identifier: Mora, Rodrigo  (2005) Representation and reasoning for integrated conceptual design of building structures.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: During conceptual design the most salient characteristics of a design artefact are defined. A team of specialists is usually required to carry out this process. For buildings, the architect is the lead designer and his/her work is supported by engineers and other specialists. The distribution of work among specialists with different backgrounds and priorities and the lack of a shared understanding of each participant's view usually result in inefficiencies, redundancies, omissions and errors in the design. This translates in cost overruns, poor quality and lack of competitiveness of the building industry. Computer programs for performing structural analysis and detail design calculations have been in the market and used by practitioners for many years. However, there is still a lack of computer support to assist properly engineers in the conceptual design of building structures. One explanation for this lack of support lies in the fact that during conceptual design the engineer's work flow is highly dependent on the amount, quality and type of information that is exchanged with the architect. To address this problem, the interactions between architects and structural engineers during early design are studied and formalized in a model of conceptual design of building structures. In this model, two stages of structural support are identified which are differentiated by the type and refinement of the architectural design representations. The first stage corresponds to the earliest phases of the architectural design process in which the architectural representations are tentative, ambiguous and imprecise, whereas in the second stage an unambiguous but still imprecise three-dimensional computer model of the building architecture is made available to the engineer. This research project concentrates on the second stage of computer support. A methodology for architecture/structure integration is devised for this stage. For the implementation of this methodology a computer representation integrating the building architecture and the structural system is developed. Synthesis algorithms are also proposed that rely mostly on geometry and topology of the architecture and the structure to help identify structural opportunities, detect potential structural problems and respect constraints coming from the building architecture. A proof-of-concept software prototype is developed and implemented, and two test cases demonstrate the validity of the proposed approach for supporting conceptual structural design. It is expected that the results from this research project will lead to more integrated and efficient conceptual structural design practice for improved building performance.


identifier: Usatenko, Alexander  (2004) The causes and management of ethnic conflicts : the case of post-communist Yugoslavia.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

type: Thesis NonPeerReviewed

abstract: Most conflicts in the current international environment are rooted in nationalistic and ethnic clashes. The scope of ethnic violence in the past decade has produced an increasing and alarming number of civilian victims as well as massive destruction of the infrastructure of the states involved. Often, such conflicts have assumed an international dimension by involving multiples states.  This thesis analyzes the ethnic conflict that erupted in the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s and became one of the most significant and devastating of all ethnic conflicts that have taken place in the post Cold War period. In particular, the thesis has two goals. First, it will seek to identify the main reasons that caused this ethnic violence, in a state that had been famous for its inter-ethnic peace in the communist period, through the critical assessment of modern comparative politics theoretical approaches. Second, the thesis will also explore and evaluate the major strategies and techniques of ethnic conflict management that have been used by national and international actors.  The central argument of the thesis is that both the causes and the effective management tools of ethnic conflicts are multiple: no single theory can explain them and no single formula of conflict management can be used in their settlement. As such each conflict requires an individually tailored solution.


identifier: Triance, Tavis Eachan  (2005) A discursive bind : the paradox of inclusive education.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study explores the socio-cultural constructions that have accumulated within and around the phenomenon of disability in contemporary Canadian society. It inquires as to the cultural impulses, norms, and formations of identity that occur within and through systems of education, particularly with regard to how disabled identities are constructed, controlled and maintained through various practices at play within such systems. It argues that educational institutions are prominent in shaping, both implicitly and explicitly, legitimate identities, cultural values and social norms within Western society. Such familiar social systems provide a significant terrain through which to examine social responses to the phenomena of disability as well as providing a place from which to address and reconstitute such responses and their attendant social effects. If we view the current Western orientation towards disability as something that stems from various alterable political and social currents, it follows that the oppressive social effects experienced by disabled people would also prove alterable. It is such exclusionary social effects and the network of hidden social structures that work to enforce them that are addressed in this work. I believe it is imperative, both in the realm of disability studies and in the field of education, to trace the societal impulse which might account for such a pervasive banishment of those deemed mentally, physically, or socially abnormal from the bounds of ✹legitimate✹ society.


identifier: Shailo, Iqbal  (2005) Empowering internally displaced persons (IDPs) : a case study of Sandwip (an island of Bangladesh).  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The study explores important public policy issues concerning the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) of Bangladesh. It discusses the causes of rapid growth of IDPs in Sandwip, an offshore island of Bangladesh situated in the bank of the Bay of Bengal, in particular and in Bangladesh in general. It looks at the devastation of their homelands and culture, the emotional consequences of their dislocation, and the plans to develop a restoration process. Estimates show that a total of 2,695,048 people in 51 districts of Bangladesh (total 64 districts) have been rendered homeless by river erosion over a period of five years from 1990 to 1994, and 550,207 acres of land has been swallowed by the rivers during the same period. The number of displaced populations is around 250,000 per year, and over 3.5 million people have been forced to lead the so-called floating life in Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, there are different kinds of displacement, some people are uprooted by flooding, cyclone or tidal surges and some are uprooted for deforestation and increased salinity, and some are the victims of redistribution of land, urbanization and forms of industrialization. In other cases, some are displaced for religious and ethnic causes. This study examines international laws on IDPs established by the United Nations and other global agencies and how far they succeed in protecting the IDPs in nation states, especially in Bangladesh. The study concludes that the IDPs in Bangladesh are insecure because the state is either unable or unwilling to protect them. In a situation like this, IDPs fall into a vacuum of responsibility with and within the state of Bangladesh.


identifier: Tzempelikos, Athanassios  (2005) A methodology for integrated daylighting and thermal analysis of buildings.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: During the conceptual design stage of a building, the design team often has to make critical decisions with significant impact on energy performance and indoor comfort conditions. The design and selection of fenestration systems and their control plays a key role in determining building performance, especially for perimeter spaces of commercial buildings. The domains of heating, cooling and lighting are closely related. An integrated thermal and daylighting approach is required for investigating the interactions between the different building systems. Advanced building simulation software can be used to evaluate overall building performance for specific fenestration schemes. However, these tools cannot provide information on how to select near-optimal design solutions from a large set of alternatives, since they require detailed input data which are not yet available at the early design stage. Therefore the selection of final design solutions concerning fenestration often involves many subjective factors. In this Thesis, a general and systematic simulation-based methodology for integrated daylighting and thermal analysis of facades and perimeter spaces of commercial buildings during the early design stage is presented. Using a systems integration approach, major dynamic links between thermal and daylighting performance are identified and used as design variables in a coupled thermal and daylighting simulation program. Integrated performance-based indices, generated from the continuous interaction between daylighting and thermal simulation, are calculated as a function of key linking parameters for investigating the balance between daylighting benefits and energy performance. The variation of these measures allows extraction of critical information for selection of window-to-wall ratio, shading device properties and control plus electric lighting control strategies. Maximization of daylight utilization, reduction in peak loads and energy demand for heating, cooling and lighting are used as criteria. The methodology is general and can be applied to any type of façade, location, orientation, glazing type and shading options. Results presented for perimeter offices in Montreal provide guidelines for selecting window-to-wall ratio for unobstructed façades, as well as recommendations for choosing shading device properties and control in conjunction with electric lighting operation.


identifier: Horvat, Miljana  (2005) Protocol and assessment tool for performance evaluation of light-frame building envelopes used in residential buildings.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In the Canadian climate, the performance of wood-frame building envelopes is affected directly by moisture management as well as by the quality of design, construction workmanship, and maintenance. Trapped moisture reduces the thermal performance of the envelope and can lead to mould growth that deteriorates building materials and contaminates the indoor-air. The means to evaluate the impact of these factors on the overall performance of the envelope are limited. Computer models that exist are still, for the most part, reserved for researchers or have not been validated to a sufficient comfort level for the designer. Till now large scale testing that would provide realistic results have been limited due to the lack of facilities and the lack of evaluation procedures. This research project develops a protocol that facilitates the evaluation of the performance of light-frame building envelopes. The protocol evaluates the building envelope as a system under the following main issues: air-tightness, moisture management performance, thermal performance, energy performance, structural stability of building envelope, acoustic performance, fire response performance and quality of workmanship. It sets the internal and external loads that affect that performance and develops a procedure for evaluation. The evaluation protocol includes performance criteria, associated standards, and compliance evaluation methods. The second part of this study involves developing an assessment tool that uses data generated by the above evaluation procedure. This assessment tool is designed to provide a fast check of the building envelope system compliance against performance requirements. Intended to be comprehensive and user-friendly for professionals, this tool can also be used by producers and exporters of factory-made houses in Canada to examine existing designs and to verify the performance of new designs. The validation of the protocol and the assessment tool is done by evaluating the performance of five different building envelope assemblies: one modular prefabricated house designed and built in conformance with the requirements of NBC and Québec Energy Code (A-standard house), one modular prefabricated house designed to conform to requirements of Novoclimat program (A-Novoclimat house), one panellised high performance house (M-Thermo house) and two Advanced houses: NOVTEC Advanced house and Innova Advanced house. The results of validation show that the protocol and the assessment tool are effectively used to establish the performance profiles of these five case studies, demonstrating in each case the adequacy of each parameter. The results also demonstrate that the protocol provides a means of comparing the relative performance of respective parameters across case studies.


identifier: Campisi, Lisa  (2005) Precursors of language ability and academic performance in childhood : a longitudinal study of at-risk French speaking children.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The current investigation examined whether intergenerational transfer of risk could be revealed through mothers' and preschool-aged children's language complexity, and whether continuity of risk persisted in these children's academic abilities, three years later. Participating families were drawn from the Concordia Longitudinal Risk Project, a prospective, longitudinal investigation of French-speaking families from low SES Montreal neighborhoods. At Time 1 (N=159), mothers' history of childhood social withdrawal was shown to predict language complexity when engaging in conversational speech with their preschool-aged children. Mothers' language complexity was also shown to be predictive of preschoolers' language complexity. At Time 2 (N=131), children's report card grades in Language Arts and Mathematics were both predicted by their language complexity at preschool-age. The findings support an intergenerational continuity of risk operating through language complexity and extending beyond language-related school abilities.


identifier: Recchia, Holly  (2005) Social-cognitive predictors of siblings' self-serving biases.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study investigated the associations between children's social-cognitive abilities, their conversations about internal states with family members, and their later self-serving biases in descriptions of the sibling relationship. At Time 1, 32 preschoolers were observed during two naturalistic interaction sessions with mothers and younger siblings. Various features of mothers' and children's internal state (IS) language were coded. Each child also completed a battery of three social-cognitive measures. Two years later, 26 children were interviewed about various aspects of their sibling relationship, and responses were coded for five measures of self-serving bias. Although children's social-cognitive skills were not strongly related to their later self-serving biases, there were a number of associations between families' IS talk and children's later biases. In general, results indicated that children who were other-oriented in the content and function of their IS language and who discussed internal states in causally connected ways tended to exhibit fewer self-serving biases two years later. In addition, when mothers were attentive to their children in conversations about internal states (as opposed to ignoring them, or being selectively focused on the baby), children tended to have fewer self-serving biases two years later. Thus, these results support the social-constructivist notion that the quality of children's earlier interactions with family members is related to the way they construe themselves in comparison to their siblings.


identifier: Ring, Angela J  (2005) The relationship between cognitive proficiency and oral fluidity in second language mastery.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study investigated the relationships between cognitive proficiency and oral fluidity in the domain of second language (L2) mastery. Previous research has demonstrated that both automaticity and attention control are factors that contribute to L2 mastery. Given that the fundamental purpose of language is communication, the study aimed at examining the relationship between these cognitive factors and productive elements of speech within a social context. The study also examined if controlling for first language (L1) skill on measures of oral fluidity would yield different results from when L1 skill was not controlled, and if differences existed between the relationships between cognitive proficiency and oral fluidity after dividing the sample into higher versus lower fluent participants. Twenty-four bilingual adults (L1=English; L2=French) who varied in L2 skill performed a lexical categorization task and an attention-shifting task in order to provide measures of speed and efficiency of cognitive proficiency. Participants also performed a socially interactive story telling task in order to provide speech samples from which measures of vocabulary richness, speech rate, and fluid run length were derived as indices of oral fluidity. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that although controlling for L1 performance on measures of oral fluidity did not significantly contribute to our understanding of the relationships between cognitive proficiency and oral fluidity, there was strong relationship between L1 and L2 oral fluidity performance. In addition, those participants that showed evidence for better oral mastery also showed evidence for better automaticity of lexical categorization.


identifier: Zavediuk, Nicholas  (2005) Consensus between discourse ethics and democracy : Habermas on compromise.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The following thesis is a critical consideration of the role compromise formation plays in both Jurgen Habermas's discourse ethics and his discourse theory of democracy. In particular, I want to demonstrate how deficiencies his critics have identified in his political theory---notably the strong bifurcation between the informal public sphere and the formal parliamentary-administrative complex---can be traced back to problems associated with his moral theory, particularly its 'constitutive presupposition' that engaging in practical discourse will bring about an argumentatively achieved consensus on a valid norm. My argument is that compromise need not be, as Habermas thinks, a strategic form of action coordination. Drawing on Joseph Heath's rational choice model of nonstrategic bargaining and a 'defeasibility' reading of the universalization principle in discourse ethics, I hope to establish that 'reasonable compromises' are capable of discursive moral justification. The political consequences of this investigation will focus on how an enhanced understanding of moral compromise formation can expand the role of the public sphere in deliberative democratic theory (something of a reply to Habermas's critics) while retaining the normative insights of discourse ethics.


identifier: Guan, Yang  (2005) Dynamic modeling and capacity control of multiple chiller systems.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Multiple chiller systems are widely utilized for space cooling in industrial and commercial buildings. Good chiller control methods could offer benefits to users for more energy savings. Matching the anticipated cooling load and achieving higher coefficient of performance (COP) are the main objectives of multiple chiller capacity control strategies. With this as a main motivation, a dynamic model of compressor refrigeration chiller (CRC) and design of a closed loop PI controller for single CRC and multiple CRC systems are presented in this thesis. The dynamic model of vapor compressor refrigeration system includes thermostat expansion valve, evaporator, compressor, compressor motor, and condenser. The model equations were solved and open loop simulations were made to evaluate the time response characteristics of each component and whole chiller system under varying cooling load. A PI controller was designed and output responses of supply water temperatures, refrigerant mass flow rate and compressor motor rotor speed were studied.


identifier: Howlader, Tamanna  (2005) Assessing power to detect gene-environment interactions using surrogate outcomes : simulation study.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The low power of gene-environment (G {604} E) interaction studies is of major concern in genetic-epidemiolgic research. Past research involving binary outcomes has focussed mainly on the development of efficient study designs to address this problem. This thesis explores an alternative strategy that uses quantitative 'surrogates' of the 'clinical' binary outcome to improve power to detect G {604} E interactions. Efficiency of the quantitative 'surrogate' outcome X versus the binary outcome Y is assessed for three hypothetical models of the relationship between the outcomes, and their relationships to genetic susceptibility, exposure, and other risk factors. In the first scenario, X is a risk factor of disease, and a mediator for the effect of G {604} E interaction. In the second scenario, X is considered a marker of disease outcome. Finally, repeated measures of the disease marker X are used to define alternative binary and quantitative outcomes. Simulations are used to estimate the power to detect G {604} E interaction in models using these alternative outcomes


identifier: Susarla, Hari Krishna  (2005) Optimal sample size determination in seed health testing : a simulation study.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Selection of an appropriate sample size is an important prerequisite to any statistical investigation. In this thesis the problem of identifying the sample size for testing the seed health by noting the presence or the absence of pathogen(s) is considered. The cross-classified data of variety by seed by pathogen is collected for the purpose, which consists of N observations for each variety of seed. Here N is regarded as population size and the outcome is a Bernoulli random variable. A simulation method for identifying the sample size is developed and is compared with five existing methods. The simulation method is based on chi-square ({2) measure of goodness of fit of empirical distribution with that of a theoretical distribution. Here k repeated samples for each of the sample sizes n=10(10)50(25)100(100)500, using a simple random sampling without replacement (SRSWOR), are considered. For each of the k samples of size n, the chi-square ({2) measure of goodness of fit is computed.


identifier: Chakraborty, Ujjal  (2005) Performance of single piles in line groups installed in sand.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Group action of piles driven in sand has been a challenging research subject in the field of geotechnical engineering for the last 50 years. In the literature, planar geometry was the only governing factor to estimate the group capacity, ignoring the contributions of the pile cap rigidity and sequence technique for driving the piles in a group. Accordingly the available theories failed to provide accurate prediction.  A numerical model was developed to incorporate the above-mentioned ignored parameters. Furthermore, the distribution of the column load on the individual piles under the pile cap was examined. The results of this analysis showed that in a line pile group, the interior piles will carry more load than those at the exterior boundaries, depending on the rigidity of the pile cap. For a relatively rigid cap, these phenomena existed at a much lesser extent.  A design procedure is proposed to determine the pile group efficiency for a given sequential bored piles installed in sand. An optimum cap thickness of a pile group is suggested to achieve the most economical design. Considering the results obtained from the numerical model an analytical model was developed to predict the group efficiency of line pile group. The predicted values by the proposed formula compared well with the numerical test data. Design procedure is given for practical use


identifier: Nanot, Audrey  (2005) Le 1er mai 2002 à Paris, l'entre deux tours des élections présidentielles : cortège et manifestation.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The 2002 French Presidential elections marked a turning point in the country's political history. Outgoing right-wing president Jacques Chirac was directly challenged in the second round of voting by Jean-Marie Le Pen, leader of Le Front national---France's extreme right-wing party. In response to what appeared to be a direct affront to the majority of the population, over 500,000 demonstrators took to the streets of Paris on May 1st, 2002. Earlier that day, 10,000 supporters of the Front national solemnly marched in their traditional parade, infused with a sense of a near victory. This thesis attempts to understand how, in which way, with which goals, and using which urban historical landmarks, two opposite political mass movements successively took over the streets of Paris. To this end, we have chosen a media corpus.  Our first chapter presents the socio-political context, the definition of a procession and a demonstration, as well as the media corpus. The second chapter analyses the Frontist parade, its history, its carefully orchestrated urban staging and the journalistic portrayal of individuals that constitute its nationalistic expression. The third chapter presents the historical significance of May Day, the national and international solicitation to demonstrate, as well as the journalistic description of the day's festivities through the portrayal of the crowd, the music, and an analysis of the demonstrators' political slogans. Finally, the fourth chapter proposes an analysis of the ritualistic factors inherent within these two public gatherings. The purpose is to show how Paris's historical landmarks were manipulated by two different urban political movements, and how each group expressed their vision of France through the streets in which they chose to congregate


identifier: Murray, Christine  (2005) The dying art of conversation.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: The dying art of conversation

abstract: The Dying Art of Conversation is the story of a young expatriate writer living and working in present day London, England. Christine Foxton moves to London from Canada after a string of bad relationships. Two months after her arrival, unemployed and alienated, Christine is caught up in an abusive relationship with her English boyfriend, Lucas. Her whimsical and wry narration relates her struggle to escape her violent relationship, first through her writing, a screenplay adaptation of Kate Chopin's The Awakening , and finally through a burgeoning relationship with Alex, a man she meets when strolling through Mile End Park. Written in homage to Jean Rhys' book Voyage in the Dark , the text makes frequent reference to suicide, drowning, and other motifs from Rhys' and Chopin's novels. The protagonist shares the author's name in a deliberate attempt to conflate writer and speaker, adding to the sense of immediacy and realism created by the present tense narration. This echoes the writings of authors such as Sylvia Plath, Leonard Cohen, Rhys, and Chopin. Their at times confessional work was often freely conflated with autobiography, resulting in speculation which caused Rhys, Chopin and Cohen some difficulty in life, and arguably much intrigue and possible injury to Plath's reputation after her death.


identifier: Cheng, Qianzhen  (2005) The impact of knowledge creation and utilization processes on the effectiveness of innovation.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: With the emergence of knowledge management (KM), a branch of knowledge studies began to extend this construct to the long list of possible antecedents of innovation. Research of innovation through KM approach is particularly timely. Despite the great amount of efforts undertaken in this approach, current literatures have three obvious limitations: many studies didn't account for innovation in their theoretical review; there is relatively small number of empirical evidence used; a considerable amount of studies lacked an underlying theoretical model of KM which caused their research disorganized and hard generalizable. In addressing these research gaps, this study proposed a research model which is grounded in contingency fit by jointing two robust theories-Knowledge Creation and Utilization Model and a novel typology of innovation (internal-sourced/external-sourced innovation) to demonstrate the link between knowledge management processes and innovation effectiveness. As a special case of problem solving, innovation will result in higher effectiveness when the arrangement of knowledge management processes aligns with the certain innovation type. Two hypotheses were derived from the model for empirical testing. 58 usable observations were collection from banks. Results using SPSS provide partial support for the hypotheses.


identifier: Snook, Christopher  (2005) "Beloved, know yourselves" : theology and scripture in Antony's Life, Letters and sayings.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: A complete text of the seven Letters attributed to St. Antony the Great by St. Jerome in 392 was re-discovered in 1955 at St. Catherine's Monastery, Mt. Sinai. The discovery of the Letters fuelled an ongoing debate concerning Antony. Is he in fact the illiterate and pious desert monk of popular imagination, or is he perhaps, as the Letters suggest, a much more sophisticated theologian acquainted with the Alexandrian theological tradition?  This thesis argues that St. Antony's theological thought was both innovative and highly original. It relies upon the figure of Antony represented in the texts most closely associated with his life: the biography by St. Athanasius, the sayings recorded in the Apophthegmata patrum , and the Letters . Its focus is primarily the theology of the Letters , in particular their use of Scripture.  Strikingly, while the Letters suggest Antony's familiarity with Egyptian theology's Origenian heritage, he nowhere unequivocally cites any patristic sources. His only source is Scripture. Through a consideration of his use of Scripture in Athanasius' biography and in the sayings, this thesis will uncover Antony's original use and exegesis of Scripture as it appears in his Letters .  I proceed in three parts. First, I consider the texts and contexts informing our knowledge of Antony. Second, I offer a reading of the theology of Antony's Letters . Third, I examine the theology of Scripture that appears in Antony's biography, sayings and Letters


identifier: Sun, Jian Feng  (2004) Post fire regeneration dynamics of white spruce and aspen in a southern boreal forest in Alberta.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: I used data from 149 repeated aerial photographs taken in (1950s), middle (1970s or 1980s) and recent (1990s) times, together with forest inventory maps prepared by the Alberta Environmental Protection Agency in the year 1999 known as "Phase 3 inventory maps" to analyze changes in spruce crown closure (percentage of canopy cover) and height in mixed forest stands dominated by aspen ( Populus tremuloides Michx) and white spruce ( Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) in a boreal forest in Alberta, Canada.  A total of 81 stands located in good (N = 11), medium (N = 60), and fair (N = 10) quality sites were studied for spruce emergence. Site quality and the time since the last fire accounted for about 70% of the variance in spruce canopy cover. A significant correlation between spruce crown closure and age was detected in good (r 2 = 0.71), medium (r 2 = 0.81) and fair (r 2 = 0.54) quality sites. There was no significant correlation between the rate of change in spruce cover (% cover/year) and the time since the last fire. The white spruce reached the main forest canopy height and overtopped the aspen in about 80-100 years since the fire. Results of the present study suggest that a longer time is required for the emergence of spruce through aspen canopy than previous estimates.


identifier: Ye, Liping  (2005) PPRT : a hybrid point and polygon ray tracer for meshes.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In this thesis, we introduce a simple but efficient hybrid ray tracing system for triangular meshes. Different from the existing pure point or polygon ray tracing systems, the traced models are represented and rendered by both points and triangles. We accept triangle meshes as input, and hierarchically build up a multi-resolution tree structure with intermediate nodes as points and leaf nodes as triangles. The trade-off between rendering portions of a model with points or with triangles is made automatically based on the screen contribution of each node. Our system balances the quantity of a mesh model with its quality, reflects the level-of-detail representation and selection, maintains the simplicity of the point primitive, and allows for producing high quality ray traced images with more advanced illumination models and global illumination.


identifier: Therrien, Michel-Charles  (2004) Directions in sound/image synthesis : study of bi-modality within emerging multimedia practice.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In recent years, due to the high level of technological standardization of the home computer, entertainment systems and high-speed web paraphernalia, our access to, desire for, and perspectives on various technological elements have been taken for granted. We have become acclimatized to the latest super-product promotion, web surfing, or interaction with the latest object-oriented programming software. Although audio often enhances graphical user interfaces (GUIs) to deliver feedback to users, interfaces in which sound is the principal element, or even shares a parallel domain, are atypical.  Nonetheless, this practice is emerging as a viable junction within new technologies and digital media, encouraged by the ongoing development of mobile and all-pervading computing. Within emerging multimedia practice, spatial objects (visuals) require essentially to be structured in a two-dimensional space, whereas temporal objects (sound) require a sequential array. The goal of this dissertation is to develop a broader understanding of these two key elements, while providing designers and educators with useful information that is appropriate to familiar design discourse.*  *This dissertation is a compound document (contains both a paper copy and a DVD as part of the dissertation). The DVD requires the following system requirements: Windows MediaPlayer or RealPlayer.


identifier: Wan, Zuo Wen  (2005) Performance evaluation and optimization of reliable multicast.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Many multicast applications require reliable delivery of data packets to multiple receivers. Scalability is one of the key challenges in the design of reliable multicast. The major obstacles of the scalability are feedback implosion and retransmissions. Furthermore, a real network changes with time. A reliable multicast protocol must adapt to such dynamic change of multicast sessions. Thus, it is necessary to design an efficient and adaptive loss recovery scheme for reliable multicast.  In this thesis, we present an efficient and adaptive loss recovery scheme, which is based on the performance evaluation of reliable multicast. The multicast performance depends on the loss recovery mechanism, the underlying tree topology, the loss characteristics, and the locations of repair servers. We present an efficient performance evaluation of these basic performance parameters, which is useful for adequate determination of the locations of repair servers


identifier: Guo, Xuan Ning  (2005) Experimental investigation, stochastic modelling and reliability analysis of fatigue behavior of tapered composite laminates.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The present thesis contains the results of testing, stochastic process modeling and reliability analysis of symmetric tapered laminates with pre-set delaminations. Two laminate configurations, called lay-up A and lay-up B are considered. Lay-up A is a [0/±45/0/(±45) 3 /±45/0 7 ] s laminate that is reduced to a [0/±45/0/±45/0 7 ] s laminate and lay-up B is a [0 7 /±45/0/(±45) 3 /±45/0] s laminate that is reduced to a [0 7 /±45/0/±45/0] s laminate. Two locations of pre-set delaminations, at the center of the core layer and in between belt and core layers in the thin side of lay-up A tapered laminate, are considered. Two loading conditions, (a) cyclic tension-compression loading and (b) cyclic tension-compression loading with 85% over tension load, are applied for the fatigue tests in the present thesis.  A stochastic approach to model the fatigue damage development based on the test data which has been developed and presented in an existing work is used in the present thesis. The Markov Chain is used to represent the fatigue damage accumulation in this approach, and the differences between the true probability distribution and the unconditional probability distribution (or predicted unconditional probability distribution) of the fatigue response parameter are determined by using different methodologies, that are, the Maximum Entropy Method (MEM) and, Gaussian (single and bivariate) probability distribution and joint probability density function. The test data on the fatigue response parameter are analyzed based on the reliability function, hazard rate and failure density function.


identifier: Larose, Avery  (2005) Mysterious geographies : the scaped spaces of Eleanor Bond, Janet Cardiff and Brenda Pelkey.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis explores how the works of Eleanor Bond, Brenda Pelkey and Janet Cardiff emphasize the inseparability of represented space from human perception, and the crucial role played by such physical and cultural concerns as the body, memories, stories and dreams in the shaping of spaces. Their works refer, therefore, not simply to physical spaces, but to conditions or states of space, often determined by layers of metaphorical significance which these artists bring to light. It is these ephemeral transformations and psychic interventions which irrevocably alter our environments that constitute the scape, a concept which captures this building up of a network of human responses to one's environment which in turn change the way it is perceived and lived. In their insistence upon the impact of the elusive and metaphorical, these works constitute a decided intervention in the tradition of Canadian landscape art while remaining firmly embedded in discussions of space, situation and environment. By subverting hegemonic modes of spatial representation, Bond, Pelkey and Cardiff construct their own visual assertions of what spaces were, can, or could be. The creation of scapes becomes part of a process for re-shaping both perceived and lived space, collapsing binaries such as self and other, public and private, nature and culture, and reality and fiction, in order to encompass the range of concrete and metaphorical attempts to shape the spaces we inhabit.


identifier: Reinhart, Melinda  (2005) Lady Falkland's travel album : negotiating colonial and feminine discourses.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: During the nineteenth century travellers to British colonies recorded their impressions in journals and often produced pictorial representations of colonized peoples and landscapes. Their personal representations have been added to the numerous official documents that defined colonial relationships between white colonizers and First Nations peoples. More recently women's visual and textual representations of the colonies have been brought into scholarly discussions. Many amateur women artists assembled travel albums or scrapbooks including drawings, watercolours and paintings of their travels. This thesis provides an analysis of one such album that was constructed by Lady Amelia Falkland (1807--1858). The album contains images of colonial Nova Scotia, India and the Middle East as well as those of her homeland Great Britain. Among the Nova Scotia images painted by Lady Falkland herself and two local amateur women artists are a significant number of representations of Mi'kmaq individuals. This thesis investigates these representations in order to assess how women negotiated the often contradictory discursive frameworks of colonialism and femininity, both of which entered into their representations.


identifier: Theodorescu, Liviu  (2005) Study of dynamic cavitation in variable displacement axial piston pumps.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The scope of this study is to identify and modify the design parameters of the variable displacement axial piston pump in order to reduce its sensitivity to cavitation when operated in a hydraulic system with pre-established characteristics. An exhaustive analysis of existing theory explaining the cavitation phenomenon is performed and a new approach using the relationship between matter and energy is provided to complete and simplify the description of cavitation. A detailed mathematical model of the axial piston pump is created in order to evaluate the contribution of the pump's geometrical characteristics to cavitation. This model is validated using results from tests performed on two test units. Based on this, an evaluation method of the pump cavitation at the design stage is established and design recommendations are provided.


identifier: Colella, Cinzia  (2005) A new space in Canadian art : liminality in the work of three glass artists Kevin Lockau, Susan Edgerley and Brad Copping.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Through the conceptual framework of liminality this thesis explores the new space that Canadian sculptural glass creates within the art world. The liminal, because it is an in-between space that resides on the periphery of mainstream society, does not follow the rigid rules and regulations normally prescribed by mass/popular culture. Rather, and without being radical, the liminal is an amorphous space in which labels and categorizations cannot exist. What does exist is a constant possibility for hybrids and new systems of understanding to form. Thus, this thesis argues that craft and art can merge to form a new artistic space in which both traditions borrow and learn from each other without dominating the other. This results in a new type of art exemplified by the work of artists Kevin Lockau, Susan Edgerley, and Brad Copping. By examining the works of these three artists the thesis demonstrates how they use glass, a material normally considered functional and/or decorative to create a liminal space between the art and craft realms in which labels and boundaries are amorphous and in constant deferment. Lockau, Edgerley, and Copping show how glass can be used in extremely versatile and artistic ways to convey complex and abstract ideas dealing with race, gender, ethnicity, death, natural cycles, community, and the creation and importance of place. In the work of these three artists glass is taken outside the realm of the preconceptions of decorativeness and functionality


identifier: Xu, Wensheng  (2005) Effect of local material properties on tapping mode atomic force microscopy.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The phase image produced by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) is very important in the study of surface topography and properties. The phase difference of different domains on a surface is due to the different tip-sample interaction forces which are a consequence of different local properties. By simulating the AFM imaging procedure and the tip-sample interactions with variable viscosity and modulus, the effect of local material properties on phase lag was studied. These simulations showed that both elastic and viscous properties have an influence on the phase lag. For hard, elastic materials the dominant interaction force is the elastic force, and for soft, viscoelastic materials the viscous force is dominant. The phase lag between the probe response and the activation force is higher for soft viscoelstic domains. With the mathematical model it was demonstrated that the phase contrast between viscoelastic materials and silicon can be used to predict the local viscosity and elastic modulus. Experiments were done on a surface with a silicon domain which is hard and elastic and different viscoelastic domains. The experimental results of polybutadiene and polystyrene agree well with the simulation. The model was also applied to a block copolymer of butadiene and styrene and crystalline and amorphous polylactic acid. Finally, it is demonstrated that the AFM can detect materials properties beneath the surface.


identifier: Douesnard, Manon  (2005) Contemporary art and the non-expert viewer : a study of pre-conceived ideas about art and René Derouin's educational strategies to address them.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Modernist strategies for art appreciation are insufficient to help non-expert viewers to understand most contemporary art. A postmodern pedagogical approach to viewing art appears better suited to this undertaking. The artistic practice and pedagogical approach of contemporary artists may help support that path to understanding. This study examines whether or not the pedagogical approach used by artist René Derouin provides valuable assistance to non-expert viewers of contemporary art. In this study the author conducted a series of interviews with non-expert participants about their beliefs concerning art. A second series of interviews was conducted after they experienced contemporary art at the Derouin Foundation where the in-situ installations Les jardins du précambrien were displayed. Results of this study show that the non-experts of this research have many recurrent ideas that they associate with art and that these concepts prevent them from appreciating or understanding some aspects of contemporary art. Results of this study also show that the art practice of Derouin significantly helped the non-experts studied overcome some of their pre-conceived ideas, understand and appreciate some aspects of contemporary art. The shift in focus of the participants from an emphasis on the formal qualities of the artworks in favour of the context(s), content and concepts of works of contemporary art was significant. Given their initial difficulties dealing with notions of contemporary art and their subsequent openness to them, this study supports the idea that non-experts can be helped to understand and appreciate works of contemporary art


identifier: Yue, Wei  (2005) Modelling and piecewise-affine control of an aerobatic helicopter.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The study of highly maneuverable aerobatic helicopters has received a growing amount of interest in the past few years. This thesis describes the development of an analytic dynamic model of an aerobatic helicopter with the least amount of complexity and with sufficient accuracy for control system development. The model is based on a rigid body dynamics formulation with applied external forces and moments including the effects of gravity and aerodynamics. The model is validated by comparing simulation results with flight test data available in the literature for a YAMAHA R-50 helicopter. The model is further simplified to obtain a three degree of freedom helicopter model and a piecewise-affine (PWA) approximate representation. The model is then used to develop a PWA controller for the system. To design this controller a local linear controller is designed for the PWA approximate model in the region where the desired closed-loop equilibrium point lies. An optimization problem subject to Bilinear Matrix Inequalities (BMIs) is then solved to find a PWA extension of the linear controller. A piecewise quadratic Lyapunov function is found which proves stability of the closed-loop system in the whole domain of the nonlinearity. This work develops a physics-based model for aerobatic helicopters representing a complete derivation that allows approximations to be made to yield a simplified representation for PWA control design and analysis. The model is also expressed in a linear parameterized form ideal for parameter estimation and adaptive control. Finally, this research represents the first development of a PWA model and controller for an aerobatic helicopter system.


identifier: Zhirafar, Saeed  (2005) Effect of cryogenic treatment on the mechanical properties of steel and aluminum alloys.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This experimental program investigated the effects of cryogenic treatment on the mechanical properties and microstructures of AISI 4340 steel and aluminum alloy 7075. Mechanical tests including fatigue resistance, impact energy and hardness were carried out on both alloys, after they had undergone various heat treating conditions and the results were compared. Experimental results showed that the hardness and fatigue resistance of the cryogenically treated 4340 steel, in general, were a little higher than those of the conventionally treated steel. However, the toughness of the cryogenically treated steel was lower when compared to that of the conventionally treated steel. The quantitative assessment of retained austenite using neutron diffraction technique was also explored. It is concluded that the transformation of retained austenite to martensite is the determining factor which improved hardness and fatigue resistance of the cryogenically treated 4340 steel. In aluminum alloy 7075, the results indicated that after cryogenic processing the fatigue resistance was lower than for conventionally solution and precipitation heat-treated samples. However, the hardness and toughness of the cryogenically treated samples were slightly higher in comparison to the conventional T6 treated specimens. The quantitative optical and electron microscopy has shown an increase in second phases after cryogenic treatment which was in agreement with x-ray diffraction results and electron dispersive spectroscopy (EDS)


identifier: Liu, Weiguang  (2005) Dynamic instability analysis of tapered composite plates using Ritz and finite element methods.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Tapered composite plates are widely used in civil, mechanical and aerospace structures such as robot arms, wing structures, helicopter yoke and turbine blade where the plate structure needs to be stiff at one location and flexible at another location. By terminating some plies at discrete locations, different types of ply drop-off can be obtained depending on the application. In the present work, the instability of tapered laminates under dynamic loading conditions is considered. Because of the complicated mechanical behavior of the tapered composite plate and the complexity of the analysis, no exact solution is available at present and therefore, Ritz method and finite element method have been used for the calculation of the dynamic instability regions. Solutions based on classical laminated plate theory have been developed first for vibration and buckling of uniform and tapered composite plates without in-plane forces. The effects on the laminate stiffness of the composite plates caused by the taper angle have been considered. Different configurations of tapered plates have been investigated. Then, based on the formulations for free vibration and buckling, the formulation for the dynamic instability analysis has been developed using Finite Element Method and Ritz method for both uniform-thickness and tapered composite plates based on classical laminated plate theory. The efficiency and accuracy of the developed formulation are established in comparison with available solutions for uniform-thickness laminates. The dynamic instability regions that serve as a measure of the degree of instability of the laminates are determined considering different boundary conditions, the tapered composite plate configurations, and the in-plane loading patterns. The NCT301 graphite-epoxy composite material is considered in the numerical study


identifier: Al Shakhshir, Saher  (2005) A computational thermodynamic model of the Mg-Al-Y system.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The ternary system Mg-Al-Y was thermodynamically modeled based on the optimization of the binary sub-systems Mg-Al, Mg-Y and Al-Y using the CALPHAD approach. Mg-Al data was taken from the COST507 database, whereas the other two binary subsystems were reoptemised in this work. Liquid phases were described by the Redlich-Kister polynomial model, whereas the intermediate solid solutions were described by the sublattice model. Ternary interaction parameters were introduced to enable the best representation of the experimental data while considering the occurrence of the ternary compound Al4MgY. The constructed database is used to calculate and predict thermodynamic properties, binary phase diagrams of Al-Y and Mg-Y, and liquidus projections of the ternary Mg-Al-Y. The phase diagrams and the thermodynamic properties calculated with the evaluated parameters were in good agreement with the corresponding experimental data from the literature. The predicted invariant points in the Mg-Al-Y system were 16 ternary four-phase-equilibria points; 7 ternary eutectic points, 8 ternary quasi peritectic points, and one ternary peritectic point. Further, 15 ternary three-phase-equilibria points were determined; 8 saddle points, and 7 binary eutectic points


identifier: Ahari, Mehrad  (2005) Design optimization of an adaptive laminated composite beam with piezoelectric actuators.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Adaptive laminated composite structures are being increasingly used in the aerospace and automotive industries due to their capability of shape control, precise positioning, and vibration suppression. In the present work, the behavior of a laminated composite beam under static and dynamic loading is being modeled using an efficient finite element model, being developed based on the CLPT and FSDT. Responses of the beam to an impact loading, where the effect of each mode of actuation is taken into account, have been plotted and the two theories have been compared. Later, the model has been modified to incorporate the effect of surface-bonded piezoelectric actuators. The effect of size and location of the piezoelectric patches, while they actively stiffen the beam, on the first three natural frequencies and also on the maximum deflection of the beam under various boundary conditions has been studied. The effect of active stiffening on the frequency and amplitude of the dynamic response of the beam to an impact loading has also been investigated. Optimization technique based on the SQP method has been applied to control the shape of a beam by minimizing the mean-square error between the actual and the desired shape. The overall mass of the beam is also minimized by changing the thicknesses of composite layers and/or actuators while various constraints are applied. Finally, optimization techniques are used to find the appropriate voltages to control the shape of a piezo-laminated beam, performing as laser beam or reflection mirror controller


identifier: Moghrabi, Hana  (2004) Cognitive correlates of hypnotizability and imaginativity : a movement towards a perpetual control model of hypnosis.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Recent studies suggest an association between hypnotizability and superior frontal abilities (Crawford et al., 1998; Ray et al, 1998). Recent findings emphasize the role of Response Expectancy (RE) in predicting suggestibility (Braffman, & Kirsch, 1999; Council, 1999). This study had two aims: Firstly, to investigate cognitive correlates of hypnotizability and imaginativity. Secondly, to examine cognitive processes associated with RE and responsivity to different types of hypnotic suggestions. Eighty four participants completed RE questionnaire in two sessions, assessing behavioral and subjective RE, motivation, effort, and confidence, prior to suggestibility assessment on the HGSHS:A in both hypnosis and imagination conditions. In a third session, participants were administered imagery and absorption scales in addition to a battery of neuropsychological tests: Stroop, Digit Span, Self Ordered Pointing Test, Target Detection (D2), and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Expectancy was associated positively with imagery, absorption, and motivation in both conditions, and negatively with effort in hypnosis and with confidence in imagination. Predictors of hypnotizability were imaginative suggestibility, a faster RT on Stroop congruent and a slower RT on neutral trials. Predictors of imaginativity were: hypnotic suggestibility, behavioral RE, absorption, a slower RT on both Stroop congruent and incongruent, and a faster RT on neutral trials. Passing ideomotor suggestions was associated with imagery and absorption; and cognitive suggestions with verbal facilitation, interference, and weaker working memory. The role of STM in conscious experience is discussed in the context of a "Perceptual Control Model" of hypnosis based on the interactions of imagery, absorption, verbal facilitation and dissociation.


identifier: Dind, Alice  (2005) Frederick H. Varley's self-portraits unmasked by his autobiographical writings : a reflection of the effects of war, religious/spiritual influences and communion with nature.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The objective of this thesis is to support Frederick H. Varley's self-portraits with his autobiographical writings thereby creating a dialogue which closely reflects his feelings and intentions at the time he painted these portraits. In Chapter I, Varley's Self-Portrait (1919) and Self-Portrait, Days of 1943 (1945) will be discussed within the context of his experience as a war artist in the First World War and his pre-occupation with the Second World War. In Chapter II, I will address the spiritual in Varley's art and specifically how the influence of Albrecht Durer contributed to its expression in his self-representation of Liberation (1936/1937). In Chapter III, Varley's attachment to nature and the landscape of Lynn Valley, British Columbia will be the focus of my discussion of Mirror of Thought (1943). The criteria developed by Philippe Lejeune for his autobiographical pact, Richard Brilliant's study on portraiture, and Ernst Van Alphen's examination of portraiture within new conceptions of subjectivity will be important sources in this effort.


identifier: Gaffar, Ashraf  (2005) Studies on pattern dissemination and reuse to support interaction design /cAshraf Gaffar.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The success of interactive software systems can be attributed to many technical and human factors working in harmony. Designing a new interactive system is a complex undertaking that must carefully consider this 'harmony'. Because this harmony is hard to predict before a system is actually put to work, extensive design experience and collaboration are crucial. For additional support, interaction design patterns have been proposed as a means to discover, encapsulate, and disseminate user interface design knowledge and best practices, hence improving the chances of success of new interactive systems. Despite the obvious and acclaimed potential to support the design process, and the rich variety of pattern collections we have today, the reuse of HCI patterns has not achieved the acceptance and widespread applicability foreseen by pattern advocates. It has been recently identified in the research community that patterns are greatly underused by mainstream interface designers. Within the scope of this thesis, we conducted an empirical study and a survey to gain better understanding of the problem of pattern underutilization. Accordingly, we point out and demonstrate the lack of suitable representation as a major cause. This thesis explores two different avenues in solving the problem: On designer's side, we demonstrate the potential of patterns in enhancing user interface design in two investigations. (i) We explore the important but often neglected interaction between interfaces and the underlying system. We provide several examples and show how patterns can support this interaction for better interfaces design. (ii) We look at current approaches of user interface design processes and the commonly used models. Then we show potential improvements attainable through informed application of patterns. In the second avenue, we conclude that a new pattern representation can help improve HCI pattern dissemination and reuse. We provide a model for the current pattern lifecycle and propose an additional layer to it, and a new pattern representation model. A dissemination method is provided to collect and organize all relevant activities and models within a comprehensive and structured approach. This addition is supplemented with the needed infrastructure in terms of supporting software as well as human activities.


identifier: Mokhov, Serguei A.  (2005) Towards hybrid intensional programming with jlucid, objective lucid, and general imperative compiler framework in the gipsy.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Pure Lucid programs are concurrent with very fine granularity. Sequential Threads (STs) are functions introduced to enlarge the grain size; they are passed from server to workers by Communication Procedures (CPs) in the General Intensional Programming System (GIPSY). A JLucid program combines Java code for the STs with Lucid code for parallel control. Thus first, in this thesis, we describe the way in which the new JLucid compiler generates STs and CPs. JLucid also introduces array support. Further exploration goes through the additional transformations that the Lucid family of languages has undergone to enable the use of Java objects and their members, in the Generic Intensional Programming Language (GIPL), and Indexical Lucid: first, in the form of JLucid allowing the use of pseudo-objects, and then through the specifically-designed the Objective Lucid language. The syntax and semantic definitions of Objective Lucid and the meaning of Java objects within an intensional program are provided with discussions and examples. Finally, there are many useful scientific and utility routines written in many imperative programming languages other than Java, for example in C, C++, Fortran, Perl, etc. Therefore, it is wise to provide a framework to facilitate inclusion of these languages into the GIPSY and their use by Lucid programs. A General Imperative Compiler Framework and its concrete implementation is proposed to address this issue.


identifier: Dai, Kui  (2005) Enhancements to the JML runtime assertion checker compiler.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The Java Modeling Language (JML) is a Behavioral Interface Specification Language (BISL) that can be used to specify the behavior of Java modules. Several tools have been developed for JML, such as the JML (type) checker, JML Runtime Assertion Checker (RAC), ESC/Java2, LOOP and so on. The RAC can be used to translate JML specifications into Java code so that the specifications can be checked at run-time. In this thesis we describe how two recent enhancements to JML have been formally defined and implemented in the RAC. The RAC semantics (of the newly added functionality) is presented as a large-step operational semantics. An overview of the RAC design is given so as to provide a better understanding of the context in which the enhancements have been made. The main enhancement to be realized is the added support for arbitrary precision integers in JML specification expressions and model method bodies. We also present prototypical implementation of an alternate semantics for JML assertions that has only very recently been published.


identifier: Drvar, Tanina  (2005) Vandalism and public art in Montreal : a discussion of works by Mark Lewis and Robert Prenovault.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis is a study of two works of public art which have been vandalized in Montreal: Mark Lewis' What is to be Done?, which was a scaled down plaster replica of a statue of Lenin exhibited in Park Lafontaine in 1991, and Robert Prenovault's Les Territoires Simultanés, a project installed on a vacant lot on St. Laurent boulevard during the summer of 1993. I discuss these two works and the reactions they solicited in relation to discourses on public art and public space, and propose that the vandalism to these artworks may in fact be a way of reclaiming space, as a manifestation of what Henri Lefebvre has called the public's 'right to the city'. By first briefly discussing the history of public art, I touch on some key theoretical issues which demonstrate the many ambiguities of public art practices. The analysis of public space, democracy and art leads to a discussion of how vandalism and public art can intersect. Examining different examples of works of public art which have been attacked or destroyed in both North America and Europe, I set the stage for my two case studies. I raise questions about the vandalism of these two works and the public's interaction with them, to suggest that these acts are not always destructive, but rather, can present creative alterations which contribute to the artistic process. While it is difficult to establish with certainty why these works were attacked, I nonetheless study the context in which they were not only created but also destroyed, to seek to understand what these works challenged and provoked that would warrant such reactions.


identifier: Yang, Lijun  (2005) Life cycle analysis of the residential HVAC systems in Montréal.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Residential buildings use a substantial amount of energy not only during the construction but also for the operation of their heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems. The life cycle assessment methodology allows evaluating the overall environmental and economic impacts of heating systems. This study, therefore, presents the life cycle analysis of two residential heating systems, the hot water heating system with ventilation and the forced air heating system. The analysis is performed with respect to the life cycle energy consumption, life cycle greenhouse gas emissions, life cycle exergy destruction, and the life cycle costs. The total amount of material used for piping and ducting systems is estimated based on the complete design of the systems. However, there is a high level of uncertainty in the evaluation of the environmental impact of some HVAC equipment due to the absence of detailed manufacturers' data. The present study hence applies a decision model under uncertainty to analyze this situation. Using a payoff matrix model coupled with various decision criteria, the range of embodied energy and greenhouse gas emissions of such equipment is estimated.


identifier: Leibovici, Daphna  (2005) Exploring whiteness and its implications for art education.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In this thesis, I ask white art educators to consider race and racial identity as important aspects in education. Based on teaching experience and the study of theory in contemporary art and social science, my research indicates that pre-service and practising teachers may need to re-examine their cultural assumptions and identify their racial bias and the ways these may impact on their teaching practice. For white teachers, that involves understanding the concept of whiteness and white privilege. I argue that it is especially important for teachers to consider their racial identity when working with a culturally and racially diverse student population. Through analysis and discussion of social theories concerning whiteness, multiculturalism, and education, I make recommendations for the adoption of an anti-racist approach in teaching art. I conclude by suggesting that training programs should assist teachers in understanding how their values and assumptions may be informed by race, and how unexamined beliefs can affect their selection in curriculum content, pedagogical approach and impact on student performance.


identifier: Jin, De  (2005) A soft real-time self-planned multi-agent framework.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis presents a real-time multi-agent framework targeted for soft real-time applications. Such an application involves missions each with a soft deadline. A mission is decomposed into phases. The work in each phase can be performed differently, depending on the remaining time. A tradeoff between the quality of the result and the run time requirement is permitted. To make use of this tradeoff, our framework provides a planner that dynamically manages the selection of solution to be used in a phase, based on its knowledge of the deadline and runtime system state. Therefore, the planner may select a faster solution with inferior results in order to meet the mission deadline. This model leads to a real-time self-planned multi-agent framework that is presented as a set of application programming interfaces for the application designer. An implementation of this framework on the Real-Time JVM is also presented. Use of the framework is illustrated with an example intelligent security monitoring system. Finally, an evaluation of the overhead of the planner and its effect on the overall deadline miss rate is reported. Preliminary experimental studies reveal that the planner overhead is rather insignificant, and the self-planned approach can potentially improve both the quality of the result and the deadline miss rate.


identifier: Madhavan, Ramprasad  (2005) Incorporating application-transparent node-crash tolerance to a soft real-time self-planned agent framework.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Fault tolerance is essential to any soft real-time distributed system; besides correctness and timeliness. Traditionally system designers are required to consider both real-time and fault-tolerance requirements while building real-time applications. This is a complex task for a designer. In general distributed systems, fault tolerance has been researched well. However, significantly less work has been done in the field of fault tolerance in soft real-time systems. This thesis focuses on achieving application transparent fault-tolerance in a soft real-time system framework and addresses the issue of redundancy management in the presence of deadlines. Specifically, the thesis focuses on incorporating application-transparent node-crash tolerance in a soft real-time self-planned agent framework (SPAF). A SPAF application is decomposed into several missions and each mission is completed by successfully completing multi-agent tasks through a sequence of phases. Each task in a mission can have many solutions and the choice of the solution depends on the remaining time and available resources. Fault tolerance is achieved by using the conventional primary-backup approach in conjunction with the dynamic task planning feature of SPAF. A cold backup and hot backup are used to accomplish application and system recovery during a node crash respectively. The model and the design of the fault tolerance solution are presented in detail. The functionality and efficiency of the fault tolerance design is illustrated through the implementation and simulations using a custom built application respectively. The test results are very encouraging and the application performance is almost the same even after inclusion of the fault tolerance mechanisms.


identifier: Foumani, Amir Abdollahi  (2005) A method for aspect mining using production rules, dependency graphs and two-level grammars.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Adopting aspect-oriented technologies requires revisiting and restructuring the entire traditional software lifecycle in order to identify and represent occurrences of crosscutting during software requirements engineering and design, and to determine how these requirements are composed. In this research, we propose an aspect mining approach to identify and model crosscutting concerns (aspects) by restructuring the meta-level at the breakpoints of: requirements elicitation, analysis, design, and implementation activities. The main purpose of this research is twofold: (1) "isolation" of crosscutting concerns in the early steps of software life cycle (2) identification of crosscutting concerns in legacy systems. The proposal outlined in this research illustrates a method to reformulate existing object-oriented artifacts by mining and explicitly modeling crosscutting concerns. In this method of restructuring we represent the semantics of UML artifacts by using a set of production rules, which refer to object definitions and relationships metadata. The result of our proposed restructuring process is an aspect-oriented design whereby aspects may be introduced into the object-oriented design or certain classes may be restructured as aspects.


identifier: Khan, Zafar Ullah  (2005) Modeling and parameter ranking of construction labor productivity.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: For having, both a qualitative as well as a quantitative analysis of various aspects of the topic, a field investigation spanning over eighteen months, for collecting actual data from on-going construction sites was carried out. The set of nine input parameters which is selected for this study is considered to be the one which causes short term or daily variations in productivity. The entire analysis and experimentation can be divided into three main parts, those of modeling the phenomenon, ranking the independent variables in the order of their relative significance and determining and graphically depicting the exclusive influences of each variable on the output which is daily productivity of formwork installation operations. Various neural network models under different paradigms and network settings were developed and compared for performances under the criteria of R 2, MSE and MAE. The best performing model of Back Propagation with modified learning rate and momentum was validated with data unexposed to the model


identifier: Candanedo Ibarra, Luis Miguel  (2005) Characterization and modeling of unsaturated water liquid transport in softwoods.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Moisture sources in the building envelope are, in order of magnitude: rain penetration, moisture brought through air movement and moisture diffusion. As rain water impinges onto the wall and runs off the surface, water may seep into cracks and accumulate within the wood frame structure. Water can move by capillary action into wood-based components and the water vapor can also be diffusing through the structure. In the hygroscopic range, the theory has evolved considerably, and by the use of sorption curves, it is possible to explain the absorption of water in the vapor phase for a range of relative humidity (from 0 to 95% RH). However, liquid mass diffusivities of water for many Canadian wood species have not yet been investigated. The main objectives of this study are to quantify averaged values of diffusivities for a specific type of wood (jack pine), and to develop a transient modeling approach for liquid-phase water transport in wood considering the orthotropic effect of the wood structure and compare it to experimental results.


identifier: Gondos, Andrea  (2005) "Go you forth!" : the construction of meaning in the Zohar.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The thesis examines the hermeneutic structure of the Parashat 'Lekh Lekhah' of the Zohar, arguably the most influential work of Jewish mysticism. The thesis argues and demonstrates that the Zohar continues the modes of classical midrashic exegesis through the incorporation of common stylistic and formal hermeneutical elements. At the same time, the thesis will also claim that the skillful use of hermeneutical and rhetorical techniques allows for the unique concealment and disclosure of esoteric-kabbalistic meaning. In order to show the idiosyncratic relationship between mystical content and narrative elements, the thesis focuses on the detailed examination of four areas: (1) the use of frequently recurring rhetorical and linguistic formularies in the text; (2) narrative characters and personalities; (3) the significance and depiction of theurgical activities; (4) the presence of various intertexts incorporated into the substructures of the Zoharic narrative.


identifier: Orfus, Melanie  (2005) Stress appraisal and coping in siblings of children with special needs.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Self-reports from siblings of children with special needs are considered important additions to the disability literature. Twelve sibling dyads from the greater Montreal area were interviewed. Participating siblings of children with special needs were between the ages of 8 and 12, with a mean age of 9.5 years. Siblings with special needs were a mean age of 10.08 years. Sibling daily hassles, uplifts, and coping strategies were examined and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Family coping strategies and parental assessments of sibling relationship quality was also assessed. Children reported that most frequent daily events were when their siblings with special needs cry, scream or yell when they do not want to do something, and when they give hugs or kisses. Siblings reported being most stressed when embarrassed by their siblings with special needs in front of friends, and happiest when playing together with their sibling with special needs. Wishful thinking was reportedly commonly used by all children as a coping strategy during stressful times. Sibling results were also assessed by age and gender. In addition, families reported using acceptance of stressful events to cope, whereas family support was minimally used. Parent perceptions of their children's sibling relationship were generally positive, with loyalty, sharing, and controlling behaviour reported occurring most commonly.


identifier: Di Tullio, Dany  (2005) The impact of CMM process maturity levels and software development risk on the performance of software development projects.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: A model of software development process maturity, the Capability Maturity Model for Software (SW-CMM) is a staged evolutionary model which describes five levels of process maturity through which an organization can progress to define, assess, and improve its software development processes. Despite its ever-increasing adoption, there remain too few empirical and generalizable findings when it comes to key questions regarding the model's adoption. Researchers and practitioners are still struggling to determine how CMM-based process improvement efforts affect key organizational concerns such as software project performance and in turn how the performance of software projects is affected by the threat of risks in today's dynamic and complex business environment. In addressing this knowledge gap, this study proposes a research model which is grounded in prior research and that will allow for a first known empirical examination of the relationships between CMM process maturity levels and the performance of software development projects while assessing the impact of software development risk on performance. Two hypotheses were derived from the model for empirical testing. Data was collected from 107 organizations that were officially appraised at a given CMM maturity level. Results using PLS provide considerable support for the hypotheses. As expected, CMM software development process maturity levels have a direct and significant impact of the performance of software development projects. Furthermore, evidence of the negative and significant influence of software development risk on software project performance was also found. Discussions on the potential for future research and implications for practice are also presented.


identifier: Senez, Nathalie  (2005) The hedging effectiveness of single stock futures : a study using constant and time-varying hedge ratios under GARCH modeling.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study investigates the hedging effectiveness of Universal Stock Futures trading in London at protecting the underlying spot position from variations in portfolio returns using four different hedge ratios. The hedge ratios under analysis are: the naive 1:1 hedge ratio, the risk-minimizing hedge ratio, a modified version of the risk-minimizing hedge ratio and a time-varying hedge ratio under a GARCH (1,1) process which is allowed to change on a daily basis. The aim of the research is to examine which hedge ratio provides the best protection from market fluctuations when hedging a stock spot position with its futures contract. The findings suggest that the time-varying hedge ratio provides a better hedging strategy than the other techniques although some companies exhibited a smaller portfolio variance when protected with a constant hedge ratio.


identifier: Robertson, Nicola  (2005) The effect of pay system and instructions on creativity and performance : a simulation study.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Two contrasting theories concerning the effects of performance-contingent rewards have developed within the literature. Eisenberger and his colleagues argue in favour of the use of pay-for-performance strategies, whereas Self-Determination Theory argues against them. SDT claims that performance-contingent rewards are controlling and undermine perceived autonomy, intrinsic motivation, and creative performance. Eisenberger argues that these rewards, when given with appropriate instructions, increase autonomy, motivation and performance by giving people the choice to work harder for rewards if they so choose. This study simultaneously tested these two opposing theories to determine which one is best supported by empirical evidence. The present study was designed as a computer simulation. Participants were randomly assigned to one of six Pay (Piece-Rate vs. Base-Pay vs. No Reward) by Instruction Type (Creative vs. Quantity) conditions and asked to provide slogans for the John Molson MBA International Case Competition. They then completed a set of questionnaires. Participants were given the option to complete a second task, which was included as an indicator of their intrinsic motivation. Main findings showed mixed results but with a general trend in support of Self-Determination Theory and the use of base-pay strategies. Most significantly were the findings that base-pay was consistently related to higher levels of intrinsic motivation than piece-rate pay. There was limited evidence in support of Eisenberger's hypothesis that instructions are key to improving performance, and no evidence that piece-rate pay improves perceived autonomy, intrinsic motivation or performance. Implications for the use of different pay systems in organizations are discussed


identifier: Carbonneau, Réal  (2005) Artificial intelligence for data mining in the context of enterprise systems.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.


identifier: Rotaru, Cristina  (2005) Are small bidders better bidders? : an investigation of explanatory factors of bidder size effect on announcement abnormal returns.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Small bidders are found to be consistently better rewarded by the market at the announcement of mergers and acquisitions. They obtain significant positive gains, while large bidders register negative or close to zero absolute and relative abnormal returns. This is hypothesized to be due to the differences in the M&A motives, informational asymmetry and more efficient use of operational capacities. It is found that small bidders mostly engage into value creating transactions, in contrast to large ones that often erode shareholder's value. There is no confirmation of a large correction in the informational asymmetry for small bidders, explanatory of the higher announcement abnormal returns. Actually, there is no evidence of significant changes in either the quantity or the quality of the information provided by the analysts around the announcement of the event, regardless of the size of the bidder. As about the changes in operational performance that occur after the completion of the transaction, there are no large or strongly significant differences between the bidders of different sizes that would justify the large differential in the abnormal returns. This fact indicates that the high announcement valuation of small bidders does not reflect the operational synergy potential of the transaction, considered one of the most important in financial research.


identifier: Morier, Mélanie  (2005) The sweet sound and smell of success : consumer perceptions as mediators of the interactive effects of music and scent on purchasing behavior in a shopping mall.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: A growing number of malls draw on atmospheric cues such as ambient music and scents to enhance shopper experiences. However, the effects of these variables have yet to be clearly defined in the literature and are often used intuitively by retailers. Thus, exploratory research is still needed to increase the knowledge base of both academics and marketing practitioners if ambient stimuli are to be employed efficiently in retail settings.  This study tested the interactive effects of music tempo and citrus scent on merchandise quality and global perceptions of the environment, as well as on the amount of money spent by consumers surveyed in a Canadian neighborhood mall. The mediating role of evaluations on shoppers' purchasing behavior and the moderating role of gender were also investigated in the proposed model.  Analyses revealed that if the interaction of the selected environmental factors negatively impacted sales, citrus scent also had an independent, adverse affect on the latter; yet, tests failed to establish similar direct links to shopper perceptions. Furthermore, evidence was obtained of the mediating influence of merchandise quality and overall assessments of the setting on expenditures.  Finally, gender was found to quasi-moderate the relationship between the atmospheric variables and consumer evaluations, women exhibiting higher responses to the stimuli than their male counterparts. In general, men responded more favorably to single cue conditions, whereas women's reactions were enhanced in the combined presence or absence of ambient cues. Findings are discussed and provide insight into the theoretical and managerial implications of the study


identifier: Li, Yie  (2005) The impact of national culture on the effectiveness of interorganizational knowledge transfer.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In today's business climate, organizational knowledge has been widely accepted as a principle organizational source for sustainable advantages for global competitiveness. Inter-organizational knowledge transfer lays a significant foundation for obtaining new organizational knowledge. The role of middle managers in inter-organizational knowledge transfer is getting more and more attentions nowadays, although it cannot be more than enough. In addition, considerable evidence supports the importance of culture in the success or failure of knowledge transfer within organizations. The main purpose of this research is to identify what roles of middle managers play in each stage of inter-organizational knowledge transfer as well as the impact of national culture on such roles. The research used a case study methodology and was conducted among Canadian, American and Chinese middle managers in two well-known multinational organizations. The findings suggest that first, middle managers play the roles of Radar, Filter and Champion in the initiation stage, the role of Coordinator in the interrelation stage and the role of Problem solver in the implementation stage; second, Chinese middle managers are involved less than those from North America in the activity 'Suggesting and prioritizing the different courses of action to acquire new knowledge', 'Defining and justifying the importance of new knowledge transfer proposals to upper-level managers' and 'Embedding the newly acquired knowledge in organizational processes and routines'. This study opens new insights of research in knowledge transfer that link up the roles of middle managers, national culture, and the effectiveness of knowledge transfer.


identifier: Zhang, Yun  (2005) Antecedents of state-owned-enterprises acquisition by private business groups in China.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: During China's gradual transition from a centrally planned economy to a market-based economy, the acquisition of State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) by private enterprises has been an eye catching phenomenon and regarded a key growth means for Chinese private business groups (PBG). SOE acquisitions in such unique institutional embeddings are expected to be motivated by two distinct while complementary rationalities---economic rationality (acquisition of efficiency enhancing recourses such as property-based and knowledge-based resources endowed in target SOEs) and social capital rationality (acquisition of governmental networking resources inherited in target SOEs). Two models are proposed to examine the correlation between SOEs' resource endowments and PBGs' degree of acquisitiveness on a sample of 49 SOE acquisition cases taken place in China's stock markets during 1997 to 2000. The results suggest that, in general, SOEs' social capital endowment has significant positive impacts on PBGs' degree of acquisitiveness, while property-based and knowledge-based resources are barely influential. However, PBGs demonstrate different acquisitive preferences at different stages of group development. Acquisitive preferences also differ greatly if founders of PBGs carry different social characteristics.


identifier: Wang, Ruiping  (2004) A study of vibration isolation of engine mount system.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The engine excitation forces, arising from gas pressure and unbalance force, are widely considered among the main vibration sources for the road vehicles. Even though the current engine mount designs are acceptable for vibration isolation of the transmitted forces from engine to chassis, the performance improvement of the engine mounting system is still required for the tendency of light weight and higher power of the vehicle. In this thesis, a coupled three degree-of-freedom engine mount system with both elastomeric and hydraulic mounts, are developed. The system performance is evaluated through simulation with the purpose of isolating the vibrations in entire frequency range and under engine excitation force.  The engine dynamic model is established based on the analysis of the kinematics and dynamics of its components and gas variation. The unbalanced inertia force caused by engine reciprocating and rotating parts is derived as the vertical excitation force. The net torque, generated by the inertia forces and gas pressure, is formulated using geometrical relationship of the engine components. Two types of individual mounts, including a nonlinear elastomeric mount and a flexible chamber hydraulic mount, are selected from the reported work. The validation of their characteristics is implemented in a single degree-of-freedom (SDOF) system with the response carried out in the time and frequency domain.


identifier: Liu, Zeng Lian  (2004) Control and simulation investigation of wing rock phenomenon.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Wing rock phenomenon is manifested by a limit cycle oscillation predominantly in roll about the body axis. This self-induced rolling oscillation is highly annoying to the pilot and poses serious limitation to the combat effectiveness. The maneuvering envelope of an aircraft exhibiting this behavior is also seriously restricted because the maximum angle of attack (AOA) is often limited by the onset of wing rock before the occurrence of stall. This thesis deals with the control and simulation investigation of wing rock phenomenon by the five new control schemes for the different assumptions of wing rock model.  First, a variable phase control scheme, based on the results of energy analysis of wing rock hysteresis, is developed for wing rock suppression. Its main advantage is small control power need. For the tracking control of wing rock at a fixed AOA, fuzzy PD control is then designed; however, if wing rock suffers from external disturbance, fuzzy PD control exhibits a big tracking error. To overcome this disadvantage, variable universe fuzzy PD control is proposed to achieve the precise tracking control. For the tracking control of wing rock with a time-varying AOA and uncertainties, the NDOFEL scheme, a nonlinear disturbance observer (NDO) combined with a feedback-error-learning (FEL) strategy, is proposed for a class of time-varying nonlinear systems with unknown disturbances, where the nominal model of wing rock control is assumed available. The proposed NDOFEL not only extends the NDO into time-varying nonlinear systems but also improves the precision of tracking control. Finally, because aircraft at a high AOA operate in nonlinear flight regimes in which the dynamics are very complex, aircraft's wing rock model is usually unavailable. A reinforcement adaptive fuzzy control scheme is presented to guarantee the stability of the closed-loop system and the convergence of the tracking error.  The proposed control schemes emphasize stability, robustness, and simplicity such that they can be applied for on-line learning and real-time control. Numerical cases in each scheme are used to confirm the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed schemes.


identifier: Yu, Ying  (2004) A system architecture and implementation for meshed multicast in MANET using SIP.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Mobile Ad-Hoc Network (MANET) is an active topic of research for its potential of providing pervasive services anywhere and anytime, even though some challenges need to be handled first. In contrast to conventional networks, ad hoc networks are formed by a set of devices that communicate without using a pre-existing network infrastructure.  Multicast is an efficient transmission scheme for supporting group communication in networks. The concept of overlay networks enables multicast to be deployed as a service network rather than a network primitive mechanism, allowing deployment over heterogeneous networks without the need of universal network support.  In this thesis, we propose an overlay multicast framework to handle multicasts in MANET environment in a flexible way. Our approach is using SIP to discover peers to set up a meshed overlay network first, then overlay multicast trees are set up on demand. To cope with the bandwidth limitation problem, the Dominating Set Based and Multi-Recipient routing are adopted, so that the virtual meshed network topology gradually adopts the changes in the underlying network in a distributed manner and the multicast tree is adapted to the updated topology information accordingly. A prototype is built to evaluate the feasibility and performance of the proposed framework.


identifier: Mourali, Mehdi  (2005) Compromise and attraction effects under prevention and promotion focus.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: There is ample evidence that consumer preferences are context dependent. In particular, they are sensitive to the characteristics of the alternatives present in the choice set. The behavioral decision-making literature refers to the changes in share when another alternative is added to the choice set as 'context effects'. Two types of context effects, 'attraction' and 'compromise', are particularly important and have received considerable attention from decision researchers over the years. The attraction effect refers to the finding that adding an alternative which is inferior to another alternative in the choice set increases the share of the relatively superior alternative. The compromise effect, on the other hand, is observed when an alternative becomes more attractive when it is presented as a middle option in a choice set than when it is presented as an extreme option. Adopting a motivational approach to consumer decision-making, and building on regulatory focus theory, the present thesis hypothesizes that (1) consumers' susceptibility to the compromise effect is greater when the prevention system of self-regulation is activated than when the promotion system is activated; (2) consumers' susceptibility to the attraction effect is greater under promotion focus than under prevention focus; (3) consumers' need to justify their choices will increase their sensitivity to the compromise effect under prevention focus but will decrease it under promotion focus; (4) consumers' need to justify their choices will increase their sensitivity to the attraction effect under promotion focus but will decrease it under prevention focus; and (5) products that are associated with a prevention concern will be more attractive when positioned as compromise options than as asymmetrically dominant options, whereas the opposite is true for products that are associated with a promotion concern. Three experimental studies are conducted to test these hypotheses. The data are analyzed using hierarchical linear and non-linear modeling techniques. The results provide full support for hypotheses 1, 3, 4, and 5, and partial support for hypothesis 2. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed along with the study's limitations, and considerations for future research.