identifier: Gupta, Shambhu Kumar  (2018) Thermal Cycle Effects on Laminated Composite Plates Containing Voids.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Composite structures (panels, antenna, brackets / fittings) are often cured in an autoclave to acquire the required space grade quality. These days the industry is focusing on out of autoclave manufacturing methods which leads to more voids inside the laminate compared to those manufactured in the autoclave. In this work, the influence of voids on the micro-crack formation, under thermal cycles and environmental conditions, were investigated and analyzed. Thermal cycle experiments were performed using liquid nitrogen and oven followed by microscopic observation of the polished cross-section of the 900 layered plies. Cracks were monitored, counted, and measured in void and void free areas. Void content was characterized using a microscope and the images obtained were analyzed using the ImageJ software to compare crack density and area. It was observed that the micro-cracks were formed both around the voids and in void free areas. It was noticed that as the number of thermal cycles is increased, the number of micro-cracks around the voids increased much faster as compared to the void free areas. It was witnessed that most of micro-cracks propagated in the transverse direction. Also the formation of microcracks around the void depended on the void size, shape, and its location. Further, the Interlaminar Shear Strength (ILSS) of the samples were also measured. The results indicated that ILSS reduced as the number of thermal cycle increased, since the micro crack density also increased. One Moisture cycle was introduced as a possible way to detect microcracks at the early stage of thermal cycling. Experimental results showed that more microcracks will be appeared after moisture cycling. This
IV
can be attributed to the reduction of matrix stiffness due to the moisture absorption and also the process conditions which includes nitrogen submersion and heating above 100 0C. The finite element method was used to simulate the experimental process. Micro, meso and macro models were created with respect to original samples, voids and positions so as to calculate the stress distribution and its concentration. It was observed that the simulated results are in good agreement with the experimental results. Therefore, from the experimental studies and FEM analysis it is possible to predict the location of micro-crack formation which further depends on the void shape, its location and size. Hence, these data can be used in the prediction of material and structure service life.


identifier: Al-Frajat, Ali Khadair Kadam  (2018) Selection of Robust Features for Coin Recognition and Counterfeit Coin Detection.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

type: Thesis NonPeerReviewed

abstract:
Tremendous numbers of coins have been used in our daily life since ancient times. Aside from being a medium of goods and services, coins are items most collected worldwide. Simultaneously to the increasing number of coins in use, the number of counterfeit coins released into circulation is on the rise. Some countries have started to take different security measures to detect and eliminate counterfeit coins. However, the current measures are very expensive and ineffective such as the case in UK which recently decided to replace the whole coin design and release a new coin incorporating a set of security features. The demands of a cost effective and robust computer-aided system to classify and authenticate those coins have increased as a result.
In this thesis, the design and implementation of coin recognition and counterfeit coin detection methods are proposed. This involves studying different coin stamp features and analyzing the sets of features that can uniquely and precisely differentiate coins of different countries and reject counterfeit coins. In addition, a new character segmentation method crafted for characters from coin images is proposed in this thesis. The proposed method for character segmentation is independent of the language of those characters. The experiments were performed on different coins with various characters and languages. The results show the effectiveness of the method to extract characters from different coins. The proposed method is the first to address character segmentation from coins. Coin recognition has been investigated in several research studies and different features have been selected for that purpose. This thesis proposes a new coin recognition method that focuses on small parts of the coin (characters) instead of extracting features from the whole coin image as proposed by other researchers. The method is evaluated on coins from different countries having different complexities, sizes, and qualities. The experimental results show that the proposed method compares favorably with other methods, and requires lower computational costs.
Counterfeit coin detection is more challenging than coin recognition where the differences between genuine and counterfeit coins are much smaller. The high quality forged coins are very similar to genuine coins, yet the coin stamp features are never identical. This thesis discusses two counterfeit coin detection methods based on different features. The first method consists of an ensemble of three classifiers, where a fine-tuned convolutional neural network is used to extract features from coins to train two classifiers. The third classifier is trained on features extracted from textual area of the coin.
On the other hand, sets of edge-based measures are used in the second method. Those measures are used to track differences in coin stamp’s edges between the test coin and a set of reference coins. A binary classifier is then trained based on the results of those measures. Finally, a series of experimental evaluation and tests have been performed to evaluate the effectiveness of these proposed methods, and they show that promising results have been achieved.


identifier: Page, Jonathan  (2018) William ‘Abdullah’ Quilliam: Modernity and Faith as lived by a Victorian Muslim.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: William ‘Abdullah’ Quilliam, a British convert to Islam, was an oddity to his fellow countrymen and was looked upon with hope and expectation by Muslims around the world who saw his small community of converts as an Islamic outpost in the heart of the British Empire.  Many of Quilliam’s countrymen, however, then, as now, understood Islam to represent the antithesis of the modern values which Britain was ostensibly spreading around the globe.  Indeed, Muslim societies, it was argued, were undeveloped and required the fruits of modern, Western civilization; Muslims were superstitious, rigidly traditional, and irrational, conditions which could best be remedied by a strong dose of European education.  At times, Quilliam’s contemporaries, as well as Quilliam scholars, have depicted him as existing within a framework of resistance, in opposition to this hegemonic, imperialist narrative.  But as this thesis demonstrates, through archival research of Quilliam’s periodicals, one of the reasons why he is such a provoking historical figure is that he largely agreed with this ‘European’ account of the state of the world and its peoples.  In fact, it was through this worldview that he justified his conversion to Islam and sought to convert others.  Quilliam argued that Islam was, at its core, a purely rational, scientific, undogmatic religion.  This secular, ‘Victorian reasoning’ for his conversion to Islam problematizes the relationship between modernity and religion.  Furthermore, his life demonstrates that, rather than ushering in a secular homogeneity, modernity, like all of history, is messy, resists catchall theories, and defies easy categorization.


identifier: Mohamed, Mohamed Yosry Mohamed ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5904-7052 <https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5904-7052>  (2018) Compressive Stress-strain of Unreinforced Masonry Boundary Element Prisms.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Reinforced masonry shear walls (RMSW) with masonry boundary elements (BE) are rectangular walls having integrated masonry BEs at the wall extremities. These BEs can be constructed using half pilaster block (i.e. C-shaped blocks) or regular stretchers. The compressive stress-strain response of the masonry BEs prisms built using stack-bonded C-shaped blocks (C-MSBEP) vary from that of regular stretchers prisms due to the continuity of the grout core (i.e. absence of block’s webs) and the higher grout-to-shell area ratio. Understanding and enhancing the stress-strain response of the masonry BE is a key to enhance the overall response of the RMSW with BEs. One of the challenges limiting the use of RMSW in high-rise buildings is the low compressive strength of masonry compared to reinforced concrete. Many studies showed that for specific block strength increasing the grout strength will not result in a proportional increase in the masonry prism capacity. Although some factors that result in minimizing the grout contribution to the prism strength were previously investigated, a consensus on the main governing factors is yet to be established.
In this study, the compressive stress-strain relationships of half-scale fully-grouted C-MSBEP and its constituents (i.e. masonry shell and grout core) are studied. In total, eight fully-grouted masonry BE prisms, six un-grouted masonry BE shells, eighteen grout core prisms, nine running-bonded fully-grouted stretcher block prisms, and nine stack-bonded fully-grouted stretcher block prisms have been tested under concentric compression loading. Both the un-grouted masonry shells and the grout core prisms had the same height as the grouted C-MSBEPs. The test matrix is composed of two different prisms’ aspect ratios, namely two and five. The grouted stretcher block prisms were grouted using normal strength grout while the grouted C-MSBEPs were grouted using two grout strengths, normal and high strength.
The study covers the effect of prism construction techniques in Canadian and US standards on the stress-strain response of C-MSBEPs, comparing the stress-strain of C-MSBEPs to regular stretcher block prisms, and the effect of the interaction between the masonry shell and the grouted core on the masonry compressive strength. In addition, the effect of treatment, air and wet, on the stress-strain response was also examined on the grout core prisms. Moreover, the stress-strain relationship of the 200 mm x 100 mm grout cylinders is compared to that of the grout core prisms to study the shape and size effects. The results of the grouted C-MSBEPs were compared to four predictive equations from the literature and to the unit strength values provided by the Canadian and US standards to evaluate their ability to predict the peak strength of the grouted BEs.
The stress-strain response of C-MSBEPs was found to be different from that of regular stretcher block prisms and is affected differently by height-to-thickness ratio. Thus, two analytical models were proposed to predict the full stress-strain response of C-MSBEPs and stretcher block prisms. The shape and size effects on grout core prisms are evident especially for normal strength grout. The superposition of the load-displacement response of the grout core and the masonry shell was found to be not comparable to that of the grouted BE. The effect of treatment on the stress-strain relationship of the grout cores was found to be insignificant. The equations available in the literature that were used to predict the capacity of masonry prisms were found to misestimate the experimental results of the tested C-MSBEPs. The US Masonry Structures Joint Committee (MSJC 2013) design standard was found to introduce better estimation for C-MSBEP’s compressive strength compared to the Canadian Standard Association CSA S304 (2014) “Design of Masonry Structures”. Both the CSA A179 (2014) “Mortar and grout for unit masonry” grout cylinders and the ASTM C1019 (2014) “Standard Test Method for Sampling and Testing Grout” grout prisms were found not representing the actual grout stress-strain response within the C-MSBEP, mainly because they do not simulate the effect of grout shrinkage in actual masonry prisms. Therefore, an equation was proposed that considers the different factors affecting the contribution of the grout core to the strength of C-MSBEPs.


identifier: Tremblay, Stéfanie  (2018) Cerebello-Cortical Coherence of Local Field Potentials following Patterned Stimulation of the Cerebellar Vermis.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The cerebellum is involved in sensorimotor, cognitive, and emotional functions through cerebello- cerebral connectivity. Non-invasive cerebellar neurostimulation has been used to treat neurological disorders and has positive effects on cognition and mood, which have been related to modulation in frontal oscillations. To explore the mechanisms, we studied the effects of cerebellar stimulation at various frequencies on oscillations and coherence across a cerebello-cortical network, in the anesthetized rat. Local field potentials were recorded continuously with monopolar and bipolar electrodes in the lateral cerebellum (crus I/II), and in the prefrontal cortex (FrA), in six adult male Sprague-Dawley rats anesthetized with urethane. Stimulation patterns were delivered to the cerebellar vermis (lobule VII) in a randomized order: single pulses (0.2 Hz for 60 s), and repeated pulses at 1 Hz (30 s), 5 Hz (10 s), 25 Hz (2 s), and 50 Hz (1 s). Low frequency stimulation (1 Hz and 5 Hz) enhanced coherence in the cerebello-cortical network in theta and alpha, while high frequency stimulation (50 Hz) had an enhancing effect on beta and low gamma coherence. Stimulation effects were influenced by the initial oscillatory state, perhaps due to cyclic stages under urethane anesthesia. Low frequency stimulation was more efficient when delivered in a state dominated by slow waves, while high frequency stimulation showed the opposite relationship. We have found here that cerebellar stimulation can drive synchronization of cerebello-cortical and cortico-cortical networks. The present results could provide basic mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of cerebellar stimulation by promoting large-scale synchronization of neural networks.


identifier: Tremblay, Brittany  (2018) Examining Shared Storybook Reading in Childhood and Reading for Pleasure in Adolescence.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The numerous benefits of print exposure are unquestionable as they have been widely studied among children and adults (Cunningham & Stanovich, 1990, 1991, 1997, 2001; Mol & Bus, 2011). However, despite these benefits, some individuals choose to engage in reading as a leisure activity and some do not. The social interactions of shared storybook reading have contributed to children’s favorable experiences with reading up to Grade 4 (Sénéchal, 2006), yet the role that shared storybook reading plays in print exposure during high school has not been examined. Therefore, the present study investigated shared storybook reading in childhood and current print exposure in English and in French with 45 adolescent-parent dyads from the greater Montréal area. Parents and adolescents completed a retrospective Title Recognition Test (TRT), where they identified storybook titles they recognized from a list of real titles and foils. Adolescents also completed an Activity Preference Questionnaire and an Author Recognition Test (ART), to assess their current print exposure, and literacy measures to assess their spelling, word-recognition, and word reading skills. The results of hierarchical multiple regressions demonstrated that adolescents’ TRT scores in English accounted for unique variance in their print exposure scores, as measured by the ART. Additional regressions demonstrated that the ART was an important contributor to literacy skills. The findings underline the importance of parents engaging in shared storybook reading with their children. These early social experiences relate to later reading preferences and skills in adolescence.


identifier: Najafi, Armin  (2019) On Test Selection, Prioritization, Bisection, and Guiding Bisection with Risk Models.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
The cost of software testing has become a burden for software companies in the era of rapid release and continuous integration. In the first part of our work, we evaluate the results of adopting multiple test selection and prioritization approaches for improving test effectiveness in of the test stages of our industrial partner Ericsson Inc. We confirm the existence of valuable information in the test execution history. In particular, the association between test failures provide the most value to the test selection and prioritization processes. More importantly, during this exercise, we encountered various challenges that are unseen or undiscussed in prior research. We document the challenges, our solutions and the lessons learned as an experience report.
In the second part of our work, we explore batch testing in test execution environments and how it can help to reduce the test execution costs. One approach to reducing the test execution costs is to group changes into batches and test them at once. In this work, we study the impact of batch testing in reducing the number of test executions to deliver changes and find culprit commits. We factor test flakiness into our simulations and its impact on the optimal batch size. Moreover, we address another problem with batch testing, how to find a culprit commit when a batch fails. We introduce a novel technique where we guide bisection based on two risk models: a bug model and a test execution history model. We isolate the risky commits by testing them individually, while the less risky commits are tested in a single large batch. Our results show that batch testing can be improved by adopting our culprit prediction models. The results we present here have convinced Ericsson developers to implement our culprit risk predictions in the CulPred tool that will make their continuous integration pipeline more efficient.


identifier: Ajaero, Chibuikem  (2019) Validation Of The Kurganov-Tadmor/Kurganov-Noelle Petrova Scheme for Rotating Detonation Engine Simulations Using OpenFOAM.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Detonation waves are a challenging field of study given the short time and length scales involved in the phenomenon. Such waves exhibit a complex structure consisting of a lead shock and shock waves travelling transversely to a detonation’s normal propagation direction. The interaction between the shocks and the rapid chemical reactions they trigger results in the emergence of a natural length scale, the detonation cell size. There are still no complete theory or model that can accurately predict the cell size or a detonation waves initiation, propagation and failure dynamics. The numerical simulation of detonation waves is also challenging, due to the rapid reaction rates encountered. The Open source Field Operation And Manipulation (OpenFOAM) framework, commonly referred to as OpenFOAM, Computational Fluid Mechanics (CFD) package is increasingly used and referenced.
One drawback of the stock OpenFOAM package is that the only finite volume numerical scheme available for the solution of the Euler equations in conservative form is the Kuganov-Tadmor (KT)/Kuganov-Noelle-Petrova (KNP) numerical scheme. Moreover, combustion is not implemented, hence which needs to be modified to simulate detonation waves; a coupling of compressible flows and reaction. This particular scheme is 2nd order accurate in smooth region based on the idea behind the Lax-Friedrichs scheme and which does not involve the solution to a Riemann problem in order to evaluate the intercell fluxes. This is unlike the methods currently used in detonation research, which nearly always consist of Godunov-type schemes with an approximate Riemann Solver such as Harten-Lax-van Leer-Contact (HLLC). OpenFOAM, with the KNP scheme, was recently used to simulate
the two-dimensional structure of detonation waves despite having not been fully validated for the detonation simulation. Efforts to get access to the codes used proved abortive. In this work, we create a custom solver named rhoCentralFoamreac which we used to evaluate (validate) the KNP scheme for detonation cases, by simulating a standard 1D detonation
case that usually results in pulsating propagation with a single mode. Metrics for detailed comparison and convergence studies are the oscillation peak pressure and period. Using the KNP scheme, we then examine OpenFoam as a CFD tool for the simulation of a detonation based engine, where an initiated wave propagates circumferentially in a combustion chamber, commonly referred to as a rotating detonation engine. We study the effect of different
ignition methods, and initiation flow fields (subsonic and supersonic) on the formation of these rotating detonation waves.


identifier: Robillard, Chantale ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2346-8103 <https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2346-8103>  (2018) Network and System Management using IEC 62351-7 in IEC 61850 Substations: Design and Implementation.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Substations are a prime target for threat agents aiming to disrupt the power grid’s operation. With the advent of the smart grid, the power infrastructure is increasingly being coupled with an Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) infrastructure needed to manage it, exposing it to potential cyberattacks. In order to secure the smart grid, the IEC 62351 specifies how to provide cybersecurity to such an environment. Among its specifications, IEC 62351-7 states to use Network and System Management (NSM) to monitor and manage the operation of power systems. In this research, we aim to design, implement, and study NSM in a digital substation as per the specifications of IEC 62351-7. The substation is one that conforms to the IEC 61850 standard, which defines how to design a substation leveraging ICT. Our contributions are as follows. We contribute to the design and implementation of NSM in a smart grid security co-simulation testbed. We design a methodology to elaborate cyberattacks targeting IEC 61850 substations specifically. We elaborate detection algorithms that leverage the NSM Data Objects (NSM DOs) of IEC 62351- 7 to detect the attacks designed using our method. We validate these experimentally using our testbed. From this work, we can provide an initial assessment of NSM within the context of digital substations.


identifier: Gallagher, Sean  (2018) Preppy Zombies.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: Preppy Zombies

abstract: Preppy Zombies is a novella aimed at skewering the social structures of boarding schools, the notion of an elite population, and the small towns in which they reside. The story positions itself early in the narrative as a work of popular fiction in order to later subvert, and satirize, genres such as the campus novel, romance, and coming of age. A forbidden love between two teenagers at an Ontario prep school is threatened not only by disapproving adults, but—more radically— by an airborne toxic event. A poisonous gas has seeped out from a chemical plant, which the town’s elite have bought and paid for, along with the belief that they will be protected from any harm. The ensuing chaos blends horror and humour to deconstruct family relationships, social hierarchies, and a loss of innocence.


identifier: Zayed, Muhammad ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1314-4794 <https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1314-4794>  (2018) Identification and Characterization of Cold-Tolerance Associated Genes in Wheat.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

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abstract:
The low temperature remains as one of the major limiting factors of crop productivity in the temperate region, and identification of cold tolerance related genes is crucial for developing cold tolerant crop plants to increase agricultural productivity. The objective of my thesis is to identify cold tolerance related candidate genes in wheat, one of the major crops in the temperate region.  In Chapter 2, I have reviewed the literature pertaining to the mechanisms of cold tolerance in plants with specific emphasis on Wheat. In Chapter 3, forty candidate genes with increased expression under cold exposure based on published microarray data were selected and further characterized. These genes belonging to four categories namely defense-related regulators; transcriptional and epigenetic regulators; post-transcriptional and post-translational regulators; and genes of unknown functions revealed many differentially expressed genes including Remorin – upregulated in response to cold; a novel gene in wheat homologous to RD29B of Arabidopsis-upregulated in response to cold and ABA; and another novel gene regulated by both ABA and MetJA.
In chapter 4, the results of genome-wide identification and characterization of the wheat remorin family and its association with cold tolerance are presented. A search of the wheat database revealed the existence of twenty different remorin genes that we classified into six groups sharing a common structure and phylogenetic origin. Promoter analysis of TaREM genes revealed the presence of putative cis-elements related to diverse functions like development, hormonal regulation, biotic and abiotic stress responsiveness. Expression levels of TaREM genes were measured in plants grown under in field and laboratory conditions and in response to hormone treatment. Our analyses revealed twelve members of the remorin family that are regulated during cold acclimation of wheat in four different tissues (root, crown, stem and leaves), with the highest expression in roots. Differential gene expression was found between wheat cultivars with contrasting degree of cold tolerance suggesting the implication of TaREM genes in cold response and tolerance. Additionally, eight genes were induced in response to ABA and MetJA treatment. This genome-wide analysis of TaREM genes provides valuable resources for functional analysis aimed at understanding their role in stress adaptation.
The chapter 5 is focused on gaining insights into the evolutionary history and in-silico functional characterization of a novel cold-responsive gene in wheat. This gene in wheat has distant homology to known abiotic stress-related genes in other plants including CAP160 in Spinacia oleracea, RD29B in Arabidopsis and CDeT11-24 in Craterostigma plantagineum. The results show that these genes are homologous and may have evolved from a common ancestor. The Bayesian phylogenetic analyses of the protein sequences of this gene from various plant species revealed three distinctive clades. Further analyses revealed that this gene has predominantly evolved through neutral processes with some regions experiencing signatures of negative selections and some regions showing signatures of episodic positive selections. These genes contained common K-like segments and function predictions revealed that these protein-coding genes may share at least two functions related to abiotic stress conditions. One function is similar to the cryoprotective function of LEA protein, and the second function as a signalling molecule by binding specifically to phosphatidic acid.


identifier: Abdolghader, Pooya  (2018) Development of an Experimental Setup to Measure the Effectiveness of Mechanical Filters For Nanoparticles.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Nanoparticles (NPs) are particles of less than or equal to 100 nm in diameter. Due to their size, they have a significant effect on health and safety of people. Capture of these NPs in general ventilation systems by filters remains one of the most widely used means of protection due to its relative simplicity of implementation and its effectiveness for capturing various size of particles. In North America, filters used in general ventilation systems are tested by the ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 52.2 and are graded according to their efficiency, which is a function of particle diameter. However, the current standard limits the filtration efficiency assessment for particles between 0.3 and 10.0 microns. There is therefore a significant lack of knowledge about the behavior of these filters with respect to the particle diameter below 0.3 μm. The main objective of this study was to develop a measurement procedure to evaluate the effectiveness of mechanical filters used in general ventilation systems against (NPs). In this regard a small setup was designed, build and qualified. Then measurement procedure was validated by comparing the penetration measurements with those obtained on qualified big loop setup, which was inspired by ASHRAE setup for nano-metric particles. One type of mechanical filter rated (MERV 8) in three depth sizes (1, 2 and 4in) is used to illustrate the full penetration range that can be measured on both setups. The obtained results are consistent with the classical filtration theory for mechanical media and with previous experimental measurements on media and filters. The data presented in this study show that the particle range of 22.1-294.3 nm gives a fairy good correlation (R2=0.898) between the two setups and for the penetration range of 0.7-1.0 at two face velocities of: 1 and 0.75 m/s. The outcome results from this study is a firm validation to evaluate the effectiveness of mechanical filters used in general ventilation systems against nanoparticles.


identifier: Lalonde, Martin  (2018) Approche des médias sociaux mobiles basés sur l'image en éducation artistique : une étude sur les affects adolescents et sur la complexité des systèmes d'apprentissage.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Les plus récentes statistiques en matière d'habitudes d'utilisation des technologies de communications (Anderson et Jiang, 2018) démontrent que la quasi-totalité des adolescents possède maintenant un téléphone intelligent (95%). Près de la moitié d'entre eux (45%) affirment être connectés sur Internet presque constamment et c'est sur les réseaux sociaux basés sur l'image qu'ils passent désormais le plus de temps. Les pratiques de communication qu'ils développent sur ces plateformes transforment leurs processus de socialisation (Anderson, 2015) et de construction identitaire (boyd, 2014). En milieu éducatif, des enseignants craignent encore souvent à investir ces espaces pour des raisons pouvant être liées à un manque de ressources, de connaissances, de formation ou de confiance au niveau de leurs compétences professionnelles à faire usage des technologies (Fiévez, 2017).
Pourtant, l'école secondaire représente un passage déterminant pour les adolescents; le programme de formation québécois reconnaît en effet que c'est là qu'ils jettent les bases de leur identité sociale et orientent les directions de leur cheminement socioprofessionnel (Gouvernement du Québec, 2007). Si, dans la même lignée, on conçoit la création artistique comme un processus d'actualisation de soi, cette situation justifie l'importance pour la recherche en éducation artistique de formuler une meilleure compréhension de l'impact des dynamiques sociales des réseaux sociaux numériques mobiles sur le parcours de formation personnel et scolaire des jeunes. De ce point de vue, la perspective des acteurs de terrain de l'enseignement peut nous permettre d'identifier des enjeux pragmatiques locaux et de concevoir en réponse des innovations pédagogiques qui, une fois implantées et testées, révèleront les défis et les affordances des nouveaux environnements éducatifs ouverts par les technologies mobiles.
En oeuvrant en collaboration avec un enseignant spécialiste du domaine des arts et les élèves d'une de ses classes de secondaire 5, j'ai procédé à la conception, à l'implantation et au raffinement itératif d'un projet d'enseignement des arts visuels faisant usage des médias sociaux mobiles et abordant la question de la motivation et de l'engagement scolaire. Suivant les principes de la recherche-design en éducation (Class et Schneider, 2013), une méthodologie qualitative interventionniste, le projet de recherche présenté dans cette dissertation poursuit le double objectif d'apporter une contribution pratique à des enjeux de terrain dans un milieu local tout en générant des données qui permettent de théoriser les principes d'un nouveau type d'environnement éducatif créé par l'intégration des technologies mobiles.
Le cadre conceptuel de cette étude réunit de manière complémentaire des théories de l'étude des mobilités, de la complexité et des affects. J'ai recours à ces trois perspectives conceptuelles afin d'illustrer un entendement de l'environnement de communication visuelle et d'apprentissage dans les médias sociaux mobiles. Celui-ci est entendu comme un système complexe fonctionnant de manière décentralisée et asynchrone et dans lequel des acteurs affectent mutuellement leurs potentialités par le biais de leurs interactions.
Les résultats présentés dans cette étude démontrent que la production et l'échange de photographies dans les médias sociaux mobiles sont, pour les jeunes, des pratiques fondamentalement autoreprésentatives et que les dynamiques de communications autour de ces images impactent lourdement leur perception de soi, influençant conséquemment leurs trajectoires identitaire et sociale. En investissant ce type d'espace à partir de la classe d'art, les jeunes sont en mesure de prendre un recul critique sur leurs approches personnelles de la production et de l'appréciation visuelle dans les médias sociaux. Un tel recul contribue, entre autres, à la réorganisation des dynamiques d'apprentissage dans le contexte de classe entre élèves et auprès de l'enseignant, favorise la réciprocité dans les rapports et stimule l'élaboration d'approches alternatives de production et d'appréciation visuelle dans les médias sociaux mobiles.


identifier: Mowchun, Trevor  (2018) Metaphysics and the Moving Image.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

title: Metaphysics and the Moving Image

abstract: The various forms of cross-pollination and encounter between film and philosophy have generated thought experiments which make it possible to think beyond what the two fields can do for each other to what they can do together. My guiding intuition in this thesis is that the distinct historical evolutions of film and philosophy intersect in the speculative domain of the Western metaphysical paradigm, as the film medium technologically and aesthetically reestablishes conditions for “truth” within a contemporary intellectual climate which is often described as politically “post-truth.” As the long age of metaphysics comes to a close at the turn of the 19th century, ushered in by Nietzsche’s bold declaration “God is dead” and subjected thereafter to standardized modes of critique from both continental and analytical philosophic traditions, I explore how the emergence of film at this time and its representation of what André Bazin calls “the world in its own image” marks a migration of metaphysics from rational speculation through concepts to mechanical revelation through images and sounds. The rebirth of the world in its own image in the wake of the death of God is the self-affirmation of life and marks the first principle of a new "cine-metaphysics." I take seriously what appears as a mere historical coincidence (claiming that it is not a coincidence) and seek to analyze its implications for film-philosophy. With the birth of film following the death of God, I suggest that the world’s radical exposure and dramatic appearance onscreen and on its own terms, as it were, constitutes the basis not just for a continuation or return but rather a transformation of the philosophical tradition of metaphysics, rendering metaphysics “physical” and yielding a series of ontologically perspicuous figures of cinematic space-time brought to light by various aesthetic incarnations of the world in its own image. Through both theoretical and hermeneutic investigations into the metaphysical legacy of the moving image, one of my main conclusions is that in philosophy metaphysical thinking tends to result in conceptual abstraction or confusion, or is at least accused of such results, whereas cinema, conceived of as enacting the very object of metaphysical thought, can bring about the audiovisual clarity of the everyday.


identifier: Siddiquee, Lamia  (2018) Optical Beam Steering with Focus Tunable Lenses for Automotive LIDAR Systems.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
LIDAR is a device used for measuring the distance of an object using laser beams to create detailed 3-D images of the object. LIDAR has numerous applications, but one of its principle applications recently has been with autonomous vehicle where it is used to map the surroundings of the vehicle so that it can detect obstacles or differentiate between roads, other vehicles and passengers etc.
For a LIDAR to capture a complete 360° surrounding view of a vehicle, the sensor must be rotated around to detect images all around the vehicle. Current autonomous cars use spinning LIDAR sensors mounted on top of the vehicle. These sensors use mechanical motors to rotate the entire device, and have the disadvantage of being bulky, expensive, and inefficient. For this reason, non-mechanical methods of steering optical beams like Optical Phased Array (OPA) technology and Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) is being extensively researched.
This thesis aims at refining an alternative method of non-mechanical beam steering which uses focus tunable lenses. Focus tunable lenses have a variable focal length that can be controlled by applying appropriate electrical signals. By using two such lenses one after the other, the direction and focus of a laser beam can be controlled. The tunable lenses, along with other optical elements can be used to create a wide-angle scan. Past research on this method is limited, and the device size was too large for practical applications. This can be attributed to the long optical path lengths present between adjacent elements in the design, which is required for the beam scan angle to be as large as possible. So ultimately a tradeoff between device size and the scan angle exists.  This work aims to explore this tradeoff and create a compact design which at the same time is capable of scanning over a large angle. Zemax software was used to model the elements, design the systems, and trace the rays to detect their exact position for different values of focal length of the tunable lenses.
The first design aimed at observing the effect of reducing the optical path length between the adjacent elements in the design.  The design elements were placed close to each other to reduce the physical length (and consequently the optical path length) between them. The total length of the device was only 114 mm, but reducing the optical path resulted in a very low scan angle of 16°.
In the second design, instead of removing a big part of the optical path between the relay lens and the diffuser all together, it was replaced with two 90° prisms with their bases facing each other. With this arrangement, a total optical path of 224 mm was created within a physical length of 48mm. The focal length of the objective lenses placed after the diffuser were reduced from 50mm to 25mm. The results from the final design show a total beam scan angle of 52° for a device only 119mm in length.
The third design incorporated a third prism to further increase the optical path length to create a larger scan. The scan angle from this design was found to be 60°. The total size of the device however, increased due to the addition of a third prism.
Measurements were made of the RMS beam radius at different distances from the device, and the beam divergence was calculated to be 0.45°.


identifier: Khoury, Ramzi and Alecsandru, Ciprian  (2018) Methodology to Predict the Time of Blockage (ToB) for Bicycle Sharing Systems.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

creator:
Khoury, Ramzi
Alecsandru, Ciprian

abstract: As of 2018, Montreal’s bicycle-sharing system (BSS), BIXI Montreal, is managing about 6,200 bicycles and 540 stations from mid-April till mid-November. A major problem that arises in BSS’s is bicycle and/or dock availability. A more predictable system will help optimize bicycle-rebalancing and raise the customers’ satisfaction of the service which, eventually, will generate incentives for mode-shifting and reducing traffic congestion. In this thesis, we used the 2017 open-source data along with basic demographic information, provided by BIXI, to create a methodology that will improve rebalancing procedures and add adjustability to a BSS. Preliminary investigation of the data shows that bicycle/dock availabilities are critical during the AM peak hours - when most users utilize the system for commute. Arriving on time in the morning is a priority for most users and providing a convenient infrastructure service for this is believed to be essential for any growing city. At the station level, we examine arrivals and departures as well as capacity and inter-station distances. At the user level, we examine gender, age, language and trip duration. The developed methods will allow bicycle sharing systems to study the variation of the Time of Blockage (ToB) as the user profile changes. This is very useful when there is interest in geographical expansion of the system. The methods will also allow for real-time monitoring of the ToB instead of using pre-set dispatch times. This will definitely optimize bicycle rebalancing operations - maximizing convenience, availability and users’ satisfaction.


identifier: Masadeh, Mohammad ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8204-2068 <https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8204-2068>  (2018) Modeling and Emulation of Induction Machines for Renewable Energy Systems.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Electric motors with their drive systems utilize most of the generated power. They account for about two-thirds of industrial energy utilization and about 45% of the global energy utilization. Therefore, optimizing a motor and its corresponding drive system with their control can save energy and improve system efficiency. It can be risky and difficult however to test large prototype electrical machines and study their dynamic characteristics; or to test electric drives at high power levels with different machine ratings and operating conditions. One way to effectively evaluate these systems is to emulate the electric machine using a power electronic converter with the help of a real-time simulation system.
Power electronic converters and their control systems are increasingly being used in industries with different power ratings at high switching frequencies in the kHz range. In this thesis, an induction motor emulator based on a power electronic converter is developed to allow detailed testing the converter and controller. A proportional-resonant current controller in the abc-frame and pulse-width modulation are employed. The conventional model of the induction machine (IM) with constant parameters does not represent accurately the machine’s performance for severe transients specifically during starting and loading conditions. Magnetic saturation effects should be considered. Hence, experimental procedures to determine the flux saturation characteristics in the main and both stator and rotor leakage flux paths are achieved. Machine models that consider or neglect the main and leakage flux saturation are compared with experimental results. The model which considers the magnetic saturation effect in both flux paths results in more accurate transient responses. Likewise, the dynamic response of the induction motor emulator during startup and loading transients show the effectiveness of using the developed emulator to resemble closely a real motor.
The relationship between the stator and rotor leakage reactance of the induction machine according to IEEE Std. 112™ is assumed to be constant under all operating conditions. However, this is not accurate during severe transients such as the direct online startup and loading conditions of a three-phase induction motor. The leakage reactance of the machine can vary widely during severe conditions. Hence, using constant parameters in the machine model will result in an inaccurate dynamic performance prediction. Moreover, considering a constant ratio between the stator and rotor leakage reactance is no longer valid for all current levels. In this thesis, a direct and precise method is proposed to estimate and separate the stator and rotor leakage reactance parameters under normal operating conditions and when the core is deeply saturated. The method exploits the 2D time-stepping finite element method (FEM) with a coupled circuit. The obtained current-dependent reactance functions in both leakage flux paths are included in the dq-model of the IM. Other machine parameters are determined by implementing the standard tests in FEM. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, the predicted results are compared to the dynamic responses obtained experimentally from a three-phase, 5-hp squirrel-cage IM.
A power electronic converter-based self-excited induction generator (SEIG) emulator is developed. The testbed replaces a wind- or microhydro-turbine driven squirrel-cage induction generator that works within an isolated power system to feed power in remote areas. It supports testing and analyzing the dynamic performance of islanded generation systems which comprise numerous kinds of parallel-operated renewable energy sources. The risk and cost associated with the testing, analysis and development of novel control topologies and electrical machine prototypes are reduced considerably. The dq-model of the SEIG in the rotor reference frame is implemented in a real-time controller. Saturation in the main and leakage flux paths are included in the machine model. The generator model with modified parameters is verified and used in the emulator. The cascaded voltage and current loops utilizing the proportional-integral controllers in dq-frame are employed. A voltage-type ideal transformer model is used as a power interface for the emulator whereas an excitation capacitance is added to the power-hardware-in-the-loop block diagram. Likewise, the dynamic response of the induction generator emulator during voltage buildup and loading conditions validates the effectiveness of using the developed emulator to resemble closely a real generator.


identifier: Mellor, Lee  (2018) I Kill, Therefore I Am: The Expressive/Transformative Process of Violence.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Before the late-Industrial age, a minority of murderers posed their victims’ corpses to convey a message. With the rise of mass media, such offenders also began sending verbal communications to journalists and the authorities. Unsurprisingly, the 21st century has seen alienated killers promote their violent actions and homicidal identities through online communications: from VLOGs to manifestos, even videos depicting murder and corpse mutilation. Though the decentralization of media has provided an easily-accessible platform for violent offenders, such communications also afford law enforcement the opportunity to better understand the make-up of such criminals. To this end, qualitative research was conducted on a sample of 10 such offenders. The results revealed that they suffer from a chronically volatile self-concept with resulting negative-emotionality owing to deficient childhood socialization and strains related to sexuality, gender, and vocation. As the psychologist, Higgins, and sociologist, Mead, have shown that our self-concept arises and is negotiated through communication, these homicidal expressions provide the killer with a tenable identity, temporarily or permanently eliminating their emotional turmoil.  Far from mere attention-seeking, these killers are desperately striving for a self. Their malaise is exacerbated by our increasingly anomic and isolating society—the mid-stages of Baudrillard's 'hyperreality'—where the 'real' and 'unreal' are becoming indistinguishable. Together, these observations form the bedrock of the expressive/transformative process of violence (ETV). By highlighting the link between semiotics and psychology in the context of our media-saturated society, ETV provides a methodology for interpreting homicidal communications, allowing law enforcement and mental health professionals to strengthen criminal profiles, link crimes, aid in pre- and post-homicidal risk assessment, and devise clinical treatment strategies.


identifier: Pilorge, Anne-Gaelle  (2018) Impact of friction dampers and ductility factor on the seismic response of concrete moment resisting frame buildings.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Infrastructures around the world are impacted by seismic events and therefore can suffer different types of losses that include: life, structure, economy and much more. It is important to control the vibration in structures using appropriate design methods, materials, and energy dissipation devices. There are many different types of energy dissipating devices providing supplemental damping to structures and control their vibration response. This research focuses on friction devices, particularly, the inline friction dampers used in diagonal bracings to control the vibration in buildings. There is no standard design process available in the National Building Code of Canada to design buildings with friction dampers. The procedure suggested in FEMA guidelines is quite complicated to use. The focus here is to use a rational method for building design with friction dampers and demonstrate the impact of friction dampers in the design process, and seismic response. Currently, dampers are used as a device which are supplementary to the structure post- design, to increase its strength and stiffness that benefit structures. However, that produces a highly conservative design which may not be economically justified. By letting the dampers take about a tart of the lateral forces, structure can be optimized. The effect of fiction dampers was observed by the reduction of moment and shear on columns, the reduction of cost. Six structures were designed for this study: elastic with and without dampers, moderately-ductile with and without dampers and ductile with and without dampers.

This study demonstrates that by designing and applying friction dampers into the design stage, the beams and columns attract less moment and shear impacting their sizes. While designing the structure, adding dampers helped reduce the cost in material for all three structures by around 7.5% in contrasts to the same model without dampers. An optimization of the structure section was made after adding the dampers into the structure. The impact of moment and shear into the columns and beams was shown to also be reduced of nearly 25-40% (the average is 29.5%). The seismic response of the different building models was determined using nonlinear pushover and time-history analyses. The results show that despite having smaller sections for beams and columns, the structures with dampers have reduced drift as compared to those without dampers. It was clearly demonstrated that friction dampers have an impact into the design of structures making them stronger with a higher response and lower cost. After calculating the cost of material and the overall results of analysis, the ductile structure is found to be the most economical choice. However, considering the post-earthquake damage and repair cost, the moderately-ductile structure with dampers will be a better option.


identifier: Davis, Kirsten L.  (2018) A Music Therapy Program Design for Neuro-Palliative Care.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The use of music therapy to support patients and families receiving traditional (oncology-based) palliative care has been well established in research and practice (Bradt & Dileo, 2010). In this study, intervention research methodology (Fraser, Richman, Galinsky & Day, 2009) was used to develop a music therapy intervention manual for the emergent sub-specialty of neuro-palliative care. Two participants (one neuro-palliative care nurse clinician, one music therapist) were interviewed regarding applications of music therapy for patients with end-stage brain tumours, strokes, and progressive neurologic disorders. These findings, combined with the researcher’s own clinical experience, suggest the essential components of a music therapy program for neuro-palliative care, give detailed descriptions of music therapy interventions for neuro-palliative care, and outline patient and family needs and goals which music therapy may address in a neuro-palliative care settings.


identifier: Elamari, Khalid Ibrahim  (2018) A Novel Control Strategy for a Static Interphase Power Controller.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
With the rapid increase of electricity demand, the possibility of overloading the existing power transmission lines increases. Building new transmission lines can be avoided or delayed, provided that fast and accurate means for controlling active and reactive power are made available. There are a number of Flexible AC Transmission System (FACTS) devices that can help meeting these goals. Among them is the Interphase Power Controller (IPC), which presents an important characteristic: Active power regulation in a transmission line with a highly variable transmission angle. Its original implementation is based on mechanically controlled phase-shifting transformers, which are relatively slow and only allow active and reactive power flow control in a discrete range. Static IPCs can be realized with three Voltage Source Converters (VSCs) in a configuration called dual Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC). However, this Unified IPC (UIPC) has been controlled as a Static Phase Shifter (SPS) and does not make use of all the flexibility offered by the dual UPFC.
This thesis discusses the operation of the dual UPFC of the UIPC with all its features: Phase shifting and reactive power compensation, series and shunt. The complexity of the control logic increases since the number of control variables increases from two to four. To address this issue, a control strategy based on the sharing of the real and imaginary components of the desired transmission line current among the capacitive and inductive branches of the UIPC is proposed. The control variables are then computed with an optimization algorithm that minimizes the apparent power of the VSCs of the capacitive and inductive branches for increased efficiency. The superior performance of the proposed scheme over the conventional one is demonstrated based on analytical expressions.
The performance of the proposed control scheme is also investigated in the time domain. For that, dynamic models of the system required for designing the control loops of the currents in the inductive branch, capacitive branch, shunt branch and DC bus voltage are derived. Proportional plus Integral (PI) type controllers in the dq (rotating reference) frame and Proportional Resonant (PR) controller in the abc (stationary reference) frame are designed. The dynamic performance of the system is verified by means of simulation using PSCAD/EMTDC. Besides, a reduced-scale prototype controlled with a rapid prototyping real-time control hardware was built to further validate the performance of the system experimentally.


identifier: Caldwell, Stuart  (2019) In War and Peas, Comrades at Farms: Political Intentionality and Construction of Space in a Montreal Farm Collective.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The central fieldwork site for this research was a farm collective called La Grange, located outside of Montreal in the municipality of Laval, Quebec. This research aims to explore the dynamics of collective organization and the factors involved in the construction of shared political and physical space as they apply to this particular farm project and the changes it has undergone over the course of the three farming seasons during which participant observation was conducted. The theoretical framework for this research follows a trajectory that is in the tradition of the anthropology of social movements, with the concept of prefigurative politics providing a theoretical backdrop for discussions of the practices and political orientations relevant to La Grange and its participants. Prefiguration, and in particular its capacity to translate political theory and ideology into action, provides rich soil for discussions of political intentionality, collective organizing and power dynamics, DIY (Do It Yourself) ethos, anarchist theory, organic farming practices and food justice issues.


identifier: Taher, Rana  (2018) The Souk-The Story of South Lebanon: Marketplace, People, and Institutions.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The purpose of the study is to understand the dynamic and relationship between market and society in South Lebanon by focusing on how rural weekly markets in South Lebanon are embedded within social, political, and economic relations.  The study presents an ethnographic journey through the weekly markets in South Lebanon.  It looks at two case examples of weekly markets: Monday Market in Nabatieh (Souk Tanein in Nabatieh) and Thursday Market in Bint Jbeil (Souk Khameis in Bint Jbeil), as well as draws on examples of other weekly markets in South Lebanon.  The findings demonstrate that rural weekly markets in South Lebanon are not autonomous, but subordinate to social, political, and economic relations that have played a significant role in their existence and persistence over time.  History, geography, social relations, political leadership, policy, and power play a critical role in their formation, growth, and sustainability.  Their sustained existence over time is further driven by social and cultural factors such as norms, values, and practices found within the marketplace; this perception is found among sociologists and political economists, and is shared by local municipal leaders, vendors, and people who see these markets as economically inconsequential, but socially and culturally significant.  Continuous existence of these weekly markets cannot be explained using classical economic theory, nor can they be analyzed using a single sociopolitical theory on markets.  Instead, the historical, geographical, social, political, and cultural factors interact in a critical manner in their evolution and sustained existence over time.


identifier: Stanford, Robin  (2019) The Pilgrim Corps Vivant: Closing the Gap Between Foundational Typologies and Non-Locative Pilgrimage Practices – Die Sionpilger by Felix Fabri as Case Study.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In this thesis I examine whether the pilgrimage typologies suggested by Victor and Edith Turner (communitas) as well as that of John Eade and Michael Sallnow (contestation) are useful tools for describing and analyzing non-locative pilgrimage practices. As these understandings of pilgrimage are based on locative examples of sacred journeying, there is a risk of them being reduced to pertaining solely to physical travel. I propose a clarification of these typologies using the phenomenological work of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, such that pilgrims are best understood as both biological and psychological beings whose perceptions and intellectual functions are not separate, but rather inextricably intertwined. In order to examine whether the typologies are suitable for discussing non-locative pilgrimage, I draw on a historical test case: Die Sionpilger (1492) written by Dominican Friar Felix Fabri. I demonstrate that the typologies are suitable for discussing non-locative journeys, in that many of the characteristics described by the Turners, and Eade and Sallnow are constituent elements present in the text Die Sionpilger.


identifier: Motevali, Nazanin  (2020) Investigating centrifuging conditions for sustainable recovery of fuel from oily sludge.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: One of the most troubling wasted products in both upstream and downstream petroleum industry is oily sludge. Oil sludge is generated in huge amounts through refining, exploration, storage, pipeline and tanker transportation. Such sludge, containing considerable amounts of hydrocarbons, solids, heavy metals, water and other impurities, presents a stable emulsion, which is difficult to treat. An adequate treatment prevents environmental pollution, protect public health, and installation, as well as preserves an adequate tank capacity. On other hand, oil sludge still contains valuable fuel and water, hence in spite of difficulties; the recovery of resources from sludge is a sustainable generation of fuels and recycling water. Centrifuging is one of the available technologies, which is able to break the sludge suspension into phases, while fuel can be recovered. The objectives of this study were to recovery of oil and water, and decrease hazardous volume for disposal using centrifuging process. The investigations were conducted in order to separate fractions, in a sustainable way, i.e. oil be used as a fuel, water be reused in processing, and solids can be treated or disposed efficiently. In order to optimize phase separation and help in fraction recovery, the centrifuging process was modified by various pre-treatment methods. The results showed that the highest quality of oil and water was recovered when centrifuging process was applied with using such additives like ferric chloride, ferrous sulfate and surfactant (Tween 80). Further improvement was achieved when centrifuging three-phase separation was exposed to pre-heating at 55oC.  The calorific value of the recovered fuel increased by 23% comparing to raw oily sludge. Furthermore, an amount sent to disposal decreased by 70%.


identifier: El Ammari, Khaled  (2018) Remote Collaborative BIM-based Mixed Reality Approach for Supporting Facilities Management Field Tasks.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Facilities Management (FM) day-to-day tasks require suitable methods to facilitate work orders and improve performance by better collaboration between the office and the field. Building Information Modeling (BIM) provides opportunities to support collaboration and to improve the efficiency of Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMSs) by sharing building information between different applications/users throughout the lifecycle of the facility. However, manual retrieval of building element information can be challenging and time consuming for field workers during FM operations. Mixed Reality (MR) is a visualization technique that can be used to improve the visual perception of the facility by superimposing 3D virtual objects and textual information on top of the view of real-world building objects. The objectives of this research are: (1) investigating an automated method to capture and record task-related data (e.g., defects) with respect to a georeferenced BIM model and share them directly with the remote office based on the field worker point of view in mobile situations; (2) investigating the potential of using MR, BIM, and sensory data for FM tasks to provide improved visualization and perception that satisfy the needs of the facility manager at the office and the field workers with less visual and mental disturbance; and (3) developing an effective method for interactive visual collaboration to improve FM field tasks. This research discusses the development of a collaborative BIM-based MR approach to support facilities field tasks. The research framework integrates multisource facilities information, BIM models, and hybrid tracking in an MR-based setting to retrieve information based on time (e.g., inspection schedule) and the location of the field worker, visualize inspection and maintenance operations, and support remote collaboration and visual communication between the field worker and the manager at the office. The field worker uses an Augmented Reality (AR) application installed on his/her tablet. The manager at the office uses an Immersive Augmented Virtuality (IAV) application installed on a desktop computer. Based on the field worker location, as well as the inspection or maintenance schedule, the field worker is assigned work orders and instructions from the office. Other sensory data (e.g., infrared thermography) can provide additional layers of information by augmenting the actual view of the field worker and supporting him/her in making effective decisions about existing and potential problems while communicating with the office in an Interactive Virtual Collaboration (IVC) mode.
The contributions of this research are (1) developing a MR framework for facilities management which has a field AR module and an office IAV module. These modules can be used independently or combined using remote IVC, (2) developing visualization methods for MR including the virtual hatch and multilayer views to enhance visual depth and context perception, (3) developing methods for AR and IAV modeling including BIM-based data integration and customization suitable for each MR method, and (4) enhancing indoor tracking for AR FM systems by developing a hybrid tracking method. To investigate the applicability of the research method, a prototype system called Collaborative BIM-based Markerless Mixed Reality Facility Management System (CBIM3R-FMS) is developed and tested in a case study. The usability testing and validation show that the proposed methods have high potential to improve FM field tasks.


identifier: Ren, Xiaoning  (2018) Monitoring, Visualization and Assessment of Air Pollutant Emissions on Construction Sites.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
The construction industry is always ranked as one of the largest emission contributors of air pollutants including nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon oxides (CO), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and sulfur oxides (SOx), which accounts for approximate 23% of the global air pollutions each year. These pollutants are detrimental to the ambient air quality and the health and safety of construction practitioners. The high pollutant emission level has attracted the government’s interests to release regulations and initiatives to reduce the air pollutant emissions of construction projects. Also, construction practitioners and researchers are encouraged to mitigate the environmental impacts during the construction process. So far, most of the mitigation efforts have been placed on pre-assessing the environmental impacts of construction activities in the planning stage using emission estimation models. The emission estimation models were developed based on the emission rate analysis of the uninstalled engines in the laboratory environment. Therefore, the estimation models are not able to reflect the real-world emission rates, especially the emission rates of different working modes. In addition, the Portable Emissions Measurement System (PEMS) is employed to monitor the air pollutant emissions of the operating equipment in the construction stage. However, the costly expenses and the particular precautions when using the PEMS to monitor the air pollutant emissions significantly impede the utilization of PEMS. Also, it is impossible to install PEMS to each piece of construction equipment for the air pollutant emission monitoring of the whole construction projects.
The main objective of this research is to develop a set of tools to monitor and visualize the air pollutant emission on construction sites in the real-time and automatic manner. Towards this objective, an Internet of Things (IoT)-based system is created with the integration of microcontrollers, microsensors, and high-definition (HD) cameras. Specifically, the system can be employed to: 1) monitor the onsite air pollutant emissions during construction operations in an automatic and real-time manner; 2) dynamically and continuously visualize the air pollutant emission; 3) automatically trigger alarms when the air pollutant emissions violate the standards; and 4) quantitatively assess the potential impacts on ambient air quality and the health of workforces. The system has been tested on real construction sites. The results indicated that the system could assist construction practitioners in the monitoring and visualization of the air pollutants produced from construction operations. Also, the results are able to facilitate decision-making on reducing the air pollutant emissions and promote the sustainability of construction operations.


identifier: Tomaszewski, Anna  (2019) An Instructional Analogy Between Unitizing and Fraction Division: Seventh-Graders’ Conceptual Understandings of Division and Interpretations of Fractional Remainders.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Fraction division is not a simple concept. In fact, both students and teachers struggle to understand and explain this operation. This study examined whether using instructional analogies between unitizing and division were effective when teaching fraction division to seventh-grade students. The extent to which the analogies were explicitly supported varied by condition. The aim was to investigate whether condition differences existed in participants’ understanding of fraction division, in their interpretations of fractional remainders, and in their understanding of unitizing. Fifty-one participants were randomly assigned to the explicit-links condition (n = 17), the implicit-links condition (n = 17), or the control condition (n = 17). Students in the explicit and implicit-links conditions were first presented with a unitizing problem in which six was regrouped using various units and then they were taught how to solve a fraction division equation. The instructor in the explicit-links condition made connections between both concepts by using gestures, spatial cues, relational language, and other cognitive supports. The link between both concepts was in no way emphasized for the participants in the implicit-links condition. Finally, participants in the control condition saw the fraction division instruction twice and did not receive unitizing instruction. No condition differences were found at posttest in participants’ division explanations nor in their understandings of unitizing. When interpreting a fractional remainder, participants in the implicit-links condition referred to the original unit significantly more than participants in the other two conditions, but no differences were observed in their uses of the referent unit when interpreting the remainder. The present study is relevant to teaching professionals as it provides new information about the ways children think of fraction division and the fractional remainder.


identifier: Salem, Ashraf  (2018) Automated Productivity Models for Earthmoving Operations.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Earthmoving operations have significant importance, particularly for civil infrastructure projects. The performance of these operations should be monitored regularly to support timely recognition of undesirable productivity variances. Although productivity assessment occupies high importance in earthmoving operations, it does not provide sufficient information to assist project managers in taking the necessary actions in a timely manner. Assessment only is not capable of identifying problems encountered in these operations and their causes. Many studies recognized conditions and related factors that influence productivity of earthmoving operations. These conditions are mainly project-specific and vary from one project to another. Most of reported work in the literature focused on assessment rather than analysis of productivity.
This study presents three integrated models that automate productivity measurement and analysis processes with capabilities to detect different adverse conditions that influence the productivity of earthmoving operations. The models exploit innovations in wireless and remote sensing technologies to provide project managers, contractors, and decision makers with a near-real-time automated productivity measurement and analysis. The developed models account for various uncertainties associated with earthmoving projects.
The first model introduces a fuzzy-based standardization for customizing the configuration of  onsite data acquisition systems for earthmoving operations. While the second model consists of two interrelated modules. The first is a customized automated data acquisition module, where a variety of sensors, smart boards, and microcontrollers are used to automate the data acquisition process. This module encompasses onsite fixed unit and a set of portable units attached to each truck used in the earthmoving fleet. The fixed unit is a communication gateway (Meshlium®), which has integrated MySQL database with data processing capabilities. Each mobile unit consists of a microcontroller equipped with a smart board that hosts a GPS module as well as a number of sensors such as accelerometer, temperature and humidity sensors, load cell and automated weather station. The second is a productivity measurement and analysis module, which processes and analyzes the data collected automatically in the first module. It automates the analysis process using data mining and machine learning techniques; providing a near-real-time web-based visualized representation of measurement and analysis outcomes. Artificial Neural Network (ANN) was used to model productivity losses due to the existence of different influencing conditions.
Laboratory and field work was conducted in the development and validation processes of the developed models. The work encompassed field and scaled laboratory experiments. The laboratory experiments were conducted in an open to sky terrace to allow for a reliable access to GPS satellites. Also, to make a direct connection between the data communication gateway (Meshlium®), initially installed on a PC computer to observe the received data latency. The laboratory experiments unitized 1:24 scaled loader and dumping truck to simulate loading, hauling and dumping operations. The truck was instrumented with the microcontroller equipped with an accelerometer, GPS module, load cell, and soil water content sensor. Thirty simulated earthmoving cycles were conducted using the scaled equipment. The collected data was recorded in a micro secure digital (SD) card in a comma separated value (CSV) format. The field work was carried out in the city of Saint-Laurent, Montreal, Quebec, Canada using a passenger vehicle to mimic the hauling truck operational modes. Fifteen Field simulated earthmoving cycles were performed. In this work two roads with different surface conditions, but of equal length (1150 m) represented the haul and return roads.  These two roads were selected to validate the developed road condition analysis algorithm and to study the model’s capability in determining the consequences of adverse road conditions on the haul and return durations and thus on the tuck and fleet productivity. The data collected from the lab experiments and field work was used as input for the developed model. The developed model has shown perfect recognition of the state of truck throughout the fifteen field simulated earthmoving cycles. The developed road condition analysis algorithm has demonstrated an accuracy of 83.3% and 82.6% in recognizing road bumps and potholes, respectively. Also, the results indicated tiny variances in measuring the durations compared with actual durations using time laps displayed on a smart cell telephone; with an average invalidity percentage AIP% of 1.89 % and 1.33% for the joint hauling and return duration and total cycle duration, respectively.


identifier: Al-qudah, Rabiah  (2019) License Plate Detection using Deep Learning and Font Evaluation.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
License plate detection (LPD) in context is a challenging problem due to its sensitivity to environmental factors. Moreover, the chosen font type in the license plate (LP) plays a vital role in the recognition phase in computer-based studies. This work is two folded. On one hand, we propose to employ Deep Learning technique (namely, You Only Look Once (YOLO)) in the LPD. On the other hand, we propose to evaluate font characteristics in the LP context.
This work uses 2 different datasets: UFPR-ALPR, and the newly created CENPARMI datasets. We propose a YOLO-based adaptive algorithm with tuned parameters to enhance its performance. In addition to report the recall ratio results, this work will conduct a detailed error analysis to provide some insights into the type of false positives. The proposed model achieved competitive recall ratio of 98.38% with a single YOLO network.
Some fonts are challenging for humans to read; however, other fonts are challenging for computer systems to recognize. Here, we present 2 sets of results for font evaluation: font anatomy results, and commercial products recognition results. For anatomy results, 2 fonts are considered: Mandatory, and Driver Gothic. Moreover, we evaluate the effect of the used fonts in context for the two datasets using 2 commercial products: OpenALPR and Plate Recognizer. The font anatomy results revealed some important confusion cases and some quality features of both fonts. The obtained results show that the Driver font has no severe confusion cases in contrast to the Mandatory font.


identifier: Shetabivash, Hasan  (2018) A Multiple Level-Set Approach for Modeling Unconstrained Solidification.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
This thesis focuses on numerical simulation of the freezing process of liquid droplets on cold substrates. Solidification of droplets is one of the most challenging phenomenon for numerical modelling since various complicated physical mechanisms are involved. Dealing with the jump conditions at interfaces has been a long-term concern in numerical simulations. Moreover, the tri-junction point where three-phases come into contact requires special treatment. Furthermore, density expansion during freezing process should be taken into account.

In this thesis, we propose a level-set based model to represent three-phase solidification physics. Liquid and solid interfaces are represented by two different level-sets in order to deal with the phases separately. The liquid-gas interface is advected under an external velocity field obtained from solving Navier-Stokes equations. The solid-liquid level-set, on the other hand, evolves according to the freezing rate of the liquid. The level-set associated with the solid-liquid interface is comprised of two segments: active, and passive. The active part of the level-set evolves based on temperature gradients and latent heat of fusion. While, the passive part is merely utilized for imposing the angle at the tri-junction point. We solve a Hamilton-Jacobi type equation in the passive part of the liquid-solid interface to impose a constant or variable angle at the tri-junction point.

Furthermore, to consider the effect of density expansion, we added a source term into the continuity equation. The source term induces velocity in the domain by which the liquid-gas interface evolves. Moreover, a source term is added to the level-set advection equation to impose mass conservation in the liquid phase. The effect of density variation is included in the energy equation as well.

The proposed numerical approach is validated using benchmark problems. In addition, we compared numerical results of water droplet freezing on a cold substrate with experimental results available in the literature. Through the comparison, we prove that the proposed model is capable of accurately predicting solidification behavior.


identifier: Scott, Kaia  (2018) Picturing the Damaged Mind: Film and Techniques of Visualization in WWII Military Psychiatry.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Over the course of World War II, psychiatry went from being a specialized discipline addressing the very ill or the very rich, to one looked to by institutions and industry for expertise regarding the management of ordinary people’s labour and behaviour. Adopted by the US military as a strategy for “conserving manpower,” the astonishing growth and re-orientation of psychiatry in response to institutional demands has been documented in histories of psychiatry and sciences of social engineering. This project adds to these histories by identifying the key role played by film and what I call “techniques of visualization” in enabling this growth and modernization. A few familiar works of propaganda including the Why We Fight films and Let There be Light, are situated within a much larger institutional framework containing many unfamiliar films, all put to work within broader strategies to optimize the labour of personnel, and in the process acquainting millions of people to psychiatric discourses for the first time. Using extensive archival research of military documents and psychiatric literature, this study proposes that the work done by these films can only be understood by contextualizing them within institutional strategies for managing issues of concern such as morale, “combat fatigue,” and preventative psychiatry.

The chapters of this study examine film and techniques of visualization at work in screening, training, preventative psychiatry, therapeutic treatments, and discourse management, by mapping them along stages of a military career from selection and training through military service and discharge. Psychiatrists used film to try to manage men’s minds en masse, attempting to inoculate the mind to fear, make mental health “visible” so that it could be monitored and self-managed, standardize and automate aspects of treatment—in particular triggering repressed traumas, and manage discourses about war and mental health. Techniques of visualization adapted imprecise and time-consuming practices such as psychoanalysis and personality profiling to make them appear efficient and reproducible on a mass scale. The visual technologies and therapeutic modes that characterized the modernization of the psychiatric discipline evolved within a strict institutional environment that expected minds to adapt to the circumstances of war.


identifier: Chu, Wenjing  (2018) 3D human pose reconstruction for ergonomic posture analysis.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
The rapid development of the modular construction industry has produced the social concerns about workers’ health and safety in the factory-controlled construction processes. According to the reports from Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada (WCBC), approximately 2 in 100 workers are injured due to their awkward and improper postures and motions in the modular construction industry in Canada. The occurrence of injuries and accidents not only reduces the productivity but also increases the project cost. In this respect, the ergonomic posture built upon the self-report, manual observations, direct measurement or computer vision, is essential to identify, mitigate and prevent these postures for safety and productivity improvement. Advanced computer vision technologies have made the vision-based ergonomic posture analysis cost-effective in real workplaces. So far, several vision-based methods have been created to obtain the anthropometry data, such as joint coordinates and body angles, which are required for the ergonomic posture analysis. However, there are still some challenges like occlusions and lack of accuracy in complex working environments to reduce the reliability and robustness of these vision-based methods in practice.
This research proposes a novel framework that acquires the body joint angles for ergonomic posture analysis by reconstructing the 3D worker body with the 2D videos recorded from a monocular camera. The framework consists of (1) human tracking in the given videos; (2) 2D body joints and body parts detection using the tracking results; (3) 2D pose refining based on integrating the 2D joints detection with the body parts detection; (4) 3D body model generation and body angle calculation; and (5) ergonomic posture analysis based on the obtained body angles. The proposed framework has been tested on the videos in real factories and the test results were compared with the motion data captured by the IMU-based suit. The results showed that the average 3D pose difference was 17.51 degrees in terms of joint angles and the lowest joint angle difference was around 4 degrees.


identifier: Ghafouri Azar, Siavash  (2018) Three-Dimensional Simulation of Coating Build-up In Suspension Plasma Spray Process.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Thermal spray technology is widely used in many industries. The most important purposes of applying coatings are improving functional performance by the ability to work at higher temperature, increasing component life by protecting the surface against degradation, and repairing worn parts without changing the properties of the main part. Nano-structured coatings, which show improved characteristics as compared to conventional ones, have been extensively studied over the recent years. Suspension plasma spray (SPS) is a recently developed process that can produce nano-structured coatings on large surfaces.   The technique involves spraying fine molten particles that solidify rapidly in contact with the substrate with grain size less than 100 nm. A suspension of sub-micron or nano-sized particles in a liquid carrier (water and ethanol) is injected in and atomized by the high speed high temperature plasma plume in a DC plasma spray torch. The SPS technique allows us to deposit micron-size particles more efficiently and creates fine grains, and small-sized pore microstructure. The microstructure of SPS coatings results from a series of complicated phenomena influenced by several parameters. Thus, depending on the suspension interaction with the plasma plume, powder types, solid concentration in suspension, substrate preparation method, plasma spray setup, spray distance, powder feed rate, etc. various microstructures can be obtained. Therefore, it is of great interest to predict the SPS coating microstructure within the context of particle conditions upon impact i.e. trajectory, size, and velocity. To understand how the microstructure of SPS coatings relates to particle conditions and predict coating attributes such as porosity, columnar structure, thickness and surface roughness, a three-dimensional predictive model for coating buildup on a substrate has been developed.
In this model, the impact properties of each particle that comprise size, velocity, temperature, as well as particle’s location near substrate are obtained from a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model simulating the SPS process using a commercial Oerlikon Metco 3MB plasma torch.
Subsequently, the trajectory of each particle close to the substrate surface is calculated to determine its final impact location on the substrate or previously deposited particles. It is assumed that particles stick at the impact location according to some prescribed scenarios. The coating structure is specified using a variable f(i,j,k) which is zero when the cell is empty and equals unity when the cell is filled with the spray material. The numerical results can capture the columnar structures observed in SPS coatings due to the shadow effect.


identifier: Lapierre, Angela Rose  (2018) Experimental Evidence of Differences in Life History Characteristics and Interactions Between Cryptic Species of Diplostomum (Digenea).  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Recent DNA studies have uncovered diversity in sympatric species of Diplostomum (Digenea), a cosmopolitan parasite with a three host life-cycle infecting a piscivorous bird, snail and fish at different stages during its life cycle. The goal of this dissertation was to elucidate the basic life history characteristics and interactions of molecularly delineated sympatric cryptic species within fish and bird hosts. Using nomenclature from previous molecular studies, the species were designated as Diplostomum sp. 1, Diplostomum sp. 4 and Diplostomum baeri. The species of Diplostomum studied in each chapter depended on the experimental maintenance of the life cycle in the laboratory over consecutive years. Chapter 1 tested fish host specificity and both Diplostomum sp. 1 and Diplostomum sp. 4 successfully established in phylogenetically diverse fishes classifying them as generalists. Chapter 2 tested temporal heterogeneity on establishment success in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The data revealed no effect for Diplostomum sp. 4, but a decline in establishment success for Diplostomum sp. 1 in challenge infections. This is indicative of the importance of priority establishment for this species. Chapter 3 examined intestinal spatial distribution and range and fecundity in the bird (Larus delawarensis) host in single and mixed infections. There was a statistically significant shift in intestinal distribution in mixed-species infections for only for D. baeri when Diplostomum sp. 1 was also present. Further, Diplostomum sp. 4 experienced a decline in fecundity in mixed infections with in the presence of Diplostomum sp. 1 whereas fecundity of Diplostomum sp. 1 increased in mixed infections with D. baeri, indicative of interspecific interaction. Chapter 4 then examined life history characteristics and found interspecific differences in egg size and number, where Diplostomum sp. 4 had larger and more numerous eggs than Diplostomum sp. 1. However, there was no intraspecific relationship between egg size and number, nor egg and adult fluke size. Lastly, Chapter 5 revealed faster egg development and greater hatching success for Diplostomum sp. 4 compared to Diplostomum sp. 1. Overall, this dissertation provides novel experimental evidence of host specifity, interactions in both the fish and bird hosts and life-history differences, helpful in species identification, between cryptic species.


identifier: Gagliardi, Meghan  (2019) Who is responsible for justice here? Centering the contributions of anti-racist student organizers to address white accountability in the Canadian university.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis is premised upon the well-established understanding that universities across Canada and North America have been constructed through and are embedded in white supremacy — a historical and colonial system of power which privileges white, Euro-centric knowledges, bodies, and cultural norms and values. Examining the challenges of achieving racial justice in Canadian universities, many scholars have concluded that cultures of whiteness shape the university and pose fundamental barriers to racial justice. This results in a predominately white institutional environment resistant to the inclusion of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) communities. And this not only privileges white, Euro-centric ideologies, epistemologies, pedagogies, and bodies, it dually restricts BIPOC access to and belonging in the university. Using the notion of the ‘culture of whiteness’ as a point of departure, this work examines manifestations of, and resistance to, white supremacy in the Canadian university through a detailed case study centering the contributions of anti-racist student organizers. This thesis offers a close-up examination of how white supremacy is established, reproduced, and resisted in one contemporary urban university setting: Concordia University in Montreal. Drawing from interviews with eleven anti-racist student organizers and supplemented by reflections grounded in auto-ethnography, institutional ethnography, and participant observation, I examine manifestations of white supremacy and the conditions of student anti-racist work in the university. Centrally, on the basis of this research I argue that the responsibility for racial justice is unfairly assigned, and these assignments perpetuate rather than interrupt structural and cultural white supremacy in the Canadian university.


identifier: Vallerand-Legault, Alex  (2018) Engineering Saccharomyces cerevisiae for conversion of methanol into biomass.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
The effect of greenhouse gases on the environment has been well documented. In effort to mitigate the addition of greenhouse gases to the environment, there has been a collective effort to reduce our dependency on fossil fuel. One of the many ways to reduce this dependency is to find alternative methods for producing high-valued chemicals that are currently derived from fossil fuels. Due to the increasing bioengineering tools made available, this branch of science has greatly evolved and has facilitated the production of different high-valued chemical commodities in model organisms such as Escherichia coli or Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
However, a great barrier to commercialization of these high-valued bioproducts is their high production cost. Thus, in this thesis we focus on reducing the cost of the carbon feedstock by engineering yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to utilize methanol instead of glucose, the preferred but expensive carbon source. A three gene pathway found in Bacillus methanolicus was introduced in a strain of S. cerevisiae, enabling it to assimilate methanol. Overall, we were able to engineer S. cerevisiae to assimilate methanol and observed a 13.54% increase in biomass synthesis in the presence of 5mM methanol. We show the ability of our engineered strains to convert methanol to amino acids using 13C-labeled methanol. As well, we show a 2.2 to 3.7-fold increase in 13C-labeled amino acids when the media was supplemented with yeast extract.


identifier: Haji Kazem Nili, Somayeh  (2018) The Transcriptional Portrait of Zinc Cluster Transcription Factors in Candida Albicans: A Network Approach to Capture the Complicated Co-Dependencies and Regulatory Relationships.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

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abstract:
This study focuses on understanding the transcriptional regulatory relationships in the fungal organism Candida albicans (C. albicans). We are particularly focused on zinc cluster transcription factors (ZCTFs) characterized by a conserved CX2CX6CX5–12CX2CX6–8C DNA binding domain. In general, the ~82 ZCTFs are known to be involved in a range processes including invasive growth, mating strategy and drug resistance. In this study, we make use of RNA- sequencing-based transcriptional profiles for a subset of 30 of these ZCTFs that were developed previously into gain of function mutants.
Our goals were (1) to ensure that the collection of transcriptional profiles were developed into a useful resource where hypotheses could be tested quickly with the assurance that the underlying data is sound, clean and largely free of technical artifacts; (2) to catalogue the global expression patterns across the cohort of ZCTFs and provide insight into the underlying biologies present across the ZCTF family while at the same time enumerating genes, pathways and processes that are unique or nearly unique to each of the ZCTFs in order to provide insight into the specific function of each member; and (3) to produce hypotheses from our correlative analysis regarding potential causative, regulatory relationships both between the ZCTFs and with other transcription factors.
The raw and normalized data, the code used throughout our analysis and the resultant analyses are available via a github repository.


identifier: Perlinghis, Constandina  (2019) “I Understand”: An Analysis of Humour, O.J. Simpson and the Contemporary Crisis of Masculinity.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis investigates the contemporary crisis of masculinity as it pertains to power, control, misogyny, violence, and multiplicities in identity. It examines the current cultural anxieties and paradoxes that circulate in popular culture with respect to what it means to be a man. Employing O.J. Simpson’s mediated representations, this work identifies and deconstructs the discourse surrounding Simpson’s fetishized male body along with his status as an American cultural male icon, a celebrated football star, and a violent murderer. By way of an analysis of diverse popular texts, in particular stand-up comedy, the thesis examines how the issue of O.J. and the issue of manhood have been broached by humour from the nineties to now, revealing the contradictory forces that constitute dominant forms of masculinity.


identifier: Mbougni, Michel  (2018) Meta Heuristic Algorithms for Routing and Spectrum Assignment in Elastic Optical Networks.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
The day to day improvement of bandwidth hungry applications such as video streaming,
video gaming and many more has lead to more stringent requirements on networks.
These requirements have generated a significant shift from the traditional fixed-grid Wavelength
Division Multiplexing (WDM) networks to flexible-grid Elastic Optical networks
(EONs). Flexible-grid EONs have brought in new ways for allocating spectrum in an efficient
manner. Unfortunately, they have also brought in new challenges with respect to
spectrum allocation. It is much more complex to grant demands in flexible-grid EONs, as
they take into account more constraints than traditional fixed-grid WDM networks. Despite the effort that has been made by the research community to handle those constraints separately, very little has been done tackling them simultaneously, and under realistic scenarios.
In this thesis, we propose two meta-heuristic algorithms for allocating demands in flexible grid EONs while simultaneously taking into accounts all the constraints. Our algorithms are tested on small and large networks, with heavy load. Experimental results show that our algorithms perform quite well on all the instances that were selected.