identifier: Rahimian, Mohammad Amin  (2012) Failure Analysis in Multi-Agent Networks: A Graph-Theoretic Approach.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: A multi-agent network system consists of a group of dynamic control agents which interact according to a given information flow structure. Such cooperative dynamics over a network may be strongly affected by the removal of network nodes and communication links, thus potentially compromising the functionality of the overall system. The chief purpose of this thesis is to explore and address the challenges of multi-agent cooperative control under various fault and failure scenarios by analyzing the network graph-topology. In the first part, the agents are assumed to evolve according to the linear agreement protocol. Link failures in the network are characterized based on the ability to distinguish the agent dynamics before and after failures. Sufficient topological conditions are provided, under which dynamics of a given agent is distinguishable for distinct digraphs. The second part of this thesis is concerned with the preservation of structural controllability for a multi-agent network under simultaneous link and agent failures. To this end, the previously studied concepts of link and agent controllability degrees are first exploited to provide quantitative measures for the contribution of a particular link or agent to the controllability of the overall network. Next, the case when both communication links and agents in the network can fail simultaneously is considered, and graphical conditions for preservation of controllability are investigated.


identifier: SINGH, JAGDEEP  (2012) A SOAP Web Services-Based Architecture for Floor Control in Multimedia Conferencing.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

type: Thesis NonPeerReviewed

abstract:
Multimedia conferencing applications are an important and widely-used category of Web applications. Floor control is a significant and advanced feature of multimedia conferencing applications. Floor control mechanisms, when introduced in audio/video conferencing, control the media streams such as identifying which participant is allowed to send and who can be seen or heard. This prevents conflict and ensures an optimized use of resources between the conference participants. Floor control is composed of three logical entities: a single floor control server (i.e. entity responsible for managing the floors and their status), one or more floor chairs (moderators), and any number of regular conference participants.
This thesis proposes a SOAP Web services based architecture for floor control in multimedia conferencing. Web services are designed to support interoperable machine-to-machine interaction over a network. They are attractive because of their flexibility. There are two types of web services: SOAP Web services and RESTful Web services. In SOAP Web services, interactions between the entities are based on XML and use SOAP, which is embedded in HTTP. RESTful web services are an architectural design style that rely on HTTP, but do not use SOAP. XML is also optional. We propose a set of floor control requirements and use them to review the related work and pinpoint the weaknesses. The proposed architecture includes the main components of floor control. It also includes a comprehensive set of server-side and client-side SOAP web service APIs that expose the floor control capabilities to application developers. The proposed APIs are programming language-independent and provide a higher level of abstraction to the application developers, which enables the interoperability. Furthermore, in the proposed architecture the floor control clients do not interact directly with the floor control server (FCS) but through a gateway accessible using SOAP web services. This opens up the possibility to use different floor control protocols transparently to the floor control clients. Application portability is no longer a problem because floor clients access the floor capabilities independently of the protocol supported by the FCS.
We have built a conferencing application with floor control as a proof of concept to demonstrate the new interface for floor control and the feasibility of the proposed architecture. In addition, performance measurements have also been made to evaluate the viability of the architecture.


identifier: ALBAHNASSI, WESSAM  (2012) Parallelizing Games for Heterogeneous Computing Environments.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Game applications nowadays run on platforms that contain multiple and different types of processors. Benefiting from the available processing power requires: (1) Code to be designed to run in parallel; and (2) Efficient mapping techniques to schedule tasks optimally on appropriate processors for increasing performance. The work in this thesis is directed towards improving the execution time performance of game applications on host platforms. The methodology adopted consisted of the following different stages: (1) Studying the main features of game applications; (2) Investigating parallelization opportunities within these applications, (3) Identifying/designing the programming structures needed to realize those opportunities; and (4) Designing, implementing, verifying and testing the parallel programming structures developed to support heterogeneous processing and maximize use of available processing power.

The research reported in this thesis presents a new framework for parallel programming of games. This framework consists of two major components which form the two main contributions of our work. These are (1) Sayl, a new design pattern to enable parallel programming of game applications and to reduce the amount of programmer work when writing parallel code; and (2) Arbiter Work Stealing, a new task scheduler capable of efficiently and automatically scheduling dynamically generated tasks to processors in a heterogeneous processing and memory environment. The framework was used to successfully parallelize the serial code of a sample game application to work in a heterogeneous processing environment. The parallel version shows far superior performance as compared to the serial version.


identifier: Gerchicoff, Brent Thomas  (2012) The Rockets’ Red Glare: The impact of technology on U.S. nuclear strategy from Eisenhower to Carter.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

type: Thesis PeerReviewed

abstract:
The Manhattan Project redefined the landscape of international security. The advent of the nuclear age, in many ways, reshaped the prospect of great power politics and the very nature of war itself. While nuclear weapons have altered the security environment, the literature that revolves around the subject is limited to a few select topics: arms control, deterrence, normative assertions on the (im)morality of nuclear weapons, the routines and potential accidents of organizational behaviour, and the boondoggles of ballistic missile defense. The literature fails to address how the technical operating requirements of nuclear weapons affect nuclear strategy.

The research question posed in this thesis is: does technology play an independent role in determining nuclear doctrine? The explanation tested in this thesis is that technology, specifically the technical operating requirements of nuclear weapons drove the American military towards a counterforce-biased doctrine and away from a city-strike strategy. Furthermore, the technical operating requirements were responsible for the move away from Launch on Warning and First Strike doctrines. Technology, as the primary driving factor in the establishment of nuclear doctrine, analysts should be able to make key insights into the highly classified characteristics of a state’s nuclear strategy if they are able to find out the procurement policy of that state’s military. A technology-driven nuclear doctrine warns us about how other states will develop in the future, as they will be reflective of the technical operating characteristics of their assets.


identifier: Mohandoss, Shridhar, Mudur, Sudhir and Goswami, Dhrubajyoti  (2012) Accelerating 3D registration using multi-core CPU and GPU cluster.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

creator:
Mohandoss, Shridhar
Mudur, Sudhir
Goswami, Dhrubajyoti


identifier: Couture, Julie  (2012) Le rituel chez Gérard de Nerval: carnavalisations et ratages.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
RÉSUMÉ
Le rituel chez Gérard de Nerval : carnavalisations et ratages
Julie Couture
Ce mémoire étudie selon une approche ethnocritique la présence du rituel dans trois oeuvres de Gérard de Nerval : « Le roi de Bicêtre », « Sylvie » et « Jemmy ». La carnavalisation des rituels, présentée sous forme de permutations, d’inversions et de parodies, mène à leur ratage. Cela entraîne inévitablement la liminalisation des personnages qui, incapables de franchir les phases de marge et d’accomplir les séquences rituelles, se retrouvent avec des problèmes identitaires et deviennent des personnages liminaires, évoluant en marge de la normalité. Ne pouvant acquérir le statut d’initié, les personnages se retrouvent associés à deux catégories, soit celle de non-initié ou de sur-initié (Scarpa, 2009). Bien que dans les deux cas le personnage soit incapable d’aller vers l’avenir et de s’accomplir, le statut de sur-initié lui fournit les outils nécessaires pour accompagner les autres dans leur cheminement initiatique. Ce mémoire aborde plusieurs thématiques typiquement nervaliennes, liées de près à la carnavalisation, mais également représentatives du XIXe siècle, telles l’errance, la folie, le dédoublement, la mélancolie, la confusion entre le rêve et la réalité, et l’amour. L’analyse textuelle de ces thématiques évolue conjointement avec le repérage des procédés carnavalesques et mène à la confirmation du caractère raté des rituels, ce qui jette un nouvel éclairage sur l’oeuvre nervalienne.


identifier: Leonard, Erica  (2012) Prescription Drug Brand Personality as Perceived by Consumers: A Two-Dimensional Scale.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Brand personality can facilitate the development of meaningful consumer-brand relationships and allow consumers to move beyond a product attribute focus. The pharmaceutical industry has faced challenging market dynamics in recent years, and the outlook for branded prescription drugs remains bleak. In light of the difficulties facing this industry, brand personality may be a valuable marketing asset. A study of 483 U.S. respondents explored the existence of prescription drug brand personalities as identified by consumers. The findings revealed that consumers are in fact able to attribute human personality traits to prescription drugs, and a stable and generalizable two-dimensional (Competence & Innovativeness) scale was established. The results of a multiple regression analysis suggested that brand personality can be created through a number of different ways, including brand familiarity, advertisement, and personal experience (usage). In addition, a significant relationship between brand personality and likelihood to request a prescription was found, providing preliminary support for the hypothesis that brand personality can influence consumer purchase behaviour. This research has important implications for the expansion of pharmaceutical branding strategies and demonstrates the potential of using brand personality as an effective positioning and differentiation tool.


identifier: Young, Chih-Wang  (2012) Hybrid Integrated Ultra-Broadband Optical Receiver for Radio-over-Fiber Application.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Communication is an integral part of people’s daily life, and its demand will never cease. After multiple generations of communication system improvement, broadband wireless communication has become a conspicuous development trend but the congested spectrum has turned into one of the system bottlenecks. Therefore, shifting into higher frequency bands, that is, wavelengths of millimeter scale would be a solution to suffice the escalating consumer demand, and Radio-over-Fiber (RoF) is the key for successful system deployment. Under RoF structure, Radio Frequency (RF) signals can be directly distributed from central station to base stations via optical fiber, as a result, size of base station can be implemented into a palm-size package, and more importantly, lower unit cost of base stations crucial due to high volume use.
	In this work, we started with the design of an optical receiver as the first step of transceiver integration, and targeted at 40 GHz or above. Different from the widespread digital optical receiver, optical nature of RoF transmission is analog signal, and consequently its receiver demands higher qualification standards. Noise, intermodulation distortion, nonlinearities and other aspects are all required to be validated.
	Putting the cost factor into consideration, we used Miniature Hybrid Microwave Integrated Circuit (MHMIC) technology to implement our analog optical receiver. Design and simulation of the 40 GHz receiver was mainly carried out by Agilent Advanced Design System (ADS), and the bondwire interconnection is identified as a major potential bandwidth degradation factor of the receiver.
	After the circuit fabrication, the S-parameter results showed the receiver bandwidth is limited to 30 GHz due to certain fabrication error caused by bondwires. The bandwidth evaluation is further verified from Error Vector Magnitude (EVM) results by transmitting Ultra-wideband (UWB) signal centered at 30.31 GHz through a 20 KM long optical fiber. In back-to-back characterization of the receiver, the 1-dB compression point is found as 11.7 dBm (referred to input) and the SFDR based on two sets of two-tone frequencies (4 GHz with 6 GHz, and 13 GHz with 14 GHz) is 107.45 dB/Hz2/3. Responsivity of the receiver is 0.325 A/W at 1550 nm.


identifier: van der Veen, Jon  (2012) Participatory Listmaking: Encyclopedic Lists, Evaluative Lists, Playlists.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Lists tend to be treated in media studies as “pre-text”, “con-text”, or “para-text”, but rarely in a focused and tailored manner as “text”. One reason for this, I suggest, is rooted in the list form’s ambiguous constitution as both the multiple individuated items in the list as well as the singular ground onto which they are drawn together, accounting for a paradoxical quality that confers upon the list form both its heady participatory capacities and more limiting “granular” semiotic capacities. Defining a list most generally as “a category, communicated”, this dissertation identifies and explores three such kinds of lists and their sites of listmaking, analyzing each through the co-ordinates of participation, selection, order, and rhetoric. Encyclopedic lists exhibit a style of listmaking whose roots I trace to the great 18th century encyclopedic projects, emphasize a mode of amateur contribution aimed at completing the list in an expanding and proliferate world, and exhibit a paradoxical rhetoric of totalization and fragmentation that, I argue, resolves through an ethic of “completism.” Evaluative lists such as Top 10 or Best-of lists exhibit a style of listmaking I trace to the history of women’s and lifestyle periodicals, and exhibit a rhetorical stance that combines the fragmentation inherent in masses of individual “subjective” experiences with the more authoritative aims of the genres to act as “arbiters of taste”, resolving in an ethic of “tacit commensuration.” Playlists across various music scheduling, personal compilation, and digital contexts exhibit a mode of listmaking focused on the artistic criteria of the playlist-maker, where the form is pulled rhetorically towards its pretentions of reflecting an artistic work in its own right and reflecting a fan-perspective that emphasizes the received identities and social existences of its items, prompting an ethic of “contingency” in an attempt to secure a fleeting authorial coherence. I conclude that we turn to participatory lists when we are committed to exploiting the participatory capacities inherent in encyclopedic completion, evaluative commensuration, and aesthetic contingency, but in an addendum to the theory of “participatory cultures” (Jenkins 2009), we may also recognize the limitations inherent in texts that describe the world by the accretion of “facts”, that never quite sustain a singular argumentative arc, and that paint pictures using the coarse brushes of others’ commercial-aesthetic works.


identifier: Angrignon-Girouard, Emilie  (2012) Une route dans le brouillard. Transition à l'âge adulte et aspirations d'une population migrante musulmane dans le sud de l'Espagne (Grenade) en temps de crise économique.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.


identifier: Pagé, Alexandre  (2012) Video Scribbling with Preschool-Aged Children.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
“Television is not a credit course in anything. but it very definitely
has the marks of a natural environment in which the child forages
and finds his way…”
(McLuhan & Fiore, 1968, p.70)

While literacy programmes for young children deem it important to introduce the rudimentary codes and structures of reading and writing as early as possible, this is sadly still not the case for all media. After half a century of analyzing the effects various television programmes have on young children, we have all but ignored the crucial skills required to decode the complex television language and how these skill are acquired. The merits of content are often discussed, yet rarely is television itself the topic. This research proposes a process which hopes to grant the opportunity for children to “video scribble,” much like they would scribble with a crayon, thereby learning through an active interaction with the medium. Using a basic setup in which a camera feeds live images into a television set, this project allows for children to directly play with the medium of video, rather than passively consume it. Encouraged to interact with TV and participate in the act of production, young children will be given the opportunity to experiment and test the inherent codes, rules and limitations of the technology.


identifier: Chadnova, Eva  (2012) Challenging the limits of the motor system: Differential kinematic and electromyographic outcomes associated with age.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The measurement and assessment of maximal voluntary rate (MVR) are essential to our understanding of the limiting factors associated with motor control of human movement. However, very little is known about the dynamic changes that occur throughout an MVR task and how these changes impact upon normal functional capacity, especially with respect to aging and selected clinical populations. The purpose of this study is to test the functional capacity of the motor system and to compare any age-related changes in kinematics and electromyographic (EMG) parameters between young and older groups. Using a simple but novel MVR task (e.g., flexion and extension of the index finger for 20 s) developed by Rodrigues and colleagues (2009), we collected data on both the dominant (right) and non-dominant index fingers.  With respect to the dominant finger, both groups experienced an immediate and continuous decline in peak movement frequency and velocity of the flexor and extensor. Significant group differences were observed in amplitude and peak velocity of flexor and extensor. There was a significant group x time interaction with the older group demonstrating a progressive increase in muscle activation pattern (e.g., co-contraction) over time while the younger group maintained their initial levels relatively constant. There was an interaction with peak velocity of the extensor muscle whereby the young decreased at a faster rate than the older group.  With respect to the non-dominant index finger, the median frequency of the extensor was different between groups with the young experiencing a leftward shift indicative of fatigue. The young group declined in maximal velocity of the extensor as well as the pre-post difference in maximal voluntary contraction of the extensor. Although the young group exhibited signs of peripheral fatigue on the non-dominant side only, there were no signs of peripheral fatigue on either side of the older group. We conclude that the chosen MVR task challenges the central limits of the motor system differently with age, not only in the way that the two groups respond in terms of movement kinematics and patterns of muscle activation but also in the way that elderly appear to pre-program their maximal voluntary movements.  We also conclude that hand dominance plays a differential role in the outcome of the MVR task in that the non-dominant side adjusts differently to the MVR in terms of peak velocity and median frequency (extensors) and that the young appear to experience a peripheral form of fatigue that is not seen in the elderly.


identifier: Utendale, William T.  (2012) Examining the developing regulatory functions of inhibitory control in young children with externalizing problems.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.


identifier: Flageul, Valérie  (2012) Le choix lexical en français langue seconde : fondements empiriques et réflexions didactiques.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Ce mémoire propose des pistes pour l'enseignement du choix lexical en français langue seconde au niveau intermédiaire-avancé fondées sur une analyse de corpus d'apprenants. L'analyse des erreurs lexicales dans un corpus de productions écrites a permis de dégager des catégories d'erreurs de choix lexical. Cinq catégories d'erreurs de nature sémantique sont caractérisées à l'aide de notions linguistiques, pour être utilisées dans une séquence didactique. Cette séquence comprend la présentation d’un « espace de décision » pour le choix lexical associée à une prise de conscience des paramètres intervenant dans le choix lexical, une démarche d'autocorrection avec utilisation des codes issus de l'analyse du corpus et de stratégies d'autocorrection et enfin un travail sur des champs lexicaux. En effet, la compétence dans le choix lexical dépend à la fois des mots considérés individuellement et des mots insérés dans un réseau lexical.


identifier: Khader, Mohammed  (2012) Multimodality and Nonrigid Image Registration with Application to Diffusion Tensor Imaging.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
The great challenge in image registration is to devise computationally efficient algorithms for aligning images
so that their details overlap accurately. The first problem addressed in this thesis is multimodality
medical image registration, which we formulate as an optimization problem in the information-theoretic setting.
We introduce a viable and practical image registration method by maximizing a generalized entropic
dissimilarity measure using a modified simultaneous perturbation stochastic approximation algorithm. The
feasibility of the proposed image registration approach is demonstrated through extensive experiments.
The rest of the thesis is devoted to nonrigid medical image registration. We propose an informationtheoretic
framework by optimizing a non-extensive entropic similarity measure using the quasi-Newton
method as an optimization scheme and cubic B-splines for modeling the nonrigid deformation field between
the fixed and moving 3D image pairs. To achieve a compromise between the nonrigid registration accuracy
and the associated computational cost, we implement a three-level hierarchical multi-resolution approach in
such a way that the image resolution is increased in a coarse to fine fashion. The feasibility and registration
accuracy of the proposed method are demonstrated through experimental results on a 3D magnetic resonance
data volume and also on clinically acquired 4D computed tomography image data sets. In the same vein,
we extend our nonrigid registration approach to align diffusion tensor images for multiple components by
enabling explicit optimization of tensor reorientation. Incorporating tensor reorientation in the registration
algorithm is pivotal in wrapping diffusion tensor images. Experimental results on diffusion-tensor image
registration indicate the feasibility of the proposed approach and a much better performance compared to
the affine registration method based on mutual information, not only in terms of registration accuracy in the
presence of geometric distortions but also in terms of robustness in the presence of Rician noise.


identifier: Macdougall, Heather  (2012) Finding a Voice: The Role of Irish-Language Film in Irish National Cinema.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
This dissertation investigates the history of film production in the minority language of Irish Gaelic.  The objective is to determine what this history reveals about the changing roles of both the national language and national cinema in Ireland.  The study of Irish-language film provides an illustrative and significant example of the participation of a minority perspective within a small national cinema.  It is also illustrates the potential role of cinema in language maintenance and revitalization.
Research is focused on policies and practices of filmmaking, with additional consideration given to film distribution, exhibition, and reception.  Furthermore, films are analysed based on the strategies used by filmmakers to integrate the traditional Irish language with the modern medium of film, as well as their motivations for doing so. Research methods included archival work, textual analysis, personal interviews, and review of scholarly, popular, and trade publications.
Case studies are offered on three movements in Irish-language film.  First, the Irish-language organization Gael Linn produced documentaries in the 1950s and 1960s that promoted a strongly nationalist version of Irish history while also exacerbating the view of Irish as a “private discourse” of nationalism.  Second, independent filmmaker Bob Quinn operated in the Irish-speaking area of Connemara in the 1970s; his fiction films from that era situated the regional affiliations of the language within the national context.  Finally, films made since the 1990s benefited from generous public subsidies from TG4 (the Irish-language television station) and the Irish Film Board; this funding attracted a large cross-section of filmmakers whose diverse linguistic identities are reflected in the texts of the films themselves.  Although historically there have been successful examples of independently produced Irish-language films, current production is dependent on public funding, and the future of Irish-language cinema appears to be very closely linked to policy decisions of both film and language agencies.


identifier: Shi, Guangfu/S.G.F  (2012) Efficient Rendering of Scenes with Dynamic Lighting Using a Photons Queue and Incremental Update Algorithm.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Photon mapping is a popular extension to the classic ray tracing algorithm in the ﬁeld of realistic image synthesis. Moreover, it beneﬁts from the massive parallelism computational power brought by recent developments in graphics processor hardwareand programming models. However rendering the scenes with dynamic lights stillgreatly limits the performance due to the re-construction at each rendered frame ofa kd-tree for the photons. We developed a novel approach based on the idea that storing the photons data along with the kd-tree leaf nodes data and implemented new incremental update scheme to improve the performance for dynamic lighting. The implementation is GPU-based and fully parallelized. A series of benchmarks with the prevalent existing GPU photon mapping technique is carried out to evaluate our approach. Our new technique is shown to be faster when handling scenes with dynamic lights than the existing technique while having the same image quality.


identifier: Yazdanpour-Naeini, Roshanak/RY  (2012) Automatic Detection of High Frequency Oscillations of Neural Signals in Epileptic Patients.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Epilepsy is one the most common neurological disorders. For patients suffering from epilepsy who are medically intractable, in certain cases surgical resection of pathologic brain tissue is one remaining possibility. Prior to surgery, intracranial Electroencephalography (IEEG) study is conducted to localize seizure-generating zones. IEEG typically consists of studying epileptiform spikes and seizure discharges; however some researchers have observed short bursts of high frequency oscillations (HFOs), mostly in the range of 100-500 Hz in the seizure generating areas. A retrospective correlation analysis between the post-surgical outcome and HFO generating tissue supports the idea that HFO events may play a fundamental role in epilepsy and epileptogenesis. Recently, HFO events have been scored visually by clinicians. Typically, it is necessary to record IEEG for several days or weeks to collect sufficient epileptiform activities for precise evaluation. Needless to say, manual review of the data makes visual scoring an extremely tiresome process in which subjectivity is inevitable. Due to the recent explosion of HFO research, the development of algorithms for automatic detection of HFO events poses a great benefit to researchers and clinicians. In the literature, two methods have been widely used for automatic detection of HFO events based on the energy of the signal in the 100-500 Hz frequency band. In this thesis, we present three new methods for automatic detection of HFO events based on the sharpness property of the IEEG signals. By using simulated and real-data signals, the performance of the proposed methods are compared to the existing energy-based approaches using sensitivity and specificity metrics. Additionally, we present the clinical implication of the HFO event detections for four epileptic patients. The results indicate that the performance of the proposed detectors are robust and stable and do not deteriorate in the presence of the noise and artifacts.


identifier: Abdelsalam, Ossama Ramy  (2012) Analysis and Optimization of Autofrettaged and Shrink-Fitted Compound Cylinders under Thermo-Mechanical Loads.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Cylindrical shells have large industrial applications ranging from pressure vessels, engine cylinders and hydraulic chambers to chemical and power plants and they are typically subjected to severe mechanical or thermo-mechanical environmental conditions. The fatigue life, pressure and thermal load bearing capacities of thick-walled cylinders can be considerably improved by inducing near the bore compressive residual hoop stresses. Shrink-fit and autofrettage processes have been effectively applied to generate favorable compressive residual stresses. The main goal of this research study is to fundamentally investigate the compound cylinders subjected to autofrettage and shrink-fit processes and develop new design processing technique and practical design optimization strategies to enhance their fatigue life under cyclic thermo-mechanical loads.
First, the residual stresses of compound cylinders subjected to different combinations of shrink-fit and autofrettage processes have been evaluated using the developed finite element model in the ANSYS environment. The stresses due to different cyclic thermo-mechanical loads have also been calculated for the different combinations of compound cylinders considering the fully coupled thermo-elastic finite element model. To validate the finite element model, an experimental setup has been designed to measure the temperature history at three different locations through the wall thickness and also hoop strain at the outer surface of a two-layer compound cylinder under internal quasi-static and cyclic thermal loads. The experimental results have then been compared with those obtained from the finite element model. Moreover, to compare the performance of compound cylinders under different thermo-mechanical loads, the fatigue life due to cyclic pressure, cyclic thermal pulses and cyclic combined thermo-mechanical pulses has been calculated using ASME code for high pressure vessel.
Next, to enhance the residual stress distribution along the wall thickness of the cylinder, a new double autofrettage process has been introduced. In the proposed double autofrettage process, an outer autofrettage cycle is performed prior to a standard inner autofrettage cycle. This can provide an increase in the beneficial compressive residual stresses at the near bore area of the cylinder while decreasing the detrimental tensile residual stress at the outer part of the cylinder. The proposed process has then been utilized to construct new combinations of autofrettage, shrink-fit and double autofrettage processes. The residual stress distribution through the thickness and fatigue life of these new combinations have been evaluated and compared with those based on conventional combinations of shrink-fit and autofrettage processes.
Finally, a practical design optimization methodology has been developed to identify the optimal configuration of autofrettaged and shrink-fitted cylinders. Optimization problems based on the high-fidelity finite element model is computationally very expensive and may not render accurate optimum results. Considering this in the presented research, design of experiment (DOE) and response surface method (RSM) have been used in combination with the finite element model to create smooth response surface functions which can accurately describe the behavior of the residual hoop stresses with respect to the change of design variables. The developed response surface functions have been effectively utilized in the design optimization problems to simultaneously maximize the residual compressive hoop stress and minimize the residual tensile hoop stress through the thickness of the compound cylinder.  Nonlinear mathematical programming technique based on the powerful sequential quadratic programming (SQP) algorithm has been used in combination with the genetic algorithm (GA) in order to accurately capture the global optimal solutions. At the end, the residual hoop stress distribution and fatigue life of the optimum configurations for each combination of autofrettage and shrink-fit processes have been evaluated and compared.


identifier: Abdrabou, Bassem  (2012) Failure Prediction Model for Oil Pipelines.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Abstract
Failure Predicting Model for Oil Pipelines
Bassem Abdrabou

Oil and gas pipelines are considered the safest means to transport petroleum products comparing to railway and highway transportations. They transport millions of dollars’ worth of goods every day. However, accidents happen every year and some of these accidents inflict catastrophic impact on the environment and result in great economic loss. In order to maintain safety of the pipelines, several inspection techniques have been developed in the last decades. Despite the accuracy of these techniques, they are very costly and time consuming. Similarly, several failure predicting and condition assessment models have been developed in the last decade; however, most of these models are limited to one type of failure, such as corrosion failure, or mainly depend on expert opinion which makes their output seemingly subjective.
The present research develops an objective model of failure prediction for oil pipelines depending on the available historical data on pipelines' accidents. Two approaches were used to fulfill this objective: the artificial neural network (ANN) and the Multi Nomial Logit (MNL). The ANN is used to develop a model to predict failure due to mechanical, corrosion or third party, which collectively account for 88% of oil pipeline accidents. This model had a prediction accuracy of 68.5%. Another ANN model is developed to predict only corrosion or third party failure with a prediction accuracy of 72.2%. The Average Validity Percentage (AVP) for the two models is 73.7 and 72.8, respectively.
The MNL approach is used to develop a model that predicts failures caused by mechanical, corrosion or third party elements with a prediction accuracy of 68.4% and Pseudo R Squared of 0.42. The Average Validity Percentage (AVP) for this MNL approach is 73.7%. This model also generates a probability equation for each type of failure.
The three developed models show convincing results, since they are based on solid historical failure data for the last 38 years, with no subjectivity or ambiguity. These models could easily be used by oil pipeline operators to identify the type of failure threatening each pipeline so that appropriate preventive and corrective measures can be planned. The models also help to prioritize in-line inspection of different pipeline segments according to the predicted type of failure.


identifier: Simard, Geneviève  (2012) Du Chaos à la Compréhension Une Étude Auto-ethnographique de la Transformation par l’Art.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Mémoire auto-ethnographique qui, par le biais de la théorie des apprentissages transformateurs élaborée par Jack Mezirow (1994), fait le point sur les changements de perspectives engendrés par le retour aux études de l’adulte en quête identitaire. Les écrits de Gérard Artaud (1985; 1979) font figure de référence pour générer une réflexion sur les étapes nécessaires au changement et à la découverte des intérêts fondamentaux de la personne. Les études universitaires dans le domaine artistique sont le point d’ancrage de cette recherche. Les images de plusieurs toiles que j’ai réalisées sont juxtaposées au texte et illustrent mon propos. Je visite trois aspects différents de l’exploration de soi en faisant une réflexion face à mon univers (le monde), l’autre (autrui) et finalement ma propre personne (moi). Cette recherche trouve une résonnance chez l’auteure Danielle Nolin (2008) en prônant l’art comme moyen de formation de son identité. L’utilisation des symboles picturaux tels le miroir, le masque et le mouvement comme métaphore de l’identité sont expliqués. La difficulté de poser un regard juste sur soi-même est également exprimée.


identifier: Schuman, Jonathan  (2012) Looking Beyond the Canonical Formulation and Evaluation Paradigm of Prepositional Phrase Attachment.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Prepositional phrase attachment has long been considered one of the most difficult tasks in automated syntactic parsing of natural language text. In this thesis, we examine several aspects of what has become the dominant view of PP attachment in natural language processing with an eye toward extending this view to a more realistic account of the problem. In particular, we take issue with the manner in which most PP attachment work is evaluated, and the degree to which traditional assumptions and simplifications no longer allow for realistically meaningful assessments. We also argue for looking beyond the canonical subset of attachment problems, where almost all attention has been focused, toward a fuller view of the task, both in terms of the types of ambiguities addressed and the contextual information considered.


identifier: Omeman, Zkaria Mohamed  (2012) Load Sharing of Piled-Raft Foundations in Sand Subjected to Vertical Loads.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.


identifier: Haque, S M Anamul  (2012) Systematic Approach for Modifying Project Schedules due to Unexpected Changes.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Project schedules are subject to change due to uncertain aspects, such as failure of machines, worker Absenteeism and turnovers, changes of scope, and reworks, etc. These changes may often result in project delays, cost overruns, quality defects and other negative impacts. In response to changes, project managers need to revise the schedule to minimize the impact of the changes. They usually revise the schedule by modifying allocation of resources and arrangement of tasks to cope with the changes. In general, it is extremely difficult to modify a schedule due to limited resources, extensive interaction among activities and resources besides the typical constraints. The problem remains in how to control and minimize the overall impact of changes by taking necessary corrective actions.
In the above context, we first introduce a standard model for task-resource allocation schedule that incorporates necessary relationships among tasks and resources, and possible constraints of the project. We then propose a reactive scheduling approach to modify the baseline schedule to address changes due to the absence of workers during project execution. To modify the schedule, we define three change options based on preemptive and non-preemptive resource reassignment strategies. When a change occurs, the reactive scheduling framework selects the best change option using systematic decision process by capturing the change scenario and assessing the change impact. The change impact is measured in view of  the importance of absent worker, length of absence, and criticality of affected tasks. The objective of this approach is to limit the increasing of the project duration from initial deadline (i.e., delay) without changing too many task-resource assignments. Finally, an example application related to software development project is presented to illustrate the implementation and features of our proposed approach.


identifier: Candelario Suarez, Jose Daniel  (2012) Wind-induced pressures on canopies attached to the walls of low-rise buildings.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Current knowledge regarding wind-induced pressures on attached canopies is restricted to a limited number of studies. As a result, most wind standards and codes of practice do not provide guidelines for the design of such components.
This thesis consists of a parametric study that expands current knowledge by providing a better understanding on the behavior of pressure coefficients acting on canopies attached to low rise buildings. All experimental results presented on this study have been carried out in the Building Aerodynamics Laboratory of Concordia University.
Two canopy models have been fabricated for the purpose of this study in the form of rectangular thin plates with pressure taps equally distributed along both upper and lower faces. These canopy models were attached at different locations on an acrylic glass building model with a gable roof of 4:12 slope. A total of 63 geometrically unique configurations were selected for this parametric study. The experiments were performed in the boundary layer wind tunnel for a simulated open terrain exposure. The 63 configurations, as well as the location of pressure taps on both faces of the canopy allow a detailed investigation of the different wind loading patterns exhibited as a function of the changes in the building geometry. A total number of 28 different wind directions have been tested for every configuration. Local and area-averaged peak values of the induced pressures have been analyzed as a function of the different geometrical relationships, which are unique to each configuration.
The experimental results indicate that a slight difference in the geometry of the attached canopy and the parent building can result in an 80% difference of the peak net pressure coefficient. It has also been noted that the most critical uplift forces occur in canopies located above the intermediate regions of the parent wall. In contrast, downward forces exhibit less sensitivity to changes in geometry.
Following the analysis and observations of the experimental data, recommended design guidelines have been provided for implementation in wind standards and building codes of practice. Comparisons with previous experimental results and provisions of other international standards and codes of practice are provided.


identifier: Fu, Yejun  (2012) A Millimeter Wave Electro-Optical Transmitter for Radio over Fiber Systems.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.


identifier: Wang, Jia Ning  (2012) Context-aware service discovery and service composition over smart phone devices.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
One of the advantages of smart phones is the ubiquity of sensing and computing power. The smart phone consists of a mobile computing platform. The Web browsers installed on the platform make it possible to surf the Internet through mobile broadband and Wi-Fi. An important aspect of smart phones is that they have application programming interfaces, which is able to take advantage of third-party applications. Different from any desktop applications, the smart phone applications could be highly adaptive to contexts, i.e. according to context information, e.g. location, identity, and time, the applications are tuned to satisfy particular requirements in the contexts. On the other sense, service composition is a way to plan a business process to fulfill business goals that cannot be achieved by individual business services. Service
composition can be modeled as a AI planning problem. Based on the initial context and the goal context, planning-based service composition launches a goal-oriented composition procedure to generate a plan. Service composition over smart phones can be context-awareness. In this thesis, we want to investigate context based service discovery and service composition over smart phones. We propose a constraint-based context model. We include non-electronic services into service composition, which extends the scope of services considered in existing service composition research. Moreover, our composition algorithm suits mobile computation power because the service composition can adjust to the computation power of mobile phone easily. As
a motivating example, we build an entertainment planner over an Android phone.


identifier: Mirhosseini, Mehrnaz/MM  (2012) Modeling and analysis of secure collaborative design via function-parameter matrix.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In order to keep the competitive advantages in today’s global business market, it is critical for the companies to establish an effective engineering collaboration and protect the intellectual properties of the original manufacturer companies. The purpose of this thesis is to develop the modularization method introduced by Li (2007), in order to protect intellectual property from being shared by suppliers or other manufacturers that attempt to do reverse engineering in collaborative design. This thesis uses this introduced Function-Parameter matrix which represents the dependency relationships between shared and protected (IP) design parameters, in order to group and isolate all the intellectual property information. This modularization includes three phases of clustering that matches hierarchical clustering rules. Due to this clustering, tracking the protected parameters via inferences and selecting one set of low risk parameters for sharing with suppliers will be more effective while this method mitigates the risk of information leakage for intellectual property. Based on a matrix-based modular structure, two formulations are proposed to estimate the leakage risk of protected parameters due to the disclosure of shared parameters to suppliers and potential inferences.  At the end, the DC motor and the relief valve system are used to examine the proposed modularization and measurement methods.


identifier: Baghernezhad, Farzad  (2012) Machine Learning-based Strategies for Robust Fault Detection and Identification of Mobile Robots.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Nowadays, process monitoring and fault diagnosis techniques are becoming a critical component of modern automatic control systems. One of the most crucial issues for the design of automatic control systems is reliability and dependability. Traditional ways to achieve these goals are through designing adaptive and robust controllers to eliminate any influence of faults on an output. Using these approaches, faults are managed but they could ultimately lead to failures; after which no controller could repair such effects. In order to minimize such damages, it is necessary to diagnose and rectify faults as soon as possible. In a fault detection system, residual generation is the first step in detecting faults, but residuals are not the only element of a dependable fault detection system. A fault detection system is reliable when an appropriate residual evaluation method is used along with a suitable residual generation technique.

The problem of fault detection and identification in a nonlinear system with applications to mobile robots is addressed in this thesis. For this purpose, first a new simulator for mobile robots containing kinematic and dynamic equations of a mobile robot and its actuators is designed. To detect faults in the system, a linear velocity of the mobile robot is chosen and modeled with computationally intelligent techniques. Locally linear models (LLM) as a neuro-fuzzy technique and radial basis function (RBF) as a powerful neural network are used to estimate the linear velocity of a mobile robot and generate residuals by comparing these with the system measurements. Subsequently, residuals are evaluated by using fixed and adaptive threshold bands. Adaptive threshold bands are generated using locally model thresholds (LMT) and model error modeling (MEM) technique in order to reduce the fault detection delay and false alarms. Finally, fault identification of a mobile robot by using multiple model technique is presented with the two proposed methods of modeling and threshold generation. The fault identification task consists of determining the occurrence of the fault as well as its location and magnitude. This is accomplished on four different types of faults with different magnitudes that are divided in ten different classes. For each scenario, simulation results are presented to demonstrate and illustrate the advantages and disadvantages of each methodology.

The main contributions of this thesis can be stated as follows: (a) the development and design of a new fault diagnosis method and a residual evaluation scheme by using an adaptive threshold band that is accomplished by using locally linear models of the system, (b) development of a fault detection approach based on computational intelligent algorithms for mobile robots using the MEM algorithm to generate adaptive threshold bands, (c) development of two fault identification approaches based on the concept of multiple models for a mobile robot, and (d) the resulting improvements of the proposed adaptive threshold bands are shown through extensive simulation results.


identifier: Rocher, Guy-Joël  (2012) Hydrogen Storage Properties of Mg-Ni-H through Pressure Composition Isotherms Combined with Thermodynamic Calculations.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.


identifier: Poisson, Hélène  (2012) The programmatic writings of Johann Sebastian Drey (1777-1853), founder of the Catholic Tübingen school. With an approach to their relevance for our time.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.


identifier: ALDAHHAM, NASER  (2012) Marcel Pagnol et Tahar Ben Jelloun : enjeux culturels de l’apprentissage de la masculinité.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
RÉSUMÉ
Marcel Pagnol et Tahar Ben Jelloun :
enjeux culturels de l’apprentissage de la masculinité
Naser Aldahham
Marcel Pagnol et Tahar Ben Jelloun sont des auteurs méditerranéens. Le premier
est né à Marseille en 1895, le second à Fès en 1944. Tous deux témoignent dans leur oeuvre
de leur attachement, heureux ou malheureux, à leur lieu d’origine et le représentent
dans leurs récits d’enfance, tels ceux faisant l’objet de cette étude, soit les textes autobiographiques
de Pagnol, La gloire de mon père et Le château de ma mère, et les romans de
Ben Jelloun, L’enfant de sable et La nuit sacrée. Dans ces récits, les auteurs racontent
l’apprentissage d’un garçon, Marcel Pagnol enfant, et d’une fille, Zahra, que son père, à
défaut d’un fils et d’un héritier, veut élever en homme.
De quelle façon nos auteurs abordent-ils le thème de l’apprentissage de la masculinité
? Quelle influence leur origine méditerranéenne, française ou marocaine exercet-
elle sur le traitement de leurs récits ? Quelles visions du monde nous rendent-ils à travers
les valeurs de leurs sociétés et des états qui les gouvernent, celui laïc et moderne de
Pagnol au début du XXe siècle ou celui religieux et traditionnel du milieu du XXe siècle
décrit par Ben Jelloun dans ses romans ?
C’est ce que ce mémoire entend montrer en abordant ce thème à la fois sur le plan
narratologique et sociologique, soit, en premier lieu, par un examen comparatif des textes
dans la perspective narratologique de Genette, et, en second lieu, par l’analyse des enjeux
sociaux respectifs des récits.


identifier: Almajdoob, Ahmed  (2012) Design and FPGA Implementation of an OFDM System Based on 3GPP LTE Standard over Multipath Fading Channel.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.


identifier: Pazooki, Alireza  (2012) Ride and directional dynamic analysis of articulated frame steer vehicles.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
ABSTRACT
Pazooki Alireza, Ph.D.
Concordia University, 2012
Articulated frame steer vehicles (ASVs), widely employed in different off-road sectors, are generally unsuspended vehicles. Owning to their complex operating environment, high mass center, relatively soft and large diameter tires, wide load variations and load distribution, and kineto-dynamics of the frame steering mechanism, these vehicles transmit higher magnitudes of low frequency whole-body vibration (WBV) to the operators and also exhibit lower roll and directional stability limits. While the superior performance potentials of axle suspension in limiting the WBV exposure have been clearly demonstrated, the implementations in ASVs have been limited due to the complex design challenges associated with conflicting requirements posed by the ride and roll/directional stability requirements. Growing concerns on human driver comfort and safety, and increasing demands for higher speed ASVs such as articulated dump trucks, however, call for alternate suspension designs for realizing an improved compromise between the ride and stability performance. This dissertation research is aimed at analysis of a torsio-elastic axle suspension concept for achieving improve ride, while preserving the directional stability limits of the ASV. For this purpose a comprehensive three-dimensional model of the articulated frame steer vehicles is developed for design and analysis of the proposed axle suspension concept. The model is formulated considering a three-dimensional tire model, tire lag, coherent right- and left-terrain track roughness, and kinematics and dynamics of the steering struts.
Field measurements were performed to characterize the ride properties of a conventional forestry skidder and that of a skidder retrofitted with the rear-axle torsio-elastic suspension under different load conditions. The measured data were analyzed to assess the ride performance potential of the suspension and to examine validity of the simulation model. Both the field measured and simulation results revealed that the proposed suspension could yield significant reductions in the magnitudes of vibration transmitted to the operator location, irrespective of the load and speed conditions. A simple yaw-plane model of the vehicle is also formulated to study the role of steering system design including the steering valve flows, kineto-dynamics of the steering struts and leakage flows on the snaking stability limits of the ASV. The results showed that the critical speeds are strongly dependent upon the kineto-dynamics of the articulated steering system.
The comprehensive three-dimensional model subsequently used for analysis of integrated ride and roll/directional stability limits of the vehicle and the axle suspension designs. The stability performance measures are defined to assess the vehicle stability limits under steady as well as transient directional maneuvers. The results show that the proposed rear-axle suspension deteriorates the stability performance only slightly, irrespective of the load condition. It is concluded that the proposed suspension concept could yield a very good compromise in ride and stability performance. The proposed model could serve as an effective and efficient tool for integrated ride and handling analysis and to seek primary suspension designs for an improved compromise between the ride and stability performance of ASVs.


identifier: Mohammadi Farhangi, Mehran  (2012) Numerical study of droplet coalescence and droplet shedding on surfaces with various wettabilities.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In this thesis, the dynamic behavior of droplets including the coalescence of a falling droplet with a sessile droplet on solid, and shedding of a sessile droplet exposed to shearing airflow are studied numerically. A two-phase volume of fluid (VOF) method is used to determine the droplet flow, shape evaluation, and contact line movement. The flows studied are treated as being laminar and computed in the framework of the finite-volume numerical method. To validate the model, the results of simulations for maximum spreading diameter of coalescing droplets are compared with experiment. The effect of different parameters such as droplet diameter, the impact velocity, the distance between the impacting droplets, and surface wettability on maximum spreading length, contact time and restitution coefficient are studied and compared to the experimental results.  It has been found that the contact time is independent of the impact velocity in a wide range of velocities; however, it largely depends on droplet diameter. The evolution of surface shape during the coalescence of two droplets on various surfaces is computed numerically and compared with experimental results. The spread length of two coalesced droplets along their original center is also predicted by the model and compared well with the experimental results. Finally, the fundamental parameters determining the incipient motion for a droplet exposed to shearing airflow (runback) are investigated. It was found that wetting parameters such as contact angle and contact angle hysteresis are very influential in determining the minimum required air velocity for drop shedding.


identifier: Khasawneh, Mahmoud  (2012) Power Management in Cognitive Radio Networks.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.


identifier: Marcil Johnston, Liliane Catherine  (2012) The Transformative Nature of Gender: The Coding of St. Brigit of Kildare through Hagiography.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study examines how gender is portrayed in the hagiographic tradition surrounding St. Brigit of Kildare. In particular, it provides an in-depth look at how Brigit, as presented in her hagiographies, constantly undergoes gender transformations. These gender transformations are analyzed using material gained from a study of the way women were viewed in the early Medieval period, with an emphasis placed on how they were viewed in Ireland during the same period. A focus on the theology about women of the time, Irish spirituality and the theology behind it,  as well as the conventions of hagiography and in particular the special characteristics of Irish hagiography are also offered.


identifier: Ferguson, Heather  (2012) The Writing on the Wall: The Impact of Information Media in Museum Space.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis is focused on the study of information media in museum space. Didactic panels, literally the writing on the wall, are standard practice in the planning and execution of exhibitions. The composition and use of these panels can be described as an institutional technology, instrumental in the construction of power. This project investigates how the production and placement of didactic panels in museums and galleries creates and maintains relationships of power between the viewer and the institution. To investigate this relationship, a participant observation study focused on visitor use and movement patterns was completed, as well as interviews with visitors to draw out their understanding of how didactics function within a museum space. These two methods combine to create a vivid picture of how the use of didactics fits into a network of the exertion of power over the visitor.


identifier: Hong, Youna  (2012) Information Asymmetry Around S&P 500 Index Changes.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.


identifier: Xu, Kang  (2012) Thermal and hydraulic modeling and control of a district heating system.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
A district heating system is a centralized heating system widely used for space heating. They offer economic benefits and are acknowledged to be more energy efficient. Their energy efficiency can be further improved by optimally controlling and operating the overall system. With this as the motivation a thermal and hydraulic model of a district heating is developed in this thesis.
  The developed model consists of a boiler, six buildings, hot water distribution network, circulating pump, balancing and control valves and terminal heaters. Both dynamic and steady state hydraulic simulations were made to study supply, return water and zone temperature response; Pressure distribution in the piping network under different load conditions. A relationship between balance valve settings and outdoor temperature (heating load) was determined. It was shown that proper setting of balance valves as a function of heating load improves energy efficiency.
  PI controllers were designed for the boiler and zone temperature control. Closed loop simulations are presented to show the control performance. By using steady state optimization technique optimal set points for the boiler temperature and near-optimal balance valve positions as a function of outdoor temperature were determined.
   Simulation results show that the use of optimal set points and balance valve settings up to 20% energy can be saved compared to the conventional outdoor air reset control strategy. Simulation results under operating conditions are presented.


identifier: Mehrpajouh, Sima  (2012) Computational studies on formation and intermolecular [1+2] cycloadditions of nitrilimines.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
2,5-disubstituted tetrazoles decompose thermally to give nitrilimines (R1–CNN–R2), whose electronic structure widely varies with the substituents R1 and R2. In particular, for R1, R2 = H, the carbenic contribution to the resonance structure is small, while for NH2-disubstitution Natural Resonance Theory predicts 70% carbene character. This has large implications for the reactivities of substituted nitrilimines. The goal of this work is to identify nitrilimines with large carbenic contributions to their resonance structure that can undergo [1+2] cycloaddition reactions with unsaturated systems, in contrast to the common [3+2] cycloadditions of nitrilimines with only a small carbenic character.
In this study, twelve tetrazoles known in the literature have been analyzed with respect to changes in geometry and orbital interactions. A Natural Bond Orbital analysis of the corresponding nitrilimines indicates that several possess an electron lone pair on carbon, which could be indicative of a sizeable carbenic contribution to the resonance structure. Based on this finding, the decomposition of the respective tetrazoles has been investigated. We have shown that, depending on the substituents, decomposition is either stepwise or concerted: C-substituted tetrazoles with electron donating groups follow a concerted pathway while electron withdrawing groups promote a stepwise path.
Nitrilimines have been widely used in 1,3-dipolar ([3+2]) cycloadditions, in which they add to a dipolarophile, typically an alkene or alkyne, to form five-membered heterocyclic rings. In fact, all nitrilimines studied experimentally to date have been shown to undergo [3+2] cycloaddition reactions and their mechanism has been extensively studied in the past. On the other hand, nitrilimines can be described through a carbenic valence-bond structure, and while intermolecular carbenic reactions from nitrilimines are unknown, intramolecular reaction products from ortho-vinyl MeCOO–CNN–Ph and Ph–CNN–Ph that seem to have followed two typical carbene reaction mechanisms, [1+2] cycloaddition and C–H insertion, have been reported. In an attempt to promote the intermolecular [1+2] cycloaddition, reactions of F–CNN–F and NH2–CNN–NH2, both possessing substantial carbenic character, with ethene and electron-poor alkenes were compared to those for the unsubstituted H–CNN–H with smaller carbene character. The intermolecular [1+2] reaction is observed for H–CNN–H and F–CNN–F with tetrafluoroethene. NH2–CNN–NH2, as a nucleophilic species and possibly a stable carbene, does not tend to react with alkenes. To render these findings feasible for experiments, the carbenic character of readily accessible nitrilimines was determined from natural resonance theory.
Nitrilimines with even a small carbenic character can undergo [1+2] cycloaddition with tetrafluoroethene. For example, COOH–CNN–OH and CHO–CNN–OH, with as little as 13% carbenic character, undergo [1+2] cycloaddition preferentially (B3LYP/6-31+G(d)).


identifier: Lakhana, Arun  (2012) Tolerance of Ambiguity in Educational Technology: A Review of Two Social Science Concepts.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: How does a concept acquire its meaning? How does a learner acquire a concept? Answers are explored through historical review of two social science concepts: tolerance of ambiguity (TA) and educational technology (ET). Each of these concepts accommodates multiple interpretations. Limitations in dominant interpretations of each concept are exposed using three analytic perspectives: theoretical, ecological, and phenomenological. The first concept, TA, originally conceived as a personality trait, acquires additional meaning when re-interpreted as a metacognitive skill. As such, TA refers to an ability to cope with increasing sensitization to novel features of a phenomenon in order to redefine prior conceptual interpretations, contingent on trust and motivation. The second concept, ET, concerns the application of technology for purposes of learning. ET is popularly conflated to mean the application of computer technology; however, less intuitively, technology refers to myriad ideas and processes, including cultural, biological, and metacognitive processes. As a metacognitive strategy for conceptual change, TA can be exploited in ET theory and practice. In particular, securely experiencing the ambiguity that is inherent in a phenomenon (for example, the ambiguity inherent in a concept such as TA or ET) equips learners to overcome the restraints of prior knowledge, toward the cultivation of new knowledge.


identifier: Rabbani Abolfazli, Ali Reza  (2012) An Analog Decoder for Turbo-Structured Low-Density Parity-Check Codes.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
In this work, we consider a class of structured regular LDPC codes, called Turbo-Structured LDPC (TS-LDPC). TS-LDPC codes outperform random LDPC codes and have much lower error floor at high Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR). In this thesis, Min-Sum (MS) algorithms are adopted in the decoding of TS-LDPC codes due to their low complexity in the implementation. We show that the error performance of the MS-based TS-LDPC decoder is comparable with the Sum-Product (SP) based decoder and the error floor property of TS-LDPC codes is preserved.

The TS-LDPC decoding algorithms can be performed by analog or digital circuitry. Analog decoders are preferred in many communication systems due to their potential for higher speed, lower power dissipation and smaller chip area compared to their digital counterparts. In this work, implementation of the (120, 75) MS-based TS-LDPC analog decoder is considered.

The decoder chip consists of an analog decoder heart, digital input and digital output blocks. These digital blocks are required to deliver the received signal to the
analog decoder heart and transfer the estimated codewords to the off-chip module. The analog decoder heart is an analog processor performing decoding on the Tanner graph of the code. Variable and check nodes are the main building blocks of analog decoder which are designed and evaluated. The check node is the most complicated unit in MS-based decoders. The minimizer circuit, the fundamental block of a check node, is designed to have a good trade-off between speed and accuracy. In addition, the structure of a high degree minimizer is proposed considering the accuracy, speed, power consumption and robustness against mismatch of the check node unit.

The measurement results demonstrate that the error performance of the chip is comparable with theory. The SNR loss at Bit-Error-Rate of 10−5 is only 0.2dB compared to the theory while information throughput is 750Mb/s and the energy efficiency of the decoder chip is 17pJ/b. It is shown that the proposed decoder outperforms the analog decoders that have been fabricated to date in the sense of error performance, throughput and energy efficiency. This decoder is the first analog decoder that has ever been implemented in a sub 100-nm technology and it improves
the throughput of analog decoders by a factor of 56. This decoder sets a new state-of-the-art in analog decoding.


identifier: Khamis, Ninus  (2011) Assessing The Quality Factors Found in In-Line Documentation Written in Natural Language: The JavadocMiner.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
An important software engineering artifact used by
developers and maintainers to assist in software comprehension and maintenance is source code documentation. It provides the insight needed by software engineers when performing a task, and therefore ensuring the quality of documentation is extremely important. In-line documentation is at the forefront of explaining a programmer's original intentions for a given implementation. Since this documentation is written in informal natural language, ensuring its quality needs to be performed manually. In this works, we present an effective and automated approach for assessing the quality of in-line documentation using a set of heuristics, targeting both the quality of language and consistency between source code and its comments. Our evaluation is made up of three parts: We first apply the JavadocMiner tool to the different modules of two
open source applications (ArgoUML and Eclipse) in order to
automatically assess their intrinsic comment quality. In the
second part of our evaluation, we correlate the results
returned by the analysis with bug defects reported for the
individual modules in order to examine connections between
natural language documentation and source code quality. And
finally, we compare the comment quality results generated
using our JavadocMiner with the quality assessments performed manually by undergraduate and graduate computer science students.


identifier: Yu, David  (2012) Reliable and Error Tolerant Handwritten Numeral Classifier by Rejecting Undesirable Samples From the Training Set.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Unconstrained handwritten numeral recognition has many applications which include: reading handwritten bank checks, extracting numbers from tax forms and sorting ZIP codes on letter mail. However, these automated systems still make mistakes and any resulting corrections can be expensive. The main focus of most research in this field is to improve recognition accuracy, whereas the reliability rate has been neglected. Our goal is to build a system that is 100% reliable (no errors) while maintaining a high recognition rate.
A very common strategy to achieve better reliability is to implement a rejection mechanism, which processes the predicted results from a classification system. A novel rejection approach that increases the reliability and accuracy of current classifications systems is proposed in this thesis.
Our thesis compares the effect on both recognition and reliability rates using the training set rejection system, post-testing rejection system and combining both models on a classifier. A two-stage rejection system is proposed to improve the reliability of a classifier. The first stage of the rejection system purifies the training set of undesirable samples. The second stage of the rejection system removes results that do not have a strong correlation with their respective class. Our experiments study the effect on both recognition rate and substitution rate by employing a structural feature and a statistical feature. The study is conducted over the popular MNIST database for easier comparison with other methods. We are using a support vector machine based classifier, as it has achieved one of the best recognition systems to date.
Lastly, a category system is created to identify the types of samples removed from the training set. The samples are categorized into six major groups: good, very slanted, thick stroke, poor, unrecognizable, and confusing pairs. The first three categories are desirable samples, and the last three are undesirable samples from the training set. The performance of the classifier shows improvement of up to 0.03% when samples belonging to one or more undesirable groups are removed.


identifier: Mhamdi, Tarek  (2012) Information-Theoretic Analysis using Theorem Proving.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Information theory is widely used for analyzing a wide range of scientific and engineering problems, including cryptography, neurobiology, quantum computing, plagiarism detection and other forms of data analysis. Despite the safety-critical nature of some of these applications, most of the information-theoretic analysis is done using informal techniques, mainly computer simulation and paper-and-pencil analysis, and thus cannot be completely relied upon. The unreliable nature of the produced results poses a serious problem in safety-critical applications and may result in heavy financial losses or even the loss of human life. In order to overcome the inaccuracy limitations of these techniques, this thesis proposes to conduct the analysis within the trusted kernel of a higher-order-logic (HOL) theorem prover. For this purpose, we provide HOL formalizations of the fundamental theories of measure, Lebesgue integration and probability and use them to formalize some of the most widely used information-theoretic principles. We use the Kullback-Leibler divergence as a unified measure of information which is in turn used to define the main measures of information like the Shannon entropy, mutual information and conditional mutual information. Furthermore, we introduce two new measures of information leakage, namely the information leakage degree and the conditional information leakage degree and compare them with existing measures. We illustrate the usefulness of the proposed framework by tackling various applications including the performance analysis of a communication encoder used in the proof of the Shannon source coding theorem, the quantitative analysis of privacy properties of a digital communications mixer and the one-time pad encryption system using information-theoretic measures.


identifier: Riedel, Gonzalo  (2012) Behaving This Way is All I Have Left.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: Behaving This Way is All I Have Left


identifier: Trahan, Lucy  (2012) Is there Scriptural Legitimacy for Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Christology of the ‘Firstborn’ as the First of God’s Created Beings?  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, publishers and distributors of all documents used and disseminated by Jehovah’s Witnesses, claim that Jesus is subordinate to God the Father and that he is the first of his creation, and therefore not co-eternal or co-equal with him. The focus of this thesis is to investigate early Christian primary and secondary sources as well as contemporary scholarly opinions and compare them to Watchtower teachings to determine whether Jehovah’s Witnesses’ understanding of the ‘firstborn of creation’ of Colossians 1:15 can be said to be a legitimate interpretation of this expression and whether their Christology can be reconciled with New Testament writings. Based on the traditional Christian hermeneutical reappropriation of Hebrew texts and the traditional understanding of the entire Christian canon of Sripture, the claim that the Son must be a created being does not truly find  irrefutable substantiation.


identifier: Liang, Jianying  (2012) Canadian Ethical Mutual Funds: Risk-adjusted Performance.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.


identifier: Abbasi-Garravand, Elham  (2012) Removal of Cr (VI) and Cr (III) From Water by Reduction and Micellar Enhanced Ultrafiltration Techniques.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.


identifier: Verreault-Côté, Carolane  (2012) «Je» s'engage? La relation entre littérature de conscientisation et autobiofiction dans les romans graphiques de Guy Delisle.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.


identifier: Vergara, Jordan  (2012) Probing the binding of interstrand crosslinked DNA containing a fluorescent base analog with human and E. coli homologs of O6-alkyl-guanine-DNA-alkyltransferase.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
O6-alkylguanine-DNA-alkyltransferase (AGT) has been implicated in reducing the therapeutic efficacy of alkylating agents that cause mutations and apoptosis. Certain chemotherapeutic treatments involve the use of alkylating agents; bis-chloroethylnitrosourea (BCNU) is an example of an agent that has been investigated which has been shown to introduce DNA interstrand crosslinks (ICL). AGT directly repairs O6-alkylated guanines by flipping the damaged base into the active site and irreversibly transferring the alkyl group to an active site cysteine.  Previous studies revealed that human AGT could repair DNA containing an O6-2’-deoxyguanosine-heptylene-O6-2’-deoxyguanosine (O6-dG-heptylene-O6-dG) ICL in a 5’-GNC-3’ motif mimicking a hepsulfam lesion. It is not yet understood, however, how the enzyme could access the bulky ICL lesion.
We synthesized and studied DNA duplexes containing O6-dG-heptylene-O6-dG ICL lesion in a 5’-GNC-3’ motif (where N is any base) and a fluorescent base incorporated at various positions to observe the extent to which DNA is denatured upon AGT binding. 6-Methyl-3-(β-D-2-deoxyribofuranosyl)pyrrolo[2,3-d] pyrimidin-2-one (pyrrolo-dC), is a base analog that fluoresces when not base-paired and exhibits little effect on DNA stability, structure and AGT repair. All DNA substrates were synthesized and AGT homologs purified and characterized using various biophysical techniques including CD, UV spectroscopy, gel electrophoresis and MS-Q-TOF. Radioactivity binding and repair assays were used to characterize ICL-AGT association. The DNA substrates exhibited B-form structure regardless of pyrrolo-dC or ICL incorporation. Furthermore, C145S and R128A variants of AGT and wild type Ada-C (from E. coli) display no repair of the ICL DNA. The arginine “finger” (R128) appears to play an essential role in repair but not in damage detection. Incorporation of pyrrolo-dC did not specifically demonstrate the extent of DNA denaturation due to the observation of increased fluorescence when positioned near the end of the DNA double helix relative to when placed in the center of the duplex. Fluorescence studies provide a base with which to develop new AGT variants with more complex ICL DNA substrates to study their interaction and possibly provide a new method for determining binding dissociation constants without hazardous radioactive material. Better understanding of the interaction of AGT and its homologs with ICL DNA provides greater knowledge about AGT function, an enzyme that plays a role in both restoring genomic integrity and therapeutic resistance.


identifier: Ling, Ling  (2012) Numerical Investigation of the Cooling Performance of Microchannel Heat Sinks under Uniform and Non-Uniform Heating Conditions.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
High-power electronic devices are now widely applied in computer, mechanical and sustainable energy industries. As electronic devices become further more integrated and powerful, more effective cooling is required to remove increasing heat fluxes generated by smaller devices. Microchannel heat sink has been recognized as a very promising cooling technology since it was brought up by Tuckerman and Pease.
The purpose of the present work is to numerically study the cooling performance of microchannel heat sinks under non-uniform heating conditions and to compare to that under uniform heating conditions. Water with temperature-dependent properties is used. The temperature distribution, pressure drop, and total thermal resistance of the heat sink are selected as criteria of their cooling performance. The heat sinks are tested under various inlet velocities and heat fluxes. Firstly, cross-linked microchannel heat sink is used for cooling of heat source with hotspots. Three widths of cross-linked channel which are 0.5 mm, 1 mm, 2 mm are compared to straight channel with different positions and amount of hotspots on the bottom surface of the heat sink. Secondly, straight channel micro heat sinks are studied and optimized
IV
under continuously varying heat flux conditions. Two layouts of the heat sink are proposed on which heat fluxes change perpendicular and along flow direction, respectively. Then, the layout with better cooling performance is optimized with Taguchi method. Finally, a novel swirl channel heat sink is employed for cooling of continuously varying heat flux conditions on a circular plate and is compared to uniform heating. Erenow, four cross sectional geometries of the channel (rectangular, trapezoidal, inverse-trapezoidal, and isosceles triangular) are compared for the heat sink.


identifier: Denton, Stacy  (2012) Rurality, Class and Whiteness in U.S. Dominant Discourse and Counter-Narrative, Postwar to Present.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In present U.S. society, there persists the conception that rurality — particularly that of the white working-class and working poor — is a spatially, temporally and culturally regressed space. In this “dominant discourse on rurality,” white working- and poverty-class (WWCPC) rural subjects are considered retrograde because they appear to deviate from the norms of progress and development that most reflect the “mainstream,” or the "middle-classless" and sub/urban. Although this phenomenon is not unique to the U.S., the forms in which this society continues to understand rural "locations" are uniquely American and have roots in the recent past, the postwar period. However, as we see in representations of the "sense of place" of those subjects who are intimate with rural locations in both the postwar and the present, there exists a counter-narrative to such unwarranted notions. Following Marc Angenot’s Social Discourse Analysis, this thesis analyzes a “discursive topology” that includes a wide array of written and visual materials from the postwar (defined as 1945-1970) and the post-1980s, including an analysis of the “topoi” employed to represent rurality in both dominant discourse (here, primarily found in the social sciences and journalistic reportage) and WWCPC rural counter-narratives as found in autobiography, literature, and filmic adaptations. The study of representations of rurality across diverse discourses gives a fuller understanding of the role of rurality in American society in these time periods. Further, by studying WWCPC rural counter-narratives as portrayed in autobiographical, literary and filmic representations of memory, we can access a voice that is critical of the middle-classless sub/urban norms of progress and development that continue to dominate American society.


identifier: Ajorlou, Amir  (2012) Connectivity Preservation in Distributed Control of Multi-Agent Systems.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The problem of designing bounded distributed connectivity preserving control strategies for multi-agent systems is studied in this work. In distributed control of multi-agent systems, each agent is required to measure some variables of other agents, or a subset of them. Such variables include, for example, relative positions, relative velocities, and headings of the neighboring agents. One of the main assumptions in this type of systems is the connectivity of the corresponding network. Therefore, regardless of the overall objective, the designed control laws should preserve the network connectivity, which is usually a distance-dependent condition. The designed controllers should also be bounded because in practice the actuators of the agents can only handle finite forces or torques. This problem is investigated for two cases of single-integrator agents and unicycles, using a novel class of distributed potential functions. The proposed controllers maintain the connectivity of the agents that are initially in the connectivity range. Therefore, if the network is initially connected, it will remain connected at all times. The results are first developed for a static information flow graph, and then extended to the case of dynamic edge addition. Connectivity preservation for problems involving static leaders is covered as well. The potential functions are chosen to be smooth, resulting in bounded control inputs. These functions are subsequently used to develop connectivity preserving controllers for the consensus and containment problems. Collision avoidance is investigated as another relevant problem, where a bounded distributed swarm aggregation strategy with both connectivity preservation and collision avoidance properties is presented. Simulations are provided throughout the work to support the theoretical findings.


identifier: Song, Miao  (2012) Computer-Assisted Interactive Documentary and Performance Arts in Illimitable Space.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
This major component of the research described in this thesis is 3D computer graphics, specifically the realistic physics-based softbody simulation and haptic responsive environments. Minor components include advanced human-computer interaction environments, non-linear documentary storytelling, and theatre performance. The journey of this research has been unusual because it requires a researcher with solid knowledge and background in multiple disciplines; who also has to be creative and sensitive in order to combine the possible areas into a new research direction. Thus, we summarize the innovative research work surrounding the topic as “Computer-Assisted Interactive Documentary and Performance Arts in Illimitable Space”. This work encompasses a lot of research performed in each of the disciplines. It focuses on the advanced computer graphics and emerges from experimental cinematic works and theatrical artistic practices. Some development content and installations are completed to prove and evaluate the described concepts and to be convincing.

More specifically, on one hand, the major research component includes the advanced rendering in real-time of an interactive physics-based softbody object simulation and visualization with OpenGL. Its immediate follow-up work in this thesis extends that system onto an artistic interactive jellyfish simulation controlled with advanced interaction devices, such as Falcon haptics. Some more advanced rendering techniques have been applied, such as stereoscopic effects, GLSL, LOD etc. in order to bring the CG objects to life and to increase the level of realism and speed.

On the other hand, the installation work, /Tangible Memories/ transforms the award-winning personal documentary film /I Still Remember/ [1], into a non-linear interactive audience-controlled piece using the new media technologies and devices. The audience and society have already appreciated the personal documentary /I Still Remember/ with the social values resulting in portrayal of immigration, divorce, reunification with the family, and other memories. Turning it into an interactive new media work makes it a much more profound and sensory in-depth storytelling approach that can be educational as well as help the audience to feel the story by interacting with it and making it available via many media sources. Moreover, the audience's participations and feedback are themselves well-preserved in the new "memory bubbles", so that the same documentary project could be eternal and ever evolving, which may determine the concept of tomorrow's documentary film production. Additionally, another audacious approach extended from /Tangible Memories/ installation is for theatrical practice with the same set of technical tools. Theater performers could use their body movements, gestures, and facial expressions to achieve the perceptual and emotional digital effects in sound and images dynamically.

To summarize, the resulting work involves not only artistic creativity, but solving or combining technological hurdles in motion tracking, pattern recognition, force feedback control, etc., with the available documentary footage on film, video, or images, and text via a variety of devices (input and output, projection, stereoscopic viewing) and programming, and installing all the needed interfaces such that it all works in real-time. Thus, the contribution to the knowledge advancement is in solving these interfacing problems and the real-time aspects of the interaction that have uses in film industry, fashion industry, new age interactive theatre, computer games, and web-based technologies and services for entertainment and education. It also includes building up on this experience to integrate Kinect- and haptic-based interaction, artistic scenery rendering, and other forms of control. This research work connects all the research disciplines, seemingly disjoint fields of research, such as computer graphics, documentary film, interactive media, and theatre performance together.


identifier: Wang, Tao  (2012) Sliding Mode Fault Tolerant Reconfigurable Control against Aircraft Control Surface Failures.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Operational failure of control surfaces is one of the main reasons leading to aircraft crash. Since the conventional control methodologies are not adequate to accommodate
such failures, fault tolerant control (FTC) is required for safety critical system. The invariance property and unique synthesization procedure of sliding mode control (SMC) make it one of the most competitive candidates for FTC. In this thesis, SMC-based FTC methods for nonlinear systems are developed to handle both partial loss faults and total failures in the control surfaces. The first SMC-based FTC is developed to accommodate both modeling uncertainty and uncertainty incurred by the faults. Different design parameters are utilized to deal with the uncertainty incurred by fault and that due to modeling errors respectively in the SMC design. Direct adaptive control is combined into such a SMC to alleviate the requirement of the a priori knowledge of the uncertainty bounds. The second SMC-based FTC is developed to redistribute the control effort between faulty regular actuator and redundant actuator autonomously based on effectiveness of the regular actuators. The tolerability of the developed controller is characterized by the amount of fault that controller can deal with. It is used as the threshold to activate the redundant actuator when the regular actuator cannot accommodate the fault alone. In order to obtain the effectiveness of the actuator, special sensors or fault detection and diagnosis (FDD) schemes are required. Special sensors are costly and additional design of the system is required. Using FDD, during the period from the moment when fault occurred to that when the effectiveness information can be obtained, the system is under the danger of losing control. The third SMC-based FTC without a dedicated FDD is developed based on the absolute value quantity of switching surface. The control effort is redistributed to regular and redundant actuator autonomously by monitoring the absolute value of the sliding surface. The validity of the proposed algorithms is verified on a high fidelity model of Boeing 747-100/200.


identifier: Hamelin, Marie-Claude  (2012) Life cycle optimization of envelope and mechanical systems for a single-family house in Quebec.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
The environmental impact of residential buildings has been demonstrated to be significant, and to be a result of both their construction and operation. This study therefore looks at the best strategies to minimize life cycle energy consumption (LCE), as well as cost (LCC), for a single-family house in Quebec.
First, an optimization model for the envelope is built, and includes a detailed TRNSYS simulation which computes the operation energy use, embodied energy of material and cost data. It is coupled to GenOpt, a general optimization program, to find the minimum LCC and LCE values, using a Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm. The optimal envelopes and a code compliant envelope are then modeled with various combinations of space conditioning and domestic hot water systems, to evaluate the impact of energy efficient mechanical systems on cost and energy.
It is shown that energy efficient mechanical systems are a better investment than envelope efficiency measures, from a LCC perspective. The optimal combination found is a minimal code compliant envelope with a ground-source heat pump and a desuperheater. These research results suggest that future building code improvements should also cover in detail the performance of mechanical systems, instead of focusing mostly on envelope characteristics.


identifier: vahidian, naghmeh  (2012) Comparison of Deterministic and Stochastic Production Planning Approaches in Sawmills by Integrating Design of Experiments and Monte- Carlo simulation.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Abstract
Forest industry is one of the key economic initiatives in Quebec (Canada). This industry has recently faced some obstacles, such as the scarcity of raw material, higher competitiveness in the market and new obligations applied in North America regarding sustainable development. These problems force lumber industries to improve their efficiency and become more service sensitive, in order to ensure the on time demand fulfillment. To achieve the goals aforesaid, one solution is to integrate the uncertainties more appropriately into production planning models. Traditional production planning approaches are based on deterministic models which in fact, ignore the uncertainties. A stochastic production planning approach is an alternative which models the uncertainties as different scenarios. Our goal is to compare the effectiveness of deterministic and stochastic approaches in sawing unit of sawmills on a rolling planning horizon. The comparison is performed under different circumstances in terms of length of planning horizon, re-planning frequency, and demand characteristics defined by its average and standard deviation. The design of experiments method is used as a basis for performing the comparison and the experiments are ran virtually through Monte-Carlo simulation. Several experiments are performed based on factorial design, and three types of robust parameter design (Taguchi, combined array, and a new protocol) which are integrated with stochastic simulation. Backorder and inventory costs are considered as key performance indicators. Finally a decision framework is presented, which guides managers to choose between deterministic and stochastic approaches under different combinations of length of planning horizon, re-planning frequency, and demand average and variation.

Key words: sawmills, production planning, design of experiments, robust parameter design, uncertainty, Monte- Carlo simulation


identifier: Vasan, Neetha  (2012) Experimental Study of Wind Effects on Unglazed Transpired Collectors.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Unglazed transpired collectors (UTC) are one of the most efficient solar heating technologies available today. High wind velocity affects the performance of UTC; indeed, wind flow on the collector’s surface reduces useful heat transferred to the collector fluid by effecting convective heat losses and suction in the pores and thereby outflow from the plenum. Wind does not impinge uniformly on all points on a large area; the velocity distribution depends on wind direction and surroundings.
This thesis presents an experimental study in the Building Aerodynamics Laboratory at Concordia University and an analytical parametric study to assess the effect of wind velocity distribution on UTCs under the influence of approach wind direction and surrounding structures. Velocity measurements from wind tunnel experiments were applied to analytical models of UTC performance evaluation. The common assumption, in UTC analysis, that a reference wind velocity acts uniformly over the UTC surface, as opposed to the more realistic non-uniform distribution, has been shown to underestimate the values of convective heat loss coefficients. The study, when applied to the context of the JMSB solar-wall, indicated a reduction of thermal efficiency by 20 percentage points due to wind. Influence of surroundings on wind flow around the JMSB building has been evaluated. The study casts light on the importance of using actual velocity distributions in UTC analysis.


identifier: Jamshidi-Gilani, Kourosh  (2012) Market-Based Models for Digital Signage Network Promotion Management.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Digital signage network (DSN) is capable of delivering customized content to designated screens in a real-time or near real-time manner, which provides tremendous potential for building dynamic demand stimulation tools. However current DSN media buying process is mainly carried out through manually conducted negotiation between the DSN operator and the advertisers. This practice does not capitalize the unique technology advantage offered by the newly emerged advertising medium. We propose automated DSN media buying models which allow advertisers to customize their promotion schedules in a highly responsive manner. Specifically, we design a direct revelation mechanism and an iterative bidding model for DSN promotion scheduling. We show that the direct revelation mechanism computes optimal solutions. We evaluate the revenue performance of the iterative bidding model through a computational study. The implementation of the iterative bidding mechanism is also described.