identifier: Service, Garth  (2005) Effects of administering a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor into the medial preoptic area on retrieval behavior and maternal aggression in postpartum rats.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Previous research has shown that suppressing the production of nitric oxide (NO) by administering an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), L-NAME, into the third ventricle disrupts pup retrieval and maternal aggression in postpartum rats. The current experiments were carried out to investigate the sites of action of NO in the control of maternal behavior. We first identified a dose of L-NAME that was ineffective when administered into the third ventricle. Results obtained from this experiment (Experiment 1) indicated that L-NAME at the two highest doses (250 og and 200 og) but not at lower doses (0, 20 og, 80 og, and 160 og) increased the latency to retrieve the first pup as well as reduced the number of pups retrieved by day 4 postpartum rats. These two high doses of L-NAME were also effective in reducing the percentage of females aggressing against a male intruder. In experiment 2, doses of L-NAME that were shown to be ineffective when injected into the 3 rd ventricle in Experiment 1 were administered bilaterally into the MPOA of rats on Day 4 postpartum. These rats were then tested for pup-retrieval and maternal aggression. Results from this study demonstrated that L-NAME at doses of 20 og and 40og/side significantly increased the latency to retrieve the first pup and reduced the total number of pups retrieved. Interestingly, aggression towards a male intruder in the home cage was much less affected by these treatments. All rats in both experiments showed normal maternal behavior 24h after drug administration. These data suggest that NO acts within the MPOA to play a critical role in the facilitation of retrieval behavior but not maternal aggression in lactating rats.


identifier: Timergazine, Kadyr K  (2006) Structure, photochemistry and charge-transfer-to-solvent relaxation dynamics of anionic clusters.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

type: Thesis NonPeerReviewed

abstract: In this work, various methods of computational chemistry have been applied to study the structure, photochemistry and dynamics of small anionic clusters in order to obtain some insight into the fundamental nature of molecule-molecule and electron molecule interactions. The main theme of this Thesis evolves around charge-transfer-to-solvent (CTTS) excited states of small halide-polar molecule clusters and concomitant phenomena, with specific attention to iodide-acetonitrile clusters I - (CH 3 CN) n .  The structure of ground-state halide-acetonitrile complexes is determined by a competition between ion-dipole interactions and hydrogen bonding. The latter is dominant for complexes formed by all halide ions, except for the binary iodide acetonitrile complex I - (CH 3 CN), which is stabilized by only ion-dipole interactions. On the other hand, in the excited or ionized iodide complexes and clusters, the non-uniform electron density distribution around the neutral iodine atom due to the unpaired electron and spin-orbit coupling effects plays a very important role in interactions of the iodine atom with molecules or ions. The CTTS excitation of iodide-solvent clusters leads to the transfer of an electron from iodide to a diffuse dipole-bound orbital. The calculated excitation energies for the iodide-acetonitrile complex, as well as the vertical detachment energies of the excited electron have been found to be in a good agreement with available experimental data. For the first time, the relaxation dynamics of CTTS excited states in clusters has been studied by means of first-principles excited-state molecular dynamics simulations for paradigm iodide-acetonitrile I - (CH 3 CN) and iodide-water I - (H 2 O) 3 clusters. Whereas the departure of a neutral iodine atom can lead to stabilization of the excited electron, in agreement with state-of-the-art femtosecond spectroscopy experimental data, the solvent dynamics should not be neglected when interpreting experimental results. The photoexcitation and subsequent relaxation of I - (CH 3 CN) n clusters can lead to formation of acetonitrile cluster anions, which are characterized by the binding of the excess electron in a dipole-bound orbital outside of acetonitrile molecules, as shown for the prototype acetonitrile dimer anion. At the same time, in solution or relatively large clusters, two acetonitrile molecules can dimerize, forming a weak covalent carbon-carbon bond and allowing for delocalization and binding of the excess electron in their valence orbitals


identifier: Wei, Zhentao  (2006) Analysis of energy, exergy and greenhouse gas emissions for variable air volume systems in an office building.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The concept of sustainability applied to the building industry requires that engineers consider the reduction of both energy use and the related environmental impacts during both design and commissioning phases. According to estimates of the end-use energy consumption and related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, issued by National Resources Canada, the commercial building sector contributed by about 14% to the total national end-use energy consumption and by 13% to the total national GHG emissions in 2003, while GHG emissions associated with space heating and cooling accounted for more than half of total emissions (NRCan 2005). Therefore, the increase of the energy efficiency of Heating, Ventilating and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) systems in commercial buildings and the reduction of their associated environmental impacts are extremely important.  Two types of Variable Air Volume (VAV) systems applied to an existing office building in Montreal are analyzed in this research. The first uses a constant temperature for the supply air from an air handling unit (AHU), while the second varies the temperature of the supply air in terms of the highest instantaneous cooling load of all zones. In order to estimate the energy performance of the two VAV systems, thermodynamic analysis based on both first and second laws of thermodynamics is applied, and mathematical models are developed to simulate the system operation. The Engineering Equation Solver (EES) environment is used to implement and solve the mathematical models. At the system level, the annual system Coefficient of Performance (COP) of the first system is 0.99, while the COP of the second system is 1.24. However, the annual energy efficiency of both VAV systems drops by about 34% when the power plant and delivery systems are taken into consideration. The hourly maximum exergy efficiency of both VAV systems is less than 0.16, indicating that a large potential of the improvement of exergy efficiency exists for both VAV systems. The annual GHG emissions due to the off-site primary energy use by both VAV systems are 43 tons/yr and 33.5 tons/yr, respectively.  The study outlines that the most exergy destruction within both VAV systems is due to heat sources, i.e., electric boilers. Therefore, the largest improvement of exergy efficiency can be obtained by changing the heat source from an electric boiler to renewable energy sources such as solar or geothermal energy. Moreover, this change may also lead to the reduction of the GHG emissions due to the operations of HVAC systems


identifier: Sutton, Malcolm  (2006) The slideshow and other stories.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: The slideshow and other stories

abstract: The stories of this collection describe and navigate mysterious social relations and the spaces that influence their dramas. Linguistic play and metafictional devices aim to emphasize emotive and intellectual ties to urban habitations, and, moreover, the difficulties in knowing one's or another's identity within these shifty civic milieus.  Verbal slippages confound the vulnerable protagonist of "The Slideshow," leading him to question his own perception and the possibility of knowing the intentions of a love interest.  Buildings enact a central role in "A Positive Piece on Buildings: A Love Story," "At An Architect's Apartment," "The Long-exposure Photograph," "The Prosperity of Walter May," "The Addition," and "The Eight Brightly Lit Windows." In each story, the protagonist is forced to understand the influence of architectural surroundings on his own agency; and alongside these meditations on buildings, he attempts to understand the relationship between himself and an acquaintance, a friend, or a lover.  In "The Asrah Levitation," a mind-altering drug allows the protagonist to shed his inhibitions and confront his relationship to the city by way of viewing it from above.  As images within texts draw attention to a blurry line between fictional and documentary representation, photographs are included in "The Slideshow," "The Long-exposure Photograph" and "The Eight Brightly Lit Windows" to embolden this line. This inclusion does not replicate information within the stories, but rather works in tandem to expose other angles from which the texts may be interpreted.


identifier: Nayyar, Karun  (2006) Static and modal analyses of laminated composite plates using hierarchical finite element method.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Composite materials are widely being used in aircraft, automotive and robotic industries where the components under different loading conditions are subject to motion. There is a need for the accurate prediction of not only their static response but also their dynamic characteristics so that they can be designed against the failure due to various types of possible static and dynamic loads.  In the present thesis, static and vibration analyses of laminated plates are conducted using conventional and hierarchical finite element formulations based on First-order Shear Deformation Theory (FSDT). Conventional finite element formulation requires a large number of elements to obtain acceptable results. Besides, the necessity to satisfy internal C 0 or C 1 continuity across the elements' interfaces creates complexity even in simple structures. In order to overcome these limitations, the formulation based on Hierarchical Finite Element Method (HFEM) is developed in the present thesis for static and vibration analyses of laminated composite plates based on first-order shear deformation theory


identifier: Devu, Venkata Sundar Kamal  (2005) Modelling a closed-loop product recovery system with supply uncertainty.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Logistic networks for product recovery have to be implemented in an efficient manner to recover cost savings from remanufacturing. Uncertainty of the quantity and timing of product returns is a major issue in the product recovery networks. Product recovery networks require investments of high fixed costs. Hence the uncertain information has to be taken into account when the strategic network model is designed. This thesis is aimed at presenting a mathematical model for closed-loop product recovery system with uncertainty of product returns. A generic mixed integer-programming model is developed. Stochastic programming approach is implemented in the deterministic model by adding scenarios and probabilities to explicitly account for the uncertainties in the product returns. The model is programmed and solved by LINGO optimization solver. Several test problems are solved by varying the parameters: number of scenarios, probability and return rates to identify the sensitivity of the model. A statistical analysis is conducted on all the example problems by measuring the Expected Value of Perfect Information (EVPI), Value of Stochastic Solution (VSS) and the results are discussed.


identifier: Wang, Xiao Zhao  (2005) Experimental investigation of the Mg-Al-Ca ternary phase diagram.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This work focuses on the experimental investigation of the ternary Mg-Al-Ca system using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and metallographic techniques. Twenty one samples were chosen in the critical regions with the guidance of the phase diagrams developed by thermodynamic modeling.  The DSC has permitted real time measurement of the temperature and enthalpy of the phase transformations. The experimental results were compared with thermodynamic calculations using the phase assemblage diagrams and vertical sections.  The thermodynamic calculations are consistent with the experimental results in some samples, especially in the solidus temperature, whereas discrepancy was observed in several cases especially in the liqudus phase transformation temperature. This suggests that Mg-Al-Ca system should be reoptimised considering the new experimental findings. Nevertheless, the phases that were identified with the XRD and metallographic techniques show agreement with thermodynamic modeling. One of the invariant transformations predicted by thermodynamic modeling was verified experimentally and found to occur at 512{493}C and the composition is close to 10.8 at.% Ca 79.5 at.% Mg and 9.7 at.% Al.  In this study, a new phase region was found close to the Mg-Al side and a new ternary solid solution (Mg 2 Ca) was confirmed


identifier: Yang, Ming  (2005) Linear parameter-varying sliding mode control of state delayed systems with application to delta wing vortex coupled dynamics.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In this thesis a new linear parameter-varying sliding mode control (LPVSMC) approach is developed for linear parameter-varying time-delayed systems (LPVTDS). This approach combines sliding mode control (SMC), linear parameter-varying (LPV) control theory, and time delay stability analysis to solve an LPVTDS control problem. A new linear parameter-varying sliding surface is proposed to achieve the control objectives. The time-varying parameters of the sliding surface are calculated according to a parameter-dependent Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional analysis which ensures asymptotic stability of the closed-loop system. It is anticipated that this method will lead to significant improvement over existing SMC approaches in aerospace applications with parameter variations.


identifier: Hayes, Judith  (2006) June Leaf : the Cape Breton works, 1970-1990 : "a place/from away" - "the place/from here".  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis addresses selected "Cape Breton" works by the American artist June Leaf within the context of identity, and contemporary theories of landscape imagery. As a person "from away," Leaf's works from 1970 to 1990 speak of her displacement and relocation and of her particular relationship with the isolated community in her adopted country. The works are divided into two categories: "A Place" and "The Place." "A Place" refers to an ambiguous landscape which acts as an allegorical site for Leaf's biographical narrative, and "The Place" which are the works that specifically refer to the topography and geography of Cape Breton, in particular Mabou Mines, where a reference can be made to the historical and social context of its people. The content of her images through its reference to "A Place" and "The Place" have been positioned in relation to the ideas of "from away"/ "from here."  Chapter I is a biography of Leaf's life and an exposition of selected examples of her work before coming to Cape Breton. Chapter II is an historical overview of the island and provides a framework for the community in which Leaf lives and works. Chapter III discusses Leaf's images within the context of a personal myth in relation to issues of identity when she settled in Mabou Mines. Chapter IV examines a group of paintings that address landscape in relation to the specific space and place of Cape Breton. The concluding chapter presents a summary of the arguments that I have brought forward and a synopsis of Leaf's later work from 1990 to the present


identifier: Braganza, Paul Michael Henry  (2005) The Montréal first nine : a study of English language newspaper coverage of baseball in nineteenth century Montréal.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Political and economic changes, particularly a shift away from an economic dependence on the trading of raw materials, and increased industrialization, helped establish new kinds of élites, the industrialists and professional bourgeoisie.  These men, some of whom had nationalist leanings, appropriated two First Nations activities, snowshoeing and lacrosse. Lacrosse became so popular that there was little room for other summer sports, including baseball. Frozen waterways in winter also meant that summer was a busy business season, and meant that summer sports such as baseball had little chance of becoming popular in the city before the 1850s.  Eventually, however, ties between Montréal and American industrialists allowed for a cultural exchange which, among other things, brought a new brand of news reporting and baseball. Although Montrealers were not particularly skilled at baseball, bourgeois and working class men alike enjoyed the game from 1870s onward. Popularity increased so much, that by the early 1880s, Montréal entered its first golden age of baseball. The English language newspapers eagerly reported on the state of club affairs, listed box scores, and covered games


identifier: McLaughlin, Barry  (2005) Creating a pedestrian behaviour prediction model from an empirical study of the Xu Jia Hui pedestrian network in Shanghai.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: It is increasingly common for cities across the planet to intensify commercial and residential developments around transportation hubs. With these transportation hubs and the commercial nodes developed immediately around them comes a large volume of pedestrians. In order to have a functional network that does not hinder the operation and activities at the commercial node, there have to be well designed connections between the transportation hub and the various commercial spaces and outlets. In order to create a network that will be efficient and well used by the pedestrians, the future behaviour of pedestrians in such planned environments should be evaluated. This study has utilized approaches from various studies of pedestrian behaviour in complex urban environments and combined them to create a predictive model for pedestrian behaviour at the Xu Jia Hui commercial node in Shanghai, China. The current pedestrian network was studied and analyzed. From those results an equation was developed to predict pedestrian movements; this equation was used to distribute flows heuristically around the proposed expansion of the network. This thesis demonstrates that such a predictive model can be created using a combination of previously used techniques. The results of running the model show that there are problems with the design of the new Xu Jia Hui network that should be addressed.


identifier: Wu, Caiqin  (2005) Impact of nonlinear distortion in radio over fiber systems with single-side band and tandem single-side band subcarrier modulations /cCaiqin Wu.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In radio over fiber (RoF) systems there are two popular optical subcarrier modulations (SCMs) which are single side band (SSB) modulation and tandem single side band (TSSB) modulation. In TSSB modulation one optical carrier carries half of radio frequency (RF) signal tones to lower sideband (LSB) and the reminder to upper sideband (USB); while in SSB modulation all multiple RF signal tones in either LSB or USB.  We analyze the impact of nonlinear distortion considering one wavelength carrying two RF signals. For small modulation depth TSSB and SSB SCMs lead to similar and very small nonlinear distortion. Because harmonic distortions (HDs) and inter-modulation distortion (IMDs) are strongly dependent on modulation depth, TSSB and SSB SCMs lead to different nonlinear distortion if modulation depth is not small, depending on two RF difference. To reduce nonlinear distortion for high modulation depth the two RF difference of 1GHz is preferred for both TSSB and SSB SCMs because some nonlinear distortions are dependent on the difference and sum of the two RFs and transmission fiber. However for the larger RF difference, either small modulation depth or medium modulation depth combined with minimum RF of 6GHz has to be used.  Comparison of TSSB and SSB SCMs in DWDM RoF systems with 12.5GHz channel spacing and two subcarriers uniformly distributed in the optical spectrum shows that better performance is obtained using SSB SCM when small modulation depth is used. On the contrary, TSSB SCM is better than SSB SCM when large modulation depth is used.


identifier: Wang, Xiaoyu  (2005) A performance modeling of ad hoc networks with multi-cell overlapping interference.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Mobile ad hoc networks are non-infrastructure-based wireless networks which are expected to be an important part of 4G architecture. In this type of network, nodes are both source of information as well as they participate in relaying the information to their final destinations. Due to the broadcast nature of wireless transmission, mobile ad hoc networks require an effective MAC protocol to share the medium. In recent years, many MAC protocols have been proposed in the literature for this purpose, such as Dual Busy Tone Multiple Access (DBTMA) [3] protocol. In this thesis, we first propose to modify DBTMA protocol through inserting a third busy tone, BTd (data transmit busy tone) to protect data transmissions and the modified protocol is referred to as Triple-BTMA (T-BTMA). Second, we show that the existing performance model of DBTMA fails to consider the effects of multi-cell overlapping interference. The main contribution of this thesis is development of a performance analysis of T-BTMA protocol that takes into account properly the multi-cell overlapping interference. We show that our model may also be adopted for most Ready-to-Send/Clear-to-Send (RTS/CTS) based MAC protocols. We develop a simulation environment to validate approximations in our mathematical model. We find that theoretical results are in agreement with those of simulations. Finally, we extend our model into power-controlled networks and it is shown that a proper power control can lead to an ideal channel throughput.


identifier: Sangwan, Abhijeet  (2006) Novel statistical voice activity detectors.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In this thesis, we propose a few practical statistical voice activity detectors (VADs) which combine the voice activity information in the short-term and long-term statistics of the speech signal. Unlike most VADs, which assume that the cues to activity lie within the frame alone, the proposed VAD schemes seek information for activity in the current as well as the neighboring frames. Particularly, we develop primary and contextual detectors to process the short-term and long-term information, respectively. We use the perceptual Ephraim-Malah (PEM) model to develop three primary detectors based on the Bayesian, Neyman-Pearson (NP) and competitive NP (CNP) approaches. Moreover, upon viewing voice activity detection as a composite hypothesis where the prior signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) forms the free parameter, we reveal that a correlation between the prior SNR and the hypothesis exists, i.e., a high prior SNR is more likely to be associated with 'speech hypothesis' than the 'pause hypothesis' and vice-versa, and unlike the Bayesian and NP approaches, the CNP approach alone exploits this correlation


identifier: Qi, Jian  (2005) Incremental fuzzy PI control of a HVDC plant.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission systems traditionally use PI controllers with fixed gains. These controllers operate satisfactorily within a small operating range because of the non-linearity and uncertainty of the plant. However, when AC systems are weak, the HVDC systems are prone to repetitive commutation failures under disturbances, which may lead to the instability and collapse of the DC link.  This thesis is a contribution to the study of these problems. In order to make the HVDC systems have optimal control over a wider operating range, an Incremental Fuzzy Gain Scheduling Proportional and Integral Controller (IFGSPIC) is proposed for the current control of the rectifier. For this study using the EMTP RV simulation package, a typical HVDC system connected to a weak AC system is modeled with the detailed representation of the converter, converter transformer and AC/DC filters etc. The DC current error and its derivative are taken as two parameters necessary to adapt the proportional (P) and integral (I) gains of the current controller based on fuzzy reasoning.


identifier: Nemalhabib, Aida  (2006) A cohesion-based clustering technique for categorical data.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Clustering is a technique which aims to partition a given dataset of objects into groups of similar objects. In this work, we consider categorical data, which are unordered unlike numerical data. This makes clustering such data a more challenging task. We propose a clustering technique for categorical data, which uses a novel similarity function, called cohesion , to measure the degree to which objects "stick" to clusters. We have implemented this technique, to which we refer as CLUC ( CLU stering with C ohesion). To evaluate CLUC, we compared its results with those produced by well-known clustering algorithms. The results of our extensive experiments on real and synthetic datasets show that CLUC generates high quality clusters which conform better to clusterings by human experts. For some well-known real datasets, CLUC even discovers clusterings identical to those provided by experts. Our results also indicate that CLUC is order insensitive in general and is scalable when the dataset grows in size (the number of objects) and/or dimensions (attributes)


identifier: Zhu, YongMei  (2005) Relative intensity noise transfer in fiber raman amplifiers with multiple coherent or incoherent pumps.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Fiber Raman amplifiers (FRAs) suffer from relative intensity noise (RIN) transfer from pumps to signals. RIN transfer for FRAs with single pump to one signal was well investigated. However, RIN transfer for FRAs with multiple pumps to multiple signals has not been investigated so far.  We used an equivalent modulation index to evaluate RIN transfer for FRAs with multiple pumps. As such, a general RIN transfer function of multiple pumps to multiple signals for FRAs with multiple pumps is derived. The model is verified with approximate calculations with an analytical model. Based on the model we first investigated DC RIN transfer including signal to signal transfer. It is shown that longer wavelength signals suffer from a larger DC RIN transfer. Also FRAs using incoherent pumps suffer from a larger DC RIN transfer. The full characteristics of RIN transfer are compared for FRAs in non-pump depletion and depletion regimes


identifier: Sun, Wenyi  (2005) Exchange rate forecasting : do linear combinations of exchange rate forecasts outperform?  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In recent years, a limited amount of work has been done on the medium-term linear composite method of forecasting. One common finding in the existing literature is that the consensus forecast measure is a biased predictor of future exchange rates. A widely accepted point of view in exchange rate forecasting research is that no theoretical model should be able to outperform a simple random walk. In this paper, recent exchange rate data and the Granger-Ramanathan linear estimation method are used to test medium-term forecasts. The currencies considered in this study are the most actively traded in the world and include: euros, Japanese yen, Canadian dollars, British pounds and Swiss francs. All currencies are examined relative to the US dollar. The major finding is that the linear composite model does in fact outperform a random walk model and an average forecast for Japanese yen, British pounds and Swiss francs. This evidence suggests that additional research should be conducted on exchange rate forecasting in general and on the linear composite forecast model in particular.


identifier: Tao, Mingli  (2006) The stochastic dominance efficiency of the mean-variance frontier.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This paper examines the second-degree stochastic dominance (SSD) efficiency of the portfolios on the mean-variance (EV) frontier. By applying Post's linear programming tests to our weekly and monthly data of a sample of U.S. equity funds, we find that the higher portion of the EV frontier is SSD-efficient, while the lower portion is SSD-inefficient. The quadratic utility test confirms that the top of the EV frontier is SSD-efficient where the SSD-efficient portfolios have higher-means and higher-variances.  Based on Perrakis' theoretical inequalities on the central moments derived from polynomial utility functions, we test SSD efficiency on the third central moment and find more SSD-undominated portfolios following the quadratic utility-efficient portfolios; thus extending the SSD-efficient portion on the EV frontier. Then, we maximize the polynomial utility functions on the third and the fourth central moments for SSD and on the fourth central moment for TSD without constraining them to lie on the EV efficient set. Hence, those new generated portfolios should be SSD- or TSD-efficient, but may or may not be on the EV frontier. Our empirical work shows that such optimal portfolios further extend the SSD-efficient portion of the EV frontier, but still lie on the EV frontier, whose upper part lies entirely within the SSD-efficient set.


identifier: He, Da-Gang  (2005) Permanent magnet plunger bi-directional solenoid actuator for direct alternative fuel injector.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In this thesis, a new type of alternative fuel direct injection injector actuated by a permanent magnet (PM) plunger bi-directional motion actuator has been developed and investigated. The project composes of the development of the novel PM plunger bi-directional motion actuator, with mathematical modeling and physical analysis, including the system nonlinear magnetic characteristics.  The research demonstrated that this new type of PM plunger actuator could implement bi-directional motion when a properly defined bi-directional voltage is applied to the solenoid. The simulation results and experimental results matched well and validated that the mathematical model of the PM plunger bi-directional motion actuator is appropriate, which can be used as an aid for future design purposes. Moreover, the simulation results show that the injector employing the bi-directional motion actuator can significantly improve the injector closing speed and reduce post-injection


identifier: Mohamad., El-Chafehi  (2005) Institutions, organizations & identity : building legitimacy in the Arab Gulf.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Invariably, every market has a set of institutions that regulate and define economic activities. Emerging economies may be developing in a way that integrates and blends traditional practices and beliefs with international conventions and standards. In these economies, like in all others, competing logics co-exist and are used to rationalize the persistence of traditional practices and the institutionalization of reforms. The remarkable characteristic of these markets, specifically due to the increasingly globalizing business, is that they often harbour completely diverging institutional logics, including those integral to Western firms' modus operandi and those of local firms building on traditional practices.  A neo-institutional theory based theoretical framework is developed to explore the interaction between society, exerting conforming pressures, and organizations, responding to these pressures. In order to explore the applicability of the developed model, a qualitative field study was conducted. Data was collected by interviewing high ranking officers of Canadian and indigenous firms operating in UAE. Among the research findings, organizational identity was found to moderate firms' strategic choices in response to institutional demands. 'Wasta', a unique local institutional artefact, was found to provide firms leverage in manipulating institutional demands


identifier: Wyglinski, Joanne  (2005) Characterization of interaction between the nucleus-encoded TBC2 protein with the 5'-untranslated region of psbC mRNA and associated factors in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis has three main objectives, the main focus being a study of the TBC2 translational activation protein and its association with the psbC mRNA 5'-untranslated region. The translated TBC2 cDNA sequence had two paralogous protein sequences located within possible nucleotide open reading frames designated TBC2A and TBC2B , and all contained sequences resembling chloroplast transit peptides. TBC2Ap and TBC2Bp harbored the novel PPPEW repeat originally found in TBC2p.  The second part of this thesis encompasses the theorized existence of a novel thylakoid biogenesis compartment in the C. reinhardtii chloroplast. Pulse-labeling experiments revealed equivalent synthesis of envelope-like membrane proteins in light versus dark growth conditions, providing no evidence supporting the transport theory through a novel thylakoid biogenesis compartment.  The final topic of this thesis addresses the theory of chloroplast genome localization, paralleled to prior findings that the PEND protein in peas binds plastid nucleoids to the envelope membrane. A restriction digest determined that DNA found associated with low density membranes was only nuclear


identifier: Lu, Lin  (2005) Silica nanoboxes as new nano-structured materials : their secondary synthesis from alumina-rich zeolites.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Nanomaterials have been widely used in catalysis, separation technology and chemical sensing. In particular, materials with strong surface acidity and high thermal stability are essential in many catalytic applications. However, mesoporous materials reported such as Mobil crystalline (alumino-) silicate MCM-41 and alumino-phosphate based materials lacked such basic properties: this thus limited their applications in petroleum industry. In this work, novel silica nanoboxes H-dealX and deal-CaA with high thermal and chemical stability were developed by secondary synthesis from alumina-rich zeolites. The whole procedure consisted of controlled dealumination of alumina-rich zeolites, ion exchange (optional) and temperature-programmed calcination (TPC) treatments. The optimum conditions for controlled dealumination of alumina-rich zeolites [type 13X (NaX) and 5A (CaA)] using ammonium hexafluorosilicate (AHFS) were determined. It has been found that the richer the silica content in the parent zeolite, the smaller the average pore size produced and the narrower the pore size distribution obtained. The absence of micropores in the dealuminated solids is also a key point for having high thermal stability.


identifier: Joshi, Yojana  (2005) Assessment criteria for comprehensibility in visualization environments.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Visualization is essentially a cognitive process in which humans form a mental model or image in their minds to enable them to comprehend complex information about the artifacts, relationships, process, phenomena, etc. under study. Computer based visualization environments combine interactivity with visual renderings of the data in the form of suitable tools and techniques to support this comprehension process. In spite of the plethora of visualization tools and techniques that have evolved, visualization environments are often not very effective in their support of this comprehension process. Clearly we need quantitative measures to asses the effectiveness of a visualization environment. Given the cognitive nature of visualization the two main questions are---what do we asses and how? In this research, we have adopted a systematic approach towards providing answers to these questions. We identify that there could exist a gap between the information "communication" intent of the visualization environment and the information "seeking" intent of the user. Our premise is that smaller this gap more effective is the visualization environment in terms of information comprehended by the user.


identifier: Kassab, Mohamad  (2006) Towards an aspect-oriented software development model with quality measurements.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: An effective software development approach must harmonize the need to build the functional behavior of a system with the need to clearly model the associated nonfunctional requirements that affect parts of the system or the system as a whole.  Aspect-Oriented Software Development (AOSD) aims at providing a systematic support for the identification, separation, representation (through proper modeling and documentation), and composition of crosscutting requirements (both functional and nonfunctional) as well as mechanisms that can make them traceable throughout the software development. In this work, we discuss a sequence of systematic activities towards an early consideration of specifying and separating crosscutting requirements. This approach would make it possible to identify and resolve conflicts between the crosscutting requirements earlier in the development cycle and to promote traceability of broadly scoped requirements throughout system development, maintenance and evolution.  In addition, we propose sets of quality measurements to be associated with the AOSD activities in order to assist stakeholders with quantitative evidences on the quality of the modeling decisions throughout the development process, and of the final product.


identifier: Kouros, Christina  (2005) Examining the complex dynamics of learning in cooperative small groups : the relationship between student attitudes, group behaviours, and academic achievement.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Based on the volumes of research demonstrating the cognitive and affective benefits of cooperation, small group strategies are increasingly being implemented in classrooms. However, in order for learning to be enhanced in the small group environment, there has to be clearer understanding of the complex dynamics that operate when students work together. The purpose of this study was to investigate how student attitudes toward small group learning and group behaviours influence learning. A main goal of this study was to validate the Student Attitudes toward Group Environments (SAGE) questionnaire that tapped areas of small group learning not addressed by other inventories. The findings indicated that the SAGE questionnaire is a valuable instrument for it serves both as a diagnostic measure and as a predictive measure. There were two significant predictors that explained 13.3% of the variance in student final grades; the attitudinal factor quality of product and process and the behavioural factor seeking content information. Overall, high school and CEGEP students had positive attitudes toward learning with fellow classmates. However, students wanted the freedom to select their group members, and group evaluation and division of task elicited diverse views. This information is critical for small group researchers and educators who are interested in knowing the underlying processes that influence academic achievement and success in cooperative groups.


identifier: Patnaik, Anup  (2006) Routing protocols for ad hoc networks with uncertainty in the position of the destination.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: An ad hoc network comprises a set of computing devices, often mobile, that communicate using wireless transmissions with the devices within their transmission range. These devices or nodes are able to detect the presence of other nodes in their transmission range as well route packets on behalf of other nodes. Hence, the network does not need to depend on any predefined infrastructure. This lack of infrastructure makes the problem of routing and packet forwarding a challenging task in such networks. To carry out this task in an efficient and scalable manner, several authors have proposed position-based routing algorithms. Position-based routing algorithms utilize the position or location of the destination node to inform routing decisions. However, obtaining the accurate position of the destination may not be feasible in some settings.  In this thesis, we consider the problem of routing in an ad hoc network where the source node knows the approximate position of the destination node, but is uncertain about its exact current location. We investigate two approaches to this problem: one, based on a traversal of the faces of a planar sub-graph of the graph representing the network, and the second, based on flooding a limited area of the graph that represents the region the destination is likely to be found. We propose several variants of both approaches, and do extensive simulations to analyze the performance of the algorithms. Our results indicate that a simple modification of the basic flooding approach yields the best trade-off for optimizing delivery rate, stretch factor, as well as transmission cost. If however, delivery is required to be guaranteed, then a variant of the face tree traversal approach that we propose has the best performance


identifier: Rahmati, Sanaz  (2006) Converting relational database to XML schema and vice versa using ContextMap.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: An important issue in modern information systems and e-commerce applications is providing support for inter-operability of independent data sources. A broad variety of data is available on the web in distinct heterogeneous sources, stored under different formats: database formats (e.g., relational model), semi-structured formats (e.g., DTD, SGML or XSD schema), scientific formats, etc. Integration of such types of data is an increasingly important problem. Nonetheless, the effort involved in such integration, in practice, is considerable: conversion of database schemas from one format to another requires writing and managing complex data transformation programs or queries.  Realizing the importance of converting structured schemas to semi-structured schemas and vice versa, we have developed a method that successfully performed the conversion. Our approach benefits highly from the reverse engineering of structured or semi-structured schema into a ContextMap representation and leads to both identifying and understanding all components of an existing database system and the relationships among them.  We have successfully developed a prototype, called CODAX, for the schema conversion process. While more sophisticated techniques are required in this context, we believe the ideas proposed in this work lend themselves to useful analysis and tracing tools for schema conversion


identifier: Wang, Kai  (2005) Modeling terrain effects and application to the wind loading of low buildings.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Conventional building design wind pressure p can be expressed as a product of the site's reference wind speed pressure q , exposure factor Ce , building pressure coefficient Cp and aerodynamic gust factor Cg . Although the evaluation of Cp and Cg values has progressed significantly in wind engineering, the Ce specifications, especially those for inhomogeneous terrain, were usually given by meteorologists who are mainly interested in predicting higher boundary-layer level winds that sense terrain roughness variations in a scale that may be so large that is not appropriate for building dimensions. Therefore, it is not surprising to see that a number of issues/discrepancies exist in the terrain-related provisions in the wind standards and codes of practice. Most recently, wind engineering studies found that terrain roughness patches of different distance to the site have different strengths of influence, and the building wind loads are very sensitive to small-scale roughness variations as well. Within this context, a systematic study on the development of the terrain exposure factor on building wind loads has been carried out.  Variations of wind speed and turbulence intensity ( Iu ) profiles, as well as low-rise building loads, above fetch with roughness changes have been investigated by using systematic wind tunnel measurements and numerical simulations (of a set of classic flow-motion equations with a simple eddy-viscosity closure), with particular attention to the small-scale roughness changes close to the site. The numerical simulation is developed in order to ensure that the present wind-tunnel findings can be better than the standard numerical results that have been adopted into a number of wind standards and codes of practice. The velocity data are formulated into a new speed model and a new Iu model, and the low-rise building pressure measurements are analyzed in order to clarify a number of pertinent code issues/discrepancies. The proposed models and design classification have been compared with previous findings, including a limited amount of full-scale data, with satisfactory results. Thereafter, a number of conclusions are made as follows: (1) The proposed speed model should be better than, or at least alternative to, the ESDU 82026 model, which has been adopted by the current British, Australian and American wind standards. The shortcoming of the ESDU 82026 model is due to the oversimplified homogeneous terrain assumptions that prevent this model from properly applying for fetch with multiple small-scale roughness changes. (2) The proposed Iu model is more practical and predictive than the ESDU 84030 standard data sets that belong to the few data provisions for predicting Iu profile above inhomogeneous terrain. (3) For low-rise buildings, it is found that the Suburban exposure factor should be increased from the ASCE 7-02 specification up close to the ASCE 7-95 level (the former is approximately 25% lower than the latter). In addition, the present results can be used to clarify the discrepancy among different national/international wind standards and codes of practice on the minimum fetch length requirement for a patch to qualify as homogeneous terrain.  The present research findings will be suggested for updating the terrain-related provisions of the current wind standards and codes of practice


identifier: Li, Shuo  (2006) Medical image analysis and visualization using geometric deformable model.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Medical image analysis and visualization has become increasingly important in computer aided medicine. Throughout the history of medicine, advances in imaging have led to great progress in medical interventions.  The thesis proposes, develops and evaluates methods for automated analysis, visualization and quantification of medical images. The focus of this thesis is to perform both theoretical and practical investigations into medical image analysis and visualization to overcome current challenges in the field.  The theoretical framework for fulfilling above goals is based on segmentation using the geometric deformable model and some new advances: support vector machine and principal component analysis from the pattern recognition and machine learning. The medical applications of the above theoretical framework include automated computer aided analysis of dental X-ray image and chest computer tomography volumetric image reconstruction and visualization.  There are three main contributions in the thesis: (1) We propose and develop two faster and more robust segmentation methods which have the potential to be used in clinical and hospital environments. (2) We propose and develop the first dental X-ray image analysis and visualization system. It is able to analyze the dental X-ray image, extract the features and then recognize the patterns of certain diseases such as root decay and areas of bone loss. It has potential to be applied in the dental X-ray machine which has attracted interest from industry. (3) We propose and develop an efficient reconstruction and visualization framework. This method can reconstruct and visualize very large medical datasets with less time and less data volume


identifier: Tremblay, François-Xavier  (2005) (R)Évolution tranquille : influence des technologies de diffusion sonore numériques sur l'esthétique cinématographique.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: L'émergence de nouvelles technologies au sein d'une pratique artistique a toujours incité les créateurs et les théoriciens à réévaluer la relation qu'ils entretiennent avec leur médium de prédilection. Dans le cas du 7 e art, l'avènement des technologies numériques est, depuis la fin du 20 e siècle, au coeur d'un vaste débat qui s'attarde presque exclusivement à l'image. En soi, ce détail n'est pas surprenant dans la mesure où le son est traditionnellement écarté au profit de sa contrepartie visuelle, sur le terrain comme dans les cercles académiques. Pourtant, le fait que celui-ci ait intégré le signal numérique à sa chaîne de production plus d'une décennie avant l'image tend à rendre gênant ce silence qui perdure à ce jour. Nous traiterons en ces pages de l'influence des technologies sonores numériques sur l'esthétique cinématographique. Notre étude portera spécifiquement sur les formats de diffusion en salle, soit les systèmes Dolby Digital (Dolby SR-D), DTS et SDDS. Nous chercherons à illustrer comment ces développements technologiques s'inscrivent dans l'évolution de la pratique et de la théorie du son cinématographique, de la fin du 19 e siècle jusqu'à nos jours. Dans le but de situer les formats numériques dans leur contexte historique, nous débuterons par un bref survol de la genèse et du développement du cinéma sonore. Suivra une introduction aux principes de base du signal numérique ainsi qu'une discussion sommaire de ses applications pratiques. Finalement, nous terminerons en ébauchant les grandes lignes d'une esthétique du son cinématographique numérique et en soumettant au jugement du lecteur quelques exemples choisis.


identifier: Wang, Yiwei  (2005) Towards a novel approach for website interface design : FBS-WEB approach.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Website has become a major media for exchanging information because of its tremendous speed and easy access. Even a single website may contain tens of thousands of web pages nowadays. A website with tons of information, as an interface, should be designed well enough to ensure users to access appropriate information easily and quickly. This thesis describes a novel website interface design approach to achieve the aforementioned goal. Several ideas are behind the development of this approach. First, a website interface design is based on a general interface design model to the dynamic system. The model is based on a set of core notions: function, behavior, and structure. Second, this general interface design model is modified to suit the website interface design based on our observation of the difference between the website and the dynamic system. Third , the interface design axiom, i.e., the mental model should be equal to the design model is elaborated in the context of the developing the new approach. Last, the UML is used to represent the interface which is designed based on the new approach. The new approach is validated based on an experimental study. Two interfaces are developed based on the new approach and a popular approach in the literature, respectively. The participants operate on the two interfaces, and their performance and mental workload are used to derive conclusions. Both experiment and data are statistically processed. The experimental results allow us to conclude that the new approach is very promising to the website interface design.


identifier: Mungo, Tania  (2005) Water vapour transmission through weather resistive barriers / Tania Mungo.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The necessity to understand and test water vapour transfer through wall systems has been recognized for over 70 years. Yet, while many aspects have been investigated and many different test methods have been used to determine permeability of materials there are many unanswered questions. This thesis work examines the applicability of steady state test methods in determining water vapour transmission through weather-resistive barriers (WRB). Presently there are different standards for North America, Europe, and Scandinavia, which are implemented for water vapour transmission testing. The test methods require many complex systems in order to be performed. The focus of this work is on determining a simplified and easy to perform test, enabling tests to be performed outside of a laboratory environment. The scope of this work evaluates two proposed test methods in this field of study. Both are used for measuring water vapour transmission through weather resistive membranes, and both are recently developed test methods. Four types of WRB are evaluated, namely two asphalt impregnated cellulose fibres and two polymeric fibres membranes


identifier: Vargas, Adolfo Rafael Alvaro Rúa  (2006) On ideal class groups of cyclotomic fields.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Let m be an integer [Special characters omitted.] 3 and let F be one of the fields [Special characters omitted.] or [Special characters omitted.] . Denote the Galois group Gal( F /[Special characters omitted.] ) by x and let p be an odd prime such that p [Special characters omitted.]


identifier: Cobbett, Elizabeth  (2006) It takes two to tango : can Brazil and the U.S. dance to the same regional beat?  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas has come to a standstill. Reasons for this reside in three aspects in which the FTAA differs from other regional integration schemes. First, it would combine existing preferential trading arrangements of which NAFTA and MERCOSUR are the two most significant ones. Second, each of the schemes has an undisputed regional leader: the U.S. and Brazil. However, two hegemons do not agree on a common vision for the hemispheric project. Third, the small membership of the two schemes is to be elevated to an area encompassing 34 states, i.e. to a situation of large n .  The literature maintains that the provision of a collective good becomes more difficult the larger the number of members party to the scheme. The solution offered for this problem of large n is the existence of either a hegemon or a group of likeminded states to overcome collective action problems. In the case of the Americas, the solution offered by the literature is the very problem for efforts to integrate the hemisphere. The FTAA negotiations are stalled because the attempt to forge collective action among 34 member states is sought by two countries simultaneously.  This thesis suggests that the large n problem of hemispheric integration will be resolved by the hegemon more successful in subdividing the group size and imposing its vision. The research of this study therefore compares the procedural strategies of the U.S. and Brazil in their quest to shape the substance of the regional scheme


identifier: Hu, Huabing  (2006) Integrated decision stations : a framework for dinamic distributed decision making.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The increasing complexity of the current dynamic business environment makes some of centralized decision making either difficult or inefficient. While some attention has been paid to the dynamic distributed decision making (DDM), the research on decision support systems (DDS) supporting DDM is quite limited. In particular, how to model the structure of dynamic DDM and use information technology to support dynamic DDM remains as a critical question.  In this thesis, from information processing prospective, we propose a conceptual model, i.e. integrated decision stations (IDS), to address how to support dynamic DDM. Our model is based on the decomposition of decision criteria and information flows. To demonstrate the applicability of this framework, we apply it to lead time management and illustrate it with a prototype. It shows that our framework is powerful to describe various scenarios of DDM. In addition, we conduct a simulation study to investigate the impacts of two distinct features of IDS, i.e. real-time information and information coordination, on the decision performance. The results partially support that both information delay and information coordination have significant impacts on decision performance. The contribution of our study is that it provides both practitioners and academic researchers with a comprehensive framework to design effective DDM support systems and study their impacts on decision performance


identifier: Wang, Fang  (2005) First order model checking of w-Automata using multiway decision graphs.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: As the complexity of hardware digital systems increases, their correctness becomes a major concern. Traditional verification by simulation is infeasible to exhaustively test and guarantee correctness. More than a decade ago, however, formal verification has been introduced as complement technique to simulation. Formal methods establish that a design implementation satisfies its specification by mathematical reasoning. Among several techniques, model checking is one of the most successful technology, which is based on the exploration of the design state space. In this thesis, we propose a new model checking method based on the theory of }-automata and multiway decision graphs (MDGs). Unlike reduced ordered binary decision diagrams (ROBDDs), MDGs allow system models to be described using abstract state machines (ASMs) through abstract data sorts and uninterpreted function symbols, hence enabling the verification of larger designs independent of the datapath width. Given an ASM and a first-order linear time temporal logic property, the model checking problem proposed in this thesis is reduced to a language emptiness checking of an }-automaton that accepts all }-words produced by the system violating the property formula. The checking method comprises four steps: (1) transforming the first-order property into a propositional formula by constructing ASMs for the atomic formulas of the property; (2) generating an }-automaton from the negation of the transformed propositional formula; (3) computing the product of the generated automaton, the system model ASM and the constructed ASMs; and (4) applying a language emptiness checking algorithm on the product automaton. Three different checking algorithms have been developed, implemented, and proved correct in this thesis. To evaluate the performance of the proposed model checking method and implemented tool, we conducted several experimentations and case studies. We also compared the efficiency of our tool with an existing MDG regular model checking application, as well as with popular ROBDD-based automata model checking tools such as VIS. Our model checker was found to be outperforming the above tools.


identifier: Li, Gang  (2006) The determination of an optimal hedge ratio and a generalized measure of risk.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The use of futures contracts as hedging instruments to reduce risk has been the focus of much research. Various risk measures have been developed and have subsequently been employed in an effort to create hedging strategies and to calculate optimal hedge ratios. This thesis proposes a more generalized risk model to measure the risk of hedged assets. The five-parameter model presented herein assumes that each investor has a different target return, level of risk aversion, and degree of sensitivity to lower and higher partial moments. The optimal hedging activity for each investor should then seek to minimize the unique generalized risk measure. This paper utilizes an out-of-sample test on a hedged position in the S&P500 index in the period from December 1982 to December 2004. Tests are conducted to determine whether the change of target returns and sensitivity parameters will affect optimal hedge ratios. In addition, whether hedging effectiveness changes significantly in-sample versus out-of-sample, and between each model and a naïve hedging strategy is investigated. Also, mean returns of hedged portfolios are compared for various models.  This thesis makes three important contributions. First, this study is the first to implement both higher and lower partial moments in the determination of optimal hedge ratios. Second, an out-of-sample test is considered while most studies use only in-sample tests. Third, this thesis is the first to use discontinuous sample periods to separate market conditions and to analyze hedging performance in bull and bear markets


identifier: Chen, Tao  (2005) An empirical investigation of three-city Chinese fast-food brand selection.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The empirical study examines the Brisoux-Laroche Brand Categorization Model in the context of the brand choice in China fast-food market in Changsha, Chengdu, and Wuhan three cities and explore the nature of the consideration, hold, reject and foggy sets , in relation to making the brand selection process. It also provides some insights with respect to Chinese consumers' fast-food choice patterns, perceptions of their favourite restaurants, and the potential segments in the fast-food market.  The results generally support the Brisoux-Laroche Brand Categorization Model by confirming the existence of four sets of brands, namely the consideration, reject, foggy, and hold sets , and the hypothesized profiles of the four sets in terms of four parameters (attitude toward brands, intention to purchase, amount of information used to evaluate brands, and the confidence of judging) on both aggregate and city level.  In addition, by using factor analysis and cluster analysis, attributes influencing consumers' brand selection are discussed, four latent factors are identified, and five potential segments of fast-food consumers are suggested. Competition positions of main fast-food brands in each city are also illustrated in this report.  The findings suggest that western-style fast-food establishments and domestic traditional Chinese fast-food chains are greatly differentiated from each other. To successfully compete, marketing managers in this sector need to understand and target different segments of customers and use appropriate strategies.  Finally, suggestion for future research and the limitation of the present study are provided.


identifier: Bakai, Olga  (2006) An exploration of teacher talk in early childhood settings : implications for educational curriculum and practice.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This research study explores the types of teacher talk that occur in early childhood classroom environments. A total of 2 teachers and 30 children participated in the study consisting of both videotaping as well as recorded observations of teacher talk. Both videotapes and observations were coded according to predetermined categories such as behavioral control, language modeling, and conversational control. In addition semi-structured interview as were conducted with participating teachers to assess their responses to questions regarding their education, training, and opinions on developmental milestones. Results revealed that the most frequent type of utterances occurred in language modeling (labeling) however, extensions and expansions (which are deemed important for building vocabulary and new word acquisition) were the lowest types of utterances produced by teachers. Other frequently noted types of utterances produced by participating teachers were directive in nature as exemplified by the types of utterances that control behaviour and responses to adult utterances both of which have been shown to impact child language production. The implications for educational training for early childhood educators are discussed in light of the fact that both participating teachers deemed social skills to be the most important developmental area in the preschool years without recognizing the importance that language play in the development of such skills. The importance of language development and the understanding of how communicative competence plays a part in the ways in which children learn to negotiate their way in the world are discussed.


identifier: Boivin, Julie  (2005) The aesthetics of frivolity : reinvesting in balloons, cake icing, ribbons and trinkets.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis investigates the phenomenon of frivolity in contemporary art practice and thus elaborates a concept of the frivolous, not only as a new aesthetic category, but as a theoretical instrument as well. The thesis explores the works of artists Shelley Miller, Jo-Anne Balcaen, Portia Munson and Jeff Koons. The two main objects of concern in this thesis are, firstly, frivolity itself, and secondly, its expression through everyday trivial objects. The thesis begins with an analysis of frivolous objects and their relation to their everyday context. Frivolity is then considered as a theoretical concept in juxtaposition to Jacques Derrida's semiotic analysis of the subject. Subsequently, the artworks are studied in light of the elaborated theoretical construct of frivolity and other similar states such as Georges Bataille's theory of free expenditure, various notions of the grotesque and wonder, and Gaston Bachelard's work on childhood space and the state of reverie. Finally, the Lefebvreian moment and concept of la fête are used to understand the locality of frivolity and its everyday potential as a space and time marker. Ultimately, I propose a use for the uselessly trivial by conjecturing that it may create an awareness of the here and now due to its potential to create moments, that it has the capacity to bring simultaneously differentiation while also destroying it due to its movement away from a comprehensive origin and that it explores the distance between boundaries allowing for movements to take place and irrationality to enter


identifier: Lambo, Lesley  (2005) Why men hit : deconstructing men's narratives of conjugal violence and the cultural construction of masculinity in Nigeria.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis explores the increasing incidence of conjugal violence in Nigeria, and how the construction of masculinity is one of the challenging dynamics concerning this issue. The cultural construction of masculinity in Nigeria is a result of the complicated intermingling of historical, local, traditional and global processes that are mediated by several factors, including age, ethnicity and status. Gender relations and constructs are complex, which means male dominance and privilege cannot be assumed. Thus, domestic violence serves as a medium through which masculinity is studied.  The results of this research suggests a relationship between the prevailing predominant culture and its social values, the perspectives held of masculinity, and the actions of a certain 'type' of man---the "wife batterer". The data derives from two group interviews with male participants who engage in conjugal violence, and were held in Lagos and Abuja in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The men's narratives expose their world view regarding women, marriage and family, the cultural context through which the men justify their behaviour toward their wives, as well as the cultural norms and values that these men use to construct their notions of masculinity.


identifier: Gendron, Marie-Pier  (2006) Recherche interdisciplinaire portant sur la prévention des ITS et du VIH dans l'industrie pornographique montréalaise et sa représentation dans les films pornographiques.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Depuis quelques années, le domaine des ±études pornographiques» (ou porn studies ) gagne en popularité et en légitimité dans les milieux académiques. Les débats féministes de la fin des années 1970 ont donné naissance à une vaste littérature sur le sujet, marquée par des préoccupations centrales telles que la violence sexuelle et les inégalités sociales basées sur le genre. La présente étude se distingue de la ±tradition» de l'étude de la pornographie en s'intéressant à un sujet qui suscita jusqu'à récemment peu d'intérêt; la prévention des ITS et du VIH dans l'industrie pornographique. Dans ce mémoire, la pornographie est considérée non seulement en tant que représentation sexuelle, mais en tant que ±travail sexuel». Dans une approche interdisciplinaire en étude cinématographique, en sociologie et en arts visuels, il sera question, entre autres, de la représentation du condom dans les pornographies hétérosexuelles et homosexuelles, des stratégies de prévention des ITS et du VIH employées au sein de cette industrie et de mon rapport intime et personnel à ce sujet, à travers un travail photographique. Le texte qui suit présente les résultats d'une recherche sur le terrain (dans l'industrie pornographique montréalaise), d'une analyse de contenu de soixante-quinze vidéos pornographiques ainsi que d'une démarche réflexive, en arts visuels. Plusieurs enjeux de nature politique, légale et éthique seront mis en relief, concernant entre autres la pratique du dépistage systématique et l'encadrement étatique de la distribution de pornographie au Québec.


identifier: Wang, Cong Yu  (2006) Scale and boundary condition effects on elastic moduli of trabecular bone.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: We study elastic moduli of trabecular bone. Trabecular bone structure is very complex due to its randomness and spatial heterogeneity. To simplify the analysis one can choose to represent bone as having an idealized periodic structure. In this thesis we model bone as having a periodic prismatic structure, either two- or three-dimensional. More specifically, we are interested in predicting the apparent elastic moduli of such an idealized model of trabecular bone. We conduct our analysis using a finite element method (ANSYS). We investigate the effect of mesh size, the mismatch in moduli (elastic modulus of bone versus bone marrow), the size of "region of observation", the effects of bone structures geometries, and boundary conditions on the elastic moduli of the idealized models of trabecular bone. This research can give guidance in determining the sufficient size of bone samples used in experiments or computations so the effect of boundary conditions is minimized. These results are also applicable to other porous/cellular materials.


identifier: Morin, Sophie  (2006) La traduction dans la presse québécoise de 1764-1840 : stratagème d'anglicisation des Canadiens français par les autorités britanniques.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: En 1763, les Britanniques font la Conquête de la Nouvelle-France. Pour le peuple canadien-français, qui se trouve soudain coupé de sa mère patrie---la France, découleront de ce changement de régime de nombreuses conséquences sociologiques, politiques et linguistiques. Les dirigeants anglais, conscients que leurs nouveaux sujets ne parlent pas la même langue qu'eux, désirent angliciser le peuple canadien-français dans le but, bien sûr, de maintenir l'ordre, la suprématie et le pouvoir politique anglais. Pour parvenir à leurs fins, les autorités anglaises ont utilisé divers moyens dont la traduction dans les journaux de l'époque. Ainsi, nous essayerons de démontrer que la traduction dans la presse écrite au Québec a joué un rôle important pour angliciser les Canadiens français.


identifier: Lipton, Rebecca  (2006) Breaking new ground : women and farm entry in British Columbia.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The number of people entering agriculture in Canada has been decreasing over the past few decades. Despite these trends some people are still choosing to enter the sector. Many of those entering agriculture as professional farmers are women. This thesis presents a study of those women in the process of farm entry in British Columbia, Canada. Much of the literature frames women within the sector in terms of their relationship to the male dominance of agriculture. The tendency is to focus on how farm women's activities are undervalued and how women are maintained within a lesser position of power. Although the male dominance of the sector in general is not refuted, my research shows that many of the women entering the sector do not see the world they are entering as being a male dominated framework. These women are working within a social space that does not question their legitimacy as farmers and their integration within the field. The thesis explores the emergence of this alternate social space and its coexistence with the social space present within conventional agriculture. The analysis then moves beyond gender to explore how that alternate space, and the networks within it, function to mediate the challenges the women face during farm entry. The thesis concludes with several policy implications that result from the research


identifier: Le, Minmin  (2006) DSMC simulation of flows in multiple microchannel geometries.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The direct simulation Monte Carlo method was applied to simulate the flows in uniform, parallel, series, and T-shape microchannels. For the uniform microchannel case, both the supersonic and subsonic flows have been considered. The effect of the Knudsen number (Kn) on the flow properties and the heat transfer characteristics were investigated. Some significant flow features, such as the flow acceleration along the channel, the nonlinear pressure distribution, and the velocity slip near the wall, due to the compressibility and the rarefaction of the microflow were specified. Most of the wall heat flux occurs within the channel entrance region when the wall temperature is higher than the bulk flow temperature. Furthermore, in supersonic flow case, the wall heat flux is mainly caused by the deceleration of the flow due to the wall friction.


identifier: Leng, Yansong  (2006) Comparison of synchronization techniques for generation of firing pulses for a HVDC converter.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study focuses on the special requirement of synchronization of firing pulses for a power converter operating with a weak AC system. The challenge for the synchronization technique is in providing a fast dynamic response while maintaining a high accuracy of equi-distant pulse generation during steady state operation and maintaining stability within a range of system frequency and phase deviations.  The phase locked loop (PLL) technique plays an important role in providing a reference signal synchronized with the AC system. With the development of new PLL techniques, it is possible to improve the dynamic response, robustness, harmonic rejection and stability of the converter system. These new techniques consist of an enhanced PLL and 3-phase PLL based on the DQZ method. A variety of these new synchronization techniques are investigated and compared with a conventional PLL in this thesis.  The test system used is a 12-pulse HVDC converter operating with a weak AC system that is modeled with the EMTP RV simulation program


identifier: Liu, Wucheng  (2005) Characterization of J822 : a novel cold induced GTP-binding protein gene in wheat (Triticum aestivum).  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Cold tolerance in plants is a multigenic trait and high levels of tolerance require a period of acclimation during which the expression levels of many genes are known to change. The study of the signaling and regulatory mechanisms that control acclimation is particularly important for understanding the genetic basis of cold tolerance in plants. Previous microarray analysis has identified a number of genes that have altered expression during cold acclimation, some of which have characteristics of signaling or regulatory proteins. Since GTP-binding proteins have been shown to be important regulatory proteins in animal systems, the recently discovered cold regulated GTP-binding-like protein, J822, from wheat, was chosen for this study.  The predicted amino acid sequence of J822 indicated that it encodes a novel GTP-binding protein. Cold induction of transcript level of J822 is higher in cold tolerant winter cultivars than in spring wheat cultivars. Yeast two-hybrid screening showed that J822 interacts with two phospholipase C proteins. J822 and the phospholipase Cs were found to be regulated by cold, drought and salt stress and may be involved in stress-induced phospholipid signaling. The Arabidopsis homolog of J822 is also regulated by cold, and provides a promising avenue for the functional study of this GTP binding protein as part of the stress response


identifier: Leelahapant, Pabhanin  (2006) Predictive regression test selection technique by means of formal concept analysis.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Regression testing is an important software maintenance process that is applied to validate the correctness of software modifications. Since regression testing is usually costly, selective regression testing can be an alternative to traditional regression testing, allowing for a reduction of the overall cost associated with testing. Selective regression testing identifies only the test cases that execute parts of a program that can potentially be affected by the modification.  In this thesis, we propose a novel technique to perform selective regression testing by means of a data analysis technique, Formal Concept Analysis. We use the capability of Formal Concept Analysis to structure the commonalities of execution traces derived from existing test cases. Formal Concept Analysis provides information related to program execution dependency among different parts of a program, which can then be used to determine the relationships between a modified program portion and existing test cases. In this research, a novel approach analyzes the program execution dependency to allow for the selection of test cases that should be rerun after the program modification is complete. We have implemented a tool that automates regression test case selection and demonstrates a proof of our concept.


identifier: Nguyen, Vu-Loc  (2006) 3D-UML Vis : visualizing design pattern in 3D space.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: With the ever increasing complexity of software systems programmers face new challenges in comprehending the structures of these programs, their artefacts, and the behavioural relationships among these artefacts. While modeling languages and notations that were introduced to support the forward engineering process have been quite effective in abstracting the underlying information, these techniques have failed when applied in a reverse engineering context. One reason for the failure is the information overload due to the level of detail available at the source code and a lack of appropriate filtering and analysis techniques. Another limitation of the current approaches is the conceptual gap that exists between the models created during the forward and reverse engineering process. This occurs because the reverse engineered model cannot convey the information and justification behind the architecture chosen. This gap is particularly noticeable when one considers the differences in layout, grouping and organization between the original and reverse engineered models. This thesis attempts to addresses these issues, by introducing a 3D extension of UML (Unified Modelling Language) diagrams to support the visualization of recovered design patterns from source code. The goal is to provide additional guidance during program comprehension. In addition, new viewing techniques are proposed to facilitate the navigation and filtering of the information in the three dimensional world


identifier: Maraachlian, Edward  (2006) A study of multiloop networks.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: A study of multiloop networks

abstract: Multiloop networks is a family of network topologies which is an extension of the ring topology. In this thesis we study the structural properties of bipartite double loop networks using the plane tessellation technique. We also study the problem of broadcasting in the bipartite double loop networks and in triple loop networks. For the first kind of graphs we find that the broadcast time is d + 2 where d is the diameter of the graph. For the triple loop graphs, we give a d + 5 upper bound on the broadcast time by providing an algorithm that completes broadcasting in at most d + 5 time units. We also find a d + 2 lower bound for the optimal triple loop graphs, these are the graphs with maximum number of nodes given a diameter d . Finally we give an upper bound for the broadcast time of undirected Circulant (also called multiloop) graphs of degree 2 k which is d + 2 k - 1


identifier: Manson, Bruce  (2006) An examination of Samhain and Beltane rituals in contemporary pagan practice.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Practitioners of contemporary Paganism celebrate eight annual festivals marking the passing of the seasons and changes in the natural world. The research presented here examines the ways in which the rituals marking two of these festivals, Samhain and Beltane, are meaningful to followers of Neo-Paganism. It is the primary thesis of this work that the meaningfulness of these rituals lies in the fact that they are a vehicle to personal growth and transformation for participants; on another level, they allow men and women dissatisfied with, or unfulfilled by, particular aspects of the dominant western culture to dissent from that culture in key ways. This is demonstrated through accounts of observations of Samhain and Beltane rituals, and interviews with celebrants. This is also shown by viewing these ceremonies through the models of ritual presented by a number of scholars. It is suggested that despite this distancing of self from the dominant culture in specific ways, Neo-Pagans are not a marginalized body wholly opposed to, or at odds with, western cultural norms


identifier: Wang, Yong  (2006) Deterioration and condition rating analysis of water mains.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In major cities world wide, deterioration of water mains is a continuous process; therefore, the need to improve the condition of water mains becomes crucial. While most municipalities have taken proactive measures in repairing, rehabilitating and replacing deteriorated water mains, more investigation still needs to be done in order to assist municipalities to make right decisions on limited budgets. Building deterioration models and prioritizing water main rehabilitation are more important than ever.  The deterioration of water mains includes structural and functional degradations. The present research focuses on the collection of water main data from municipalities and the analysis of water main breaks as a representative of the structural deterioration. Data have been collected from three municipalities that have large water distribution networks in Canada with a total water main length of 2,552 Km


identifier: Tousi, Mani Mesgarpour  (2006) Supervisory control of switching control systems.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In this thesis, we show that the problem of designing a switching policy for an adaptive switching control system can be formulated as a problem of Supervisory Control of a Discrete-Event System (DES). Two important problems in switching control are then addressed using the DES formulation and the theory of supervisory control under partial observation. First we examine whether for a given set of controllers, a switching policy satisfying a given set of constraints (on the transitions among controllers) exists. If so, then we design a minimally restrictive switching policy. Next, we introduce an iterative algorithm for finding a minimal set of controllers for which a switching policy satisfying the switching constraints exists. In our study we show that in the supervisory control problem considered in this thesis, limitation on event observation is the factor that essentially restricts supervisory control. In other words, once observation limitations are respected, limitation on control will be automatically satisfied. We use the above result to simplify our iterative algorithm for finding minimal controller set.


identifier: Verwey, Michael A  (2006) Circadian oscillators in the central extended amygdala are selectively sensitive to restricted feeding but not similarly restricted treats.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: When food-access is restricted to a consistent time of day (restricted feeding), rodents reorganize many circadian behaviors around the mealtime. The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is the master circadian pacemaker, while the oval nucleus of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST-OV) and the central nucleus of the amygdala (CEA) are important in stress, motivation and feeding. All these regions express the 'clock protein' Period2 (PER2) with a circadian rhythm. Restricted feeding changes PER2 expression patterns in the BNST-OV and CEA, but not in the SCN. To test the relative importance of motivational and homeostatic variables on PER2 expression in the BNST-OV and CEA, we contrasted daily restricted feeding (containing homeostatic and motivational components) with daily restricted treats (no weight loss, a motivational challenge only). Restricted feeding was comprised of fasted animals receiving repeated daily access to chocolate Ensure, whereas restricted treats consisted of sated animals receiving similar Ensure-access. In restricted feeding groups, the daily pattern of running wheel activity was consistently reorganized. However, in restricted treat groups, behavioral reorganization was more variable. Daily oscillations of PER2 expression in the BNST-OV and CEA were altered only under restricted-feeding, but not restricted-treat conditions. In contrast, cFOS expression in both the BNST-OV and CEA was enhanced in response to Ensure-access regardless of whether it was presented to fasted or sated rats. These findings suggest that some aspect of the homeostatic challenge associated with restricted feeding is important for shifting circadian PER2 expression in these areas of the central extended amygdala.


identifier: Haddad, Ibrahim  (2006) The HAS architecture : a highly available and scalable cluster architecture for Web servers.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This dissertation proposes a novel architecture, called the HAS architecture, for highly available and scalable web server clusters. The proof-of-concept of the HAS architecture was validated for performance and scalability, tested for its failover mechanisms, and externally modeled and simulated to study the failure and repair behavior and to calculate the availability of the cluster. The HAS architecture is able to maintain the base line performance per cluster processor, for up to 16 traffic processors in the cluster, achieving close to linear scalability. The architecture supports dynamic traffic distribution, supports heterogeneous cluster nodes, provides a mechanism to keep track of available cluster nodes, and offers connection synchronization to ensure that web connections survive software or hardware failures. Furthermore, the architecture supports different redundancy models and high availability capabilities such as Ethernet and NFS redundancy, and node level redundancy that contribute in increasing the availability of the service, and in eliminating single points of failure.  This dissertation presents current methods for scaling web servers, discusses their limitations, and investigates how clustering technologies can help overcome some of these challenges and enable the design of scalable web servers based on a cluster of workstations. It examines various ongoing research projects in the academia and the industry that are investigating scalable and highly available architectures for web servers. It discusses their scope, architecture, provides a critical analysis of their work, and presents their contributions to this dissertation.  This dissertation contributes the HAS architecture, a highly available and scalable architecture for web servers, and offers contributions in areas of scalability, maintaining baseline performance, and availability


identifier: Zaramian, Nancy  (2006) Handwritten digit classification using cascading neural network ensembles.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In the problem of handwritten digit classification, difficulties are encountered when there is ambiguity among the digits to be classified. It is desirable to detect this confusion and either reject the classification or attempt to make a better decision using post-processing methods. In the proposed method, a cascading neural network model is used to do the latter. Each level contains an ensemble of neural networks trained on different features. This generates classifiers that complement each other and help identify samples that are difficult to classify. Experiments were done on the MNIST database. This database has 60000 training images and 10000 test images that contain segmented handwritten digits. The results from the experiment show an improvement in the classification accuracy with the addition of each level of neural networks. Out of the 10000 test images 2206 of the samples were rejected from the cascading neural network model and were sent to post-processing. Among the 7794 of the accepted samples not sent to post-processing, only 52 were falsely classified. The overall classification rate of the system, including post-processing is 96.58%


identifier: Chen, Guo Tai  (2006) An algorithm for gossiping and broadcasting.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Effectively disseminating the information among processors is an important feature for an interconnection network. Among all information dissemination models, broadcasting and gossiping are two of the most popular research topics. Finding the optimal broadcasting and gossiping schedule in an arbitrary net is an NP-Hard complete problem. This thesis presents an algorithm for both broadcasting and gossiping in arbitrary networks. The time complexity of this algorithm is O ( Rn 3 ), where R is the rounds used for the broadcasting or gossiping, and n is the total number of nodes in the network. The test has been implemented in both regularly used graphs and four of the NS-2 network design models. The regularly used graph models include Butterfly, CCC d , de Bruijn and Shuffle Exchange . And the four NS-2 internet models include GT-ITM random, GT-ITM Transit-Stub, Tiers and Inet


identifier: Chiovitti, Sandra Lucy  (2006) Evolutionary genetic studies of forest trees : genetic structure of the boreal forest tree Pinus banksiana, and the molecular phylogeny of the tropical tree family Dipterocarpaceae.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In order to contribute to our understanding of the evolution of forest trees, the major structural life form of some of the most diverse ecosystems of the world, I conducted studies on (a) the genetic structure of Jack Pine ( Pious banksiana ) and (b) the phylogeny of the tropical tree family Dipterocarpaceae.  Jack pine is one of the most widely distributed pine species in Canada and a valuable natural resource. The purpose of the present study was to examine the range-wide genetic diversity, population differentiation, inter-population migration, and genetic distances within Canada. The maritime populations were genetically distinct from the mainland populations. Genetic distance values for maritime populations ranged from 0.0504 to 0.0812 as compared to 0.0386 across all populations. The overall range-wide genetic structure of this species likely resulted from multiple refugia events.  The members of the pantropical tree family Dipterocarpaceae dominate Asian rainforests, and are considered an excellent model to study the evolution of high tree species diversity characteristic of tropical rainforests. The objective of my study was to decipher the evolutionary relationships among dipterocarps using the partial sequences from the gene that codes nuclear 18S ribosomal RNA (N18S) sequence to determine the phylogenetic relationships within the Dipterocarpaceae. Although the level of polymorphism detected was relatively low, the overall phylogenetic relationships inferred from the N18S data were congruent with chromosome number of each group, where chromosome 7 is the derived state, and consistent with historical biogeographical events


identifier: Kazmi, Faraz  (2006) The effects of Arabidopsis thaliana Sulfotransferase 2a (AtST2a) over-expression on tuber formation.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis describes the study of the effects of Arabidopsis thaliana Sulfotransferase 2a ( AtST2a ) over-expression in potato plants ( Solanum chacoense ). AtST2a encodes a sulfotransferase, that functions to reduce the endogenous levels of a hydroxylated product of jasmonic acid, 12-hydroxyjasmonate (12-OHJA) also known as tuberonic acid. Through phenotypic analysis of transgenic potato lines, AtST2a over-expression was shown to delay tuberization. In addition, tubers in the transgenic lines were smaller and more numerous than in the wild type control lines. Furthermore, regulation studies showed that 12-OHJA induces tuber-specific genes in planta , where, tuber induction previously was only demonstrated in vitro . Tuberonic acid sulfate, the product of the AtST2a sulfonation reaction was detected and quantified in potato leaf segments. This indicates the presence of a potato homologue of AtST2a . Six potential potato candidates were identified, of which two showed the greatest potential (TC77024 & TC87873), based on time course treatment assays. However, substrate specificity experiments showed that TC77024and TC87873 are not hydroxy-jasmonate sulfotransferases


identifier: Giesbrecht, Harvey Vincent  (2005) Dialectical narcissism in the visual art of modernity.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Modernist art and contemporary body and performance art seem radically different in their basic motivational structure, in their reception, in their contents, and in the theoretical discourse that they engender. Modernism is conventionally seen as a response to modernity that enhanced the unique aesthetic qualities of visual art, and because of that disposition, was frequently in opposition to the main thrust of both institutional academic art as well as developing modern society. This opposition was characteristically manifested as the avant-garde, a direction that progressively denigrated representational functions of art. Body and performance art, and other postmodern strategies brought back representation, especially of the body, with a stunning directness, eroticism, and frequently sadomasochistic performative challenges to the canon and modernist aesthetics. This thesis argues that narcissism as a drive operates dialectically within both these major trends as a fundamental unifying motivating force. The theme of narcissism is developed in psychoanalytic terms, not as character pathology of artists, but as a core idealizing drive central to the visual creative realm. The narcissistic drive imparts its qualities also to visuality itself, as a force underpinning scopic regimes. The idealizing effects of the drive assert themselves, paradoxically, also in recent developments such as "relational" art.


identifier: Zaman, A. K. M. Saiduz  (2006) Remediation of arsenic from groundwater containing organic compounds by ion exchange media.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This research work was dedicated to the problem arising from the coexistence of arsenic and organic substances principally in the US (the Superfund Sites) and Bangladesh. Dissolved organic ions are strong competitors to arsenates, and because of their large size and slow kinetics, arsenic removal becomes problematic. Macroporous ion exchange media can remove both arsenic and organic pollutants efficiently while preserving exchange capacity and effluent quality.  The novelty of this work is characterized by the determination of interdependence of important factors influencing the sorption of arsenates and organic substances by macroporous ion exchange media. Exchange capacities of these resins in both chloride and hydroxyl forms in acidic media as well as the chloride-form operating in weakly basic medium were investigated. The investigations were focused on factors such as the effects of pH, influent concentration of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and filtration velocity. Interaction of these effects was also investigated. Reducing the pH from 10.4 to 7.0 increased the arsenate-exchange capacity from 28 meq/kg to 63 meq/kg (a 35 meq/kg increase).  Optimum conditions for regeneration of macroporous media have been determined such as a NaCl consumption of 300 kg/tonne, a concentration of NaCl solution of 10%, a ratio of NaCl concentration to that of NaOH in regenerant of 10, a regeneration rate of 4 m/h, and a temperature of 40{493} C.  Waste handling processes have been developed to treat and reuse spent regeneration solutions as well as to detoxify the solid waste containing arsenic and organic matter. A reagent based technology for the treatment of spent regeneration solutions by Ca(OH) 2 and MgCl 2 (or MgSO 4 ) has been devised.  Based on the results, appropriate decontamination schemes have been developed for groundwater contaminated with arsenic and organic impurities. The benefit of these schemes is guidance for the organization of the treatment process depending upon the levels of mineralization and concentration of DOM as well as the conditions for the implementation of the process (for an existing or new treatment unit to be designed)