identifier: Aisenpresser, Steven  (2004) Come on in my kitchen.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: Come on in my kitchen

abstract: The most legendary of the Mississippi bluesmen was Robert Johnson. He was born in 1911 in the southern town of Hazlehurst, but was raised by his single mother in the northern Delta town of Robinsonville. By the age of 19, he was already a widower and no longer wished to lead the life of a sharecropper.  This short novel attempts to go beyond the music to get a sense of the man that was Robert Johnson. Working within the gaps of the historical record, this work uses a linear narrative that straddles the boundary between past and present, and call attentions to the dislocation between what we know and what we don't know. Using mostly historical personages, the piece focuses on the theme of passion as the fuel of life, whether music, love, or murder; its simple goal was to find a language that could mirror or express, the experience of the blues. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)


identifier: Weiner, Sébastien  (2004) The use of idiosyncratic risk to time the Canadian market.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

type: Thesis NonPeerReviewed

abstract: This research is aimed at testing the robustness of the positive correlation between average stock risk and stock market returns documented by Goyal and Santa-Clara (2003). This is addressed by investigating this relationship in the Canadian market by using an improved market timing methodology. We examine both the statistical and financial properties of average stock risk, as measured for equal- and value-weighted portfolios using a daily sample of all TSE-listed Canadian firms between January 1975 and December 2001. In order to further test the robustness of the relationship, we examine two sub-samples, January 1980 to December 1989 and January 1990 to December 1999. We find that the positive trend in average stock risk previously noted by Campbell et al (2001) and by Goyal and Santa-Clara (2003) is only present over our entire time period and not over each of the sub-periods. This questions the generality of the result for the entire period. Further, our findings do not support the positive correlation between average stock risk and stock market return. Our analysis shows only a weak statistical link and practically no financial timing ability when this time-series is used in an active market timing investment strategy. When macro-economic variables are introduced into our forecasting models, the in-sample statistical properties of the risk-return relationship increases significantly at the expense of the out-of-sample forecasting accuracy.


identifier: Tarride, Jean-Eric  (2004) New econometric models for longitudinal count data with an excess of zeros : two applications in health economics.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The purpose of this doctoral thesis is to provide new econometric models to analyze longitudinal count data characterized by a high proportion of zeros in the data. Previous econometric studies have dealt with many characteristics such as the discrete and longitudinal aspects of the dependent count variable or the presence of covariates and unobserved individual heterogeneity. However, none have taken into account the issues associated with an excess of zeros in a longitudinal framework. While it is well known in the univariate case that when an excess of zeros is significant, the mean has to be corrected to take into account this feature of the data, this issue has often been ignored in the longitudinal case. An excess of zeros in the data may lead to important modeling issues associated with the analysis of longitudinal count data.  Two new econometric models are presented to address the six following characteristics: (1) count outcome, (2) a limited number of repeated measurements, (3) presence of covariates, (4) unobserved heterogeneity, (5) presence of correlation due to the repeated nature of the data and (6) an excess of zeros.  The first model, a Quadrivariate Negative Binomial Hurdle model, was developed to analyze the number of doctor visits made by a panel of more than 4,000 German followed over 4 years. In the second example, a Quadrivariate Negative Binomial Zero-Inflated model was used to analyze an unpublished subset of a longitudinal clinical trial in which the treatments were very effective in reducing the number of occurrences of one variable collected over time in this trial. These two new models were nested to the Quadrivariate Negative Binomial model, allowing us to test for an excess of zeros.  The main result is that the excess of zeros was significant in our two examples and assuming that only one process generates the data is incorrect. As such, the Multivariate Negative Binomial Hurdle and Zero-Inflated models are superior than standard Univariate Negative Binomial model, Quadrivariate Negative Binomial model and Generalized Estimating Equations model. These new models performed well in predicting the mean counts and the mean proportion of zeros in the data at each time period. This thesis demonstrated that caution should be taken in analyzing longitudinal count data in the presence of a high proportion of zeros in the data and correlation over time. Models ignoring these features may yield inconsistent estimates.


identifier: Makdessian, Lucy  (2004) Consumers' reactions to service failures : the intervening roles of anger and gender.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: While anger is reported to be the dominant affective reaction after a service failure, little research has focused on its potentially damaging effects. To fill this void, the present study examined the impact of anger on customers' evaluations and behaviors following a service failure where blame was laid on the service provider. Gender's mediating role in shaping these consequences was also studied. Scenarios involving service failures in a bank and a retail store were used to collect data from students (N = 667). Overall, angry customers were less satisfied, gave lower overall service evaluations, had higher perceptions of injustice, and gave weaker ratings of corporate image. Angry customers were also more likely to complain and engage in third-party action, and were less likely to spread positive word-of-mouth and repurchase from the service firm. Gender of the customer and that of the service employee played only a minimal role in influencing the evaluative and behavioral outcomes. The robust findings regarding anger and the disappointing results concerning gender are discussed in light of their important theoretical and managerial implications.


identifier: Goneau, Karine  (2004) Advertising skepticism among adolescents : an extension into the social marketing arena.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The youth market is of considerable importance to those selling commercial products as well as to those seeking to discourage unhealthy or risky behaviours ('social marketers'). One of the key challenges for social marketing is the development of effective messages. Advertising skepticism, an individual characteristic, has been shown to mediate the effectiveness of commercial ad appeals. However, similar research in the social marketing arena is lacking, although sorely needed.  This study seeks to fill a gap by conceptualizing the construct of skepticism toward social advertising. We develop a measure for this construct in relation to ads seeking to discourage adolescents from risky behaviours such as smoking and drinking and driving, and in a cross-cultural context. Based on an extensive literature review, and input from adolescents and expert judges, this measure was pre-tested using over 210 junior college (Cegep) and undergraduate students, and its reliability and validity investigated.  Subsequently, a refined version of this measure was used in a study where 232 responses were obtained from high school students in two different schools--one French and one English. Results obtained indicate that the scale possesses many desirable psychometric properties, and provide further evidence of its validity. Results also indicate that commercial ad skepticism and social ad skepticism are clearly distinct constructs. For instance, while the former is significantly correlated with parental communication style, the latter is not, although both are affected by a particular type of peer influence. In other findings, adolescents' skeptical attitudes toward social ads were significantly correlated with various risky behaviour perceptions. Finally, additional exploratory tests showed that age and language influence an adolescent's skeptical attitudes toward ads.


identifier: Arcand, Jean-Philippe  (2004) Institutional and strategic implications of founder-ceo transitions in firms issuing initial public offerings.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Some of the most highly recognized CEOs were the entrepreneurial creators of their firms. These CEOs distinguished themselves, not only by starting their firms, but also by successfully managing them for long periods of time after they issued initial public offerings (IPOs) and became public. Considering such successes, it seems reasonable to ask the following question: Why do founders have a bad reputation among Venture Capitalists and Investment Bankers? Tashakori (1980) notes that Venture Capitalists realize that they put pressure on founders to leave their CEO positions. However, empirical research supporting the replacement of the Founder is limited. In this research, I examine the effect of replacing the founder with a professional CEO in firms that are issuing an initial public offering on a US stock exchange between 1996 and 2000. It is found that replacing the founder-CEO by a professional results in an increase of, on average, $12 million in the valuation of the issue. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)


identifier: Lamonde, Marie-Andrée  (2004) The mythology of the self in "In Dreams" : a study of the mythology, the fairy tale and the gothic traditions in Neil Jordan's film.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This paper will help situate Neil Jordan's film In Dreams as a study of the mythology of the self. Through psychoanalytical theories, the film will be situated within mythology's conceptual threefold monomyth based on Joseph Campbell's philosophy. A study of fairy tale's important Jungian archetypes and symbols will create a link with the mythological heroic quest and the collective unconscious. This will establish and solidify the film's psychological exploration of the psyche. Finally, through the examination of consequential gothic paraphernalia, the apex of full self-realization will be gained. This paper shall demonstrate that In Dreams is a film about the process of individuation, of self integration and realization. It is a film about the search and the finding of the self, through the pressures of the ego, the superego and the id. It is a film about experiencing the unconscious consciously and about reaching psychological and psychical apotheosis.


identifier: Saylor, Chantal  (2004) Bits and bytes : a diary of teaching and learning in the digital arts.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study is an examination of my process of thinking, learning, creating, and teaching in the digital arts. Through literature references, journal entries, and an interview with a female colleague I investigate three questions that have risen from my practice. With the first question I examine my processes of creating, learning and teaching in the digital arts relating it to ideas from the literature such as bricolage, cyberception, cyberspace, flow, and multiple intelligences. In the second question, I explore my relationship to technology through the context of gender and how this influences my practice. Finally, in the third question I explore the ideas covered in the first two questions by relating them to my teaching practice. It is a personal reflection on how the process and context of working in digital media impacts my creative and teaching practice.*  *This dissertation is a compound document (contains both a paper copy and a CD as part of the dissertation)


identifier: Likhité, Sabine  (2004) Journal writing as an essential component to my artistic practice.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In an attempt to rekindle my artistic practice, I conducted a qualitative research project to see if an exploration and understanding of my journal writing could be used as a medium for growth and artistic advancement. The discovery of similar women artists' journals and the development of a body of assemblage sculpture also became ingredients in the evolution and understanding of my self as an artist and creative person.


identifier: Devdas, Nalini  (2004) A study of cetanā and the dynamics of volition in Theravāda Buddhism.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This work is a detailed investigation of the nuances of meaning that the scriptural texts of the Theravada school of Buddhism assign to the Pali term cetana , which can be translated with such approximate equivalents as "volition," "intentional impetus," and "purposive impulse." More generally, this work discusses how Theravada interprets the processes of choosing among alternatives and deciding on goals, while adhering firmly to its causal theory that all physical and mental states are subject to causes and conditions. The argument made here is that Theravada does not posit a controlling will, but seeks to establish the possibility of changing attitudes of mind and corresponding goal-oriented impulses through holistic methods of training. The texts maintain that changes in attitude are made possible because consciousness has the capacity to become aware of its own processes of conditioning, and can diversify its responses to its environment.  While comparisons with modern schools of psychology and philosophy are not attempted in this work, the analysis of the Theravada concept of cetana it provides can prove to be a valuable aid for future comparative studies.


identifier: Leclerc, Catherine  (2004) Des langues en partage? : cohabitation du français et de l'anglais en littérature contemporaine.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: De plus en plus, les oeuvres en prose sont appréciées pour la multiplicité des langages--voire des langues--qu'elles font cohabiter. Toutefois, s'il est vrai que la prose romanesque mobilise par définition une pluralité de discours et de langues, les conventions littéraires actuelles n'en logent pas moins ce plurilinguisme à l'enseigne d'une langue tutélaire qui le contient et le limite autant qu'elle l'inclut. Plusieurs langues peuvent-elles tour à tour, dans un même texte, servir de véhicule à la relation d'un récit? Peuvent-elles cohabiter en toute réciprocité? La présente thèse est le résultat d'une enquête sur des littératures qui mettent en question la notion de langue principale. À l'aide d'outils théoriques inspirés de la traductologie, d'études sociolmguistiques sur le code-switching, des approches bakhtmiennes de la littérature et de la critique postcoioniale, elle analyse--sous l'appellation de colinguisme--des textes en prose dont la narration mobilise à la fois le français et l'anglais. Y sont abordés: Between , de la Britannique Christine Brooke-Rose; les oeuvres anglo-québécoises Heroine de Gail Scott et Hellman's Scrapbook de Robert Majzels; enfin, L'homme invisible/The Invisible Man du Franco-Ontarien Patrice Desbiens, et Bloupe de l'Acadien Jean Babineau.  Par-delà des disparités contextuelles manifestes, il ressort de l'analyse de ces textes que les enjeux de la cohabitation des langues tiennent à l'appartenance à des espaces littéraires et culturels dont la narration colingue, afin de pouvoir s'y inscrire, doit forcer la redéfinition. Les textes étudiés cherchent à créer un espace de signification permettant de réunir plusieurs langues sans les soumettre les unes aux autres. Par ailleurs, tout en sapant l'autorité de la langue principale, ils tirent parti de son statut prééminent. Mise aux côtés d'autres langues aptes à remplir ses fonctions, la langue tutélaire perd sa neutralité, et devient sujette à un questionnement sur ce qui motive sa prépondérance dans le texte. Dans ces textes, le partage difficile des langues dans la narration devient une métaphore puissante de leur hiérarchisation à l'échelle sociale, tout comme il ouvre sur la possibilité de contrer cette hiérarchisation en développant de nouveaux modes d'interaction entre les langues. Plus qu'une réalité actualisée, le colinguisme fonctionne alors comme un appel.


identifier: Jiang, Yijun  (2004) A novel method for the manufacturing of thick composites.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Due to the nature of exothermic reaction and high thermal resistance, processing thick-sectioned composites can be very difficult. Instead of expensive and time consuming trial and error methods, pre-catalyzing fabric technique applied to the hand lay-up process is very effective to decrease exothermal peak dramatically. By applying the peroxide catalyst to the fabric, this technique can slow down the polymerization reaction rate and subsequently reduce the internal temperature during curing. In this study, two kinds of pre-catalyzing methods were developed: one used polystyrene as the catalyst binder; another used epoxy resin as the binder. The experimental results indicate that the pre-catalyzing method using polystyrene as the binder can control the peak exothermic temperature to be under 30{493}C, and the method using epoxy binder can limit that temperature to be below 39{493}C. Latter method has shorter curing time than former one. Both methods can reduce the temperature gradient greatly. The degree of cure for both methods can be more than 87% with low exothermic temperature after the cure, and the laminate is rigid enough with this degree of cure to be used for further post cure. The degree of cure can be improved to be higher than 97% by leaving the samples for more than five weeks in ambient temperature. Compared with polystyrene binder which made the interlaminar shear strength decrease by 12.8%, the epoxy resin binder has the better characteristic not to exhibit this decrease, and the short beam shear tests show no degradation of ILSS.


identifier: Magid, Michael  (2004) The attitudes of Chinese people towards fluent Chinese second language speakers of English.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Previous research has demonstrated that a relationship exists between perceived accent and ethnic group loyalty in a conflictual situation (i.e., when the members of an ethnic group are in conflict with members of the target language group) and that such a relationship may have behavioral consequences. The present study investigated (1) whether such a relationship exists in a situation when there is no conflict between the two language groups involved (i.e., for native Chinese speakers learning English in Montreal), (2) what the behavioral manifestations of this relationship would be, and (3) what factors influenced this relationship.  Eighty-four participants from mainland China residing in Montreal listened to native Chinese reading a passage in English (spoken with various degrees of foreign accent) and Chinese in a matched-guise procedure. They then judged the speakers' accentedness, loyalty towards the Chinese, personality traits and ability to be leaders and members of two different group situations.  Results revealed that a relationship between perceived accent and ethnic group loyalty indeed exists in a non-conflictual situation and that this relationship has consequences upon native Chinese listeners' choices of speakers as leaders and members of their group. These consequences are different from those observed in earlier research in a conflictual situation. Results overall highlight the importance of group factors in L2 learning and suggest the need to consider ethnic group loyalty as a variable in both applied linguistic research and L2 pedagogy.


identifier: Miodrag, Nancy  (2004) An exploration of a socio-sexual education program for individuals with developmental disabilities : changes in knowledge and attitudes.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: People with developmental disabilities (DD) rarely have opportunities to engage in programs that teach about socio-sexuality. The purpose of this study was to examine changes in knowledge and attitudes of people with DD after participating in a 6-week Socio-Sexual Education Program. Participants included 10 adults (5 males and 5 females) with mild to moderate DD who were assessed at the beginning and end of the program using four data tools including: (1) a questionnaire; (2) an interview; (3) observations and (4) personal documents. Analysis of questionnaire scores using a paired sample t -test was significant at the .05 level. That is, participants' scores significantly improved from Time 1 to Time 2. This suggests that participants' knowledge in socio-sexuality improved by participating in the program. Qualitative analysis using themes and case examples revealed that participants had mixed and ambivalent attitudes about issues such as discussing sex, masturbation, STDs and contraception, but showed learning in friendships, intimate relationships, dating, choice, feelings, gender, decision making, personal space, stranger safety, appropriate versus inappropriate behavior as well as identification of male and female body parts, private and public body parts, touch, condom use, hygiene, reproductive health, and abuse prevention. However, major misconceptions for masturbation and STDs were evident. The findings suggest that when SSEP are comprehensive and consider group needs' learning can occur.


identifier: Al-Darwish, Iman  (2004) Can the new Quebec science curriculum meet the needs of culturally diverse learners?  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study takes a close look at one teacher's interpretation of Quebec's new science curriculum in a grade six classroom where the student population is culturally diverse.  Over a period of two months, I conducted classroom observations on a twice-weekly basis. Data were also collected from two interviews and several informal discussions with the teacher. The data depicted several of the teaching methods and strategies that seem effective for multicultural classrooms and portrayed a positive interaction between the students and the teacher. These were coupled with the teacher's personal style that was appropriate for a culturally diverse classroom. These results are discussed in the light of Quebec's new curriculum reform and the existing literature on multiculturalism and are used to portray a picture of multicultural science education.


identifier: Au, Oymoon  (2004) The experiences of Chinese immigrant students in Quebec school [i.e. schools].  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study concerned itself with the particular difficulties that adolescent immigrants may have in adapting to school in the new country where a second language must also be learned. To explore this matter, 13 individuals who had emigrated from Hong Kong as adolescents were interviewed in order to gather their recollections of their experiences. It was found that learning French was especially difficult, due in part to their prior beginning knowledge of English and an attitudinal disposition that favored English.


identifier: Srivastava, Jaya  (2004) Towards a more inclusive traditional curriculum : workshops in the performing arts as a tool for education.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In the traditional curriculum methods of instruction consist of textbook and lecture centered approaches to teaching and learning. This research studies the effects of workshops in the performing arts as an effective tool for a more inclusive traditional curriculum. Furthermore, it studies the possibility of using this method as a possible complement to the drug Ritalin for children suffering from attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD).  Specifically, data from two focus groups, one composed of Indian classical dance teachers and the other of volunteers working with children suffering from ADD/ADHD is analyzed. Also, a detailed outline of a workshop in Indian classical dance is provided for an increased understanding of the positive outcomes resulting from employing this method of instruction in the classroom.  The study concludes with a look at the potential of performing arts other than dance, as well as with a summary of possible topics for future research.


identifier: Sun, Bo  (2004) Literacy, identity and schooling : a case study of literacy practices of "peasant workers" in northern China.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Peasant workers refer to those who were originally doing farm work in rural areas and who have rushed into cities to find more economically rewarding jobs in China. They are marginalized economically, socially and culturally. This thesis provides a qualitative study on the literacy practices of the peasant workers in Northern China. Peasant workers' subjective interpretations of their lives and literacy practices are the main source of data and a phenomenological perspective functions as the theoretical underpinning for data analysis.  The author mainly examines the meaning of literacy for peasant workers in the Chinese culture, the relationship of literacy and identity, and the role of schooling in literacy in peasant worker's lives. The thesis concludes that literacy education for peasant workers in China is, by its nature, oppressive, authoritarian and antidemocratic. The author also provides some suggestions to make literacy education more emanicipatory and more empowering.


identifier: Choudhury, Sabina  (2004) A feasibility study of the use of artificial neural networks in the diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: A training problem exists in the field of psychiatry since the traditional methods of varying effectiveness in diagnosing and selecting treatment options are passed onto new medical residents, learning from established professionals. The lack of consensus within the psychiatric community towards diagnosis and treatment selection probably impacts the quality of patient care. Difficulties in the diagnosis processes may lead to inaccurate diagnoses and delays in administering timely and effective treatment alternatives. To address this educational need, it is proposed that the development of a multi-layered neural network application with back-propagation facilities that would be taught to categorise the various forms of schizophrenia and the various treatment options should be created as a tool to assist medical residents in the diagnosis and treatment selection for schizophrenia. An overview of neural networks, psychiatric disorders, the steps in the diagnostic process and current assessment tools for schizophrenia is provided. The feasibility of developing a neural network as a diagnostic and treatment selection tool for schizophrenia is assessed, taking into account current neural network's limitations. It is concluded that the lack of consensus amongst psychiatric professionals towards current diagnosis and treatment selection process will result in data inadequate to train such a neural network, thereby resulting in potentially false results. The long-term methods to overcome these limitations and some alternatives towards providing a short-term computer-based educational solution are presented.


identifier: Stoddart, Patrick  (2004) Offerings in distance education : quality control in the structural arrangements and practices in post secondary distance education : a critical evaluation of the proposals in the literature.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Abstract (Summary) This thesis is an in depth study of the published literature on quality control in distance education. This research examines and synthesizes the main and current themes of published scholarly thought in the area of structural arrangements and practices of quality control in post secondary distance education, in the Western tradition. It is shown that there is significant breadth and depth in the published literature that defines the terms "quality," and "distance education." As well, there is also significant published research dealing with issues of quality concerning the management and administration of distance educational institutions, and also with the quality of distance educational course design. Conversely, it has been determined that there is a significant deficiency in the breadth and depth of published literature regarding the quality of distance educational program design. This deficiency also applies to the literature concerned with the offering of quality technical, library, and support services in distance education, and with the offering of a quality distance educational experience to those of other cultures and of special populations.


identifier: Upadhyay, Adhir  (2004) Optimum partitioning of globally asynchronous locally synchronous processor arrays.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Globally Asynchronous Locally Synchronous design style has evolved as a solution to increasing problems of distributing clocks at high frequency and with lower power consumption in DSM technologies. In GALS designs, partitioning a system into more locally synchronous sub-blocks reduces the size of each sub-block and allows higher clock frequency. Also, smaller sub-blocks reduce the capacitance in the clock networks because they need less H-tree levels. However, this implies a large number of sub-blocks, which increases the asynchronous power overhead. The thesis considers a 16 x 16 array of identical processors to evaluate GALS tradeoffs with different partitioning scenarios. Three different configurations of the array have been studied. This is, to our knowledge, the first work to propose closed form models for the optimum number of sub-blocks that accomplish minimum power for GALS design with passive clock distribution networks. Experimental results verify the effectiveness of the models. The potential increase in the clock frequency with partitioning and its effect on total power consumption has also been investigated for one of the array configurations.  For large VLSI designs, inserting repeaters in the clock network is an alternative to boost the clock frequency that often is limited by the interconnect bandwidth. The thesis also investigates the GALS tradeoffs for an array with active clock networks. An algorithm has been proposed to evaluate the optimum partitioning in this case.  The Delay-Insensitive (DI) asynchronous protocols offer a promising solution to the timing closure problem with long global interconnects in synchronous designs. A novel asynchronous wrapper using 1-of-4 DI protocol has been introduced. Simulation results show that the scheme achieves 66% higher throughput than previous designs.


identifier: Mohamed, Kaveh  (2004) Simulation of hydrogen release from a high-pressure chamber considering real gas effects.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Hydrogen release from a high-pressure chamber is modeled in this thesis. Two approaches are developed to investigate the real gas effects at high pressures. In the first method, an analytical model is developed to simulate time histories of stagnation properties of hydrogen inside the chamber as well as sonic properties of hydrogen at the orifice. Thermodynamic relations describing the specific heats, internal energy, and speed of sound, are derived based on Beattie-Bridgeman state equation. In the second approach, a 3-D unstructured tetrahedral finite volume Euler solver is applied to numerically simulate the hydrogen release. The solver is modified to take into account the real gas effects. Modifications required to calculate the real gas Jacobian matrices and eigenvectors as well as to obtain the Roe's averaged convective fluxes are described. Real gas effect is also modeled by the same state equation. Numerical and analytical results are compared for ideal and real gas conditions. An excellent agreement is reported.


identifier: Shen, Xiwei  (2004) Efficient two windows MAC algorithm in wireless ad-hoc networks.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In this thesis, a Two Windows MAC Algorithm (TWMA) is proposed and extensive simulation studies compare the proposed medium access algorithm and IEEE 802.11 standard. TWMA is introduced to solve the fairness problem in medium access and improve the utilization of the channel i.e. throughput, traffic delay, and fairness of medium access algorithm mainly in wireless ad hoc networks using Carrier-Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA). The media access control (MAC) protocol plays a critical role in providing fairness, efficiency, and robustness in wireless networks. IEEE 802.11 MAC using exponential random backoff algorithm can not solve such fairness problem, i.e. stations cannot gain fair access to the shared wireless medium, due to non-homogeneous traffic load distribution, location dependent contention for medium access, and lack of central administration in ad hoc networks. The proposed MAC algorithm uses a variable Channel Status Indicator (CSI) to represent adjacent traffic status and two windows contention algorithm in order to achieve better throughput, latency, and a degree of fairness. Simulation results show the performance characteristics and functionalities of the algorithm that includes throughput, latency, buffer overflow, and etc. The simulation results reveal that the proposed TWMA achieve higher throughput and lower latency than that of the IEEE 802.11 standards MAC algorithm.


identifier: Ma, Xiao Feng  (2004) Iterative joint source and channel decoding using turbo codes for MPEG-4 video transmission.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis presents a novel iterative joint source and channel decoding scheme using turbo codes for MPEG-4 video transmission over noisy channels. The proposed scheme, on one hand, utilizes the channel soft outputs generated by a turbo decoder to assist syntax based error concealment in a source decoder. On the other hand, the residual redundancy extracted by the source decoder is fed back to the channel decoder through modifying the extrinsic information exchanged between the two constituent MAP decoders of the turbo decoder so as to improve the error performance of the turbo decoder. With video packet mixer, the proposed scheme can correct most of the turbo coding blocks with a large number of bit errors. Simulation results show significant improvement in terms of BER, PSNR and the reconstructed video quality.


identifier: El Barachi, May  (2004) Using Web services for application development in internet telephony : a case study on conferencing in SIP networks.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Applications offered to end-users as value-added services are a critical element for the success and the survival of Internet telephony service providers. Some service creation frameworks have been proposed by IETF while alternative frameworks have been proposed by other forums such as Parlay and JAIN. All these frameworks have several drawbacks which may be solved by the use of web services. Web services are self-describing, modular business applications that expose the business logic as services over a network, generally, the Web. This thesis presents a case study on the use of web services to develop conferencing applications in SIP networks. The case study involves the definition of comprehensive web service interfaces that make conferencing capabilities available to developers. It also involves the implementation a sub-set of the interfaces as a gateway using SIP servlets, the development of two applications using the interfaces, and performance evaluation. The applications we have developed consist of dial in and dial out audio conferences. the standard frameworks provide. In addition, their use does not require a background in telephony or telecommunications. This could allow developers who are new to the telecom field, to easily integrate conferencing capabilities to their applications. Furthermore, a considerable reduction of the application footprint is achieved. This reduction saves time and effort for application developers. These benefits make web services an interesting approach, despite the overhead introduced.


identifier: Bi, Shaoqiang  (2004) Low power modulo reduction technique and its application in residue-to-binary converters.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In this thesis, novel modulo reduction algorithms are proposed that considerably simplify a large modulo operation to the sum of a number of small modulo operations. By applying the proposed modulo reduction algorithms to the modified Chinese Remainder Theorem (CRT), the complexity of modulo operation in the modified CRT is reduced significantly. The modulo reduction technique and the modulo reduced modified CRT are applied to derive R/B algorithms for two existing three-moduli sets and four newly found three-moduli sets. A novel R/B converter for N 1 = {2 n , 2 n + 1, 2 n - 1} with reduced modulo operations is proposed to show the efficiency of the proposed modulo reduction technique. Novel MUX-based designs of some components needed for constructing the new converter are developed. New unsigned and signed-2's complement incrementer/decrementer are designed to implement the operation of Z ± 1. The new modulo incrementer and decrementer are developed to implement the operations of [Special characters omitted.] and [Special characters omitted.] . (Abstract shortened by UMI.)


identifier: Cinquino, Antonio Lucio  (2004) A real-time software implementation of an OFDM modem suitable for software defined radios.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis describes a real-time, DSP implementation of a baseband OFDM system, which includes interleaving and forward error correction algorithms. Software modules representing discrete system blocks are created and sequentially called upon as needed. The software reconfigurable system is developed on a Texas Instruments TMS320C6201 Evaluation Module, which is based on a fixed-point processor. Different combinations of arithmetic precision and speed for the fixed-point operations were explored. The decisive combination was used to evaluate the accuracy of the system by plotting bit-error curves against an equivalent floating-point model.  System efficiency is employed from the design stage through the use of Look-Up tables as well as cyclic shift registers. Upon implementation, the system is built using settings optimized for speed. In addition, memory management is used to ensure that critical instructions are kept on the fast on-chip memory while different access times for retrieving data on external memory were evaluated for best results. Finally, each software module is profiled to investigate and remove unnecessary latency issues.  Processing efficiency is monitored by recording throughput results, which are used to calculate maximum bit-rates. Using these results, estimations are made for bit-rates achievable by higher performance processors. These estimations demonstrate that a highly flexible DSP platform can ultimately meet speed and flexibility requirements for Software Defined Radios.


identifier: Cui, Yuelin  (2004) A feedback control technique to compensate for the temperature dependence of the transconductance of CMOS transistors and its application in gm-C filters.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Transconductance-C (g m -C) filters are suitable solutions to perform a variety of signal processing tasks. Operational Transconductance Amplifiers (OTAs) are main components of g m -C filters, and variable transconductance gain (g m ) has a detrimental effect on the performance of g m -C filters. One principal factor to cause such variations of the transconductance (g m ) values is the change in environment temperature. In this thesis, a new negative feedback technique is applied to stabilize changes in the transconductance of CMOS OTA with temperature variation over the industrial temperature range of -30{493}C to +85{493}C. Stabilized transconductance will bring stability in the frequency and quality factor of the filters built from these OTAs. To validate this notion, several types of second-order g m -C filters have been built with the temperature stabilized OTAs. Furthermore, a second-order g m -C band-pass filter with the negative feedback control system has been implemented using TSMC 0.18 om CMOS technology, and fabricated through the facilities of Canadian Microelectronics Corporation (CMC). The experimental results show good agreement with the theoretical expectation.


identifier: Ehtiati, Neda  (2004) Joint interleaver design for multiple turbo codes.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The outstanding performance of turbo codes at low signal-to-noise ratio is deteriorated in the error-floor region, due to the low values of the free distance of turbo codes. Interleaver design for turbo codes can improve the minimum distance of the code, by eliminating low-weight input sequences that result in low-weight codewords. Interleaver can also be designed to improve the performance of the sub-optimal iterative decoding methods. While the relating criteria to satisfy these conditions are known, we are not able to find an interleaver that fulfills all these conditions in reasonable time.  In this thesis, we have proposed a Joint interleaver design methods , for multiple turbo codes, where we have at least three constituent codes and two interleavers to design. In our proposed methods each interleaver is designed to satisfy some of the conditions and the other conditions are satisfied by the other interleaver. This will decrease the load on one interleaver to satisfy all the conditions at the same time and enable us to satisfy tougher conditions.  It is shown that the proposed Sequential joint interleaver design converges very fast and can satisfy very tough conditions, which means better performance at error-floor region of the turbo code.


identifier: Bin Husain, Jawad  (2004) An ontology-based application to detect, annotate and search web documents : first results.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Ontologies are going to play a significant role in the future semantic web. They help organize the information about domains to facilitate not only to retrieve information about the domain but also reasoning and derivation of new information which can be used by search engines and software agents. This major report discusses the resources offered by ontologies and explores the way to use them in web document detection, annotation and search. Since an ontology captures all the significant terms and their hierarchical relationships for a specific domain, it motivates us to use this information to detect web documents which fall under that domain. The content of the web documents can be analyzed to find out the number of ontology terms encountered in those documents and accordingly assign them rank indicating how close they are to the corresponding domain. Once we know the encountered ontology terms in the web document, we can annotate the terms with appropriate web links where more information about the terms can be found. The domain detection approach can also be very useful in searching web documents. If we know the search domain in addition to search terms, the search can be more effective and accurate. While searching the web, we usually get search results containing documents from different domains whereas we are interested in the documents of a particular domain. Domain detection technique using ontologies might solve this problem. In this report, the algorithm of domain detection, annotation and search for web documents exploiting the resources offered by ontologies has been explained and implemented as a Java application. The report also discusses the design of a test ontology that has been used to test the implemented system.


identifier: Lin, Fang  (2004) A design document for the CORAL deductive database system.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: CORAL is a deductive database system that supports a rich declarative language, and an interface to C++ that allows for a combination of declarative and imperative programming. It is important to know the design and the implementation for CORAL in order to be able to extend this system.  This report documents the design for CORAL. The Unified Modeling Language (UML) is used to describe the Architecture, Structural Model and Behavioral Model. The design documentation is based on the study of the source code, the user manual and the published papers about CORAL.


identifier: Li, Yi  (2004) On designing and developing CORBA based applications.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Common Object Request Broker (CORBA) is a mechanism to create, deploy, and manage objects in a distributed environment. These objects are generally referred to as distributed components or CORBA components.  CORBA is an open standard that addresses object orientation, distribution transparency, hardware independence, operating system independence, language independence and vendor independence.  This report first highlights: What is CORBA? Why is CORBA needed? How is CORBA used for developing applications? Second, this report shows how the CORBA architecture is used to develop distributed object-based game applications.  Then, a CORBA-based application of gomoku game is given. The game is implemented with VisiBroker 4.0 (a CORBA 2.3 specification compliance product) and C++ language. The game can be run on any platform for which a CORBA product (for instance, VisiBroker or Orbix) is installed. The approach used in this report can be easily used for other games in the distributed environment.


identifier: Luo, Ying  (2004) The implementation of a 3D snooker table using OpenGL.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This project demonstrates a 3D snooker table coded by Visual C++ Version 6 and OpenGL on Windows 9x/2000/XP environment. It is concerned with constructing partial components for the snooker game rather than creating entire playable game. The purpose of the project is to get a 3D model of a snooker table and learn more about object-oriented modeling and design methodology. This report will explain how the simulation was created and modeled, and the OpenGL techniques used during the construction of the simulation. Finally, future work is presented.


identifier: Zheng, Hao  (2004) A comparison of two programming languages : Java and C#.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Java programmers must be aware of the advent of C#, the .NET network environment, and a host of new supporting technologies, such as web service. Before taking the big step of migrating all development to a new environment, programmers will be eager to understand what are the advantages and disadvantages of both languages and whether it is worth while to make the big step or not. Java and C# are both good object-oriented programming languages. In general, Java and C# looks astonishingly alike: they include language features like single inheritance, interfaces, nearly identical syntax, and compilation to an intermediate format. However, C# distinguishes itself from Java with language design features borrowed from C++ and other languages, direct integration with COM (Component Object Model), and its key role in Microsoft's .NET Windows networking framework. In this report, I will compare both languages to expose the similarities and differences between them. Some new features in C# which make it interesting for Java programmers are also discussed in this paper.


identifier: Agrawal, Ankush  (2004) Critical success factor and metrics for new product development success.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The literature emphasizes the great importance of new product development (NPD) for the continuing success of a business. Its contribution to the growth of companies, its influence on profit performance, and its role as a key factor in business planning have been well documented. The competitive environment in which new products are marketed is undergoing fundamental changes. These changes are the key factors driving the NPD activities in service and manufacturing industries. New product development has been an important managerial issue for many firms as the number of new products marketed has grown and product life cycles have shortened.  This thesis explores and analyzes the NPD process in detail. The focus is to develop a framework that identifies the critical success factors (CSF) of each phase in the NPD process, and proposes metrics to measure them. Furthermore, the tools and techniques that can be used to evaluate each metric forms an integral part of this framework. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)


identifier: Johnson, Christian Bernadotte  (2004) Identification : a surrealist voyage between memory and the imagination.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis explores the process of identification as a continuous articulation of culturally constructed choices, influenced by memory, the mass media, social relations and the imagination. Identification is shown to serve as a mechanism of social accommodation within transforming cultural environments.  To shed light on how cultural identification functions as a process of social cohesion and separation, I conducted a self-involved multi-site and multidimensional research focused on several 'traditional' cultural practices among Ecuadorian migrants in several locations, including Queens, New Jersey, Montreal and Ecuador.  Through its supporting observations, this thesis highlights: the engagement with tradition, as a continuous creative process; the choices that individuals and groups make in order to become culturally visible or invisible during the process of migration; the consumption of symbolic products associated with embodied memories; and the construction of modern houses in rural areas back home as representations of personal achievement and as part of a process of social transformation, among migrants who have become physically displaced from their original social milieu.


identifier: Drouin, Simon  (2004) Gene expression comparison by microarray analysis between two Triticum aestivum cultivars that differ in freezing tolerance.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Cold tolerance in plants is a complex trait that occurs in many plants during growth at low temperature, a process known as cold acclimation. This process is a multigenic system and there is broad variation in the range of freezing tolerance that can be achieved by different wheat cultivars. To identify genes that are regulated by cold treatment and to characterize their expression profiles a microarray was constructed with PCR amplified cDNA inserts from 1187 wheat Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) that represent 948 genes. Two Triticum aestivum L. cultivars, Norstar and Glenlea that differ in their capacity to develop freezing tolerance were used to compare the changes in gene expression during cold acclimation.  Microarray analysis is a powerful and rapid approach to gene discovery and for studying global gene expression. In species in which large scale mutant screening and transgenic studies are not currently practical, genotype comparison is an especially good approach to identify candidate genes for important agronomic traits.  The analysis reveals that the transcript levels of over 300 genes were altered by cold treatment. Among these, 65 genes were differently regulated in the freezing-tolerant and the less-freezing-tolerant cultivars on at least one time point. These genes encode for protein kinases, putative transcription factors, Ca 2+ binding proteins, Golgi localized protein, inorganic pyrophosphatase, cell wall associated hydrolase, 2-oxoglutarate/malate translocator, and aspartate-tRNA ligase.


identifier: Foellmer, Matthias W  (2004) Sexual dimorphism and sexual selection in the highly dimorphic orb-weaving spider Argiope aurantia (Lucas).  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Extreme sexual size dimorphism (SSD) is relatively rare in animal species. Males are much smaller than females for example in anglerfish, some barnacles, and various spiders, Spiders (Araneae) are unique because this is the only free-living terrestrial taxon where extreme SSD is common. The factors involved in the evolution and maintenance of extreme SSD are still poorly understood. Spiders also exhibit a "shape" dimorphism, males having relatively longer legs than females. In this thesis, I estimate selection on adult males of the highly dimorphic orb-weaving spider Argiope aurantia to evaluate hypotheses about the adaptive significance of male size and shape in spiders. I use a multivariate approach to distinguish selection targeting different body components. My results suggest that selection tends to favour longer legs during mate search, and that this may result in net selection for overall larger males. During mating, the pattern of selection on males depends on the type of female with which they mate. Most males mate opportunistically with a moulting female when she is defenceless and are under strong selection for large body size due to interference competition over access to females. If males mate with mature, post-moult females, they face an 80% chance of a cannibalistic attack by the female, but this does not result in selection on male body size. However, the longer males stay in copula, the more likely they are to be cannibalised. Relatively longer legs in males were not favoured during either form of mating and thus probably constitute an adaptation during mate search. Current hypotheses about the adaptive significance of small male size in spiders either predict a small male advantage during mate search or during mating with cannibalistic females, or assume that sexual selection for large size due to interference competition is absent or weak. Neither of these assumptions and predictions were upheld in my study.


identifier: Hossain, Sheehab  (2004) Differential display : a whole organism approach to studying phenol metabolism in Trichosporon cutaneum.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Currently, little is known about the mechanisms by which fungi respond to and degrade toxic chemicals. Their responses are defined, in part, by which genes are turned on or off. Trichosporon cutaneum catabolizes a variety of carbon sources including phenol and was selected for this study. In this study, differential display, a genomic based technique, is used to define the response of the filamentous fungus, Trichosporon cutaneum , to the aromatic compound, phenol. Messenger RNA (mRNA) was purified from cells grown in phenol or succinate medium, reverse transcribed using various primers and amplified via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using arbitrary primers and radioactive nucleotides. PCR products generated from each mRNA population were electrophoresed on denaturing polyacrylamide gels. The population of radioactive species from the two samples was compared and PCR products differing in intensity between the two growth conditions were isolated, reamplified, cloned and sequenced. Northern blot and dot blot analyses enabled confirmation of differences detected. Using this approach, genes defined by sequence similarity as a potential transcription factor and the F subunit of vacuolar ATPase were shown to be upregulated while those genes encoding a basic amino acid permease, KDEL ER lumen retention receptor were shown to be down regulated in cells grown in phenol media. A number of genes of unknown function also were shown to be differentially expressed. In the cases tested, differential expression was confirmed by Northern blot or dot blot analyses.


identifier: Neil, Derek F  (2004) ADR and the law : a search for participation or control.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This project argues that the growth of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) may be more fully explained by the needs of both the social (i.e. the emergence of a social market for ADR skills for individuals); and the economic market (i.e. the emergence of private ADR corporations). The evidence shows ADR should be regarded as a mechanism of 'control'. The research relies on the use of the works of three thinkers, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber and Michel Foucault to examine the phenomenon of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). The research used both sociological text and Law Journal articles to conduct this research. The research includes an extensive literature review from the fields of law and sociology. It draws on 2 case studies to show the close relationship between the growth of ADR within law schools starting with single courses to multi-faceted ADR programs and its emergence under the tutelage of the legal profession.


identifier: Sinnig, Daniel  (2004) The complicity of patterns and model-based UI development.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The main idea surrounding model-based approaches is to identify useful approaches for User Interface (UI) development have the potential to accommodate the increasing complexity of today's interactive applications. However, the mainstream developer has not adopted the model-based approach for creating UIs due to certain limitations. One such limitation is the lack of reusability within such approaches. In order to foster re-use in different contexts of In particular it will be demonstrated how different kinds of patterns can be used as building blocks for the establishment of task, dialog, presentation and layout models. Starting from an outline of the general process of pattern application, an interface for combining patterns and a possible formalization is suggested. A tool for using, selecting, adapting and applying patterns to task models will be presented. In addition, an extended example will illustrate the applicability of this pattern-driven development approach. Within the scope of the example, 13 different patterns relative to the various models have been discovered, formalized and applied.


identifier: Porter, Nicole  (2004) In search of the slayer : audience negotiation of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In March, 1997, Buffy the Vampire Slayer premiered on the WB network, introducing television viewers to Buffy Summers, a California cheerleader with a calling to save the world from innumerable demons and otherworldly beasts. Buffy's challenge to gender norms as a female warrior, alongside her penchant for shopping, place her firmly within the Girl Power debate. Scholars and the press alike have weighed in on the meaning of this complex series. The purpose of this study is to incorporate the voices of the audience into this discussion. Using a combination of interviews and questionnaires, I investigate how viewers negotiate the contradictions in the show and the work they do as audience members.  My participants' responses go beyond merely interpreting a television series. Buffy the Vampire Slayer became a forum for debate and a site of community building. The series was a catalyst for debating Girl Power and feminism: intersecting, reflecting and informing feminist discourses. Furthermore, my participants described a detailed and nuanced depiction of ideal communities in the series, one they identified with and emulated in their own lives. This research indicates how a series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer can extend beyond the viewing experience itself.


identifier: Resendes, Sandy  (2004) The world at your finger-tips : understanding blindness.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: I conducted in depth-interviews with 6 men and 6 women living across Canada. The study is framed around Erving Goffman's theory of stigma and "spoiled identity" as well as the more recent Disability Studies that stresses "the normals" as being the "identity spoilers" or the "problem." The participants revealed victimization from various sources including classmates, teachers, employers, colleagues, and the public in general. Focus is placed directly on the strategies that respondents have devised in coping with these adversities and that often accompany a highly visible disability. Eight principal methods and response to the discrimination against people with blindness can be distinguished. These strategies varied depending on the circumstances of the interaction and the informant's coping skills. These typologies are mutually exclusive and do overlap. They include: (1) The Isolates, (2) The Rebels, (3) The Self-Entertainers, (4) The Talkers, (5) The Experimenters, (6) The Positivists, (7) The Activists, (8) The Self-Acceptors. These eight type of responses and reactions to resistance to the stigmatization of blindness are essential elements of personal change, and even possibly social change. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)


identifier: Sarkar, Joykrishna  (2004) Weak convergence approach to compound Poisson risk processes perturbed by diffusion.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The ruin probability, the joint density function of the surplus immediately prior to ruin, the deficit at ruin, and the time to ruin and the expected discounted penalty function for the classical as well as for the diffusion risk model have been studied by many authors. We consider a sequence of risk processes, which converges weakly to the standard Wiener process when, for instance, the number of policies in a large insurance portfolio goes to infinity, and is added to the classical risk process. The resultant process is a diffusion perturbed classical risk model. We study this model and obtained the ruin probabilities, the joint density function of the surplus immediately prior to ruin, the deficit at ruin, the time to ruin and the expected discounted penalty function for the diffusion risk model by the weak convergence. In other words, we show that these quantities converge weekly to the corresponding quantities of the diffusion risk model for large number of policies. Numerical illustrations of the expected discounted penalty function and ruin probabilities are also presented.


identifier: Seidman, Hope  (2004) Relationship between instructors' beliefs and teaching practices for critical thinking in higher education.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Concerns about the lack of students' critical thinking (CT) skills and instructors' inability to foster them were the driving force behind this study. The purpose of this multiple case study was to examine instructors' beliefs about CT and how they related to teaching practices. An American private college was used as the context for investigation due to the institution's efforts to improve the quality of teaching and learning as well as its commitment to CT outcomes. Three "exemplary" instructors teaching business, education and computer courses were selected for in-depth investigation along with one instructor teaching a stand-alone course in CT.  Qualitative measures were used to collect data about instructional practices of each participant in the context of one course through interviews, classroom observations and course document reviews. Particular attention was paid to course design, instructional strategies and assessment measures intended to stimulate student thinking. Students were also surveyed to elicit their perceptions of the course related to CT. Instructors' beliefs were explored through interview methods and standardized measurement tools.  Findings suggested overall that each participant's espoused teaching practices were consistent with their actual teaching practices. Beliefs about CT and related topics also appeared to be compatible with their instructional methods. Across disciplines, findings suggested there were both similarities and differences in beliefs and practices. Specifically, instructors conceptualized CT in different ways and focused on various CT skills required for their respective disciplines. In practice, courses included active learning strategies, ongoing writing assignments and essay exams. The instructor teaching CT explicitly held the narrowest perspective on CT and represented the largest departure in teaching methods.  Some of the common beliefs held by the four participants teaching for CT were the following: (a) CT develops over time with practice and experience; (b) in-class discussion is essential to developing CT; (c) fostering thinking skills is as important as content coverage; and (d) personal discipline is highly conducive to fostering CT. Implications for faculty development and future research are discussed.


identifier: Vieira, Wanda  (2004) The role of culture for administering effective programs to young offenders.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Culture was investigated to explore its role in finding more effective programs for young offenders of different cultural backgrounds. The methodological framework developed by Dorothy E. Smith is employed as the main source that directed inquiry into the influence of culture on the everyday experiences of people. Hirschi's social control theory is used as a starting point for the investigation into culture. This was based on his claims that family bonding maintains conformity.  This exploratory, qualitative study drew on a small sample of participants from the Portuguese community in Montreal. From these in-depth interviews several themes emerged that illuminate culture to be an important element that impacts the socialization process of individuals. The main pattern that surfaced as an indicator of cultural transmission was drawn from respondents' descriptions of the family. Patterns of behavior emerged around the following themes: gender roles, communication, discipline methods, surveillance, education, and social bonds. The identification of these patterns supports the argument that rehabilitation programs need to be adapted to the culture(s) of young offenders. Implications are outlined relating to an assessment of program compatibility to individual offenders (e.g. group vs. individual counseling, reward-based programs, degree of expression, level of program structure, and benefits within involvement in extra-curricular activities). Suggestions for further research are offered.


identifier: Yang, Yan  (2004) Data storage for cluster analysis of microarray gene expression data.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Microarray technology has now becoming a systematical way to study the expression level of thousands of genes over thousands of conditions. The large-scale, high-throughput experimental methods require analysis and information processing to match. Cluster analysis of gene expression data is one of the most important analysis steps in microarray technology. By using statistical algorithms, the purpose of cluster analysis is to group genes or samples together according to their similarities in gene expression profiles. In this thesis, we study the cluster analysis of microarray gene expression data, and analyze the data required for the clustering process.  By realizing the MicroArray Gene Expression (MAGE) data standard, we design an object data model for cluster analysis of gene expression data, and construct a relational database schema. Furthermore, we integrate the database design to an existing open source microarray application--BASE (BioArray Software Environment). To validate the database, we modify a Java-based open source cluster analysis application--MeV (MultiExperiment Viewer). Therefore, we are able to take the gene expression data from BASE, to run the cluster application on MeV, and to store the generated clustering data back to the modified BASE database.


identifier: Shi, Sheng hua  (2004) 3D visualization of design patterns for large program comprehension.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The advantages of object-oriented (OO) and other modern software engineering techniques are offset by the continuing increase in the size and complexity of software systems. With rapid advances in processing power and computer graphics techniques, three-dimensional visualization is gaining increasing attention in this domain. 3D graphics provides the extra 3 rd dimension and increases the virtual space available for visual depiction of software entities and relationships.  Our research explores a new category of Software Visualization tools that enable users to visualize program analysis results in a three-dimensional virtual environment. We combine program analysis and software visualization techniques using a cityscape metaphor to present views of structures in software thus enhancing program understanding during software maintenance. We have developed and implemented the Java3D Virtual City (JVC) extensible framework to facilitate such exploration. Use of JVC in experiments on visualization of automatically discovered design patterns illustrates that the proposed methodology does indeed provide additional insights into complex relationships among data without having to analyze the underlying source code in detail. The framework includes substantial built-in functionality to automatically generate scene graph for easing understanding, and can be extended with other understanding-promoting techniques. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)


identifier: Xu, Xiangyang  (2004) Broadcast networks on 2p-1 nodes and minimum broadcast network on 127 nodes.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Broadcasting is a basic problem of communication in usual networks. To design an optimal broadcast network on n nodes is very difficult. Numerous previous papers have investigated ways to construct networks with sparse communication lines in which broadcasting can be completed in the theoretically minimum amount of time from any originator. Minimum broadcast networks are the sparsest possible networks of this type, which have the minimum number of communication lines denoted by B ( n ). Many previous papers also have investigated the construction of minimum broadcast networks for small values of n . Among those, a minimum broadcast network on 63 nodes is the largest. In this thesis, a new technique of constructing broadcast networks on 2 p - 1 nodes is introduced. Furthermore, this technique is improved to construct broadcast networks on any odd number of nodes. Improved upper bounds on B ( n ) for broadcast networks on 2 p - 1 nodes are presented. Also, general bounds on B ( n ) for broadcast networks on any odd number of nodes are given. Finally, all known minimum broadcast networks on 2 p - 1 nodes are studied and common properties of them are observed. Then, careful studies of the observed properties and massive experimental work lead to the construction of a minimum broadcast network on 127 nodes. This network is proven to have 389 communication lines.


identifier: Roy, Yves  (2004) Elements of design of an object-oriented framework prototype for wavelet-based image processing using design patterns.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Design patterns and frameworks are increasingly popular techniques for addressing key aspects of the design of complex software systems. Patterns support the reuse of design expertise by articulating the aspects of successful solutions to design problems in a particular context. Frameworks are concrete realizations of groups of patterns that enable code reuse and design reuse control of application-specific structures and behaviors to application developers.  Application frameworks encapsulate expertise applicable to a wide range of programs and aim to provide a full range of functionality typically needed by an application thus encompassing a horizontal slice of functionality that can be applied across client domains. Domain frameworks encapsulate expertise in a particular domain, thus encompassing a vertical slice of functionality for a specific problem domain reducing the amount of work that needs to be done to implement domain-specific applications.  Wavelets and wavelet transform concepts originated from a synthesis of ideas developed during the last thirty years in engineering, physics, and pure mathematics. Wavelets have been very successful in many scientific and engineering fields and they have led to many successful applications in signal analysis and image processing.  In this thesis we are presenting design and implementation elements for the development of an object-oriented application and domain framework prototype for wavelet-based image processing applications using design patterns.


identifier: Zhang, Beihua  (2004) An image system for CINDI.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: An image system for CINDI

abstract: Content Based Image Retrieval (CBIR) becomes possible and necessary as computer graphics, machine learning, knowledgebase and database technologies mature.  SHMM aims to be a web oriented image library with an automatic image addition and classification mechanism to support sample image based similarity search, and semantic description search as well as allowing the registered users to add image to the database. As a sample CBIR system, SHMMhas its feature extraction layer, which supports colour and texture feature extraction that generates a 16-dimensional vector value. Based on this vector, a 16-dimensional SR tree is constructed. Using the nearest neighbor search technology on the SR tree, similarity search is supported. With backend database support, semantic description search, which is based on the keyword of the semantic meaning of image, is also implemented in SHMM. When a new image is added to the system, SHMM will automatically scan its feature, suggest the semantic description based on the similarity search result in the library, and wait for the user's response. Image contributor can accept the system's suggestion or inform system administrator via email to create new semantic description category in the system. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)


identifier: Warden, Laurie  (2004) An Eisensteinian and Vygotskian approach to the use of film as a valid teaching tool for children with emotional and behavioural exceptionalities.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The particular focus of this paper is to properly elucidate the use of film as a valid and productive teaching tool when working with students who have behavioural and emotional exceptionalities. This perspective is grounded in the marriage of the Eisensteinian concepts of film form dialectics, conflict and pathos construction and social constructivist approaches to cognitive development, including peer regulation, social interaction, modeling, and scaffolding. Children with behavioural and emotional exceptionalities often do not possess these mental tools, nor do they know how to acquire them because of their inability to adjust socially, their lack of social skills and ability to externalize.  By amalgamating many of the theoretical approaches that film theorist and filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein and psychologist Lev Vygotsky established, we can see a wonderful opportunity for emotional and cognitive growth that, in essence, allows for the empowerment of the exceptional student in the context of their own development and adaptability. Since film has the power to invoke such an emotional response within the spectator, it also encourages them, or directs them, into externalizing those emotions and ideas, and accordingly to participate in the development of a distributed cognition, which can in turn lead (with teacher direction) to the internalization and development of individual mental tools essential to learning, and influential to behavior.


identifier: Luo, Liang  (2004) Feature based techniques for point sampled surface models.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The primary objective of the research reported in this thesis is to develop new techniques for dense point sampled surface models that directly work on the point samples. Rather than using a deterministic approach, our techniques use a statistical approach of associating properties with points based on the distribution of the point samples in a local neighborhood. Based on this research, our main thesis can be stated as follows: We can classify points using the statistical techniques of principal component analysis (PCA) into different categories such as flat, corner, crease and border. This classification can then be used to devise efficient techniques for processing such dense point sampled models. Specifically we have developed and tested new techniques for efficient rendering and reverse engineering the boundary representation of such dense point sampled models.  Rendering efficiency is considerably improved by using stochastic sampling that is controlled using various model features and view dependent image space properties. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)


identifier: Zhao, Lei  (2004) Genetic characteristics of artificial agents in formAL.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This work addresses several issues regarding Artificial Life. It focuses on the behaviours of simulated organisms in such models, e.g. the evolutionary tendencies displayed through reproduction. The scope of Artificial Life is briefly discussed, as well as some arguable issues in this area. An Artificial Life model, called FormAL, is presented. FormAL is a platform capable of running simulations with thousands of organisms (agents), and tracing their evolutionary properties through the changes of their genomes. The design principle of FormAL is to allow the simulated agents maximum freedom possible for their behaviours, with fewest possible 'law's to govern them. The ultimate goal of this design is to give rise to emergent properties of the agents governed with very simple rules. Some interesting results came out of extensive experiments conducted with FormAL. Although there is no explicit fitness function in this work, the selection pressure from competing for the finite energy supply drives the agents to evolve into optimized forms. The test results presented in Chapter 4 and 5 indicate that even in a fairly simple environment, premature convergence can be avoided, and that the mutation mechanism plays a crucial role in evolution. The moment the mutation mechanism is lost, the system stops evolving and the course of evolution reaches a dead-end. This project is still young in its development, and a number of future research directions are discussed at the end of this thesis.


identifier: Lin, Weisheng  (2004) Type inference in SQL.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: Type inference in SQL

abstract: Type inference is an important concept in programming languages. In this Thesis, we study this problem and propose a framework for type inference in SQL, the database programming language for relational databases such as Oracle and Sybase. We consider a context-free grammar G SQL which covers the core features of the standard SQL. We add semantic rules to G SQL , following Knuth's method of "attribute grammars", to capture the set of schemas for which a query q ✹ L ( G SQL ) is well-defined. We show that G SQL is unambiguous and that our attribute grammar is non-circular. The set of schemas of a query is usually infinite. To finitely represent this set, we introduce schema tableaux, a variation of a well-known tool from database theory. By defining another attribute grammar for G SQL , we show that the set of schemas of a query q ✹ L ( G SQL ) can be finitely represented as a tableau which can be effectively computed given q as input. We discuss applications of our type inference methodology, and as a case study, we apply it on the suite of TPC Benchmark(TM) H queries, which has industry-wide relevance and a high degree of complexity. The experiments indicate the methodology in useful in practice, particularly in the context of database schema comprehension.


identifier: Al-Wedyan, Hussien  (2004) Control of whirling vibrations in BTA deep hole boring process using fuzzy logic modeling and active suppression technique.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Need for increased productivity has motivated interest in drilling equipment for high speed and high precision drilling. However, long drills exhibit aggressive and self-excited vibrations known as whirling motions. These vibrations deteriorate the outcome drilled surface qualities, i.e., finish, geometrical dimensioning and tolerances. Deep hole boring is the most complex and expensive drilling operation in terms of expertise needed, operating conditions and size.  The present research is to study the whirling vibrations of the boring bar workpiece system in the BTA deep hole boring process. After a review of the literature, a set of objectives is outlined for the thesis. The objectives are to formulate an analytical model, which will include the self-excited motion caused by the internal cutting forces in the Z and Y directions and the active suppression forces used to counteract the cutting forces. This model will be used to carry out simulation studies on the whirling vibrations of the boring bar-workpiece system and to carry out some experiments in order to validate the analytical model.  In view of the large number of machining parameters that influence the system dynamics and the resulting surface finish, geometrical dimensioning and tolerancing on the workpiece, a fuzzy logic model is proposed for off line modeling. Such a model will be used to examine the results obtained in the experiments and to predict the best parametric combinations that will provide the required surface finish. This will constitute an open loop control of the vibrations.  An active vibration suppression is carried out to reduce the whirling motion of the boring bar-workpiece system, which in turn will improve the surface finish. Two electrodynamic shakers are used in Z-Y plane to overcome the displacement of the boring bar while drilling.  The experimental investigations are carried out in the deep hole boring laboratory. Instrumentation involving proximity pickups, oscillator, amplifiers and demodulator are used to measure the displacement response and the orbital motion of the boring bar-workpiece system, and two electrodynamic shakers to suppress the motion. The surface roughness, straightness and circularity are measured which are related to the whirling vibrations and the machining parameters.


identifier: Fu, Nenghong  (2004) A hybrid 2-D HMM and MLP OCR system for processing multi-font and low-quality English documents.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis presents a Hybrid 2- Direction (D) Hidden Markov Model (2-D HMM) and Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) OCR system for the recognition of Multi-font printed documents of varying qualities. It emphasizes on new methods proposed. First, a statistical analysis of the frequency of touching characters has been conducted, and some statistics of touching characters have been generated from real documents. Based on these statistical results which could be the first formal statistics on touching characters, a new classifier has been designed to recognize some frequent touching characters without segmentation. Second, a new hierarchical character classifier is presented to enhance character recognition accuracy. We group all characters into several categories according to character layout contextual information (Ascender, Descender and Center). Consequently we implement several independent classifiers to recognize the characters in each group.  In addition, a 2-D HMM is included in the hierarchical classifier to improve the character recognition rate, and an automatic builder of special touching character HMM is also described in this thesis. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)


identifier: Fang, Tian  (2004) Reliable multicast transport protocol implementation building blocks.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In order to provide reliable IP multicast services, multiple Reliable Multicast Transport Protocols (RMTPs) have been developed. However, because there exist different definitions of "reliability", no single RMTP can meet all requirements of different applications. The research focus of RMTPs has changed from individual protocols to the protocol building blocks. This change of focus provides impetus for this thesis describing RMTP implementation building blocks.  The Meta-Transport Library (MTL) was designed to implement RMTPs. Nonetheless, due to its limits, the MTL is insufficient to be used as the basis for the RMTP implementation building blocks.  The RMTP implementation building blocks presented in this thesis provide a framework and a full set of common components that can be used to implement a wide range of RMTPs.


identifier: Yang, Yu Kun  (2004) Impulse control of harmonic drive motors for high precision positioning applications.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Harmonic drive motors are widely used in precision control systems due to several advantages such as zero backlash, high gear ratio, compact size and light weight. However, the combination of friction and flexibility in harmonic drives often limits the performance in positioning applications when using conventional control methods. One problem that often occurs is that the system sticks before the desired position is reached. An alternative and effective solution is to apply a large impulse input for a very short period of time to achieve small motion increments.  In this thesis, a new control approach using impulse inputs is developed to improve the resolution of harmonic drive motors. The main objective is to achieve maximum resolution in the presence of high friction levels. A model capable of predicting the impulse response of harmonic drive motors is developed and used to guide the development of an optimal impulse waveform that is robust to parameter variations. The optimal input is then used in the development of an adaptive impulse control method. The performance of the approach is verified with extensive simulations and experiments. Use of the impulse control method demonstrates that the resolution of harmonic drive motors can be increased by more than an order of magnitude. Together, these results provide an effective new approach for control of harmonic drive motors in high precision positioning applications.


identifier: Leimanis, Ilga  (2004) Archiving the self : George Legrady's immigration story in "An anecdoted archive from the Cold War".  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: People collect for various reasons. Distinctly individual and assembled over the course of time, collections can be read as an autobiography of the collector's life. In the realm of artistic practice, the employment of such an accumulation of objects and its manipulation can serve to explore the ways in which the artist constructs an identity and defines a practice within a given political and social context. This thesis will focus on one work by Hungarian-Canadian artist George Legrady entitled An Anecdoted Archive from the Cold War (1994) featuring a collection devoted to his family's experience of escape from Hungary during the 1956 Revolution, their subsequent immigration to Canada and the artist's negotiation between the two cultures. Viewed collectively, this becomes a monument to the life of an individual whose history and identity were shaped by political events of the Cold War.  In the form of an interactive CD-ROM, we are invited to explore this collection contained in eight rooms set on the floor plan of the former Hungarian Worker's Museum in Budapest. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)


identifier: Lu, Jiang  (2004) Design of Ethernet based real-time distributed systems.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Real-time distributed control and simulation systems have broad applications in automotive, aerospace and industrial automation industries. Ethernet is the most popular network standard in the world because it is simple, fast, and cost-effective with its rapid evolution of new technology. However, it does not support real-time communication. This thesis investigates the possibility of adding a higher-level TDMA protocol to Ethernet to provide real-time capability so that it can provide a cost-effective solution for real-time distributed systems. The thesis describes the design and implementation of an Ethernet based real-time distributed system framework including real-time driver development, a general testing and verification method, an accurate clock synchronization method and a TDMA protocol on Ethernet. The new approach is verified with experiments to demonstrate the performance of Ethernet based real-time distributed systems.


identifier: Gong, Er Mao  (2004) Estimating seismic performance of friction damped braced frames by pushover analysis.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In previous investigations [Chopra and Goel, 2001], the Modal Pushover Analysis (MPA) procedure was demonstrated to be accurate enough in estimating floor displacements and story drifts, and identifying locations of most plastic hinges for Moment Resistant Frame (MRF) systems. The principal objective of this investigation is to implement MPA procedure to analyze Friction Damped Braced Frame (FDBF) Systems.  The comparisons of the seismic responses of the FDBF determined by MPA with Nonlinear Response History Analysis (NL-RHA) procedure illustrate that for a FDBF system, the MPA procedure is probably accepted in estimating floor displacements, but for the story drift of the structure, the accuracy of the MPA is too poor to be accepted. This leads to the introduction of an improved modal pushover analysis (IMPA) procedure.  Comparing the seismic demands determined by IMPA procedure, FEMA-273 pushover analysis [Building Seismic Safety Council, 1997], and NL-RHA, it is demonstrated that the IMPA procedure is also better than FEMA-273 pushover analysis in determining the floor displacement, story drifts and the plastic slip of the friction damped bracing. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)


identifier: Leblanc, Suzanne  (2004) Quatre vues sur le concept d'architecture de savoir.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: La thèse porte sur le rapport entre l'espace et la connaissance, qu'elle examine dans les termes du concept d' architecture de savoir , dont elle propose quatre vues, quatre angles sous lesquels la clarifier, la développer. L'enjeu du travail concerne la possibilité d'accorder à certains artefacts non-discursifs, en l'occurrence les architectures de savoir, un statut intellectuel équivalent à celui des théories telles qu'elles ont cours dans la culture savante discursive. Il est proposé que ces arte-facts, qui ne répondent pas à un certain nombre de propriétés épistémologiques traditionnellement impliquées dans la caractérisation des théories, introduisent cependant un certain nombre d'autres propriétés qui ont trait à leur plasticité . Ces dernières sont susceptibles de faire émerger des figures de la théorie irréductibles à la discursivité mais pointant en direction d'une épistémologie dans laquelle la discursivité et la plasticité communiquent sur le fond d'une literacy plus fondamentale, liée à la culture numérique de l'hypermédiation. L'hypothèse de base de la recherche est que le concept d'architecture de savoir a une portée intellectuelle et une puissance de généralisation suffisantes pour jouer un rôle central dans la définition des caractères plastiques de la théoricité et éventuellement dans la formulation d'une plastique théorique distincte de la sémiose théorique mais congruente avec elle.  La thèse procède par l'analyse de quatre artefacts et groupes d'artefacts intellectuels constituant quatre cas de figure du concept d'architecture de savoir: l'art architectural de la mémoire tel que pratiqué dans l'Antiquité gréco-romaine, les vues d'architecture peintes durant le Quattro-cento, l'architecture de la maison Stonborough-Wittgenstein en relation avec le Tractatus logico-philosophicus de Ludwig Wittgenstein (période 1922-1928), et un hypermédia intitulé Collegium -- architecture de savoir situé sur le World Wide Web . Les trois premiers cas sont présentés comme préfigurations historiques de la question de la plastique théorique. Collegium est l'oeuvre accompagnant la thèse, à laquelle elle est structurellement liée, sa partie médiane correspondant terme à terme aux quatre chapitres de cette dernière. Elle est présentée comme travail de projection d'une plastique dont le caractère théorique consiste à réactualiser, dans une architecture d'hypermédiation, les dimensions mémorielle, processionnelle et formelle de ses préfigurations.


identifier: Yu, Wei  (2004) Refactoring use case models on episodes.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: Refactoring use case models on episodes

abstract: Use case models are used to capture functionality requirements of a system. Use cases can be described in term of the episodes, or subtasks, that are performed. An episode model captures the organization and relationships of the episodes in a use case.  Refactoring is an approach to reorganize the internal structure of models in order to improve them or extend them in some way. Refactorings are behavior-preserving transformations of the models.  This thesis looks at refactoring of use case models based on the information captured in episode models. We present a metamodel for the use case and the episode model in order to make precise the syntax of the models and explain the informal semantics of the models. We detail several refactoring rules for use case refactoring, including their verification of the behavior-preserving property. We also present a case study based on the Video Store System.


identifier: St-Amand, Isabelle  (2004) Penser la ville close : rue et périmètre de sécurité, Québec 2001.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In April 2001, Quebec city was host to the third Summit of the Americas, a significant political event bringing together the continent's heads of state in order to constitute a Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA). Sixty thousands protesters converged in Quebec city to express their opposition to the FTAA. A security perimeter was raised in the upper part of the city in order to facilitate the leaders' protection by separating them from the mass of protesters. This thesis engages with the geopolitical takeover of the city and the space management conducted by the authorities for the sake of staging the power. Based on the spatial exclusion of contesting citizens, the redefinitions of urban practices around protest are analysed. This thesis analyses the dramatic exploitation of violent protest by the authorities in order to divide the movement of opposition. The images which were constructed by the authorities and represented in the media opposed the experience of those on the city streets. This thesis will then examine the presence of a carnivalesque spectacle, and the forms of festive protest within the public space.


identifier: Liang, Jing  (2004) Implementation of a voice activity detection and comfort noise generation algorithm.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis is devoted to the investigation of effective implementations of a modified version of a well-established fixed-point data-dependent VAD-CNG algorithm of Nortel Networks. In this study, the algorithm to be implemented is first described in detail. Then the target platform, a TMS320C5402DSK DSP board, along with its real-time operating system (DSP/BIOS) and its associated analysis tools, is introduced. Two implementation schemes are presented in this thesis. The first one is a direct implementation of the modified algorithm on the DSP board. The second one is an implementation, wherein some optimizations that target the reduction of the implementational complexity of the algorithm are introduced. Several DSP/BIOS real-time analysis tools provided by the DSP board and some speech samples are used to test the performance of the implementations. Experimental results are presented to show the effectiveness of the optimizations for the modified VAD-CNG algorithm. These results show that over 80% of the reduction in the implementational complexity is achieved through the proposed optimizations, making it possible to incorporate such a VAD-CNG algorithm into a practical real-time voice communication system. A real-time audio codec system is built in the laboratory to demonstrate the real-time implementation of this algorithm. This demonstration system should also serve as a useful experimental tool for further investigation on this topic. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)