a new lens, a lens which does not seek to document or decode, but rather seeks to examine the relation of traditional war memorials to the present time and to discuss them in terms of postmodernism in order to consider the following question: Can our traditional twentieth-century war memorials be meaningful memory markers for the twenty-first century? Barbara Steinman's Cenotaph (1985-86) acts as a nucleus from which discussion radiates outward, and through a series of chapters that address the interrelated issues of form, function and ideology, a theory of postmodernism in the context of war memorials is developed. Chapter Two looks at how traditional and postmodern monuments differ in their use of formal elements including text. Chapter Three considers the ways in which monuments function: as permanent installation; as ephemeral entities such as temporary, traveling, or disappearing installations; and as sites of performance, both ritual and interventionist. Chapter Four discusses the ideologically intertwined constructions of nationalism, race and gender in traditional and postmodern monuments, before wrapping up the discussion in the final chapter.


identifier: Hrycaj, Andrew  (2000) Challenging the United States : French foreign policy 1944-1948.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: French foreign policy between 1944 and 1948 is examined in terms of its successes in reasserting a French international identity reflecting a power capable of holding its own against the new superpowers of the world. Drawing upon the foreign policy documents of France and the United States, an image of French foreign policy as single-mindedly focused upon renewing identity by manipulating the negotiations over the future of Germany becomes clear. For the most part historians in the past have discussed this policy in terms of its shortcomings since France failed to gain many of its immediate goals. However, this thesis concludes that the immediate goals of French policy were simply a means to an end. The reassertion of French international interaction and the revival of French identity as free of foreign influence were the clear long term goals of foreign policy in the post-war period. As long as France maintained the balance between independence and foreign aid it viewed the policies of this period as a success.


identifier: Huck, Erin  (2000) Nike, feminism and rhetoric.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: Nike, feminism and rhetoric

abstract: This thesis examines Nike's women-directed advertising in the 1990s. The emphasis is placed on determining how Nike advertising reached such great levels of popularity, and why they resonated so deeply with female consumers. Considered in light of contemporary theories of rhetoric and feminism, it is demonstrated that the ads are invested with meaning and importance because they answer concerns about identity, representation, self-definition, agency and a sense of meaninglessness that preoccupy the modern citizen. Using magazine ads drawn almost exclusively from the periodicals Runner's World and Mademoiselle , this study demonstrates that it is through the rhetorical figures of the body and Nike's corporate image that these concerns are addressed, enacted, and articulated. In this way, Nike ads "work" to appeal to the female consumer. This reading of Nike ads merges interests in feminism, theories of rhetoric, visuality and very simply, how things become important.


identifier: Jakalian, Araz  (2000) Fast, efficient generation of high-quality atomic charges.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The novel AM1-BCC charge model quickly and efficiently generates high-quality atomic charges for organic molecules suitable for computer simulations in the solution phase. The concept of the AM1-BCC charge model is to produce atomic charges that emulate the HF/6-31G* electrostatic potential (ESP). Underlying electronic structure features including formal charge and electron density delocalization are first captured by AM1 atomic charges; bond charge corrections (BCCs) are then simply added to these AM1 atomic charges to produce the AM1-BCC charges. The BCCs have been determined such that, when added to the AM1 atomic charges, the resulting AM1-BCC atomic charges emulate the HF/6-31G* ESP. The BCCs were parameterized against a training set of >2700 molecules sampling most organic functional groups and their combinations, as well as an extensive variety of cyclic and fused bicyclic heteroaryl systems. The resulting BCC parameters allow the AM1-BCC charging scheme to handle virtually all organic compounds in The Merck Index and the NCI Database. The AM1-BCC charge model reproduces ab initio dimer energies of a diverse set of molecules with an average error of 0.9 kcal/mol and experimental relative free energies of solvation of a diverse set of compounds with an average error 0.7 kcal/mol.


identifier: Karigiannis, John  (2000) Software architecture and design of task deduction and task planning components for a multiple robot simulation system.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Visual simulations of industrial processes (e.g. welding, assembling etc.) involving multiple robots, are part of the overall design process for such systems. A 3D simulation and visualization software tool has been developed named MRS, for Multiple Robot Simulation system. Experiences in this area of industrial robotic applications have shown that there is a great concern about operability and supervision efforts. The goal is to give user confidence in operating such a system in an intuitive manner. In order to reach that, a Virtual Reality (VR) interface is integrated in the existing MRS. In addition, user must be provided with convincing information concerning the conduct of the tasks to be performed. Moreover, the system must demonstrate a certain degree of autonomy regarding the planning of these tasks. In this thesis, we present a software architecture for two components that we believe satisfy these functional requirements that are posed by the specific robotic system.


identifier: Karvelas, Panagiota  (2000) Schedulability analysis and automated implementation of real-time object-oriented design models.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: There is a growing interest in adopting object technologies for the development of real-time systems. Several commercial tools, currently available, provide object-oriented modeling and design support for real-time systems. While these products provide many useful facilities, such as visualization tools and automatic code generation, they are all weak in addressing the central characteristic of real-time system design, i.e., providing support for a designer to reason about timeliness properties.  We believe an approach that integrates the advancements in both object modeling and design methods, and real-time scheduling theory is the key to successful use of object technology for real-time software. We propose a methodology based on this idea for uni-processor multi-threaded environments. Specifically, given an application design model and end-to-end timing requirements, we synthesize a feasible implementation model using a built-in schedulability analysis tool. The synthesis process is supported by automatic code generation that can take the application design model and the synthesized implementation model and generate code for the target platform.  In this thesis, I have designed and implemented some of the key components to support this methodology. First, I have developed a schedulability test that determines whether a particular implementation model satisfies the real-time requirements of an application. This can be used during the automatic synthesis process. Second, I have developed an initial implementation supporting automatic code generation, which takes textual specifications of the application design model and a synthesized implementation model, and automatically generates executable code for it


identifier: Katerelos, Marina  (2000) The concept of animacy versus the object bias principle in 18-month-olds' word learning.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Researchers have postulated word-learning biases to explain infants' effortless acquisition of object words. One such bias, the whole object assumption, helps infants acquire new words by narrowing the referent of a novel label to an entire object, rather than to actions, spatial relations or parts of that object (Woodward & Markman, 1998). This object bias is surprising given that motion is particularly salient to young infants (Poulin-Dubois, 1999).  The main objective of the present experiment was to determine whether the whole object assumption could be overridden when a novel label is presented in the context of a novel object displaying an animate or an inanimate motion. To address this issue, 18-month-old infants were presented with an animate object, engaged in an animate motion and an inanimate object engaged in an inanimate motion. A novel label was paired with each of these events. On test trials, infants were simultaneously presented with the event originally paired with the target label and the event paired with the other label. In the generalization trials, the original pairings presented in the training phase were switched, such that infants saw the animate object performing the inanimate motion and the inanimate object performing the animate motion.  The results of the present study revealed that as a group, 18-month-old infants were unable to learn a label for an object in motion. The current results are discussed in the context of the recent word learning literature


identifier: Khoury, Khalil  (2000) The Amman financial market : institutional features and calandar [sic] effects.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The aim of this paper is to provide the reader an insight into a relatively little known market in a developing country. The purpose of the study is to look at the market from an investor's/portfolio manager's perspective. Most investors are used to operating in a developed, mature market such as the New York Stock Exchange or the London Stock Exchange where trading rules, processes and regulations are well understood and familiar. On the other hand, the Amman Financial Market operates under a different set of trading rules and regulations. These different rules and regulations may cause concern to the western investor over market transparency, liquidity, foreign investment restrictions, taxes, and repatriation of profits. This in turn might discourage him/her from entering a market that may have potential for high returns and opportunities to explore a market that holds potentially exploitable inefficiencies. An important part of the analysis will investigate the existence of these inefficiencies.  The Amman Financial Market operates in an Islamic country, whereby the religious holidays are based on a lunar calendar, and come at different times of the year every year. Therefore, unlike stock exchanges in the Western world, whereby all holidays are known and set in advance, the Amman Financial Exchange closes its doors on different days of the year every year. Furthermore, the weekend in the Middle East falls on a Thursday and Friday, and not Saturday and Sunday. These facts provide an opportunity to examine such market anomalies as the day of the week, month of the year, and holiday effect. We use the Amman Financial Market Index daily closing prices for the years 1987 through 1995 to perform the market anomaly tests. The results indicate no significant holiday or day of the week effects. However, significant results were obtained for the months of April, July, August and December which we endeavor to explain.


identifier: Kong, Ai  (2000) Concordia parallel C : design and implementation.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis focuses on the design and implementation of Concordia Parallel C (CPC) and its compiler Concordia Parallel C Compiler (CPCC).  The Concordia Parallel Programming Environment (CPPE) is a novel parallel programing environment supporting virtual-architecture parallel programming paradigm, program and library development, simulated execution, syntax/semantics/performance debugging, and simulation of various multiprocessors and multicomputers. A Parallel program written in CPC will be compiled by CPCC into a virtual code version, then interpreted by Concordia Parallel Systems Simulator (CPSS).  We extend the C language with features supporting Parallel computing as well as selected features of C++ to facilitate Parallel library writing. We adopt Abstract Syntax Trees (AST) as the internal code representation of our CPCC front-end, from which various program transformations can be performed, and code for various target parallel systems can be generated. The current back-end generates virtual code for CPSS.


identifier: Laugesen, Nina  (2000) Cognitive correlates of worry in adolescents.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Although research on worry has increased over the past 15 years, few studies have examined worry in adolescents (Vasey, 1993). Recently, Dugas and his colleagues (1998) have developed a model of excessive worry that has been highly effective for predicting the tendency to worry in adults. This model proposes that four process variables are associated with excessive worry: intolerance of uncertainty, positive beliefs about worry, negative problem orientation, and cognitive avoidance. The goal of the present study is to explore the relationship between worry and these cognitive processes in an adolescent sample. Five hundred and twenty-eight participants aged 14 to 18 years completed questionnaires assessing worry, somatic anxiety symptoms, intolerance of uncertainty, positive beliefs about worry, negative problem orientation, and cognitive avoidance. The first hypothesis, which predicted that each of the four process variables would make a unique contribution to the prediction of worry, was partially supported. Specifically, intolerance of uncertainty, positive beliefs about worry, and negative problem orientation made a unique contribution to the prediction of adolescent worry. The second hypothesis, which postulated that the four process variables would contribute to the discriminant function and that the discriminant function would be effective in classifying moderate and high worriers into their respective groups, was also partially supported. Results revealed that 72.8% of the original grouped cases were correctly classified. Finally, the third hypothesis, which proposed that intolerance of uncertainty would make the most important contribution to the prediction of worry and would be the most important variable in discriminating between moderate and high worry groups, was supported. Results suggest that intolerance of uncertainty may be a key construct implicated in the development and maintenance of worry in adolescence.


identifier: Lee, Susan Elizabeth  (2000) Go through the waves : a novel.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: Go through the waves : a novel

abstract: Set in 1952 rural Wales, Go Through the Waves is an exploration of three generations of women. There is the grandmother, Gwyn Thomas, who continuously builds statues to communicate with unseen people, and who drowns in her search for them. Then there is Jane Evans who volunteers in the Korean War, and returns traumatised and haunted by the soldier who she killed accidentally and with whom she attempts to communicate through letters. Finally, there is the narrator, Megan, who believes that her unexpected pregnancy is caused by a woman she loves, and who embodies her family's legacy through remarkable visions.


identifier: Lehoux, Pascale M  (2000) The role of perceived nonshared environment and personality traits in the etiology of bulimia nervosa.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Both environmental and genetic factors play an important role in the etiology of Bulimia Nervosa (BN). A number of critical environmental factors in the development of BN are not shared by family members; specifically, perceived nonshared environmental factors (e.g., differential parent-child relationships) may be more influential in the development of psychopathology and personality than are shared factors (e.g., general family dynamics). Therefore, the present study was designed to identify the differential environments experienced by bulimics and their sisters by assessing nonshared environmental influences associated with BN. In particular, sibling differential experiences and the influence of personality traits on the risk of developing BN were addressed. Forty bulimics and their non-eating disordered sisters were assessed for (a) eating pathology, (b) perceived nonshared environmental factors in three areas (i.e., differential parent-child relationship, quality of the sibling relationship, developmental experiences), (c) personality traits (i.e., implusivity, affective instability, narcissism), and (d) psychopathology. In general, bulimics exhibited higher levels of eating disturbances and psychopathology than sisters. Furthermore, compared to their sisters, bulimics reported being more insecurely attached to their fathers, higher levels of past shape and weight-related teasing experiences, and greater impulsivity, affective instability, and narcissism. However, perceptions of differential parental affection, quality of the sibling relationship, childhood sexual and physical abuse, as well as perceptions of parental dieting behaviors were identified as perceived shared environmental features. In terms of an etiological understanding of BN, the results of the logistic regression analyses revealed that both specific nonshared risk factors (i.e., perceptions of shape and weight-related teasing) and nonspecific risk factors (i.e., insecure paternal attachment, narcissism) significantly distinguished bulimics from their sisters, after accounting for depression and anxiety. Therefore, these perceived nonshared environmental influences may constitute vulnerability factors that predispose individuals to the development of BN. Implications of these findings are discussed in the light of existing models of risk factors involved in the etiology of BN.


identifier: Leiba, Elka  (2000) Maternal nonverbal behaviours and infant gaze during triadic play with toys at 5 and 12 months.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Investigations using the face-to-face procedure have demonstrated the importance of maternal nonverbal behaviours in mother-infant interactions, however, fewer studies have explored the contribution of maternal and infant nonverbal behaviours in play. The present study was designed to examine nonverbal communicative behaviours in mother-infant interactions, and investigate how mothers adjust their behaviours to the developmental level of their infants and similarly, how infant behaviours change over time. More specifically, nonverbal strategies that mothers use with toys to structure the attention of their infants within a free play context were examined. Gaze, an important index of attention was used to assess infant attentional behaviours. Given that the motivating force of play is affective in nature, the present study also measured active and passive affection to address the affective component of play between mothers and infants. Twenty-six mother-infant dyads were studied longitudinally at both 5 and 12 months and participated in an 8-minute free play period that included age appropriate toys.


identifier: Li, Xing  (2000) Ultrasonic circumferential waves in empty and water-filled tubes.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Ultrasonic waves propagating in the circumference of elastic isotropic cylindrical shells are theoretically and experimentally studied.  Dispersion relations of different circumferential modes, including the SH-type and Lamb-type families, are obtained by solving the wave equations numerically. Asymptotic solutions are also given for the SH-like modes.  Various technologies are applied for generating and detecting the circumferential waves. In particular, a new approach is developed for experimental determination of the dispersion of the circumferential waves in cylindrical shells. With a chirp interdigital transducer (IDT) as a broadband transmitter and receiver made on a stainless steel tube coated with piezoelectric film, both the group and phase velocities of the circumferential waves are obtained over a wide frequency range, which covers the most sensitive region of the lowest flexural mode. Other transduction approaches are also used as complementary tools in the experiments.  Experiments are carried out on both empty and fluid-loaded cylindrical shells at different frequencies. With the specially developed experimental configuration, propagation of a new flexural wave type in a water-filled tube is observed. Mode conversions are also observed between the A 0 mode in the shell and the compressional waves in the water. The results show good application potentials in liquid level sensing.


identifier: Liang, Xinghua  (2000) Survivorship bias in mutual fund performance : evidence in Canadian mutual funds.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This paper examines the influence of the survivorship bias on performance persistence in Canadian mutual funds. Our sample covers the period of January 1986 till December 1999. Spreads of the survivorship bias on mutual fund returns are gauged by comparing the difference between the sample of surviving funds and the sample of surviving and defunct funds. The comparisons are conducted first only on equity funds, and later on funds in all categories. Contingency tables are used to address the question of performance persistence. Cross Product Ratios (CPR) are obtained for all funds, active and inactive, on an annual basis. Probit models are used to explore the odds of and factors that contribute to the disappearance of funds.  Major findings of this study are as follows. The effects of the survivorship bias on Canadian mutual funds are nontrivial. Persistence of fund performance has been found, while reversals are also observed. The persistence is correlated across managers; this may be due to certain common factors. An examination of fund disappearance in the probit models indicates that funds' return, size, and expense ratios are significant predictors of fund's attrition, while the optional sales charges, whether a fund is affiliated with an insurance company, and how long the fund has been in existence are also significant other factors. These results are consistent with those reported for the US mutual fund industry.


identifier: Liberovskaya, Katherine  (2000) Multimedia then and now : today's digital form and past artistic concepts.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Challenging the widely popular techno-centric and progress-oriented perspective which presents current New Media as the unprecedented model achievements of the Digital Revolution's scientific and engineering technological advances, this study argues that the new digital media are no less the continuity of a convergence of ideas evolving as much in the sciences as in the humanities and arts since the end of the Enlightenment. It proposes to re-think new media and their development via their interdependence with other fields of academic, scientific and artistic inquiry and through a media-archeological re-visitation of the past approach which emphasizes cyclical recurrence. Focusing on the intersection of the New Media with the world of (Western) Art, the study explores the reputedly new digital form referred to by "multimedia" today, as to its unprecedented nature in relation to artistic practice(s) and conceptions of Art as we are used to imagining them. The analysis is two-fold. The first part traces the origins of "multimedia" in avant-garde practices and visions of synthesis, from Western art history since Wagner, which resonate and dialogue with present ideas of synergy. The second part examines some recent art practices considered as "multimedia"--projects on CD-ROM--as to if and how they continue the aesthetic concepts outlined in the first section, as well as to the presence of any new dimensions specifically due to computerization. As it recontextualizes digital multimedia within a much broader frame of reference, this study presents new directions for alternative critical approaches to today's New Media that offer some balance by standing in contrast to the prevailing digital hype.


identifier: Liu, Shuyang  (2000) Movable frame hybrid MAC : a multi-MAC protocol for wireless software radios in multi-rate multimedia applications.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: We describe a new medium-access control (MAC) protocol for dynamic adjustment of the bandwidth requirement of multimedia applications. The purpose of this technique is handling multi-rate, multi-level traffic in an integrated wireless-access network (IWAN). A proposed mechanism divide total bandwidth in basic band and reservation band. Four conventional access techniques which are CDMA, CSMA, TDMA and FDMA are combined in the basic band. Reservation band choose these four techniques flexibly depending the traffic characteristics and quality of services (QoS) requirement. This Movable Frame Hybrid MAC (FMHMAC) is called software radios in third generation (3G) wireless network designing.  A comparative evaluation of this access technique is done by simulation procedure Through simulations, the performances of the proposed access technique (e.g. call blocking probability, average delay and delay jitter) show that is both robust and suitable for the intended IWAN applications, this will results in high QoS guarantee for arbitrary traffic condition.


identifier: Liu, Yue  (2000) Empirical tests of the clean surplus valuation model : Canadian evidence.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The main purpose of this research is to empirically test the validity of the clean surplus valuation model for Canadian public companies.  The empirical results of this research confirm the high explanation power of the clean surplus model in predicting stock prices for Canadian public companies and support the use of the clean surplus model as a proxy for intrinsic firm value. Profitable trading strategies are successfully constructed based on the intrinsic values suggested by the model. It is evident that under-priced portfolios identified by the model consistently yield higher returns than other portfolios for all different holding periods.  This research proves that the clean surplus valuation model provides a criteria that is both theoretically sound and empirically valid. By comparing the theoretical values with associated market prices, one can effectively construct profitable trading strategies by using fundamental variables and market values of mispriced stocks will eventually move toward their intrinsic values


identifier: Mahmud, Mamun  (2000) Impact of data-dependent model selection on inference.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In this thesis, I consider the problem of accounting for model uncertainty in a parametric regression model with focus on the uncertainty involved in selection of the optimal transformation of a continuous predictor in the Cox proportional hazards model (Cox, 1972). I use the minimum AIC approach to select a posteriori the optimal transformation of a continuous predictor. First, I review literature on criteria and methods for selecting the " best-fitting " model based on the results obtained from a sample, in Chapter 1. Then, in Chapter 2, I discuss the general problem of model selection uncertainty on inference and summarize research in this area. Next, I evaluate the impact of the data-dependent model selection approach on type I error rate through simulations. In simulations, I generate data, assuming both linear and non-linear dependence of hazard on a continuous covariate as well as no association. The generated data are then used to estimate a series of models with various functional form, to assess the impact of model selection on type I error and on statistical power. Some of the above methodological problems are then illustrated in the analysis of a real-life dataset including several cardiovascular risk factors.


identifier: Mansour, Catherine A  (2000) Shall we dance? : investigating protein interactions implicated in Escherichia coli postreplicative mismatch repair using a bacterial two hybrid system.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: There are many potential mutational threats to the integrity of DNA and multiple DNA repair systems to counteract these. MutS, MutL and MutH are integral elements of dam -directed repair (MMR), a mismatch recognition system involved in rectifying DNA replication errors. Moreover, MutS and MutL have been implicated in the effective endonucleolytic functioning of Vsr, primary player of very short patch (VSP) repair. This study made use of the bacterial two hybrid system in an attempt to further clarify the critical role that each of the above-mentioned proteins plays relative to one another.  Our initial goal was to determine specific interactions involved in the MMR pathway. Of the six positive candidates first revealed, four known interactions were observed. A novel liaison between MutS and MutH was detected while binding of MutL to Vsr established a direct link between MMR and VSP repair. The disappearance of the MutS-MutH complex in a mutL background makes a strong case for the role of MutL as a molecular matchmaker. The presence of Vsr impeded proper function of MMR as demonstrated by the lack of MutL homodimerization as well as the disappearance of all interactions involving MutL. This evidence lends further credence to MutL's role as coordinator of MMR and VSP repair.


identifier: Masters, Richard  (2000) The effect of students' physics background on their understanding of linear algebra.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Concepts of vectors, linear combinations and spanning, transformations and linear transformations in the teaching of Linear Algebra, a geometric approach was taken. Activities in the aforementioned areas were designed in a dynamic computer environment Cabri Geometry II that allowed students to interact with vectors in a two-dimensional coordinate free vector space. Some of these activities embodied the notion of vectors in physical situations such as systems of pulleys and weights being suspended from a string. Unfortunately these representations proved problematic for a group of students having a working knowledge of elementary physics. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to understand the ways that experience with physics knowledge interferes with the acquisition of knowledge in Linear Algebra. It considered two groups of students, those with physics experience and those without such experience. The topics that gave difficulty to both groups of students were attributed to the complex nature of Linear Algebra and those that were different were considered to be specific to a background in physics.


identifier: Mazerolle, Steve  (2000) Les traces de la psychologie de l'apprentissage dans l'évolution des curriculums et des manuels scolaires, au Québec, de 1982 à 1997 : recherche historique.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Cette étude est une rétrospective des programmes pour l'enseignement de la mathématique au secondaire ainsi que des manuels scolaires qui les accompagnaient. Les commentaires sont les résultats dune recension des documents de chaque époque. L'emphase est mise sur les traces laissées par les courants psychologiques et didactiques qui ont influencées les manuels scolaires et les curriculums. Parmi les influences dominantes qui ressortirent des documents concernés, on y retrouve un contraste entre un enseignement centré sur l'élève et un enseignement centré sur le contenu mathématique. À la lecture des documents ministériels, les curriculums semblent avoir évolués également dans le sens des développements des psychologies de l'apprentissage.


identifier: Mechar, Kyle William  (2000) The politics of speaking for : theorizing the limits of liberation and equality in gay and lesbian political discourse.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis offers a critical examination of discourses of liberation and equality in contemporary North American gay and lesbian politics. Informed by work in cultural studies and political theory, it has as its principal theoretical objective a desire to refuse an oppositional political framework, one which looks only or primarily to the impediments to liberation and equality for gays and lesbians. As such, the thesis develops the notion of speaking for (as opposed to against) to analyze how these discourses inadvertently reproduce what they are said to oppose, redress, or resolve. Drawing on both theoretical and popular texts, including the media, for its analyses, the thesis aims to open up debates in gay and lesbian studies and politics through a detailed investigation of a number of recent and on-going sites and struggles.  To this end, a central focus in the project is the prevalence of rights in these debates. Arguing neither for nor against specific rights but for a deeper understanding of the culture they produce, the thesis situates rights within the framework of two dimensions of representation: as state formation and the law, on the one hand, and as subject formation, on the other. This framework serves to underscore the implications of waging political demands on the basis of that from which gays and lesbians have been excluded, something the thesis calls into question.


identifier: Morrison, Craig  (2000) Psychedelic music in San Francisco : style, context, and evolution.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Psychedelic rock began in 1965 and was popular until around 1970. Its most important centres were San Francisco, the city of its origin, and London. One of its chief features was the attempt to translate into musical terms the effects of hallucinogenic drugs, especially LSD, which had become available in artistic circles in the early 1960s and was legal until 1966. San Francisco psychedelic music took its ideology from the folk music revival of the 1950s, which many of its most important practitioners had participated in, including Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin of Big Brother and the Holding Company, and members of the Jefferson Airplane. The catalyst for the folk revival musicians to adopt the rock band format was the British Invasion, which began in 1964 with the arrival in America of the Beatles.  Psychedelic music is examined in relation to an original, seven-stage model of style evolution that is developed in the thesis. It looks beyond the heyday of the music, tracing the legacy of its decline and eventual revival in the present. The thesis offers detailed musical analyses that identify key structures, or matrices, in the evolution of the style. Much of the contextual evidence derives from original field work involving interviews with musicians and industry representatives who were part of the San Francisco scene.


identifier: Muckenfuss Caldwell, Susan  (2000) An emergent paradigm for propaganda analysis resulting from a comparative study of the allied re-education projects with German prisoners of war.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Between 1942 and 1949, the Soviet Union, United States and British military conducted re-education projects with the German prisoners of war in their custody. This dissertation, by examining these Allied political re-education projects, develops the ground for a more comprehensive approach to the interpretive frameworks--the paradigms and perspectives--operating within the fields of propaganda analysis and curriculum development. These re-education projects do not easily fall within conventional academic areas of inquiry and therefore compel us to look further and develop new ideas or hybrids of theory. Historically, the seven-year period of 1942-49 covered the shift from the WWII alliance of the capitalist governments of the British Empire and the U.S. with the communist Soviet Union to the beginning of the categorical anti-communism of the Cold War, with Germany as a central arena of the action. The political re-education projects with the German prisoners of war reflected this changing dynamic.  Re-education is a mixture of propaganda and education. Thus the interpretive frameworks in these two disciplines are summarised and compared. Doing so highlights the role of ideology to both the philosophy of science and to the concepts underlying an Enlightenment rationalist approach to representative government. This dissertation proposes the use of Wolf's 1 ethnography based definition as the most appropriate for a social science analysis. Multiple competing ideologies are understood to exist within each society, impacting both the education and propaganda created at the various levels of societal power, from individual to the national levels. National myths are seen to play a critical role in both the curriculum of humanities and social science education and governmental propaganda. A critical analysis of the concept of brainwashing is used to elucidate the logical limits of the concept of propaganda as exclusively external manipulation.  A description of the Allied re-education projects emphasizes the complex considerations of governments regarding propaganda towards foreign nationals, temporarily detained in a conflict situation, as well as the limited achievements of such projects. These projects are analysed using the interpretive frameworks from both propaganda analysis and curriculum development in education. A lacuna is noted in the propaganda paradigm and this dissertation provides a new hybrid--an Existentialist propaganda paradigm. These inter-related assumptions concerning the nature of ideology, the functioning of multiple ideologies within each society, and the role of the individual free choice within the propaganda situation provide the basis for a more comprehensive framework for the analysis of both propaganda and education.  1 Wolf, Eric R. Envisioning Power: Ideologies of Dominance and Crisis . Berkeley: University of California Press, 1999. Wolf defines ideology as "a complex of ideas selected to underwrite and represent a particular project of installing, maintaining, and aggrandising power in social relationships". Such ideologies are the product of particular social groupings and individuals.


identifier: Murray, John Garrett  (2000) The performance of tilting strategies for the Toronto stock exchange 300 composite index.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This research explores the performance of tilting strategies for the Toronto Stock Exchange 300 Composite Index during the period from February 1982 to December 1996. The emphasis is to create a rebalanced or tilted portfolio that has a significantly higher reward-to-risk ratio than the Toronto Stock Exchange 300 Composite Index. Passive tilting strategies are used in which the weights of all the stocks in the index are reallocated based on factors which empirical research have identified as being useful in predicting future returns. The factors studied are weight (size), earnings/price ratio, past return, and book-to-market ratio. The passive tilting portfolios are created by redistributing certain percentages of the total weight to increase holdings in stocks predicted to outperform and to decrease them for those stocks expected to underperform. Both single factor and multifactor strategies are examined. Both single factor and multifactor tilting strategies based on these variables do not perform well over the studied period. Similar results are also found for shorter subperiods. The results generally are not significant using the Jobson and Korkie test of significance for two portfolios. Therefore, based on these factors, the results suggest that the TSE 300 Index was efficient during the studied period.


identifier: Nazneen, Roksana  (2000) The experience of adaptation in Canadian society : a case study of Bangladeshi families.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study examines the influence of cultural values on the process of adaptation of Bangladeshi community in Montreal. The forms of adaptation as a community range from institutions rooted in an enclave economy on one hand to more complete assimilation on the other. But cultural differences are experienced very acutely at the interpersonal level. It is at this level that this study seeks to discover which values are most likely to be (a) abandoned, (b) undergo adaptation, or (c) remain constant.  My findings indicate that those families and individuals most deeply involved in an enclave community--the Sylhettis--and, at the other extreme, those who have secure jobs that are commensurate with their status expectations, experience the least amount of stress in making adjustments to their cultural values. Those families and individuals, whose previous occupational training and previous social status are not sufficiently valued by members of the host society in Montreal find it much more difficult to accommodate their cultural values with those of the host society and subsequently experience much more personal stress and anxiety


identifier: Nicholson, Judith  (2000) Cellulore phenomenon : promoting and policing cellular phones in Canada.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Using a discursive analysis and cultural studies model, this thesis explores how we are understanding, rationalizing, resisting and embracing the cellphone by telling stories about how people use it. "Cellulore" is an original descriptive phrase used in this thesis to describe the stories people share and the popular media publish and broadcast about strange, odd, boorish and even dangerous or potentially deadly activities related to cellphone use. In the "utopic" and "dystopic" stories of cellulore, there are cautious, dismissive, and indecisive opinions about the meaning and value of the cellphone in our everyday lives. The aim of this thesis is to reveal how five taken-for-granted processes have promulgated the cellphone, supported unequal access to it, and helped to make the object meaningful in different ways to different social groups. Production, consumption, representation, identification, and regulation are the five processes. I propose that cellulore is the moment of articulation which binds these processes in relation to the cellphone. Together they have resulted in the cellphone acquiring a new register of meaning and value not associated with related communication technology like the landline telephone or with other portable technologies like the beeper or Walkman ® . Cellphone use is provoking a redefinition of "mobile privatisation" as users speak private conversations aloud in public spaces instead of private spaces. Cellulore serves the function of helping us to understand, negotiate, and contribute to the changes affecting distances and distinctions between public and private spaces, between social groups, and between individuals.


identifier: Oda, Keiji  (2000) Effects of dopamine depletion in the nucleus accumbens on lateral hypothalamic self-stimulation in the rat.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Considerable evidence implicates dopamine in brain stimulation reward. For example, dopamine antagonists or destruction of dopaminergic neurons reduce the reward effectiveness of medial forebrain bundle stimulation. Assessment of such effects is complicated by across-subject averaging and by motor deficits, which are thought to be due to destruction of dopaminergic projections to the dorsal striatum. In contrast, the changes in reward have been linked to changes in the dopaminergic input to the nucleus accumbens (NAcc). We reexamined the effects of dopamine depletion induced by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) on lateral hypothalamic (LH) self-stimulation using within-subject analysis. To minimize motor deficits due to destruction of the dorsal striatal dopaminergic input, I made multiple injections of 6-OHDA (totaling 9.6 og/6 ol/side) into the NAcc by means of glass micropipettes. Frequency thresholds for LH self-stimulation were measured before and after 6-OHDA injection. Dopamine was depleted by 55-92% in the NAcc, and by 0-52% in the dorsal striatum. Seven of 13 rats showed no threshold changes, four showed modest threshold increases and two showed threshold decreases. In one rat, unilateral 6-OHDA treatment caused bilateral threshold increases. Maximum post-lesion response rates were 20-80% of baseline values. Surprisingly, threshold changes were uncorrelated with dopamine depletion. The present study adds a paradox concerning the role of NAcc DA in BSR.


identifier: Padilla, Rodrigo A  (2000) The image of countries and their products at the subcultural level : investigating differences between English and French Canadian consumers.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Research on the Product and Country Images (PCI) issue (also known as "country-of-origin", or "made-in"), began 30 years ago and has grown rapidly to become one of the most important fields in international marketing and business theory, with over 500 published studies to date. This substantial literature reflects the pervasive presence of origin cues in society and the economy, in public policy and business decision-making. While the body of work on (PCI) has made significant theoretical and practical contributions, numerous unresolved questions remain. Among them is whether the effects of the product-country image vary across subcultural groups within nations concerning products from various countries. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine if consumer attitudes towards foreign countries and their products vary among ethnic subcultural groups (English versus French-Canadians).  The data analysis, using multivariate analysis of variance and factor analysis confirmed that subcultural differences between English and French Canadians do indeed exist in the evaluation of foreign countries and their products. Manova tests revealed that significant differences between the two subcultures were detected for eleven of the eighteen countries under investigation. Furthermore, a subcultural bias was demonstrated by the fact that English Canadians gave more favorable scores to products from Great Britain than French Canadians did while French Canadians gave better scores to products from France.


identifier: Abdo, Hadeel I  (2000) Immigrant Arabs and immigrant Jews in Montreal : their social interaction and attitudes toward the Arab-Israeli conflict.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study is an attempt to explore the social interaction of immigrant Arabs and immigrant Jews in Montreal and their attitudes toward the Arab-Israeli conflict. It examines the relationship between religiosity, friendship, and attitudes toward the conflict. As well, the thesis studies whether there is a change in immigrant Arabs' and immigrant Jews' attitudes toward the conflict and level of social interaction after immigrating to Canada. I have conducted face-to-face interviews with immigrant Arabs and immigrant Jews to obtain my data. The findings reveal that the influence of religiosity on the attitudes toward the conflict is stronger than its influence on friendship. The results also show that friendship influences on immigrant Arabs and immigrant Jews' attitudes toward the conflict. The findings indicate that the tendency for immigrant to keep the same attitudes toward the conflict is higher than the tendency to change the attitudes toward the conflict after immigration. The results vary depending on ethnicity.


identifier: Aitken, Susan-Marie  (2000) Inhibition and inactivation of prostaglandin synthase-2 and horseradish peroxidase.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Prostaglandin synthase (PGHS) is a bifunctional enzyme of particular pharmaceutical interest, containing both cyclooxygenase (COX) and peroxidase (POX) active sites. Development of PGHS-2-selective POX inhibitors may reduce the toxic and carcinogenic effects of PGHS-2 xenobiotic activation, as well as further define the role of this activity in vivo . Knowledge of the contribution of specific contacts to binding will be crucial to drug design. The results of an investigation of the thermodynamics of binding of a series of aromatic hydroxamic acid analogues to the archetypical peroxidase horseradish peroxidase (HRP) revealed the importance of hydrogen bonds to the distal catalytic residues, in particular the distal arginine of HRP.  The ability of peroxidases, including PGHS-2, to oxidize a wide variety of compounds makes the design of selective, reversible inhibitors very challenging. Therefore, the potential of aromatic hydrazides as mechanism-based peroxidase inhibitors was investigated here, again using HRP as a model peroxidase. The results suggest that benzhydrazide is a mechanism-based inhibitor of HRP. In general hydrazides were observed to be good inhibitors of PGHS-2 POX activity with IC 50 values in the 1-800 oM range and with 2-naphthoichydrazide (2-NZH) being the most potent (IC 50 = 1.6 oM. Comparison of the IC 50 values for PGHS-2 and HRP support the potential development of peroxidase-selective hydrazides.  The COX activity of PGHS-2 is the target of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The effects of MAID binding on the structure and conformational stability of PGHS-2 were investigated here. Diclofenac was observed to cause the greatest reduction in the conformational flexibility of PGHS-2, possibly due to its strained (entropically unfavorable) but very enthalpically favorable binding conformation, in comparison with the other compounds of the fenamate family investigated.  Both the COX and POX activities of PGHS-2 isozymes undergo rapid suicide inactivation. The mechanism of inactivation is not known, although it is likely radical-based. Stoichiometric incorporation of 14 C-AA was observed here on the time scale of inactivation, suggesting that the incorporation of activated substrate intermediates may be involved in COX inactivation. The negligible degree of H 2 O 2 -dependent intermolecular crosslinking observed here indicates that this is not a major mechanism of PGHS-2 inactivation.


identifier: Coates, Edmund William  (2000) The dreamer awakes : semantic and metaphysical presuppositions in skepticism about knowledge of the external world.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Barry Stroud sees global skepticism, in regard to our knowledge of the external world, as a threat to the claims of modern epistemology. An exchange between Susan Haack and Richard Rorty illustrates the situation of contemporary epistemology. For Michael Williams, the skeptic trades on presuppositions of traditional epistemology; we can avoid the skeptic by adopting contextualism. Williams is, in turn, countered by Ron Wilburn. Wilburn argues for a cross-contextual structure of second-order beliefs, a structure that would support the skeptic. An argument of G. E. Moore's leads to reflection on the contingency of the special authority we have over our beliefs about our experience.  For Hilary Putnam, the skeptic trades on presuppositions in the theory of reference. Drawing an alternative account of reference from Ludwig Wittgenstein's work, Putnam refutes a standard skeptical thought-experiment. Putnam focuses on the contemporary version of this skeptical scenario, that describes a world made-up of brains in a vat. Jane McIntyre argues against Putnam's refutation. McIntyre's argument fails, as does Paul Coppock's attempt to counter Putnam's refutation by means of a parody. Still, Putnam's success is limited. He leaves the skeptic clear avenues to continue her attacks


identifier: Cooperman, Jessica M  (1999) From childhood to parenthood : continuity of risk over time and contextual factors perpetuating the inter-generational transfer of risk.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The present investigation, comprised of two studies, has as its goal the examination of the continuity of risk over time and across generations associated with aggression and social withdrawal in childhood. More specifically, contextual factors related to financial disadvantage namely, low educational attainment, inadequate social support, and poor quality home environment were considered markers of continued risk as well as pathways to risk transfer. Each of the studies involved a subset of the participants from the Concordia Longitudinal Risk Project. In 1977, children from an inner city area, then aged 7, 10, and 13, were classified along the dimensions of aggression and social withdrawal, based on peer nominations. More than 20 years later, original participants, now parents, were evaluated. The focus of Study 1 was on the pathways to parenting and outcomes for a second generation in a group of women with young children ( n = 112). Study 2 involved an examination of the threats to adequate parenting including high school dropout, early parenthood, and poverty through replication and expansion of work by Serbin and colleagues (1998) with a sample of fathers ( n = 164). Results of both studies indicate intra- and inter-generational continuity, particularly for aggression. Social withdrawal is also found to be a risk factor; however, its role is more indirect, operating primarily through low educational attainment. Finally, within the context of parenthood, poverty and its concomitants are found to be important manifestations of continued risk as well as pathways towards the transfer of risk to a second generation. And while indirect pathways through contextual parenthood variables are found to be important, the direct link observed between parental childhood aggression and negative outcomes in both the cognitive and behavioural domains for offspring is striking. The present findings are discussed in terms of implications for intervention and social policy.


identifier: Daigneault, Pierre  (2000) Sartre's early moral theory.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: Sartre's early moral theory

abstract: During the 1940's, Jean-Paul Sartre published a multitude of philosophical works dealing with human understanding. At the end of Being and Nothingness , his magnum opus, Sartre promised a moral theory. By 1947, he had filled a dozen notebooks bearing on moral theory, but because he was unsatisfied with his work they were never published during his lifetime. By using the ontology Being and Nothingness and Notebooks for an Ethics , combined with the help of Sartre's other philosophical works of the same period, I demonstrate that a moral theory based on Sartre's philosophy is possible; unlike what many of his critics have claimed. In order to do so, I look at the influence made by German philosophers on Sartre's early work; some of the most important elements of his philosophy in relation to his moral theory; a critical assessment of criticism held against a Sartrean moral theory; and finally how such a model could function.


identifier: Desharnais, Patrick  (2000) Agent assisted price negotiation for electronic commerce.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Current electronic retail stores do not offer one-to-one price negotiation capabilities. From a consumer's perspective, price negotiation provides an opportunity to debate the price. From a vendor's perspective, the ability to negotiate allows for flexibility in pricing that a rigidly fixed price policy cannot offer. Hence, we feel that one-to-one price negotiation would be beneficial in online stores and e-commerce in general. Given the high cost of providing human sales agents online, we research if it is possible to design a practicable automated system that is able to autonomously negotiate on behalf of a retail vendor in a commercial one-to-one business environment.  Specifically, this thesis explores the use of "agent assisted price negotiation" applicable between a consumer and a retail vendor. It describes the inherent difficulties involved in automating negotiation, provides a critical analysis of the current approaches to automated negotiation with regards to different business models, and then proposes an "information driven" methodology for the calculation of a "just-in-time personalized price". The thesis also provides the requirements and specifications for a simple and intuitive one-to-one negotiation protocol. As a proof of concept, a Java prototype of a software Sales Agent in a Multi-Agent System architecture is implemented and presented. Overall, by automating negotiation for e-commerce retailing, we hope to increase both the retailer and consumer satisfaction


identifier: Dimmock, Stephen G  (2000) The book-to-market ratio and Schwert-Seguin type tests of volatility.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis integrates 2 areas of financial research; research on the book-to-market (BM) anomaly and research on time-varying capital asset pricing models (CAPM). Fama and French (1992) introduced the BM anomaly to the academic literature and suggested that it might be driven by changes in economic variables missed by the static CAPM. Using the methodology developed in Schwert and Seguin (1990) this thesis directly tests the possibility that the BM is driven by changes in equity market volatility. This thesis does not find evidence to support the hypothesis that the BM effect is driven by changes in volatility.


identifier: Donia, Magda  (2000) RDP : a management intervention in the prevention of survivor syndrome.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: While downsizing has become an increasingly popular organizational tool in the achievement and/or maintenance of competitiveness and increased productivity, the negative side effect known as survivor syndrome continues to plague many post-downsizing organizations. This thesis is an exploratory study with the aim of producing an instrument, the Realistic Downsizing Preview (RDP), which can be effectively used, before the downsizing is implemented, to prevent survivor syndrome in the aftermath of the downsizing. As such, a model is created based on lessons from the literature on downsizing and survivor syndrome. The revision/validation of the model is based on the data gathered from focused interviews and questionnaires presented to nine case organizations. All but a few of the items proposed in the model are either already in practice or considered desirable by the interviewees, supporting the value of implementing an intervention to address survivor syndrome prior to the downsizing. As a result, the final RDP model is the product of both best practices proposed in the literature and the feedback of real life downsizing organizations. The implications of using this model for managers and management are discussed. Future research suggestions are also provided.


identifier: Gilbert, Sylvie  (2000) Sortir de table : les performances alimentaires de Carmen Miranda, Louise Mercille et des religieuses du Moyen Âge.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Ce mémoire explore la rencontre entre la nourriture et la performance, ce que nous avons convenu d'appeler la ±performance alimentaire», à partir des films de Carmen Miranda, des performances d'art de Louise Mercille et des comportements des religieuses du Moyen Âge. Les trois corpus sont jumelés respectivement à trois activités de la subsistance, soit faire l'épicerie, préparer la nourriture et manger et signalent les activités parallèles à la consommation de la nourriture--les déplacements gastronomiques--qu'opèrent ces femmes.  Sortir de table examine les activités qui sont parallèles à et autour de la consommation et identifie les trajectoires empruntées par les femmes pour contourner les lieux communs de la nourriture et de la performance. Pratiques sensuelles du corps, les performances alimentaires des femmes éclairent les conditions que partagent la nourriture et la performance (ici médiations) en manifestant publiquement les procédés de la disparition et de la répétition.


identifier: Hashmi, Shafiq Ullah  (2000) Efficient forward error correction coding technique for spread spectrum communications.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis presents the study of the coding technique and the simulation results for the Forward Error Correction (FEC) of the wireless data in a highly noisy and severe fading wireless medium, based on standard (IEEE 802.11 Wireless Local Area Network specification) and GPS driven non-standard MAC schemes. The design and testing of this coding scheme is a part of MYMAR, a new Mobile Yellow page Messaging And Retrieval system, which is based on GPS driven slow frequency hopping access.  The main contributions of this thesis are the demonstration of the performance of the coding scheme, which works well in severe fading environments. The coding technique uses simple Reed-Solomon Forward Error Correction mechanisms coupled with a new highly interleaved data table.  The performance of the coding scheme is assessed in Rayleigh fading multipath propagation with additive white Gaussian noise interference coupled with interference due to like user frequency hop overlapping (in non-standard MAC scheme). Simulation results for severe fading channel with burst error models are presented for both standard and non-standard MAC mechanisms. The simulation show very good and satisfactory results for high data rate with good TPDU (Transport Protocol Data Unit) loss probabilities.


identifier: Huggins, Rachel  (2000) Can genetic justice survive? : DNA technology and social control in the 21st century.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: DNA technology will impact many areas in society and has been swept up by some members of the criminal justice system as a tool to aid in the "war against crime". As a fairly recent innovative technology DNA evidence has found a place within the state's contemporary process of crime control. This science has not only transformed crime control but has offered the criminal justice system a method of social control that relies on our genetic make-up, is highly accurate, but includes an invasion of privacy right. This study is a theoretical trend analysis of how the criminal justice system has shifted from a human-based to a science-based system of crime control, and how DNA technology has encouraged the process. The issues addressed include ideologies relied upon by the criminal justice system (in United States, United Kingdom and Canada) to promote, regulate and determine the use of DNA technology, and the publics reaction to what some call an invasive technology. DNA technology like many other technologies, can sometimes be a double-edged sword: there are benefits and adverse affects to society when DNA technology is used for crime control. There is also a potential for misuse of this technology and abuse by those who should be protecting not only societal interest as defined by government, but the privacy interest and rights to fair and equal justice on the part of all citizens.


identifier: Islam, Md. Shafiqul  (2000) Absolutely continuous invariant measures for piecewise linear interval maps both expanding and contracting.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Let [Special characters omitted.] be a family of piecewise linear maps f : [-1,1] [arrow right] [-1,1] with a discontinuity at x = 0 such that f is expanding in one of the intervals (-1,0), (0,1) and contracting in the other. We will study the dynamics of maps of sub-classes of [Special characters omitted.] . It will be shown that a map in such a sub-class of [Special characters omitted.] either has a periodic attractor or is eventually expanding. In the latter case, there exists an absolutely continuous invariant measure (acim) and in many examples we will find the measure.


identifier: Karp, Jennifer  (2000) The influence of child temperament on cognitive competence in a high-risk intergenerational sample : risk or protective factor?  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study examined the role of child temperament in the relationship between parental risk status and cognitive competence. Three main questions were addressed: (1) Does parental risk status predict child temperament? (2) Does child temperament act as a mediating variable between parental risk status and cognitive functioning? Importantly, does temperament operate as a risk or protective factor? and (3) What is the nature of the relationship between child temperament and cognitive functioning? These questions were explored within a subsample of high-risk mothers and their infant and preschool-age offspring from the Concordia Longitudinal Risk Project. This longitudinal investigation, which started in 1977, identified lower SES individuals as being highly aggressive and/or withdrawn in childhood. Many of these individuals now have children of their own, which provides a unique opportunity to investigate the trajectories of risk and resilience across generations. Contrary to expectations, parental risk status was not a significant predictor of child temperament in either infants or preschoolers. In the infant subsample, child temperament operated as a risk factor for lower cognitive performance and worked directly to influence IQ, even after controlling for current psychosocial variables. In the preschool subsample, child temperament operated indirectly, through the home environment and parental social support, in predicting children's intelligence scores. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for taking a developmental approach when studying child outcomes, and the processes by which children's cognitive competence is placed at risk.