identifier: Bottausci, Ingrid G  (1996) The effects of congruent versus incongruent music styles and high and low cognition ad copy on AAd and ABrand.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study examines the effects of music styles, which are congruent and incongruent with brand image, on attitude towards the advertisement (A$\sb{\rm Ad}$) and attitude towards the brand (A$\sb{\rm Brand}$). The intervening effects of high and low cognition processing situations are also examined.  The experimental manipulation was accomplished using twelve radio ad treatments. The two brands, Rolex and Swatch, each had two voice-over versions (high cognition and low cognition). Each voice-over was produced in three versions: Classical music, Rock music, and no-music background. The 2 x 2 x 3 between subjects research design had twelve testing conditions (high/low cognition; Rolex/Swatch brands; Classical, Rock, and no-music conditions). For the analysis, the Rolex/Classical and Swatch/Rock music cells were collapsed to form the "congruent" condition, while the Rolex/Rock and Swatch/Classical music cells were collapsed to form the "incongruent" condition. Subjects (n = 381) were asked to listen to an advertisement/music combination and complete a questionnaire.  In general, results indicated that the presence of music in ads did not affect A$\sb{\rm Ad}$ and A$\sb{\rm Brand}.$ Ads with brands paired with incongruent music style were perceived as more original. Ads with brands paired with congruent music style were considered to be the most interesting and elicited the happiest feelings. Moreover, high cognition ads were considered more interesting, original, and elicited positive feelings when music, congruent or incongruent, was present.


identifier: Chamberlain, Mike  (1996) Baseball on the air : reinterpretations of the history of radio baseball.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

type: Thesis NonPeerReviewed

abstract: This study examines the history of the radio broadcasting of major league baseball games. The evolution of the genre is placed within the context of the rise of monopoly capitalism and the establishment of a commercial broadcasting model in the United States. The debate over the relationship between baseball and radio that took place in the 1930s is described, as is the evolution of baseball announcing practices. Finally, the study considers the fan experience of radio baseball as it has been described in poetry, literature, and the movies. Throughout, the study describes discourses around the production and reception of radio baseball and addresses gaps and failings in the historiography of radio baseball.


identifier: Callahan, Kevin  (1997) "Affirmed from under" : the Irish language education movement in Belfast.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In Belfast, Northern Ireland, an exciting experiment in bilingualism and alternative education is taking place. In the midst of a war zone, a predominantly working class community has constructed its own education system based on the Irish language. Approximately one thousand children are currently doing their education through the medium of Irish in community-run schools. In addition, adult Irish speakers are building an Irish language infrastructure that creates "social territories" for the language. The movement's overall objective envisages the extension of Irish horizontally in space and vertically in time to make the language an everyday means of communication. This education movement has blossomed despite a hostile or indifferent British state, which has been grudging in giving an recognition or support.  The present Irish language revival in Belfast represents a process of "decolonization", the breaking down of historically based relations of subordination, through the creation of alternative structures and the growth of an accompanying emancipatory world view. Popular involvement in committees, campaigns and language classes makes the movement an educational process on many levels beyond just learning Irish. The experience of the Irish language movement in Belfast offers a number of insights into the relation between language and identity, both at the level of the individual and the group. In addition, the language revival's interaction with the troubled political situation in which it takes place shed light on the potential for education as a vehicle for community and personal empowerment.


identifier: Ewanchyna, Theodore J  (1996) Techniques for specification and validation of complex protocols.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Simple protocols can be described with natural language and pictures. This description is no longer adequate as protocols become more complex, or more people get involved. Formal Description Techniques (FDTs) have been developed to convey this information clearly and unambiguously (and as a basis for correctness verification) but FDT-based specifications tend to be long and hard to follow.  In order to help the user understand and use complex protocols, we have integrated informal graphical techniques with the current formal techniques. We have developed an approach for the generation of pictures directly from formal models


identifier: El-Mekkaoui, Mazen  (1997) Intra-daily put call parity in the PHLX currency options market.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study examines the Put-Call Parity efficiency of the PHLX currency options market for the Deutsche Mark for the period between 30 September 1992 to 1 October 1993. Using a large database of currency option data, a sample of 7968 American and European put and call options are tested for the presence of reversal and conversion profit opportunities. Data from two data providers and eleven different exchange rate measures are used. Exchange rates recorded in the PHLX market surveillance tape and originally reported by Telerate are used in conjunction with more frequently observed exchange rate data collected by Olsen & Associates and reported by Reuters. The presence of positive PCP deviations is examined with transactions costs and specifically taking into account simultaneity of the data. Censored regressions are used to determine the causes of these positive PCP deviations. The results from all exchange rate measures indicate that less than 3.571% of the sample result in profitable opportunities. This is true for all strategies except for the European conversion. Upon further examination, this result is shown to be sample specific. A degree of intra-daily and intra-weekly seasonality was found in the number of positive deviations from Put-Call Parity. This is explained by thin markets and high spreads. The conclusion is drawn that the prices of PHLX Deutsche Mark currency options for this period are consistent with Put-Call Parity Theorem.


identifier: Ait-Ali-Yahia, Djaffar  (1996) A finite element segregated method for thermo-chemical equilibrium and nonequilibrium hypersonic flows using adapted grids.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This dissertation concerns the development of a loosely coupled, finite element method for the numerical simulation of 2-D hypersonic, thermo-chemical equilibrium and nonequilibrium flows, with an emphasis on resolving directional flow features, such as shocks, by an anisotropic mesh adaptation procedure. Since the flow field of such problems is chemically reacting and molecular species are vibrationally excited, numerical analyses based on an ideal gas assumption result in inaccurate if not erroneous solutions. Instead, hypersonic flows must be computed by solving the gasdynamic equations in conjunction with species transport and vibrational energy equations.  The number of species transport equations could be very high but is drastically reduced by neglecting the ionization, thus leaving one to represent the air by only five neutral species: O, N, NO, O$\sb2$ and N$\sb2.$ This system of equations is further simplified by considering an algebraic equation for conservation of the fixed nitrogen to oxygen ratio in air. The chemical source terms are computed according to kinetic models, with reaction rate coefficients given by Park's reaction models. All molecular species are characterized by a single vibrational temperature, yielding the well-known two-temperature thermal model which requires the solution of a single conservation equation for the total vibrational energy.  In this thesis, the governing equations are decoupled into three systems of PDEs--gasdynamic, chemical and vibrational systems--which are integrated by an implicit time-marching technique and discretized in space by a Galerkin-finite element method. This loosely-coupled formulation maintains the robustness of implicit techniques, while keeping the memory requirements to a manageable level. It also allows each system of PDEs to be integrated by the most appropriate algorithm to achieve the best global convergence. This particular feature makes a partially-decoupled formulation attractive for the extension of existing gasdynamic codes to hypersonic nonequilibrium flow problems, as well as for other applications having stiff source terms.  The hypersonic shocks are resolved in a cost-effective manner by coupling the flow solver to a directionally mesh adaptive scheme using an edge-based error estimate and an efficient mesh movement strategy. The accuracy of the numerical solution is continuously evaluated using a bound available from finite element theory. The Hessian (matrix of second derivatives) of a selected variable is numerically computed and then modified by taking the absolute value of its eigenvalues to finally produce a Riemannian metric. Using elementary differential geometry, the edge-based error estimate is thus defined as the length of the element edges in this Riemannian metric. This error is then equidistributed over the mesh edges by applying a mesh movement scheme made efficient by removing the usual constraints on grid orthogonality. The construction of an anisotropic mesh may thus be interpreted as seeking a uniform mesh in the defined metric.  The overall methodology is validated on various relevant benchmarks, ranging from supersonic frozen flows to hypersonic thermo-chemical nonequilibrium flows, and the results are compared against experimental data and, when not possible, to other computational approaches.


identifier: Chatterley, Catherine D  (1997) Steiner's Shoah : a conversation in silence.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study explores George Steiner's approach to the historical and literary representation of the Shoah. Steiner's conception of human language as a vibrant living organism, the prime carrier of both civilization and its opposite--nihilism, is foundational to his thought on Holocaust representation and, therefore, forms the spine of this thesis. Initially calling for silence in relation to the Shoah, Steiner has modified his conception of "silence" now to act as a metaphor, warning against the use of ordinary linguistic techniques when speaking or writing about the tremendum, the Holocaust. He argues that much of what is produced on the subject of the Holocaust is inadequate, even harmful in its tendency to add a kind of acceptability to the phenomenon by reducing and reproducing it within normal, articulate, acceptable language. Based on his own controversial theory of the causes of antisemitism in Western culture, "the blackmail of transcendence", Steiner argues that the only language into which the essential Shoah experience can be translated is theological.


identifier: Chamberland, Celeste  (1997) Female healers and the boundaries of medical practice in post-plague England.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study is an exploration of the unlicensed and semi-official medical activities of women in England from 1348 to 1500. The emphasis is placed on the diversity of women's medical practice in both urban and rural areas. Some of the issues to be addressed are: the importance of herbalists and wet nurses as unacknowledged health care practitioners, the social and medical significance of hospital sisters, the variety of services offered by midwives and female surgeons, and the images of women healers in literature and science. The conclusions of this study are based on a critical analysis of traditional notions of professionalization and constructs of health and sickness.


identifier: Xie, Haipeng  (1996) Flexible dynamic modeling and control for the Remote Manipulator System.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis focuses on modeling and controller design for the Space Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (RMS). A dynamic model of the RMS is derived using Book's recursive Lagrangian method. This model has six degree-of-freedom rigid dynamics, joint flexibility dynamics, link transverse elastic dynamics and torsional elastic dynamics. A computationally efficient control approach for addressing joint and boom flexibility of the RMS is investigated. The control strategy consists essentially of four parts. The first part involves pre-shaping the joint trajectories in order to reduce the excitation of link flexibility. The second part is a rigid model based inverse dynamics control which is used to obtain the desired joint torque. The third part is a flexible-joint control loop which is based on a perturbation technique. The last part is a pulse active damping (PAD) control loop which is applied to damp out the system residual vibrations in a fast manner. The integrated control strategy leads to fast end-effector trajectory tracking with less end-effector vibration and fast damping of residual vibrations.


identifier: Gottheil, Allen  (1996) Redefining marketing : self-interest, altruism and solidarity.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Exchange is argued to be a flawed foundation upon which to build a definition of marketing. 'Homo economicus' is rejected, while altruism and solidarity are affirmed to be highly significant motivations in understanding and influencing the behaviour of target publics in certain nonbusiness marketing situations. Hence, a new definition of marketing based on behaviour change is proposed. Contemporary research on altruism and solidarity is reviewed. Some marketing issues are considered in a trade union context in order to illustrate how altruism, solidarity and a new definition of marketing may better describe, explain, predict and control relevant marketing phenomena.


identifier: Bowers, Wayne J  (1997) The differential effects of stressors on aversive, novel and appetitive stimuli in rats.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Stressors produce an array of effects on both aversively- and appetitively-motivated behaviors. Because aversive stimuli motivate behaviors in aversively-motivated tasks, assessing stressors effects in these tasks requires re-exposure to aversive stimuli. This is not the case in appetitively-motivated tasks. Based on research that stressors can potentiate responding to subsequent aversive stimuli, the current studies assessed the hypothesis that aversively-motivated behaviors are more sensitive to the effects of stressors than appetitively-motivated behaviors. The studies reported here compared the effects of footshock and restraint in several behavioral procedures that measure responses to aversive and appetitive stimuli. Because of evidence that novel stimuli may also be aversive, the impact of stressors on responding to novel stimuli were also evaluated.  CTA studies indicated that footshock enhanced amphetamine CTA (aversive response) and saccharin neophobia (novelty) but not saccharin consumption in saline-injected rats (appetitive response). Runway studies showed that footshock enhanced the response to reward reduction (aversive response) but had not impact on runway responding when reward magnitude was unchanged or increased (appetitive response). Two studies examined the effect of restraint on drug self-administration. Restraint did not influence the acquisition or maintenance of cocaine self-administration, although restraint potentiated cocaine-induced locomotion. Restraint increased ethanol intake on the first post-restraint test only in animals deprived of ethanol on restraint days. Footshock decreased novelty-induced locomotion but only in the initial 5 min of the open-field test. Results of these studies indicate that stressors can alter response to aversive and novel stimuli without altering response to appetitive stimuli. The light/dark emergence test confirmed that Sprague-Dawley rats are more "anxious" than Long-Evans rats. The more reactive Sprague-Dawley rats exhibited a behavioral profile similar to that seen in stressed Long-Evans rats in the earlier studies. These studies support the hypothesis that exposure to stressors preferentially enhance the response to both aversive and novel stimuli without altering responses to appetitive stimuli.


identifier: Dalgleish, David  (1997) The dynamics of terror : or, The grotesque character of Gothic fiction.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This essay examines the use of the grotesque to create terror in Gothic fiction in the late l8th century and throughout the 19th century. After using Mervyn Peake's Titus Groan and Gormenghast to establish the central role of the grotesque in fully successful Gothic texts, the focus then shifts to a survey of Gothic's early period and its 19th century refinements, demonstrating the role of the grotesque in various key works. In the earlier texts, underdeveloped grotesque characters are crucial to the manufacture of terrifying moments; in the later texts, fully developed grotesques create an ongoing mood of terror. In either case, an emphasis on the grotesque nature of Gothic fiction enables a better understanding of how these works generate their emotional impact in the reader.


identifier: Crossfield, Ernestine  (1997) A natural adaptation : Elsie (McAlister) Cassels, Scottish immigrant and naturalist on the Albertan prairie, 1889-1938.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Elsie McAlister Cassels (1864-1938) was a well-respected naturalist and served as Vice President of the Alberta Natural History Society from 1917 to 1922. A Scottish immigrant who homesteaded with her husband near Red Deer, Alberta, she corresponded with such Canadian ornithologists as Percy A. Taverner and William Rowan. Strongly opposed to shooting birds for identification, she kept meticulous field notes and focused on the life-histories of birds. As an early conservationist, she helped educate the public about nature, and assisted in the creation of the Gaetz Lakes Sanctuary. The following biography will highlight her contributions to Canadian ornithology, and situate her within the context of British imperialism on the Albertan prairie.


identifier: Ghodrat, Morteza  (1995) Specification and verification of the Service Specific Connection Oriented Protocol.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: To permit negotiation of connections over the Asynchronous Transfer Mode, a signaling function is required. This signaling function, in turn, makes use of an assured data delivery service. This service is provided by the Service Specific Connection Oriented Protocol (SSCOP), which resides in the ATM Adaptation Layer (AAL).  A specification of the SSCOP has been developed in Estelle. In addition, testing modules representing the action of the user, the action of the management entity and the fault module of the underlying unassured data delivery service have been developed.


identifier: Hu, Wei  (1997) Monte Carlo simulations of the CO₂/NaCl(001) and CH₃Br/LiF(001) systems.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Metropolis Monte Carlo simulations were used to examine the stable structures, phase coexistence and mechanism of nucleation and growth of films of CO$\sb2$ molecules adsorbed on the (001) surface of NaCl. This was done for submonolayer, monolayer, and multilayer coverages.  The results show that the monolayer has two stable structures, a (2 x 1) herringbone structure and a (1 x 1) structure while the bilayer system has three stable structures: the (2 x 1), the (1 x 1) and the c(2 x 2). The trilayer system adopts a c(2 x 2) structure owing to the instability of the (2 x 1) structure. Multilayers most likely grow in the Stranski-Krastanov fashion whereby multilayer islands on top of a monolayer adopt a bulk-like crystalline structure $\{c$(2 x 2)$\}.$  At low coverages the CO$\sb2$ molecules behave like a 2D gas which aggregates into low density islands but finds it hard to nucleate the denser 2D solid phase directly, even in the presence of a surface step. This suggests that the adsorption of CO$\sb2$ molecules on the low density islands nucleates the 2D solid phase. The 2D gas-solid phase coexistence was found to obey the (2D) van der Waals equation of state. The critical coverage $\Theta\sb{c}$ and temperature T$\sb{\rm c}$ were found to be 0.162 and 142.9K respectively, close to the theoretical values of $\Theta\sb{c}$ = 1/6 and $T\sb{c}=151.2$K.  For the CH$\sb3$Br/LiF(001) system, submonolayer and monolayer coverages were examined. The results show that for low coverages the molecules are tilted by 60$\sp\circ$ from surface normal while at monolayer coverage a stable (2 x 1) herringbone structure was found with a molecular tilt of 39.2$\sp\circ$ in agreement with experiment. An alternative incommensurate monolayer structure was found where the molecules are antiferroelectrically ordered perpendicular to the surface.


identifier: Nemiroff, Howard B  (1996) Price discovery around Canadian equity trading halts using intraday data.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis, comprised of three essays, concentrates on price discovery and the properties associated with transactions and quotes surrounding trading halts on the Montreal (ME) and Toronto Stock Exchanges (TSE). Trading halts are imposed by exchanges on listed securities, namely; in response to informed trading at the expense of uninformed traders, in order to force companies to comply with proper and quick news dissemination, and in response to large depth imbalances. Since the maintenance of a fair and orderly market is the desired mandate of stock exchanges, the successful implementation of trading halts should reduce informational asymmetry surrounding specific announcements.  The first essay examines price discovery on the ME. It extends previous literature by examining returns, volatilities and trade activity over time and finds that trading halts are effective in disseminating news in a fair and orderly manner. Although most adverse information effects subside within a few hours of the resumption of trading, trading haft effectiveness varies somewhat over time. Volatility and trading activity preceding the trading haft are quickly impounded into prices post-halt.  The second assay investigates trade activity, direction, spreads, depths and volatility for stocks interlisted on the ME and TSE. Results indicate that asymmetric information impacts on both the market and the specialist covering the hafted security. Specialists adjust their supply of liquidity around the trading halts and informed traders are less active prior to the trading halts. Although trade activity, spreads and volatility increase after trading resumes, only trade activity partially remains at its new higher level permanently.  The final essay decomposes the components of the bid/ask spread and examines specialist behaviour and quote/transaction revisions for stocks interlisted on the ME and TSE. Results indicate that specialists attempt to clear themselves of unwanted inventories accumulated around bad news announcements, by adjusting spreads and depths intraday to quickly dispose of unwanted inventory. Although asymmetric information is the largest component of the quoted spread around trading halts, severe biases are uncovered in component estimation. These are attributed to the use of serial covariance estimates in component estimation for some of the models currently used in the literature.


identifier: Dubiel, Janusz  (1997) Descriptio orbis terrarum : towards transfiguration.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The purpose of this study is to present selected, global socio-political problems in the light of advanced mathematical methods and in congruence with the idea of the unification of academic realms, as well as interdisciplinary thinking. It is argued here that the Public Choice theory has not provided sufficiently precise and advanced mathematical tools of understanding in its approach to Public Policy. Moreover, the Public Choice theory is often associated with neoconservatism. This association seems to be artificial because it imposes normative constraints on research in the subject matter.  Unification and interdisciplinary thinking are expected to permit for transfiguration of the individual, the political player, into the "whole human being" who is able to interact with the global environment empathically. It is assumed that transfiguration into the whole cannot be done without prior integration, on the administrative level, of an already severely compartmentalized encoded human experience. Specifically, mathematical and geometrical models of society are presented, based on different variables. The purpose of the models is to allow for a precise, in mathematical terms, redefinition, and, thus, better understanding of worldly phenomena with respect to political, cultural and economic problems. Fundamental concepts such as multiculturalism, freedom, justice, power and distribution are discussed in detail.


identifier: Dias, Victor  (1996) St. Augustine on the structure and meaning of history.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Historical meaning is dependent on the ontological structure of time and history such that if that structure be closed, in terms of a circle, then the possibility of ultimate historical meaning collapses. If the structure of time is linear and the structure of history is cyclical the same problem with ultimate meaning remains. Augustine, on the other hand, argues that linearity, a sequence of unique moments, and finality characterize the structure of history. For Augustine a certain structure is a necessary prerequisite for ultimate historical meaning.  To complete the claim that there is ultimate historical meaning Augustine argues that a unique and final destiny, which gives to the whole of historical life a definite meaning, is dependent on the role of a supreme being. According to Augustine, final historical meaning depends on this divine purpose. Briefly, in the first chapter I defend Augustine's replies to objections against his assertions of a finite linearity. In the second chapter I defend his arguments against circularity. In the third chapter I defend the claim that Augustine makes possible the remaining requirements for meaning in history


identifier: Kollokian, Vasken  (1996) Performance analysis of automatic techniques for tissue classification in magnetic resonance images of the human brain.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Classification of Magnetic Resonance (MR) images of the human brain into anatomically meaningful tissue labels is an important processing step in many research and clinical studies in neurology. The medical imaging research community is presented with a wide choice of classification algorithms from artificial intelligence and pattern recognition. This thesis describes the development of a controlled test environment, where different classification algorithms were implemented and their performance evaluated in a brain imaging context.  Furthermore, a mechanism for automating supervised classification algorithms is proposed through the use of a priori knowledge of neuro-anatomy, presented in the form of brain tissue probability maps. The results obtained through the automated methods compared favorably to those obtained through human supervision.  The performance of five supervised (Artificial Neural Networks, Bayesian, k-Nearest Neighbors, C4.5 decision tree, Minimum Distance) and two unsupervised (Hard C Means, Fuzzy C Means) classification algorithms is compared under varying conditions of MR imaging artifacts. The Artificial Neural networks classifier was observed to be the best overall performer


identifier: Ismail, Nasser  (1996) A single stage full bridge power factor corrected AC/DC converter.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Conventional single phase AC/DC converters use a two stage power configuration to provide a regulated DC power supply at high input power factor. Elimination of one of these stages can reduce the cost, weight, size, complexity and increase the overall reliability of this converter. This thesis proposes a single stage power factor correction converter circuit. This proposed converter circuit uses the traditional non-power-factor corrected circuit configuration with only few additional components. These are: an additional winding on the high frequency transformer, a small high frequency inductor and three diodes. The topology allows the output voltage regulation and input current shaping with a single power processing stage and one control chip. In addition, it is shown that this converter can be designed to offer soft switching of the full bridge switches. The operating principles of the proposed converter are discussed and its performance characteristics under steady state conditions are examined. A design procedure is illustrated to select the components of the converter for a 500 W power supply operating at 50 kHz. Theoretical results are verified with simulation and experimental tests on a 500 W laboratory prototype.


identifier: Chen, De-Kang  (1997) Flashing flow of refrigerant HFC-134a through a diabatic capillary tube.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Capillary tubes are components in refrigerating systems which act as expansion and flow-rate controlling devices. The proper design of capillary tubes is an important factor in performance efficiency of these systems.  An experimental test loop was designed and built for testing the capillary tube. This test loop simulated the actual refrigeration system that normally supplied refrigerant with or without oil to the capillary tube, while providing easily controlled boundary conditions. Pressures and temperatures along the capillary tube and suction line were also instrumented. The capillary tube was tested for a wide range of conditions including: subcooled inlet, diabatic and adiabatic capillary tube, refrigerant HFC-134a flow with and without oil.  The process of refrigerant flow through a capillary tube is a flashing process, in which the state of the refrigerant changes from subcooled liquid to a vapor-liquid mixture. Metastable phenomena in the flow, i.e. a thermal nonequilibrium phenomena, may exist within a flashing process. Whereas a literature survey showed that the metastable flow of refrigerant was only observed in adiabatic capillary tubes, the experiment demonstrated metastable flow through the diabatic capillary tube for the first time. It is found from the experiment that the metastable flow will vanish when $\rm G\sb{c}/G\sb{s}<77.8.$ A correlation of the underpressure of vaporization (a characteristic quantity for metastable flow) for a diabatic capillary tube, based on homogeneous nucleation theory, was developed to consolidate this new result.  The flow in the capillary tube was numerically modeled by dividing the flow into two regions: single-phase and two-phase. The liquid single-phase flow region was described by four governing differential equations and boundary conditions. The numerical model for the two-phase flow region used one-dimensional nonequilibrium two-fluid equations which accounted for the relative velocity and the temperature difference between the vapor and liquid phases. Results of the numerical models compared satisfactorily with measured experimental data. The results indicated that the vaporization occurred near the capillary tube exit with a strong heat transfer between the capillary tube and suction line; the mass flux of refrigerant in the capillary tube without oil was about 2.2% higher than that with oil


identifier: Cameron, Roberta Llewellyn  (1997) The making of Wilfred Cantwell Smith's "world theology".  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study is an exploration of the manner in which religion historian, W. C. Smith, has attempted to harmonize intellectual discourse with religious discourse. Using his writings, which span a period of fifty years, the evolution of his analysis of the tension between history and religion is traced, along with his new conceptualizations and symbolizations of resolution. At issue is the role of the study of comparative religion seen to be basic. The ramifications of the problem of the polarity between the absolute and the relative, between the One and the Many, are addressed throughout, especially with regard to history seen as process and religions in process of change. The resolution consists in a movement towards a theology in global perspective, diverse yet coherent, encompassing all humanity.


identifier: Erb, Suzanne  (1996) A study of relapse to cocaine seeking in the rat.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The primary objective of this study was to determine whether brief exposure to a stressor would provoke relapse to cocaine-trained behaviour and, if so, whether such an effect could be blocked pharmacologically. Rats were initially trained to self-administer cocaine HCl (1.0 mg/kg/infusion, IV; one 3-hour session/day; 9-12 days). Subsequently, extinction conditions were introduced in which lever-pressing resulted in IV infusions of saline rather than of cocaine. Extinction conditions were maintained until animals made 15 or fewer responses in the 3-hour session, after which they received saline infusions at the start of each session until they made 10 or fewer responses in 3 hours. Subsequently, animals were tested for reinstatement of responding for saline infusions following a non-contingent injection of cocaine (2.0 mg/kg, IV) and exposure to intermittent footshock (10 min, 0.5 mA, 0.5 sec on, mean off period of 40 sec). In Experiment 1, footshock stress induced reinstatement of cocaine-trained behaviour after prolonged extinction and after a 4- to 6-week drug-free period; an effect comparable to that induced by a priming injection of cocaine. In Experiment 2, animals were given saline, cocaine, and footshock tests for reinstatement 20 min after pretreatment with saline and diazepam (0.75 or 1.5 mg/kg, IP). In this experiment, diazepam attenuated footshock- but not cocaine-induced reinstatement of cocaine-trained behaviour. These findings suggest that the neurochemical events mediating footshock- and cocaine-induced reinstatement of cocaine-trained behaviour are pharmacologically dissociable.


identifier: Elvish, Andrew William  (1997) Death becomes her : the death aesthetic in/as fashion advertising.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: What is it in "fashion" that naturalizes the image of the dying, dead or violated female body? Why do images that equate woman, fashion, aesthetics and death carry such a cachet in the fashion magazine? What is the communication that obtains when one pairs aesthetics and death? Can the aestheticization of death in the fashion magazine be seen as a site of rupture in the sign system of "the fashionable"; or simply a further entrenchment of the idea of woman as nothing more than body--her perfection, inevitability, her death?  Death Becomes Her is a thesis about fashion and imagination. Fashion is, at once, a site of powerful hegemonic discourses about how we should understand and present our bodies, while at the same time being a terrain of debate, contestation, and reformulation in a larger cultural dialogue. This thesis, through the creation of an eclectic methodology which draws on the writings of Mikhail Bakhtin, Elizabeth Grosz and Elisabeth Bronfen, will engage the often slippery and capricious image-scape of the fashion advertisement in a dialogue. This dialogue seeks neither closure nor answers to the questions posed, but, rather, seeks to weave together a series of disparate texts into a textile that will present to you, the reader, a cloth woven of conflicted dreams. Fashion, we will see, is a Janus-faces super-model whose death is dreamt as a dream of perfection.


identifier: Muthiayen, Darmalingum  (1996) Animation and formal verification of real-time reactive systems in an object-oriented environment.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Real-time reactive systems are characterized by their continuous interaction with their environment through stimulus-response behavior. The safety-critical nature of their domain and their inherent complexity advocate the use of formal methods in the software development process. TROMLAB development environment supports a process model adequate for dealing with the complexity of reactive systems. The foundation of the TROMLAB environment is the Timed Reactive Object Model (TROM), which combines object-oriented and real-time technologies.  Simulation is essential in the behavioral analysis of real-time reactive systems; animation allows a visualization of the simulation process. A rigorous trace analysis of simulation scenarios provides insight into the behavior of the collaborating entities in the configuration. This supports validation of systems designed incrementally and iteratively in the software development life-cycle. Moreover, safety-critical systems need to be verified for adherence to stringent safety and liveness properties.  The scope of this thesis is two-fold. We first present an animation tool supporting simulation of reactive systems described in the TROM formalism. We include formal specifications of the functionalities of the simulator in VDM specification language. We then introduce a methodology for formal verification of TROM subsystems. The novelty of the methodology lies in the formal verification approach embedded within an object-oriented framework. The simulator and the verification methodology conform respectively to the operational and logical semantics of TROMs.


identifier: Jarugu, Sudheer Reddy  (1996) Effect of various process variables on the mechanical properties of laminates produced through resin transfer molding process.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The increasing interest in the Resin Transfer Molding Process (RTM) evolved from its potential for reducing manufacturing costs, while increasing the capability of manufacturing complex parts. This manufacturing process like many other processes involves a large number of variables, consisting of both material and processing parameters. The present study uses statistical experimental design analysis as a tool to determine which of the various independent and controllable RTM process variables affect the mechanical properties of the laminates produced through the RTM process. The statistical experiment is conducted in two phases. In the first phase, ten independent and controllable RTM process variables are chosen for study. For the first time, a sieve design is used to eliminate variables that are of not much importance. In the second phase, the important process variables are re-experimented, and the range at which they produce a good response (Laminate) is studied. In contrast to earlier studies, the present study considers the interaction effect of all the variables. Vacuum assistance is used during the mold filling, and its interaction affect on other factors, and effect on mechanical properties is also analyzed. In line with earlier studies, three different tests (mechanical three point bending, short beam shear, and dynamic mechanical test) are conducted to examine the possibility that a single important process variable might not have the same effect on all of them.


identifier: Ismail, Yehya  (1997) Tracking strategy in a family firm : a case study.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Family firms represent the most prevalent form of business in both Canada and the United States. It is estimated that over 90% of all business in North America are family-owned and operated. Due to their importance, several issues have been the subject of research including succession and conflict. However, little research has been conducted on corporate strategy in family firms. The objective of this thesis, is to examine the critical factors that shape the strategic decision in family firms. The Seagram Company Limited and the Bronfman Family are the focus of the present research. The case study approach was chosen because it allows for the gathering of rich, detailed data from a variety of sources to help explain areas of research which have been neglected. The discussion section reveals two critical issues that affect the strategic decision making in The Seagram Company Limited by the Bronfman Family. Finally, based on the results, the present research seems to suggest a number of factors contributing to success and survival of family firms, we can enhance the quality of decisions and improve the low survival rates.


identifier: Creti, Laura  (1996) An evaluation of a new cognitive-behavioral technique for the treatment of insomnia in older adults.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Poor sleep quality and complaints of insomnia are particularly prevalent in aging individuals. However, not all older people who experience what may be developmentally inevitable sleep disruption complain of insomnia.  Psychological therapies for sleep disorder have been explored extensively with younger people but only recently have researchers turned their attention to applying these approaches to the treatment of insomnia in older adults. Recent research has demonstrated that older individuals can benefit from such treatment. However, despite abundant evidence for the importance of cognitive factors in insomnia, there has been a relative lack of attention to the development of cognitive interventions.  The present study evaluated a new cognitive-behavioral technique, Countercontrol-Plus Audiobook, aimed directly at disrupting the intrusive thoughts that may interfere with sleep. Forty-one older adults (mean age = 67) with sleep onset and maintenance problems were assigned to one of three intervention conditions: Countercontrol-Plus Audiobook, Countercontrol-Plus Relaxation, and Self-Monitoring Only. All three groups showed significant improvement on various self-report, quantitative and qualitative measures of sleep, although no change was found on daytime sleepiness, fatigue and functioning. Cognitive and somatic presleep variables also showed improvement over the two week treatment period. Gains were generally maintained at a 2-week and 18-month follow-up.  Evaluation of clinically significant change demonstrated that most participants still had some degree of sleep problem at post-intervention. Although most participants showed some improvement on quantitative sleep-wake parameters, insomnia distress and anxious presleep cognitions, only 4% to 29% of participants reached the defined clinically significant level of improvement from baseline to post-intervention, with more individuals improving on sleep onset latency and distress frequency than on duration of nocturnal awakenings. Consistent with previous studies, durations of nocturnal awakenings seem to be more resistant to change than latency to sleep onset.  The findings are discussed in terms of the multidimensional nature of the insomnia experience and the multiple possible effects of the self-monitoring process.


identifier: Eynan-Harvey, Rahel  (1996) When death do us part : nurses on post-mortem care.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Nurses' experiences with post-mortem care and death were diverse and represented a confluence of factors. Nurses' personalities, religious beliefs, cultural value systems, customs, life experiences, and the unit's orientation all converged and influenced their attitudes toward death. Culture and the unit's orientation exerted the strongest influence on nurses' attitudes. Exposure to dying was the most influential factor in determining attitudes toward death and dying, with palliative care nurses being most comfortable in dealing with death. Cultural differences also emerged, with Canadian and Israeli nurses entertaining divergent attitudes toward death, spirituality and post-mortem care. Death was conceptualised by some nurses as the end of an organism, and by others as the beginning of another form of existence. Post-mortem care was reported as an emotionally demanding task, yet most Canadian nurses considered the experience rewarding. The wrapping of the body in a plastic shroud and the covering of the face was the aspect nurses disliked the most; they felt it was repugnant, dehumanising and disrespectful.


identifier: Jetté, Isabelle  (1997) PI-control in dual duct systems : a study on manual tuning and control loop interaction.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Good HVAC control schemes in buildings help reduce energy use and maintain occupant comfort. PID controllers are widely used in commercial buildings to keep variables such as temperature, pressure and humidity at predefined setpoints. These controllers, when they do not include autotuners, must be carefully tuned. Also, one must consider the effect of interactions occurring among the control loops during the fine-tuning stage so one loop response is not improved to the detriment of another.  This research emphasizes PI-control of dual duct systems. Three tuning methods (Ziegler and Nichols' sensitivity method, simplified IMC-PID method, and Bekker et al. method) were selected and tested on a small scale dual duct system with four decentralized control loops (cooling valve, fan speed, damper and heater). Each controller was tuned according to the best performing set of tuning parameters and the system was then operated under design conditions to observe the interactions among the control loops. Since interaction was minimum, a better understanding of interaction was obtained by introducing a sustained oscillation in each loop, one loop at a time. An oversensitive valve was found to have a severe effect on damper control loop and an oversensitive damper was found to interact with fan speed control. Considering these interaction effects, two sets of optimizing curves were developed for the dual duct system. The use of these curves improved some loop responses without rendering other loops unstable


identifier: Chen, Tingyao  (1997) A methodology for thermal analysis and predictive control of building envelope heating systems.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: A heating system integrated into the building envelope, such as a floor radiant heating system, is defined as a building envelope heating system (BEHS). Thermal mass usually integrated with such a heating system can be utilized to lower both peak loads and operating costs and to reduce room temperature swings by predictive control while utilizing solar gains to reduce energy consumption. Nevertheless, techniques required for the predictive control of BEHSs need to be developed in order to materialize these potential benefits.  A methodology proposed in this study integrates building thermal analysis and predictive control of BEHS. A computer method for generating the symbolic transfer function of buildings is developed as the first part of the methodology. It includes hybrid signal flowgraph and generalized-nodal admittance formulations, and an algebraic algorithm associated with the constraint conditions of inequalities. New concepts for thermal network modelling are presented, with which a combined thermal parameter such as the operative temperature can be explicitly represented with an imaginary thermal network. A building thermal system is systematically modelled with a generalized thermal network. Because some design parameters of interest, such as amount of thermal mass, can be kept as symbols in the model, sensitivity analysis, optimum design and control studies of building systems can be significantly facilitated.  An optimal predictive control system developed integrates a weather predictor, set-point optimizer, a system identifier and an adaptive Generalized Predictive Control algorithm so as to achieve high building thermal performance. A new weather predictor, simplified through normalization, makes it feasible to quantify the qualitative weather forecast for solar radiation. Several implementation issues in on-line parameter estimation are investigated through experiments in an outdoor passive solar test-room. A Generalized Predictive Controller (GPC) with a feedforward control scheme is improved with a new algorithm. The zone set-point is optimized through the combination of dynamic programming and on-line simulation.  The methodology has been verified with both experiments and simulations. Results show that the weather predictor is capable of generating reasonably accurate solar radiation and outdoor temperature profiles for one day. A building thermal model can be robustly identified under the supervision rules. The performance of GPC is superior to conventional on-off and PI controllers. The optimal set-point can be efficiently generated by the proposed approach, which may lead to large savings in operating energy costs when a BEHS is properly designed and operated.


identifier: Gauvin, Nicolas A  (1996) Représenter l'Holocauste : le traitement et la représentation de l'Holocauste dans les musées-mémoriaux d'Amérique du Nord : étude comparative--le United States Holocaust Memorial Museum et le Centre commémoratif de l'Holocauste à Montréal.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Cette recherche a pour objet l'étude de la présentation des mémoriaux de l'Holocauste de Washington et de Montréal. En plus d'une description sommaire de l'histoire de la perception de l'Holocauste en Amérique du Nord, une contextualisation de l'histoire des deux institutions et une description sommaire des expositions permanentes présentées par celles-ci, une analyse de la présentation est proposée. L'objectif premier est de mettre en relief les partis-pris des gestionnaires des musées et des concepteurs d'exposition, en ce qui a trait à la diversité des interprétations possibles de l'Holocauste. Situés à cheval entre la mémoire et l'histoire sur l'échelle temporelle, les musées posent la question de la pérennité et de nombreuses interrogations sont soulevées quant à la ±véracité» et la qualité du récit qu'ils proposent aux visiteurs.


identifier: Gammon, John R.  (1997) Creating for the audience of one : an ethnography of a radio drama.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis is an ethnographic study of the production of Canadian radio drama. Radio drama production is first situated within the historical context of Canadian governmental regulation of broadcasting and its use as an agent of socialisation for the promotion of a unified national identity. The analysis of radio itself is focused directly on the cultural process rather than on the finished cultural product, something not usually done in cultural studies. This is done from the perspective that cultural products can be represented by a diamond model whose interacting points, in this case, represent (1) the drama production team, (2) the CBC context, (3) the broadcast radio drama, and (4) the audience. Furthermore, the members of the production team were treated as a community and examined through social network analysis. Findings indicate that radio drama in Canada is produced in a highly co-operative atmosphere that, through the producer, involves the audience in an "anticipated" role; the audience is part of the production. Also, the creative process was defined as a decision making process where choices are made in order to achieve creative goals and to compensate for constraints (i.e., equipment malfunctions, studio-time scheduling, regulations, etc.).


identifier: Kapantow, Gene H. M  (1996) Solving concentrator location and terminal assignment problems using simulated annealing.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Centralized computer networks are hierarchical communication infrastructures in which a central computer services a large number of terminals or workstations. For a large network, some concentrators are commonly used to increase the cost efficiency. Several terminals are connected to a concentrator via low capacity lines, and each concentrator is connected to the central computer via a high capacity line. A concentrator is generally subject to technological constraints on the amount of traffic it can manage, and each terminal has its capacity requirement. The problem then is to determine the number and location of concentrators and to allocate the terminals to these concentrators at minimum cost. This is known as the concentrator location problem. If the number and location of concentrators are already known beforehand, the problem then reduces to determining the allocation of terminals only. This is known as the terminal assignment problem. These problems are NP-complete. Therefore, finding a polynomial time algorithm to solve them to optimality is highly unlikely. This study aims to develop some efficient algorithms based on simulated annealing to solve these problems. The results are compared to those given by some existing heuristics.


identifier: Kabro, Pierre  (1997) Optical spectroscopy, crystal field analysis, upconversion and energy transfer studies of Er³⁺ doped yttrium vanadate single crystals.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis presents an extensive spectroscopic investigation of Er$\sp{3+}$ doped in YVO$\sb4$ single crystals. The polarized visible and near infrared absorption and emission spectra are presented. The spectra were analyzed to determine the energy levels of Er$\sp{3+}$ in YVO$\sb4$ and a complete energy level scheme for the 4f$\sp{11}$ ground configuration of Er$\sp{3+}$ was determined. A total of 59 crystal field levels were observed of the 70 predicted to split out in D$\sb{\rm 2d}$ symmetry. The experimental Stark level energies were used as input in data in a parameterized Hamiltonian to calculate the crystal field parameters.  Judd-Ofelt theory was applied to the polarization-averaged room temperature optical-absorption spectra to predict the crystal intensity parameters; $\Omega\sb2,\ \Omega\sb4,$ and $\Omega\sb6,$ the radiative decay rates and branching ratios for the Er$\sp{3+}$ transitions from the various excited states to the lower level J-manifolds. Thermalization of the $\sp2$H$\sb{1 1/2}$ level from the lower lying $\sp4$S$\sb{3/2}$ was studied.  The upconversion of red (652.7 nm) and near infrared (799.1 and 979 nm) radiation into green (due to the $\rm{\sp4S\sb{3/2}}\to{\sp4I\sb{5/2}}$ and the thermally populated $\rm{\sp2H\sb{11/12}}\to{\sp4I\sb{15/2}}$ transitions) and red (due to the $\rm{\sp4F\sb{9/2}}\to{\sp4I\sb{5/2}}$ transition) emission has been studied for Er$\sp{3+}$ ions in YVO$\sb4$ single crystals over a wide temperature range and several dopant concentrations. The upconversion pathways and dynamics for all three excitations were studied. Sequential absorption of photons, energy transfer, and cross-relaxation energy transfer upconversion processes were found to be active and could be identified on the basis of the upconversion transients. An analysis of the upconversion transients shows that energy migration dominates at higher concentrations of Er$\sp{3+}$ (10%).  An extensive investigation of the fluorescence dynamics of the $\rm\sp4S\sb{3/2},\ \sp4F\sb{9/2},\ \sp4I\sb{9/2},\ \sp4I\sb{11/2},$ and $\rm\sp4I\sb{13/2}$ states was carried. The decay profiles the luminescence of the $\rm\sp4S\sb{3/2}$ level of Er$\sp{3+}$ (1.0%) obey the Inokuti-Hirayama model for energy transfer for an electric dipole-electric dipole interaction, in the absence of diffusion among the donors. The dipole-dipole coupling parameter was estimated to be $2.9\times 10\sp{-51}$ m$\sp6$s$\sp{-1}$ and compared well to other well known systems.


identifier: Huo, Yan  (1997) Ventilation impact on indoor air quality problems in partitioned offices.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Complaints of many indoor air quality problems occur in partitioned offices. Ventilation is one way to control the contaminant distribution and to provide better indoor air quality within the office. A comprehensive research of the ventilation impact on indoor air quality problems in partitioned offices was conducted in this thesis. Experimental measurement and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation methods were applied.  The study results show that, the supplied air was uniformly distributed in the ventilated area under various conditions. At the same time, the contaminant distribution was influenced by almost all kinds of parameters in the office. It was the room air flow pattern but not the uniformity of the supplied air distribution which influenced the contaminant distribution in the office. The results also indicate that the contaminant distribution in a mechanically ventilated partitioned office need to be studied individually according to the different cases. CFD simulation is an efficient tool for such kind of studies.  The air inflow condition is one of the most important parameters affecting the air flow pattern and contaminant distribution in a mechanically ventilated room. Because of the complex geometry of the supply air diffuser and computer capacity, the conventional method of describing the supply air diffuser boundary conditions in CFD simulation may not well define the air inflow condition. The inaccurate description to the air inflow condition could lead to a totally unrealistic simulation result of the air flow inside the office. A new method to correctly describe the diffuser boundary conditions in CFD simulation was proposed in this thesis. The model prediction was validated with the experimental data in a literature and the results from the experimental part of this thesis. The CFD predictions applying the new method were in good agreement with the experimental results.


identifier: Curtis, Sandra L.  (1996) Singing subversion, singing soul : women's voices in feminist music therapy.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: A model of feminist music therapy for the empowerment of women was developed and, using a case study approach, assessed specifically for its effectiveness in increasing self-esteem of women abused by their intimate male partners. Feminist music therapy integrates the principles and practices of feminist therapy with those of music therapy in the creation of innovative techniques, two of the most important being feminist analysis of power and gender-role socialization through lyric analysis and songwriting. Of the 35 women participants (women at two battered women's shelters in central Georgia), 6 met the criteria for inclusion in the data-collection part of the study (i.e., completion of at least 8 feminist music therapy sessions and of the final evaluation and interview). Effects of feminist music therapy were assessed through analysis of individual interviews and pre- and post-test scores on the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (TSCS), as well as through content analysis of the women's original compositions. Results of the TSCS indicated a marked increase in self-esteem for 4 of the 6 women, and a modest increase for 1. Results on the other 2 measures indicated an increased self-esteem for all of the women. Feminist music therapy is an effective approach for use with women recovering from abuse.


identifier: Gligoric, Srdjan  (1997) The Protestant ethic and the spirit of modern public education : an analysis of the influence of Calvin and Ignatius in the sixteenth century.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study is a theoretical exploration of the connection between the Protestant ethic and the spirit of modern public education. According to Weber's methodology, the emphasis is placed on the way in which Calvin's theology, specifically that of predestination, and his presbyterian system influenced the development of modern public education. Some of the issues to be addressed are: the contrast between the approaches of the humanists and Jesuits to educational reform, an analysis of Calvin's presbyterian polity and theology of predestination, Ignatius' policy regarding the role of the Jesuits as compared and contrasted with Calvin's system, and the growing secularization of education in the seventeenth century. Due to the exploratory nature of the study, conclusions are formulated in terms of further work to be accomplished in order to better understand the situation.


identifier: George, Donna  (1996) Reflections on art education : two studies on student-led dialogue as a basis for curriculum development.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: My research for this paper is based upon an open-ended documentation of two workshops carried out as case studies in a non-school setting with high school students. The original objective was to improve and evaluate my teaching strategy. I wanted to allow the students to participate in the curriculum planning and decision making process. This interaction took place through social discourse and resulted in reciprocal communication and learning.  My research began with many working questions: Can students and teachers collaborate and set objectives for a unit of teaching? Are we, as educators, aware of their individual needs in this artistic process? Are we getting through to the students? How do we know?  My role as a teacher/researcher internalized a self-reflective process of my teaching practice. The two studies presented gave me a better understanding of the need for educators to be attentive to dialogue in a group situation. I chose to start each workshop with dialogue that triggered students into discussing what they wanted to do, where they wanted to go and to find what their artistic needs were. I have documented a series of questions generated by the students. The collection of students enquiries formed the basis of my pedagogy.  I discovered as well that educators should pay special attention to dialogue among students. This dialogue is not solicited by teachers but by the students. I found that learning had taken place by listening to students talk during studio time and hearing them respond to each other during discussion time. The significance of peer dialogue and how it stimulates thinking is a key finding in my research.


identifier: Kaushik, Neeraj  (1997) Single phase trapezoidal AC power supplies for hybrid fiber/coax networks.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Single phase ac power supplies are used to power hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) networks. These power supplies are required to produce a trapezoidal-shaped voltage waveform. Conventional power supplies having a front-end diode bridge rectifier and a large dc bus capacitor are an unacceptable approach for this application as they draw a highly distorted current waveform resulting in a poor power factor. An intermediate boost stage is used to waveshape the input current thus providing power factor correction. Owing to the additional power conversion stage, this topology results in reduced efficiency. In this thesis a novel power supply topology is proposed which eliminates the use of the boost stage and the large dc bus capacitor while maintaining high efficiency and good power factor. Three voltage controlled PWM pattern generators namely, Hysteresis, Triangular-carrier and One-cycle technique are identified and implemented for the power supply based on the proposed topology. Performance comparison of the power supply using the three techniques is done based on criteria such as input power factor, input current total harmonic distortion and efficiency. Experimental results on a laboratory prototype confirm the feasibility of the proposed power supply.


identifier: Read-Hunter, Patricia  (1997) The emotional labour of academics : the rational and the relational.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Q methodology and unstructured interviews were used to develop a thick description and typology of academics' views of emotional labour. An archetypal factor described an ideal of emotional labour. After it was rotated, a three-factor, polythetic typology emerged, confirmed by content analysis of the interviews. Factors A, B, and C represented "rational," "relational," and "reflective" orientations respectively.  Academics who load on Factor A--i.e., hold the "rational" view--are task-oriented, energetic, comfortable with their authority, and seek opportunities to share their enthusiasm for their subjects. They are inner-directed; their primary audience is the internalized "generalized other." Faculty who load on B are "relational": student-oriented, conscious users of emotions, who deliberately involve their feelings in their teaching and student relations. They project an approachability they feel to be central to their praxis and personalities. C represents the approach of "reflective" academics who have blended the rational and the relational, and have a critical perspective on their profession. They acquiesce in institutional demands that faculty form close relationships with students, without feeling inauthenticity.  Thirteen Q sorts loaded on two factors, raising questions about the evolution and stability of the types, the meaning of a dual type, and the phenomenological implications.  A secondary purpose of the study was to explore the effect of their emotional labour on women academics' career outcomes. The literature suggested that women's experiences would predispose them to perform emotional labour in a different way and to a higher degree than male counterparts. It was anticipated that this would cause gender differences in factor loadings. These proved less marked than expected.  More men than women loaded on A; almost twice as many women as men dual-loaded; twice as many women dual-loaded as loaded on any single factor. The gender difference on A approached significance (Ì = .05). For both sexes, more academics loaded on A than B, and B than C. The idea that institutions control women through demands for emotional labour received anecdotal confirmation.  Further work will benefit from development of a metric for emotional labour and application of act frequency methodology.


identifier: Lam, Ping Ngai  (1996) Testing of delay-insensitive circuits using protocol extraction strategies.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Delay-insensitive (DI) circuits are asynchronous circuits whose functional correctness is independent of the delays in their components and the interconnecting wires. The environment and circuit module follows a specified usage protocol, sometimes called handshake signals. It has been believed that purely DI circuits are easy to test because any fault will prevent the generation of an acknowledge signal. We show that this is not always true under a general set of components. A Petri net fault model is used to reveal the possibility of critical races/hazards during test. A design for test method using observation points is shown which guarantees 100% fault coverage, and structural theorems are proved which can reduce/eliminate these observation points.  No automated techniques exist so far for reducing the test length of these circuits, in particular, two-phase transition signaling circuits which contain implicit state encoding. Since there can be very few combinational components, classic scan design would not apply. A theory for control point insertion is presented for test length reduction. The major difficulty is in deriving a safe hazard-free test; the specified usage protocol does not directly apply because of the alterations made. Algorithms based on partial order protocol extraction and partial states are presented which produce provably correct test behaviors. Finally, an impossibility result is proved for fault tolerance in the most common class of DI circuit.


identifier: Dalkir, Kimiz L  (1997) Improving user modeling via the integration of learner characteristics and learner behaviors.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Three major disciplines: educational psychology, cognitive science and artificial intelligence, were critically surveyed to identify useful variables for learner modeling in order to identify the subset of variables that proved to be useful in modeling individual learners as they interacted with a computer-based learning environment. The research study first critically assessed the contextual validity and usefulness of a priori measures to provide initial or default values for a stereotypical learner model. These measures included a pretest, a questionnaire and two learning style inventories, the Kolb LSI and the Entwistle ASI. In addition, the utility of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) was assessed to establish whether they provide supplementary or complementary information for the objective of creating an adaptive learner model. Differences in interaction patterns with the learning environment were analyzed using ANNs and statistical analyses, to identify on-line learner behavioral variables that were valid and useful in updating the stereotype learner model.  The instructional validity of the learning environment was established as students were found to have spent time interacting with the system, they attended to the material presented and they were found to have learned the content. Significant learning was found, as assessed by pretest-posttest differences. Of the Educational Psychology variables, only the Entwistle ASI proved to be useful as an a priori measure in this context. Students with high scores on both the reproducing and meaning orientation dimensions performed better on the posttest. In addition, expected learner profiles, as extrapolated from the ASI, actually occurred as students interacted with the system.  Finally, Artificial Intelligence approaches, in the form of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) were superimposed on the a priori categorization established by the learning style categories.  Conventional statistical cluster analysis and ANN pattern recognition on learner trace data produced as students interacted with the learning materials both produced very similar classifications of students. It thus appears to be possible to obtain, effectively, the same data from an ongoing dynamic assessment of learners as it is from a priori measures, rendering the latter redundant in this context. Thus the use of ANNs can prove useful as a dynamic data gathering and analysis system in real time to make instructional adjustments and recommendations. The potential advantage of dynamic models over a priori measures is that they continue to evolve as learner needs change, continually updating the learner model and thus enabling the learner model to keep pace with an instructional system endowed with adaptive capabilities. Future research could build on the exploratory data generated by this study, examining both the variables which may inform the creation of an adaptive interface, as well as using the ANN-based methodology created here


identifier: Heese, Victor  (1997) F.A. Lange's "standpoint of the ideal" : reform or revolution?  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Lange's The History of Materialism (1866) is not only history but a socio-political agenda that argues that the social ills of his context are the consequence of a materialist worldview and that, if violent upheaval is to be avoided, a new worldview must be adopted. The worldview that Lange offers is called the Standpoint of the Ideal. As a modification of Kant's critical philosophy, it asserts that a part of the human constitution is a universal, poetic inclination that underlies experience and acts to synthesize experience into a harmonious unity. This harmonizing principle also has an aesthetic and ethical dimension to it. If we once recognize that the consequences of a materialistic worldview lead to social turmoil and we choose to give due attention to this aspect of our nature, we can not only resolve the metaphysical questions that perpetually bother us but we can also reform society.  This thesis argues that, although Lange hoped that the Standpoint of the Ideal would result in 'beneficent reform' thus averting an impending revolution, the adoption of the Standpoint of the Ideal is revolutionary. This conclusion is based on Kuhn's analysis of 'revolutionary' paradigmatic change as outlined in The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1970) and uses Collingwood's concept of a 'constellation of absolute presuppositions' as the definition for a social paradigm (An Essay on Metaphysics, 1972). This thesis argues that the 'paradigm' that Lange is critiquing is modernism and that the Standpoint of the Ideal offers an incommensurate paradigm and thus is revolutionary


identifier: Hatzis, Panagiotis  (1996) The academic origins of John F. Kennedy's new frontier.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis seeks to introduce the reader to the underpinnings on which John F. Kennedy's 1960 Presidential campaign was based. Well before Kennedy declared his candidacy for Democratic Party nomination for President he gathered together a group of academics from in and around the Boston area and formed his own personal think tank in much the same way that Franklin D. Roosevelt did before his Presidential campaign of 1932.  Unlike Roosevelt, Kennedy did not call his group a Brains Trust, instead he chose to call his collection of professors the Academic Advisory Group. This treatise will establish the Academic Advisory Group's existence, flesh out its mandate, identify its creator and map out its evolution from its earliest origins to the interregnum prior to John F. Kennedy's Inauguration.  The aim is to identify some of the key players within the Group and show how they individually and collectively related to the candidate and his campaign. Essentially, this treatise will examine the details surrounding the speech-making process of a Presidential campaign, and answer three distinct questions: who advised Kennedy; what was he told; and did he heed the advice he was offered?


identifier: Kdaiem, Nourhen  (1996) Market reaction to announcements of rights offerings using daily and intraday data.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study uses daily prices and intraday trade and quote data to examine the market reaction to announcements of 95 rights offerings of Canadian firms listed on the TSE over the period 1987-1994. In a rights offering, existing shareholders are offered rights entitling them to buy new shares usually at a discount from the current market price. Consistent with previous research, we identify significant mean abnormal returns during the two-day event period (0, +1). Cross-sectional regression results support the information release, and possibly the price pressure hypotheses. Trading frequency, volume, value and conditional variance decrease significantly on the event day relative to the pre-event period and return to normal levels during the post-event period. The relative bid/ask spread decreases on the event day relative to the pre-event period. No significant permanent changes occur in all trade indicators from the pre- to post-event periods. Trade direction for the stocks does not change significantly between any two periods. Trades for the rights issued by the sample firms are more seller-initiated during their 21-day trade period.


identifier: Narayanan, Sridhar  (1996) Formal methods for reuse of design patterns and micro-architectures.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Software reuse is recognized to have the potential for improved productivity of quality software. Class reuse, micro-architecture reuse, and reuse of application frameworks are the three distinct levels of software reuse. This thesis examines the critical issues in providing support for different levels of reuse through formal specifications of reusable components.  The formal specification language Larch/C++ has been used in reuse research projects and has been found to be adequate for specifying the behavior of class interfaces. We strengthen this claim by applying this methodology to several classes chosen from Rogue Wave library. We then provide extensions to the language for specifying object collaborations in a micro-architecture. We then illustrate this specification methodology for a micro-architecture chosen from a design pattern repository. In this context, we have also discussed the need to formally document design patterns and provided a formal framework within which design patterns can be formalized. Finally, we present the conceptual schema for a design pattern repository and discuss the query language features for storage and retrieval of design patterns.


identifier: Keightley, Keir  (1996) Frank Sinatra, hi-fi, and formations of adult culture : gender, technology, and celebrity, 1948-62.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This dissertation involves a detailed examination of selected formations of adult entertainment culture between 1948 and 1962. While much research has focused on the emergence of youth or teen culture after the Second World War, the contemporaneous development of distinct and distinctive adult cultural formations in the fields of popular music and Hollywood cinema has been neglected. The dissertation presents an extensive amount of archival and artefactual research as part of a reconstruction of the dominant institutions, forms, and practices of adult popular music and cinema. It examines the inter-articulation of age, gender and taste across a range of media forms, performers, and technologies associated with adult audiences. The dissertation includes detailed accounts of the installation of high-fidelity audio technology in domestic space and of the cross-media career of the singer and actor Frank Sinatra. These studies involve conjunctural analyses of articulations of adultness during a period which is historically associated with the emergence of youth or teen culture. The development of age-segmented popular cultural formations is seen to be implicated in the rise of new modes of appreciation and valourization of popular forms and performers, and these are seen to operate within gendered conceptions of cultural legitimacy.


identifier: Joanisse, Leanne M  (1997) The fat of the land : sizeism in Canada.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: The fat of the land : sizeism in Canada

abstract: Obesity is a feared and loathed condition in North America. The psychological literature has focused extensively on the stigmatization of obesity, but it has been relatively ignored in sociology. Studies typically involve questioning thin people, usually college students, about their feelings towards fatness. However, obese people themselves are rarely asked to describe their experiences. This study was carried out to determine the extent to which sizeism, or discrimination against the obese, affects a person's life. In-depth interviews were held with 10 women and 10 men, living in various Canadian cities. The participants revealed victimization from multiple sources; e.g., family members, life partners, strangers, employers, colleagues, and the medical profession. All have dieted but none have been able to lose weight permanently. Eight modes of response to sizeism were discerned. Argument is made for the recognition of the obese as an oppressed minority group.


identifier: Kojic, Sinisa  (1997) A theoretical and experimental investigation of the BTA deep hole tool support in the machining zone.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Self-piloting tools feature the unique use of two support pads and the surrounding hole as a guide bushing to steer itself along the hole being machined. The piloting hole, in conjunction with the two support pads, provides for the tool balance in the hole transverse cross-section. However, in the axial section plane, the tool alignment with the piloting hole depends on the boring bar to which the tool appears as a solid extension. This study shows that the alterations in the output quality and the support pads' wear pattern can be explained by in-process encountered boring bar bending. This is because even minor inclinations near the tool tip appear significant when considered in the small front-end area of the support pads where burnishing occurs. The study is to explain the inherent feature of the conventional self-piloting tool design to deflect the boring bar in 3D enough to make a difference between the effective area involved in burnishing and the area as designed.


identifier: Jiwa, Salima  (1997) Maternal employment : exploring the relationship between maternal stress, child factors and daily routines.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The present study was designed to examine the relationship between working mothers' stress level and two child characteristics, gender and temperament, in addition to the daily routines of the mothers, in an attempt to ascertain why working mothers are stressed. Studies of maternal employment have demonstrated that working mothers are exposed to the numerous, often conflicting roles of being a wife, a mother, and an employee (Apter, 1993, Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985; LeMesurier, 1995). These opposing roles usually result in role conflict or role overload, which in turn leads to stress (Greenhaus Br: Parasuraman, 1986). The reasons for the increased stress levels of working mothers, however have not been clearly identified. Gender and child temperament are two factors that may be linked to the stress working mother experiences (Alvarez, 1985; Hoffman, 1984). Furthermore, preliminary evidence suggests that it is possible that certain daily rituals of a working mother with a child in day care may be related to the elevated stress levels (LeMesurier, 1995). Fifty-seven parents of three-to five-year-old children in community and corporate day care centres in the greater metropolitan Montreal and Toronto areas participated in this study. Demographic information was obtained through telephone interviews along with information related to maternal employment. Level of parental stress was assessed (Abidin, 1986) and information about child temperament (Buss & Plomin, 1984) was obtained from parents and teachers. Parents also completed the Going to Day care and Getting Home survey (Jacobs & Jiwa, 1996). Working mothers were not found to be highly stressed and no differences were found between the parenting stress levels of mother of boys and mothers of girls.


identifier: Lunetta, Jacqueline F  (1997) The stereoselective synthesis of a novel aromatic peptide nucleic acid (APNA) oligomer.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The synthesis of the thymine derivative (S)-50, was achieved in high enantiomeric purity (98% ee). The (R) enhanced enantiomer was also synthesized with moderate enantiomeric purity (46% ee). This acyclic pyrimidine analog ((S)-50) is a useful building block for the synthesis of a novel class of oligomers, the aromatic peptide nucleic acids (APNA). The APNA tetramer 70 was prepared from the amino acid monomer (S)-50 using classical peptide synthesis. Chemical shift differences between the $\sp1$H NMR of monomer (S)-57 and tetramer 70 were observed which suggested that base stacking interactions in the oligomers may be favorable.


identifier: Shayan, Nader Rajabieh  (1997) CINDI : Concordia Indexing and Discovery System.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: As the number of Internet users grows, the problem of indexing and retrieval of electronic information resources becomes more critical. A number of search systems are currently available for this purpose on the Internet; examples are Lycos, Yahoo, Web Crawler, etc. However, they offer uneven search results, namely, many of them produce mishits or miss existing resources. This is due to the fact that they attempt to match the specified search terms without context as to where the words appear in the target information resource. This calls for a proper cataloging to avoid such uneven results.  This thesis is concerned with a metadata-based indexing system proposed to describe the semantic content of information resources. The metadata description is called Semantic Header, and its main intent is to include those elements that are most often used in the search for an information resource. A variety of fields have been included in Semantic Header for the indexing and retrieval of resources. This will considerably reduce the aforementioned unpredictable results. The system also distributes the expertise of a librarian to help users choose appropriate subject terms, during indexing and searching, from an associated thesaurus.  A prototype has been developed based on this proposal for indexing and discovery of information resources on the Internet. The prototype is composed of two main subsystems viz. Graphical User Interface (the client) and Database (the server). This thesis presents the design and implementation of the Database subsystem. Object Modelling Technique (OMT) has been employed for the analysis and design of this subsystem. Object Database and Environment (ODE) is the database system used for indexing and retrieval of Semantic Headers. Communication between the two subsystems has also been implemented using the TCP/IP protocol.


identifier: Su, Xijia  (1996) Accounting disclosure and information environment : a comparative study of U.S. and Japanese security markets with dynamic modelling.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Considerable efforts have been made by accounting researchers in the last three decades to investigate whether there is a stable and significant association between stock prices and accounting earnings. This study seeks to shed light on this issue by adding to the price-earnings regression accounting earnings from both past and future periods. The pattern of response coefficients is expected to be different for past versus future earnings, and different firms that are operating in different informational and institutional environments. This study applies the analysis of changes in regression coefficients to a comparative study between the U.S. and Japan. Two aspects of information asymmetry between investors and management are identified and proxied in this study: (1) the availability of information, and (2) the willingness, resources, and ability to process the available information. The models used to test the above-mentioned proxies of information asymmetry are developed from the notion that current stock prices are associated with both current and future earnings, and accounting earnings include a surprise component and a stale component. The resulting indefinite lead/lag combined model is operationalized into two definite lead/lag models and an autoregressive model. The study finds that the U.S. and Japanese information environments are significantly different, evidenced by systematic differences in the patterns of coefficients from different samples and subsamples. It is also found that in general, investors in large firms are better informed about firms' future opportunities than those investing in small firms. The same phenomenon is also observed for institutional versus individual investors, and for Japanese versus U.S. investors. The U.S. markets are characterised by the availability of abundant information from competing sources, especially for large firms, and by the capability of investment institutions. On the other hand, the Japanese investors seemingly have more confidence in the persistence of the reported earnings than U.S. investors.


identifier: Linstead, Greta  (1997) Competencies : a case study of Royal Bank Financial Group, Personal Financial Services.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Competencies, in both academic and professional fields, are currently of interest as a framework for human performance development. Personal Financial Services, a business unit within Royal Bank Financial Group, has turned to competencies as a tool for supporting its business strategies. With the assistance of The Hay Group, external consultants to Royal Bank Financial Group, this business unit has developed and begun implementation of competency models. These models draw from the McClelland/McBer job competence assessment methodology.  This thesis applies a qualitative research approach to determine whether or not the expectations for the initial implementation process of the competency models were fulfilled as intended. A secondary purpose is to determine if the competency supporting tools are being used by employees, as planned, for personal development purposes at the time of this study.  This thesis therefore profiles the competency model development and initial implementation experiences of Personal Financial Services. It also examines the results of the initial implementation process to date upon a select group of branches.  The resulting analysis suggests a number of gaps between the results of the intended and actual initial implementation. Additionally, the analysis suggests that competency supporting tools are, in some cases, being used by branch employees for personal development purposes, and in other cases these same tools are being used for evaluative purposes. This study discusses these gaps, and advances recommendations, primarily in the areas of future research.


identifier: Legault, Mark A  (1995) Nicotine withdrawal causes transient elevations in brain stimulation reward thresholds.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Nicotine withdrawal is associated with dysphoria and depression in humans. In rats, withdrawal from amphetamine, cocaine, or morphine attenuates the motivation to respond for rewarding electrical brain stimulation. It has been proposed that such attenuation of brain stimulation reward reflects opponent-process depression of brain reward circuitry and underlies the dysphoric symptoms of drug withdrawal in humans. In the present study the rate-frequency variant of the curve-shift paradigm was used to examine the effects of nicotine withdrawal on brain stimulation reward. Animals were injected with either saline, 0.5 or 1.5 mg/kg of nicotine once on the first day of treatment then twice daily for the next 13 days (equaling a dose of 1.0 or 3.0 mg/kg/day) and on the morning of the final day (day 15). Brain stimulation reward thresholds were then determined periodically for 24 hours. Withdrawal from 3.0 mg/kg/day of nicotine increased the frequency required to sustain responding to approximately 132% of baseline. This increase was evident 8 hours after the last nicotine injection and remained so for 24 hours. Nicotine withdrawal did not effect maximal response rates. There was no effect of withdrawal from 1.0 mg/kg/day of nicotine or from daily saline. The present study provides evidence that nicotine withdrawal attenuates brain stimulation reward in a manner similar to amphetamine and morphine withdrawal. This evidence supports the view that depression of the reward system is a withdrawal symptom common to several classes of drugs.


identifier: Pelletier, Marc-François  (1996) Attempts toward the expression in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana of Esi47, a salt stress-induced gene encoding a protein kinase from Lophopyrum elongatum.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Plant transformation vectors for constitutive gene expression were prepared to study the role of Esi47, a gene that encodes a protein kinase, which normally is induced as part of the salt-stress response in Lophopyrum elongatum. Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of A. thaliana, by tissue-culture and vacuum infiltration, were both attempted. A number of plant transformation constructs were made for gene promoter analysis. Expression constructs were also made and tested for the production of Esi47 protein in E. coli using the pATH11 trpE fusion vector.  The tissue-culture method was partially successful. Callus cultures were established for the Arabidopsis Col-2 genotype, embryogenesis was observed in Col-2, and ten regenerated seedlings arose directly from RLD-1 genotype explants grown on shoot inducing medium (SIM) containing 100 $\mu$g/ml kanamycin. Col-2 callus was maintained for three passages on SIM with antibiotics, while the RLD-1 regenerated seedlings were plated directly on hormone free growth medium (GM) with 100 $\mu$g/ml kanamycin for three weeks. All developed roots and were transferred to the greenhouse, but rapidly wilted and died upon transfer. Attempts were made to regenerate from de novo meristem with Col-2 callus tissue by subculturing on B5 medium with various combinations of benzylaminopurine (BAP) and naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), but the callus remained unresponsive. Five series of transformations by vacuum infiltration were attempted, but proved unsuccessful.  The trpE::Esi47 fusion gene constructs, one with the full protein kinase open reading frame, and the other with the carboxylic-terminus of Esi47, were successfully expressed in E. coli. The TrpE fusion proteins were found in the insoluble fraction of lysed cells. Resolubilized fusion proteins derived from the two expression constructs had apparent molecular masses of 75 and 45 kDa, respectively.


identifier: Panzuto, Maria  (1996) Chemoreception of sugars and amino acids in female fourth and sixth instars of the spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.).  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Gustatory responses to several sugars and l-amino acids in two age groups of Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.) larvae were studied using electrophysiological methods. Sensitivity to the stimuli was assessed by stimulating the medial and lateral styloconic sensilla of the galea. Of the twelve common sugars tested on the lateral sensillum, fourth instars responded to melibiose, sucrose and raffinose. Sixth instars exhibited an order of sensitivity that was in accordance with earlier behavioural work on feeding responses; sucrose $>$ fructose $>$ m-inositol.  A neuron in the lateral stylconic sensillum was found to be sensitive to all l-amino acids except l-proline. The latter was detected by a neuron on the medial sensillum. Sixth instar larvae were significantly more responsive to the l-amino acids than the younger instars. However, there was no correlation between the neurophysiological input measured in this study and behavioural output from a previous experiment with sixth instars.  L-proline and l-valine proved to be the most stimulating, and dose-response curves for these two amino acids were plotted. Maximal responses for l-proline and l-valine were 50 mM/l and 1 mM/l, respectively. The threshold of the response for both compounds was lower than 0.001 mM/l.


identifier: Macieszczak, Maciej  (1997) Prime component decomposition of images and its applications in an image understanding system.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: A reliable and flexible model of a low-level processing stage is one of the most crucial requirements in the development of an image understanding system (IUS). In this thesis, a model for the low-level processing stage based on a new scheme of prime component decomposition is proposed. This model is then used to develop a knowledge-based image understanding system that is capable of solving many image processing problems without employing complex algorithms.  A scheme for the prime component decomposition that utilizes the maximum size geometrical polygons is devised. It is shown that the optimal decomposition element in the continuous metric space has a circular shape. The decomposition operator is also optimized in the discrete metric space to deal with the actual implementation of the prime component decomposition operator, yielding square decomposition elements. The derived decomposition operator is used to extract shape elements of the objects contained in input scenes and to produce their intermediate object descriptions. In the proposed approach of shape extraction, the prime component decomposition technique is used to partition the object's interior, while a modified Sobel operator is used to detect the object's edges. The typical errors of a shape extraction process such as noise sensitivity, description errors of diagonal objects and the description errors caused by a small sampling frequency are reduced using a shape equalization approach that is based on Fourier descriptors and nonlinear interpolation.  In the development of an image understanding system, a hierarchical approach of constructing the intermediate object representation is used to represent the knowledge within the system. The knowledge base of the IUS is developed as a relational multidimensional tree structure that dynamically changes the relational links among its elements. The dynamical process of creating and transforming the knowledge base is controlled by a feedback with the low-level processing stage that reduces the memory requirements of the IUS. The traditional data type definitions are extended to include the base and derived data types. These extensions effectively represent and process the time-varying knowledge of the system and increase its overall efficiency. The high-level processing stage of the IUS is implemented based on the black-board architecture with a specialized control mechanism--the agenda-based control. This control mechanism reduces the number of computational steps within the high-level processing stage by employing a selective focusing mechanism.  The functional behaviour of the proposed prime component decomposition scheme and the model of the image understanding system is experimented with several application examples including the isolation and identification of stationary and time-varying objects.