identifier: Bell, Philippa K.  (2012) Incidental, explicit, and implicit language learning during meaning-based exposure: Their effectiveness and relationship to individual cognitive abilities.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Isolated grammar tasks develop different types of learning: incidental (pick up grammar), explicit (conscious learning) and implicit (unconscious learning).  Cognitive abilities affecting the accuracy of these types of learning have been discussed (Robinson, 1997a).  We know much less about learning during meaningful tasks, common in second language classrooms, during which language is used to understand or communicate information.  This study employed tasks of this type to further knowledge of the: a.) incidental acquisition of form, b.) possibility of simultaneous explicit and implicit learning, c.) quantitative differences between explicit and implicit accuracy, d.) role of learner cognitive abilities on quantity and type of learning, and e.) effects of classification of type of learning on the results.
Eighty-one Anglophone adults completed two crosswords and two reading passages presented using a semi-artificial language (Rebuschat, 2008), which ensured experimental control, and between-participant equal vocabulary knowledge.  After, participants completed a surprise, timed grammaticality judgement test to measure learning.  Type of learning (explicit and/or implicit) was assessed using three awareness measures (confidence ratings, source attributions, and verbal reports).  Participants’ working memory, inductive ability, processing speed, and verbal reasoning were measured.
The results demonstrated participants incidentally acquired some of the language.  The majority of participants (n = 63) learnt the language explicitly and implicitly, and explicit learning was slightly more accurate.  Cognitive abilities were unrelated to incidental acquisition, and the accuracy of explicit and implicit learning.  However, inductive ability predicted the quantity of language processed explicitly positively and implicitly negatively.
The findings further knowledge of the effectiveness of incidental, explicit, and implicit learning during language use.  They demonstrate for the first time that adults learn language form using explicit and implicit processing simultaneously when focused on meaning.  The small differences in accuracy of explicit and implicit learning suggest that when learning form is a by-product of understanding, implicitly-learnt information may be as accurate as explicitly-learnt information.  Furthermore, as cognitive abilities did not affect the accuracy of incidental, explicit, and implicit learning, learning form whilst using may not disadvantage certain learners.  However, as ability to induce patterns affects how information is processed, learners may benefit from practising pattern induction.


identifier: Katiya, Yuseph Adam  (2011) Creating Hegemony: Montreal’s cultural development policies and the rise of cultural actors as entrepreneurial political elites.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

type: Thesis NonPeerReviewed

format: text text

abstract:
Culture-led regeneration and creativity policies appear to have achieved broad societal acceptance in many cities in North America and Europe. This research explores how a
discursive articulation of culture with entrepreneurial notions of ―creativity has contributed to a new set of policies, forms of policy coordination, sectoral partnerships and growth coalitions. This is illustrated by the case of Montréal, Canada, a city that places culture and creativity at the heart of its local accumulation strategy, and has secured a soft hegemonic presence. This research largely draws on geographical political economy literature that views urban neoliberalism as a  contingent process that requires consent from disparate constituencies, and not as something predeterminedby changes in the economy. The first line of inquiry traces key events and policy documents i.e. ―key moments of conjuncture that have helped to repackage culture as a competitive asset. Supplemented with analysis derived from speeches, media, official documents and online
sources, the case demonstrates how the creative cities discourse has fuelled a new policy network that allows for the rapprochement of cultural actors with traditional urban elites. Using the creation of the  Quartier des Spectacles  as a case study,  the second line of inquiry examines how the intertwining of culture, creativity and economic development have come to shape urban planning. Finally, in line with neo-Gramscian perspectives on urban politics, this research concludes by exploring instances of counter hegemony, particularly within the local artistic community.


identifier: Krishnan, Suresh  (2012) Connecting sensors to LTE.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: Connecting sensors to LTE

abstract: The number of sensors that will be connected to the internet is expected to grow exponentially in the near future.  As sensors are starting to get used for more and more applications, a large number of them will be placed in locations where wireless networks, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), are the only available method of connectivity. Examples of such locations include remote areas (e.g. for Smartgrid and agricultural applications), and inhospitable environments (e.g. for industrial applications). Unfortunately, these wireless networks have not been designed for low power constrained devices, like battery operated sensors, and the procedures for attaching and staying connected to such networks would consume significant amounts of energy. Due to this increased power consumption the battery life on these devices would be too low to be useful. In addition to this due to the always-connected nature of the devices, the wireless network will quickly run out of resources when large numbers of sensors get connected. The resources include radio spectrum (that is extremely limited and prohibitively expensive) and signaling capacity on the network nodes. This thesis describes a new connection paradigm for connecting sensors to LTE networks along with the necessary wireless signaling changes that will allow for a battery life of the sensor to be at least 10 fold than that using the current mechanisms. This will enable the sensors to be placed in more applications where battery replacement cycles are very long and the battery replacement costs are very expensive. The new signaling mechanism will also conserve scarce resources in the wireless network so that the wireless network can scale to handle 10 fold more connections than today’s wireless networks.


identifier: Ali, Maher  (2012) Markovian Model for Data-Driven P2P Video Streaming Applications.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
The purpose of this study is to propose a Markovian model to evaluate general P2P streaming applications with the assumption of chunk-delivery approach similar to Bit-Torrent file sharing applications.
The state of the system was defined as the number of useful pieces in a peer's buffer. The model was numerically solved to find out the probability distribution of the number of useful pieces.
The central theme of this study revolved around answering the question: what is the probability that a peer can play the stream continuously? This is one of the most important metrics to evaluate the performance of a streaming application. By finding the numerical solution of the Markov chain, we found that increasing the number of neighbours enhances the continuity to a certain threshold, after which the continuity improvement is marginal which complies with empirical results conducted with DONet, a data-driven overlay network for media streaming.
We also found that increasing the buffer length increases the continuity but there is a trade-off because peers exchange information about the buffer map, hence increasing the buffer length increases the overhead. We discussed the continuity for both homogeneous and heterogeneous peers regarding the uploading bandwidth.
Then we discussed the case when the first chunk is downloaded, but not played out because the playtime deadline was missed. We suggested a general approach for freezing and skipping the playback pointer, that can be used to take advantage of the available delay tolerance, finally given a specific configuration we measured the probability of sliding action, that could be used to initiate peers' adaptation process.


identifier: Asen, Yoosef  (2012) Building Information Modeling Based Integration and Visualization for Facilities Management.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Facilities managers need to identify and understand deterioration/failure causes-effect patterns in order to prepare preventive maintenance plans. However, this task is difficult because of the complex interaction between different building components and their operational conditions. In spite of the availability of advanced Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMSs), these systems focus on the data management aspects (i.e. asset inventory, work orders and resource management) and lack the functions necessary to analyze the collected data in order to identify deterioration/failure patterns. Standardization based on Building Information Modeling (BIM) provides new opportunities to improve the efficiency of Facilities Management (FM) by sharing and exchanging building information between different applications throughout the lifecycle of the facilities. This research proposes the integration of FM related data from different sources such as CMMS and BIM through adding the CMMS inspection and maintenance data to the BIM database. This integration, in addition to defined logical and spatial relationships between components and spaces, is used to find the cause-effect relationships through a BIM-based visual analytics. This method facilitates heuristic problem solving and helps to increase the quality of O&M phase. It is also proposed to integrate CMMS, BIM, video, and Real Time Location System (RTLS) data using Augmented Reality (AR) techniques to visualize construction and renovation operations and to retrieve information about the time, space, and related activities to visualize construction and renovation operations. Several case studies are implemented and tested to show the feasibility of the proposed methods.


identifier: Ibrahim, Naseem Ismail  (2012) Specification, Composition and Provision of Trustworthy Context-dependent Services.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.


identifier: Chen, XiaoLong  (2012) Augmenting the Creation of 3D Character Motion By Learning from Video Data.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: When it comes to character motions, especially articulated character animation, the majority of efforts are spent on accurately capturing the low level and high level action styles. Among the many techniques which have evolved over the years, motion capture (mocap) and key frame animations are the two popular choices. Both techniques are capable of capturing the low level and high level action styles of a particular individual, but at great expense in terms of the human effort involved. In this thesis, we make use of performance data in video format to augment the process of character animation, considerably decreasing human effort for both style preservation and motion regeneration. Two new methods, one for high-level and another for low-level character animation, which are based on learning from video data to augment the motion creation process, constitute the major contribution of this research. In the first, we take advantage of the recent advancements in the field of action recognition to automatically recognize human actions from video data. High level action patterns are learned and captured using Hidden Markov Models (HMM) to generate action sequences with the same pattern. For the low level action style, we present a completely different approach that utilizes user-identified transition frames in a video to enhance the transition construction in the standard motion graph technique for creating smooth action sequences. Both methods have been implemented and a number of results illustrating the concept and applicability of the proposed approach are presented.


identifier: Tong, Ruoshi  (2012) Cost Analysis on L-shape Composite Componenet Manufacturing.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.


identifier: Kabir, Shaily  (2012) New Similarity Measures for Capturing Browsing Interests of Users into Web Usage Profiles.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
The essence of web personalization is the adaptability of a website to the needs and interests of individual users. The recognition of user preferences and interests can be based on the knowledge gained from previous interactions of users
with the site. Typically, a set of usage profiles is mined from web log data (records of website usage), where each profile models common browsing interests of a group of like-minded users. These profiles are later utilized to provide
personalized recommendations. Clearly, the quality of usage profiles is critical to the performance of a personalization system. When using clustering for web mining, successful clustering of users is a major factor in deriving effective usage profiles. Clustering depends on the discriminatory capabilities of the similarity measure used. In this thesis, we first present a new weighted session similarity measure to capture the browsing interests of users into web usage profiles. We base our similarity measure on the reasonable assumption that when users spend longer times on pages or revisit pages in the same session, then very likely, such pages are of greater interest to the user. The proposed similarity measure combines structural similarity with session-wise page significance. The latter, representing the degree of user interest, is computed using page-access frequency and page-access duration. Web usage profiles are generated by applying a fuzzy clustering algorithm using this measure. For evaluating the effectiveness of the
proposed measure, we adapt two model-based collaborative filtering algorithms for recommending pages. Experimental results show considerable improvement in overall performance of recommender systems as compared to other known similarity measures. Lastly, we propose a modification by replacing structural similarity by concept (content) similarity, which we expect would further enhance recommendation system performance.


identifier: Huang, Ying  (2012) Evidence on the Speed of Convergence to Market Efficiency in the Canadian Market.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.


identifier: Marinkovic-Forte, Branka  (2011) Tacit Knowledge: Painting, Thinking & Teaching.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Painting, like other areas of the visual arts, is a complex field that defies any single method or style.  In the visual arts, we are taught and we learn that there is never a true answer to the problems that we face.  Each of us must find our own way. Unlike other traditional subject matter there are no manuals or directives to aid the painter in devising a teaching curriculum. Few artists have written about how to teach art.  Although some have written rich narratives about their teaching experiences, they offer little advice to artists who want to teach.  We must rely upon our own knowledge and experience as we enter into the studio classroom.  We must also learn how to translate that which we know into something that can others can learn.

The aim of this arts-based research is to create a bridge between the practice of the artist and the practice of the teacher, constructing a dialectic relationship between the two. It is an exploration into artistic knowledge, artistic process and teaching.   Artistic knowledge is the meaningful relationship that is made between the mind of the artist and the tools of the practice.  Artistic knowledge is not communicated with words, but through the thoughtful and critical melding of mind and materials. It is knowledge that is interpretive, subjective and unique to an individual.  Artistic knowledge is tacit knowledge.


identifier: Gao, Ting  (2012) Can Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Internalize into Product Features? An Investigation on Consumer Responses to Products with Ethical Attributes.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Although the positive impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) at company level is well documented (Luo and Bhattacharya 2009; Wagner, Lutz, and Weitz 2009), few studies looked at CSR investments in product offerings. This thesis examines consumer responses to products with ethical attributes in which CSR is internalized into product features and production process. Our study shows that ethical attributes that offer utilitarian and symbolic benefits can improve product evaluations. In addition, the positive impact of ethical attribute benefits is amplified when ethical attribute benefit is congruent with the product category benefit. Using the contagion theory, we find that the congruent benefit effect is active only when products have direct contact with consumers, because people want the products close to them to be safe, healthy and of high quality. Finally, personal CSR-quality belief is investigated. People who believe that ethical attributes come at the expense of quality are more sensitive to price-quality relation than people who believe that ethical attributes contribute to quality.


identifier: Hillinger, Alexandra  (2012) La représentation des Amérindiens dans les quatre traductions anglaises de «Des Sauvages» de Samuel de Champlain.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Samuel de Champlain effectue son premier périple en Nouvelle France durant l’année 1603. Pendant son séjour, il rédige une relation de voyage qui fait le récit de sa rencontre avec les Amérindiens, peuple qu’il nomme les «Sauvages», et son exploration du territoire. Il le fait publier à son retour en France. Depuis, son texte «Des Sauvages» a été traduit quatre fois vers l’anglais.

Dans ce mémoire, nous examinons la représentation des Amérindiens qui émerge des quatre traductions anglaises de «Des Sauvages». Dans notre premier chapitre, nous nous penchons sur le contexte entourant l’œuvre originale, puis sur les quatre traductions en allant à la recherche de chaque traducteur et en présentant le contexte de production et de réception de chacun des ouvrages. Au deuxième chapitre, nous présentons une réflexion plus conceptuelle portant sur la traduction de l’«autre». Ce chapitre traite de la découverte de l’«autre», de la traduction de textes anciens, du style narrateur de Champlain, de la traduction des éléments culturels et de la religiosité amérindienne. Finalement, dans le troisième chapitre, nous exposons les résultats de notre analyse textuelle contrastive en relevant la présence de ce que Berman nomme les «tendances déformantes». Nous examinons également la traduction des éléments culturels et des jugements de valeur émis par Champlain. Ainsi, ce travail est le premier examen des traductions du texte fondateur de la littérature canadienne qu’est «Des Sauvages».


identifier: Cai, Xiao  (2012) Determination of Process Parameters for the Manufacturing of Thermoplastic Composite Cones Using Automated Fiber Placement.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In-situ fiber placement, in combination with automated tape laying and filament winding, is the key to high-volume production of large-scale composite aerostructures ranging from simple flat plates, to panels with mild curvatures, to complex three-dimensional surfaces, promising reliable, consistent and cost-effective fabrication. However, manufacturing cost, slit tape quality, lack of knowledge and experience of the in-situ consolidation fiber placement process are major barriers preventing aircraft manufacturer from implementing this unique processing technique. This dissertation aims to gain knowledge and experience of in-situ consolidation fiber placement by identifying and resolving four technical issues associated with the manufacturing of thermoplastic composite tailbooms. The first study demonstrates that the percentage of gap/lap and the angular deviation of fiber orientation can be controlled by dividing a single tool surface to multiple and equal sections. The second study shows that the interlaminar defects have minimal effects on the mechanical properties of autoclave molded thermoplastic composite laminates. The third study predicates a set of optimum processing parameters for manufacturing tailboom demonstration articles using automated fiber placement. The last study suggests that the in-situ consolidation fiber placement process needs to be improved to lower the micro-size void content and minimize the process induced warpage.


identifier: Duarte, Debora Teixeira  (2012) Characterization of TRAPP interacting proteins FLJ13611 and SPATA4.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.


identifier: Craig, Robert Carl  (2012) The Occluded Subject.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

title: The Occluded Subject

abstract: “The Occluded Subject” is a dissertation about performative documentary. The thesis begins with a personal account of filming a 1991 protest against the police killing of Marcelus François. During this demonstration, I was obstructed from filming something that was not seen at that time, or subsequently revealed to me. This occlusion of the subject marks the beginning of a meditation on documentary representation. The “Representation of a Crisis” chapter describes shifting social and historical contexts of that period in time. This so-called crisis of representation had to do with power relations when discursive parameters were changing, and the contemporary performative documentary emerged. “The Technology Question” chapter describes Heidegger’s views on technology and society, along with concepts like the Ge-stell, destining of revealing, genuine revealing, and the saving power. The chapter “Unfinished Diary” describes Journal inachevé, wherein documentarians Michael Rubbo and Marilú Mallet debate praxis. Bill Nichols’ performative modality is described in “Documenting the Performative”. This chapter provides background to performative documentary scholarship in the form of antecedent research by Michael Renov and the initial identification by Susan Scheibler of performativity in documentary. Scheibler explains constative and performative categories and brings forward the notion of a performative documentary referentiality in the interval between signifier and signified. Deviations from positivisms and conventional narrative are discussed, along with pronounced signifier play, renunciation of mastery, indeterminacy, and the importance of the personal to the performative. Several technological, cultural, historical, and ideological elements are described as well. “History as Memory” is a close reading of Rea Tajiri’s History and Memory: For Akiko and Takashige. This documentary effectively illustrates performative operation. As opposed to conceiving authentication of an absent whole, multiple subjectivities, poietic space, and genuine revealing position the spectator within the here and now. While the text connects to contemporary ideation such as postmodernism and poststructuralism, the dissertation considers performative documentary as phenomenological as well.


identifier: Wong, Nicholas  (2012) Palladium-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling For The Synthesis Of Thienoisoquinolines.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.


identifier: Dai, Xiang Ling  (2012) 6 GHz Direct Modulation 20 Km Reach Analog Optical Transceiver Design.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Optical links for the transmission of analog signals have continued to expand thanks to its simplicity, low loss, large bandwidth, low cost, and immunity to electromagnetic interference from external RF sources. However, due to the lack of economic analog transceiver which has the highest operation frequency between 3 to 10 GHz in current market, the applications within this band need to use the 10 GHz transceiver product, which inevitably complicates the system design and increases the associated cost.

In this thesis, a cost effective 6 GHz 20 Km reach optical analog transceiver is proposed, designed, and experimentally demonstrated. Theoretical analysis and design of the system is performed through the power budget analysis, bandwidth budget analysis, noise analysis, linearity analysis, and economic consideration. Several criteria for choosing components are proposed accordingly. An OptiSystem RoF application simulation is conducted to verify the analysis results. After choosing components and fabricating the circuit, we perform DC and AC test for both transmitter and receiver, link S parameter measurement, SFDR measurement by two tone test, and 20 Km fiber transmission UWB OFDM single channel test and multi-channel test, the result demonstrates that the proposed transceiver has more than 6 GHz 3-dB gain bandwidth with -10 dB link gain and very good match at its input and output impedances, 31 dB link noise figure, -9 dBm output P1dB, 10 dBm OIP3 and 102 dB SFDR, and it’s an ideal option for OFDM UWB RoF systems.

In RoF system, a post amplifier is almost following the optical receiver. It boosts the output RF signal power to facilitate the further use of the signal. A proposed 6 GHz 30 dB gain 1 Watt power amplifier is also designed, fabricated, and experimentally demonstrated within this thesis.

Finally, the further search for better components to improve the transceiver performance, the size optimization of the transceiver, and the design of an adaptor for LC receptacle and LC connector are proposed as future research topics.


identifier: Girard, Roxanne  (2012) The Rise of An Innovation: Framing Cosmetic Surgery in Print Media Coverage 1900 - 1931.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.


identifier: Shinwari, Merwais  (2012) Techniques for Enabling Operational Efficiency and Privacy Preservation in the Smart Grid.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
The processing and communication capabilities of the smart grid provide a solid foundation for enhancing its efficiency and reliability. These capabilities allow utility companies to adjust their offerings in a way that encourages consumers to reduce their peak hour consumption, resulting in a more efficient electrical grid. The smart grid achieves this through the introduction of smart meters; which collect and transmit consumers’ detailed power consumption information in an automated way. Despite their benefits, these readings introduce a major privacy threat to residential consumers as they reveal details that could be used to infer information about the activities of the occupants of a home.

In this thesis, we first propose a method for scheduling a community’s power consumption such that it becomes almost flat. Our methodology utilizes distributed schedulers that allocate time slots to soft loads probabilistically based on pre-calculated and pre-distributed demand forecast information. This approach requires no communication or coordination between scheduling nodes and the computation performed at each scheduling node is minimal. Obtaining a relatively constant consumption makes it possible to have a relatively constant billing rate and eliminates operational inefficiencies. We also analyze the fairness of our proposed approach, the effect of the possible errors in the demand forecast, and the participation incentives for consumers.

In the second part of the thesis, we question the need to disclose high frequency readings produced at the home’s level. Instead, we propose equipping smart meters with sufficient processing power enabling them to provide their corresponding utility company with a set of well-defined services based on these readings. For demand side management, we propose the collection of high frequency readings at a higher level in the distribution network, such as at local step-down transformers, as this readily provides the accumulated demand of all homes within a branch. In addition, we study the effect of the proposed approach on consumers’ privacy, using correlation and relative entropy as measures. We also study the effect of load balancing on consumers’ privacy when using the proposed approach. Finally, we assess the detection of appliances using high frequency readings collected for demand side management purposes.


identifier: Ossa, Camilo  (2012) Design, Construction and Control of a Quadrotor Helicopter Using a New Multirate Technique.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis describes the design, development, analysis and control of an autonomous Quadrotor Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) that is controlled using a novel approach for multirate sampled-data systems. This technique uses three feedback loops: one loop for attitude, another for velocity and a third loop for position, yielding a piece-wise affine system. Appropriate control actions are also computed at different rates. It is shown that this technique improve the system's stability under sampling rates that are significantly lower than the ones required with more classical approaches. The control strategy, that uses sensor data that is sampled at different rates in different nodes of a network, is also applied to a ground wheeled vehicle. Simulations and experiments show very smooth tracking of set-points and trajectories at a very low sampling frequency, which is the main advantage of the new technique.


identifier: Najmeddin, Sahar  (2012) CFD Modelling of Turbulent Flow in Open-Channel Expansions.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Channel expansions provide a transition from a narrow to a relatively wide channelsection,
which is necessary in many hydraulic structures. In the transition, flow tends to separate
from its diverging sidewalls and create turbulent eddies, if the angle of divergence exceeds a
threshold value. This phenomenon can cause undesirable flow energy losses and erosion to the
sidewalls locally and even further downstream. Previously, researchers have tried to optimise the
transition’s horizontal shape in order to reduce flow separation; the results are inconclusive. The
purpose of this study is to extend earlier investigations about fitting a hump in the vertical to
eliminate flow separation. This study uses the CFD modelling approach. This approach permits
an efficient and systematic exploration of the effects of different angles of divergence, crest
height of the hump and the Froude number of subcritical flow. The model results are validated
using existent analytical solutions under simplified conditions and available experimental data
for a limited number of cases. Flow quantities presented in this thesis include details of the
velocity, vorticity, eddy structure, and cross-sectional area of flow reversal; these quantities are
distributed at selected vertical and horizontal planes, and are available for the cases of with and
without a hump. It is shown that the use of a hump effectively reduces flow separation and eddy
motion in the transition. This is because the flow is forced to accelerate over the hump, and as a
result, the otherwise adverse pressure gradient, which is known to be responsible for flow
separation, diminishes. A hump in the vertical can easily be incorporated into the bed of existent
channel expansions, and would be less expensive to construct than to modify the horizontal
shape (or the sidewalls) of existent expansions. The results presented in this thesis are of
practical values for the optimal design of humps.


identifier: Abu Lebdeh, Mohammad  (2012) A 3GPP 4G Evolved Packet Core-Based System Architecture for QoS-Enabled Mobile Video Surveillance Applications.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Mobile video surveillance systems are ubiquitous nowadays and are used in both civilian and military settings such as public safety and security. They are real-time Machine-to-Machine (M2M) video applications that consume a large amount of network bandwidth and are sensitive to delay, jitter and packet loss. Evolved Packet Core (EPC) is the new core network for the next generation network. It enables the design and implementation of new innovative applications   that are aware of data flows. It also enables services provisioning with both guaranteed and differentiated end-to-end Quality of Service (QoS).
This thesis proposes a novel RESTful web services based system architecture for mobile video surveillance applications over EPC. The proposed architecture enables mobile video services provisioning with guaranteed and differentiated QoS, something which is not possible in the state-of-the-art. The main component of the architecture is a Service Delivery Platform (SDP), made up of a QoS enabler and a streaming enabler. The QoS enabler exposes EPC network resources and QoS capabilities in order to allow the surveillance application to provide differentiated QoS to various end-users. The streaming enabler enables live and on-demand video streaming as well as video recording for later viewing. The SDP components (i.e. QoS enabler and streaming enabler) can be accessed via Representational State Transfer (REST) interface. In addition, a proof of concept prototype has been implemented deployed to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed architecture. Performance measurements have also been made to evaluate the viability of the architecture.


identifier: Gao, Yan  (2012) Hedging Effectiveness of Energy Exchange Traded Funds.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis examines the hedging effectiveness of energy Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). ETFs provide small investors the opportunity to hedge against the risk of price changes in commodities such as crude oil, instead of using commodity futures contracts to hedge, which require a high initial margin. In this thesis, I address the hedging effectiveness of energy ETFs in hedging against fluctuations in the price of crude oil. I apply various models of hedging such as the minimum variance hedge ratio model (MVHR) in which the measure of risk is the variance of the change in the value of the hedged portfolio, and other models in which the measure of risk is the value at risk (VaR), the conditional value at risk (CVaR) and modified value at risk (MVaR) of the hedged portfolio. I investigate the hedging effectiveness of energy ETFs in both in-sample and out-of-sample periods. My results indicate that energy ETFs are effective in reducing the risks associated with fluctuation in the price of crude oil.


identifier: Zahno, Roger  (2012) Key Recovery from Decayed Memory Images and Obfuscation of Cryptographic Algorithms.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.


identifier: Mohammadi, Farough  (2012) Nonlinear vibration analysis and optimal damping design of sandwich cylindrical shells with viscoelastic and ER-fluid treatments.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Viscoelastic and smart fluid materials such as electro-rheological (ER) and magneto-rheological fluids have been used in many applications in industry to suppress vibration in sandwich shell structures. The main objective of this dissertation is to investigate and develop analysis models and design optimization strategies to optimally suppress the vibration of cylindrical shell/panel type structures using both passive and semi-active treatments. This dissertation constitutes two major related parts. In the first part, passive treatment using viscoelastic layer is studied for sandwich cylindrical shell using semi-analytical finite element modeling. In order to provide more accuracy a higher order Taylor’s expansion of transverse and in-plane displacement fields is developed for the core layer of sandwich cylindrical shell structures including the least number of degrees of freedom.  The developed model is then employed to formulate cut and partial treatment modeling which are applied to increase damping and reduce the weight of the structure. The formulations are also modified in order to consider the slippage between layers at the interfaces. A systematic parametric study is presented to investigate the effect of main parameters such as temperature, vibration amplitude, pre-stress components, slippage and etc on vibration damping characteristics of sandwich shell structure. The temperature distribution at each layer is obtained by solving the transient heat transfer equation for axisymmetric cylindrical structure based on the finite difference method using irregular grid. Finally, by combining the semi-analytical finite element method and the optimization algorithms a design optimization methodology has been formulated to maximize the damping characteristics in sandwich cylindrical shell using the optimal number and location of cuts and partial treatments with the optimal thicknesses of the treating layers.
In the second part of the dissertation, semi-active treatment using smart ER fluid layer is studied. The shear stress response and the dynamic mechanical properties of the ER fluid created by dispersing cornstarch into corn oil are experimentally explored for small/large shear strain amplitude, moderate range of frequencies and different field intensities. A new constitutive model has been also proposed to predict accurately the measured experimental data in both frequency and time domains. Then, the nonlinear vibration analysis of sandwich shell/panel structure with constrained electrorheological (ER) fluid is investigated for different boundary conditions using the finite element method. In order to reduce the computational costs, a new notation referred to as H-notation is also developed over the two well known notations referred to as B and N notations in order to represent the nonlinear equations of motion. Finally, a design optimization methodology has been presented to maximize damping in sandwich cylindrical panel using both unconstrained viscoelastic and constrained ER fluid damping layers. The unconstrained viscoelastic layer is employed in order to practically seal the constrained ER fluid patches and boundaries of the ER based sandwich structure. Then, an optimization problem has been formulated to find simultaneously the optimum number and distribution of unconstrained viscoelastic and constrained ER fluid patches, electric field intensity and thickness ratios of the treating layers.


identifier: Chen, Dianwei  (2012) Supporting Uncertainty in Standard Database Management Systems.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Management of uncertain data in numerous real life applications has attracted the attention of database and artificial intelligent research communities. This has resulted in development of new database management systems (DBMS) in which uncertainty is treated as first class citizens. We follow a different approach in this thesis and develop a system (to which we refer as DBMS with Uncertainty, or UDBMS) which is capable of representing and manipulating uncertain data at the application level on top of a standard relational DBMS. Compared to the first approach which treats uncertainty as its first class citizens, the proposed approach may be considered as “light weight” because it is built upon existing database technologies. As the underlying uncertainty formalism, we consider the Information Source Tracking (IST) method, which is essentially probabilistic. We extend the standard SQL language with uncertainty (to which we refer as USQL), to express queries and transactions in our context. The query processing and optimization techniques are extended accordingly to take into account the presence of uncertainty. To evaluate the performance of UDBMS, we conducted extensive experiments using USQL queries and IST relations obtained by extending the standard TPC-H benchmark queries and generated data. We compare and discuss the two approaches mentioned for uncertainty management. Our results indicate that the performance of the proposed UDBMS is reasonably good when the relations involved can be loaded completely into the main memory.


identifier: Al-Akhras, Salim Ismail  (2012) On the Verification of a WiMax Design Using Symbolic Simulation.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The system-On-Chip design process is continuously increasing in terms of cost and complexity. This imposes new modeling and verification challenges. A particular example is heavy computational applications and functionality, such as digital signal processing and telecommunication applications, which are increasingly integrated in embedded systems nowadays. To meet these challenges, designers use a multilevel model based approach, which is a top-down design methodology where the behavior of the system is first modeled at a higher level of abstraction. Then, design decisions are made to refine those models in a number of transformations until the final product is realized. In this thesis we verify an implementation of a WiMax modem physical layer that has been designed according to the multilevel design approach. This implementation is provided by STMicroelectronics. We propose the utilization of two verification methodologies to verify designs at higher levels of abstraction. The first one is an equivalence checking methodology that is based on symbolic simulation, which provides high speed and computational capabilities. The main purpose of this methodology is to verify the functional equivalence of refined system models in the design process. The second methodology is a property checking approach, which is also based on symbolic simulation. It verifies the conformance of models at different levels of abstraction with the system specification. We verified the equivalence of three models of the WiMax system at different levels of abstraction, and we verified the correctness of various system properties on those models.


identifier: Sandu Chivu, Nicoleta  (2012) Design, Modeling and Simulation of a Miniaturized Gas Sensor.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.


identifier: Moheb, A.  (2012) Biochemical, Molecular and Pharmacological Studies of the Wheat (Triticum aestivum L) Flavone, Tricin.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Biochemical, Molecular and Pharmacological Studies of the Wheat (Triticum aestivum L) Flavone, Tricin

Amira Moheb, Ph.D.
Concordia University, 2012

Tricin (5,7,4'-trihyroxy-3',5'-dimethoxyflavone), a naturally occurring compound, is a characteristic constituent of the grass family, including cereal grain plants, and has been isolated from rice, oat, maize, and wheat. Apart from being a powerful antioxidant, antimutagenic, and anti-inflammatory agent, tricin has been considered as an efficient chemopreventive agent in growth inhibition of human malignant breast tumour cells and colon cancer cells. However, its high commercial price as a pure compound may hinder further experimentation. Wheat is considered one of the main staple foods in Canada and worldwide, and is the most widely adapted crop to abiotic stresses. The main aim of this study is to investigate the effects of abiotic stress factors, such as cold, drought, and salt treatments, among others, on the biosynthesis and accumulation of tricin in different parts of wheat (Triticum aestivum L), with aim of defining an optimum source for tricin production in this important crop.  This thesis consists of four research chapters.
The first chapter focuses on an investigation of the phenolic profile of two varieties of wheat (Triticum aestivum L) leaves grown under normal and cold stress conditions. The leaf ‘phenolomes’ were established for two varieties: the winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L. var Claire) and spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L. var, Bounty) using a combination of HPLC-ESI-MS techniques. Phenolic compounds accumulated at a higher level in the Claire than in the Bounty variety, and detected in significant amounts in the apoplast compartment. The accumulation of a mixture of beneficial flavonoids in cold-acclimated wheat leaves attests to its potential use as an inexpensive supplement of a health-promoting component to the human diet.
       The second chapter describes the distribution of tricin in different parts of wheat with the aim to designate a rich source for its utilization. Winter wheat husk was identified as the most valuable part. Its tricin content is considered the highest in any plant materials suggesting the use of winter wheat husk as a good source of tricin. Moreover, the potential anticancer effect of tricin on two cancer cell lines was evaluated where it was revealed to have a selective anticancer effect.
        In the third chapter, the selective anticancer effect of several methylated phenolic and flavonoids compounds were tested in vitro on cell cultures, using a LDH-spectrophotometer method to assess the viability of the cell lines. Several candidates were found to possess a remarkable antitumor activity on these malignant cell lines, such as trimethyltricetin, a tricin derivative that exhibited a superior selective activity against human adenocarcinomic alveolar basal epithelial cells (A-549).
        In the last chapter, the biosynthesis of tricin is discussed. The expression and the enzyme activity of TaOMT2, the enzyme that catalyzes the methylation of tricetin to tricin, were measured at different wheat developmental stages and in response to different abiotic stresses such as cold, salt and drought. The significant accumulation of tricin in the inflorescences suggests that tricin may play a role in protecting the seeds against biotic and abiotic stresses.


identifier: Berthomier, Maud  (2012) De la musique et des mots. La critique rock à l'aune de la littérature (1966-1975).  PhD thesis, Concordia University.


identifier: Alrabaee, Saed Saleh  (2012) QoS based Route Management in Cognitive Radio Networks.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Cognitive radio networks are smart networks that automatically sense the channel and adjust the network parameters accordingly. Cognitive radio is an emerging technology that enables the dynamic deployment of highly adaptive radios that are built upon software defined radio technology. The radio technology allows the unlicensed operation to be in the licensed band. The cognitive radio network paradigm therefore raises many technical challenges such as the power efficiency, spectrum management, spectrum detection, environment awareness, the path selection as well as the path robustness, and security issues.
Traditionally, in the routing approaches in the wired network, each node allows a maximum load through the selected route while traditionally in the routing approaches in wireless network, each node broadcasts its request with the identification of the required destination. However, the existing routing approaches in cognitive radio networks (CRN) follow the traditional approaches in wireless network especially those applied for ad hoc networks. In addition, these traditional approaches do not take into account spectrum trading as well as spectrum competition among licensed users (PUs).
In this thesis, a novel QoS based route management approach is proposed by introducing two different models; the first model is without game theory and the second model is with game theory. The proposed QoS routing algorithm contains the following elements: (i) a profile for each user, which contains different parameters such as the unlicensed user (secondary user, SU) identification, number of neighbors, channel identification, neighbor identification, probabilities of idle slots and the licensed user (primary user, PU) presence. In addition, the radio functionality feature for CRN nodes gives the capability to sense the channels and therefore each node shares its profile with the sensed PU, which then exchanges its profile with other PUs, (ii) spectrum trading, a PU calculates its price based on the SU requirements, (iii) spectrum competition,  a new coefficient α is defined that controls the price because of competition among PUs and depends on many factors such as the number of primary users, available channels, and duration of the usage, (iv) a new function called QoS function is defined to provide different levels of quality of service to SUs, and (v) the game theory concept adds many features such as the flexibility, the dynamicity in finding solutions to the model and the dynamic behaviors of users. Based on the previous elements, all possible paths are managed and categorized based on the level of QoS requested by SUs and the price offered by the PU. The simulation results show that the aggregate throughput and the average delay of the routes determined by the proposed QoS routing algorithm are superior to existing wireless routing algorithms. Moreover, network dynamics is examined under different levels of QoS.


identifier: Mahfood, Julie  (2012) Three Hours from Golden.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: Three Hours from Golden

abstract:
ABSTRACT

Three Hours from Golden

Julie Mahfood
Department of Graduate English

	What happens when a person who has already been pushed to the limit of what he can bear is given a greater load to carry? Eddie Alison has a childhood history including a severe lack of love and different types of abuse by alcoholic parents. To compound things, the only person he shares a healthy relationship with, his younger brother, drowns in a tragic accident when Eddie is 15; to make things worse, Eddie feels responsible for the drowning. In the story’s present, Eddie, now 42, is a divorced single father whose 9-year-old son, Travis, is diagnosed with a late-stage aggressive leukemia. Travis, Eddie’s only child, dies shortly into the tale. Eddie leaves his life behind and attempts to leave his pain and history with it, but finds along his journey that only by facing his weaknesses and fears can he find some measure of peace.


identifier: Kalantari, Masoud  (2013) Development of Piezoresistive Tactile Sensors and a Graphical Display System for Minimally Invasive Surgery and Robotics.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Development of Piezoresistive Tactile Sensors and a Graphical Display System for Minimally Invasive Surgery and Robotics

Masoud Kalantari, PhD
Concordia University, 2013

This PhD work presents a new tactile and feedback systems for minimally invasive
surgery (MIS)and robotics. The thesis is divided into two major sections: the tactile
sensing system, and the graphical display system.
In the tactile sensing system, piezoresistive materials are used as measuring elements.
The first part of the thesis is focused on the theoretical modeling of piezoresistive
sensing elements, which are semiconductive polymer composites. The model
predicts the piezoresistive behavior in semiconductive polymer composites, including
their creep effect and contact resistance. A single force sensing resistor (FSR) is, then, developed by using the semiconductive polymer composite materials. The developed
FSR is used in the structure of a novel tactile sensor as the transduction element.
The developed tactile sensor is designed to measure the difference in the hardness
degree of soft tissues. This capability of the sensor helps surgeons to distinguish different types of tissues involved in the surgery. The tactile sensor is integrated on the extremity of a surgical tool to provide tactile feedback from the interaction between surgical instruments and the tissue during MIS. Mitral valve annuloplasty repair by MIS is of our particular interest to be considered as a potential target for the use of the developed tactile sensor. In the next step, the contact interaction of the tactile sensor with soft tissues is modelled, parametrically. Viscoelastic interaction is considered between the tactile sensor and atrial tissue in annuloplasty mitral valve repair; and a parametric solution for the viscoelastic contact is achieved.
In addition to the developed sensor, a novel idea regarding measuring the indentation
rate, in addition to measuring force and displacement is implemented in a new
design of an array tactile sensor. It is shown that the indentation-rate measurement is
an important factor in distinguishing the hardness degree of tissues with viscoelastic
behaviour.
The second part of the thesis is focused on the development of a three-dimensional
graphical display that provides visual palpation display to any surgeon performing
robotic assisted MIS. Two matrices of the developed piezoresistive force sensor are
used to palpate the tissue and collect the tactile information. The collected data are processed with a new algorithm and graphically rendered in three dimensions.
Consequently, the surgeon can determine the presence, location, and the size of any
hidden superficial tumor/artery by grasping the target tissue in a quasi-dynamic way.


identifier: Ohrhallinger, Stefan  (2012) The Intrinsic Shape of Point Clouds.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

title: The Intrinsic Shape of Point Clouds

abstract:
Given a point cloud, in the form of unorganized points, the problem of automatically connecting the dots to obtain an aesthetically pleasing and piecewise-linear closed interpolating boundary shape has been extensively researched for over three decades. In R3, it is even more complicated to find an aesthetic closed oriented surface. Most previous methods for shape reconstruction exclusively from coordinates work well only when the point spacing on the shape boundary is dense and locally uniform. The problem of shape construction from non-dense and locally non-uniformly spaced point sets is in our opinion not yet satisfactorily solved. Various extensions to earlier methods do not work that well and do not provide any performance guarantees either.
Our main thesis in this research is that a point set, even with non-dense and locally non-uniform spacing, has an intrinsic shape which optimizes in some way the Gestalt principles of form perception. This shape can be formally defined as the minimum
of an energy function over all possible closed linear piece-wise interpolations of this point set. Further, while finding this optimal shape is NP-hard, it is possible to heuristically search for an acceptable approximation within reasonable time.
Our minimization objective is guided by Gestalt’s laws of Proximity, Good Continuity and Closure. Minimizing curvature tends to satisfy proximity and good continuity. For computational simplification, we globally minimize the longest-edge-in-simplex, since it is intrinsic to a single facet and also a factor in mean curvature. And we require a closed shape.
Using such an intrinsic criterion permits the extraction of an approximate shape with a linearithmic algorithm as a simplicial complex, which we have named the Minimum Boundary Complex. Experiments show that it seems to be a very close approximation to the desired boundary shape and that it retains its genus. Further it can be constructed locally and can also handle sensor data with significant noise. Its quick construction is due to not being restricted by the manifold property, required in the boundary shape. Therefore it has many applications where a manifold shape is not necessary, e.g. visualization, shape retrieval, shadow mapping, and topological data analysis in higher dimensions. The definition of the Minimum Boundary Complex is our first major contribution.
Our next two contributions include new methods for constructing boundary shapes by transforming the boundary complex into a close approximation of the minimum boundary shape. These algorithms vary a topological constraint to first inflate the boundary complex to recover a manifold hull and then sculpture it to extract a Minimum Boundary approximation, which interpolates all the points. In the R3 method, we show how local minima can be avoided by covering holes in the hull. Finally, we apply a mesh fairing step to optimize mean curvature directly. We present results for shape construction in R2 and R3 , which clearly demonstrate that our methods work better than the best performing earlier methods for non-dense and locally non-uniformly spaced point sets, while maintaining competitive linearithmic complexity.


identifier: Onet, Adrian Constantin  (2012) The chase procedure and its applications.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The goal of this thesis is not only to introduce and present new chase-based algorithms, but also to investigate the differences between the main existing chase procedures. In order to achieve this, first we will investigate and do a clear delimitation between the existing chase algorithms based on their termination criteria. This will give a better picture of which chase algorithm can be used for different dependency classes. Next, we will investigate the data exchange, data repair and data correspondence problems and show how the chase algorithm can be used to characterize different types of solutions. For the later two problems, we will also investigate the data complexity of solution-existence and solution-check problems. Further, we will introduce a new chase based algorithm which computes representative solutions under constructible models, a new closed world semantics. This new semantics is, in our view, appropriate to be used as a closed world semantics in data exchange. We will also show that the conditional table computed by this chase algorithm can help to get both possible and certain answers for general queries. And finally, we will investigate strong representation systems and strong data exchange representation system. We will prove, by introducing a new chase based algorithm, that mappings specified by source-to-target second order dependencies and target richly acyclic TGD’s are strong data exchange representation systems for the class of first order queries.


identifier: Hildebrand, Noelle T.  (2012) “The Tourists Want an Experience:” The Influence of a Non-Profit Operator on Tourists’ and Residents’ Impressions of the Tourism Encounter.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis questions the claims that alternative tourism, specifically international, philanthropic tourism, can contribute to poverty reduction and increased intercultural understanding and examines the assertion that the tour operator plays a key role in advancing these objectives.  Tourism is located within a neo-colonial framework and philanthropic tourism within an historical trajectory of international, ‘philanthropic’ travelers, such as Christian missionaries and social reformers. A ‘pro-poor,’ non-profit, tour operator-microfinance institution in Mexico which offers village tours and uses tourists’ fees to fund microloans for local women is used to approach the research.  Qualitative data was collected through participant observation and interviews with the guest-donors, host-borrowers, and the tour operator.  The tour operator demonstrated considerable influence in shaping the tourists’ and residents’ motivations, behaviors, and perceptions of the experience.  There was significant divergence among the three stakeholder groups’ reasons to participate and their understandings of the program’s objectives and the guest-host interaction itself, suggesting the difficulty of overcoming the needs and preconceived notions of tourists and residents.  The organization directed tourism dollars to marginalized individuals and mitigated many barriers to individual guest-host communication.  The egalitarian basis required for intercultural exchange, however, was eroded by the highly-scripted performance of the residents and the exclusion of a discussion on the causes of systemic poverty, suggesting that this example of philanthropic tourism may not be able to address either goal of alternative tourism.


identifier: Mohammed, Noman  (2012) Models and Algorithms for Private Data Sharing.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
In recent years, there has been a tremendous growth in the collection of digital information about individuals. Many organizations such as governmental agencies, hospitals, and financial companies collect and disseminate various person-specific data. Due to the rapid advance in the storing, processing, and networking capabilities of the computing devices, the collected data can now be easily analyzed to infer valuable information for research and business purposes. Data from different sources can be integrated and further analyzed to gain better insights. On one hand, the collected data offer tremendous opportunities for mining useful information. On the other hand, the mining process poses a threat to individual privacy since these data often contain sensitive information. In this thesis, we address the problem of developing anonymization algorithms to thwart potential privacy attacks in different real-life data sharing scenarios. In particular, we study two privacy models: LKC-privacy and differential privacy. For each of these models, we develop algorithms for anonymizing different types of data such as relational data, trajectory data, and heterogeneous data. We also develop algorithms for distributed data where multiple data publishers cooperate to integrate their private data without violating the given
privacy requirements. Experimental results on the real-life data demonstrate that the proposed anonymization algorithms can effectively retain the essential information for data analysis and are scalable for large data sets.


identifier: Côté-Hamel, Maryse  (2012) The Normative Influence of Shopping Companions on Impulsive Urges and Purchases.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.


identifier: Moghaddaszadeh Ahrab, Mohammad Ali  (2012) Hygrothermal behavior of flat cool and standard roofs on residential and commercial buildings in North America.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Installing roofs with high solar reflectance and high thermal emittance, known as “Cool roofs”, are becoming popular because of their cooling energy saving potentials, cost effectiveness and sustainability. Cool roofs may affect the hygrothermal performance of roofing systems and hence their performance should be characterized in different climates.
We simulated the performance of several roofing systems including: Typical, smart, and self-drying roofs for residential and commercial buildings. In addition, we proposed vented roofs with smart vapor retarders in different climate regions across North America. We also developed an algorithm to investigate the effect of snow on hygrothermal behaviour of black and white roofs.
 Results showed that office buildings never experience moisture accumulation problem in the simulation period (5 years). In residential buildings, white typical roofing compositions with conventional vapor retarders experienced moisture accumulation problems in cities such as Anchorage, Edmonton and St. John’s. Using smart vapor retarder (smart roofs) or self-drying roofs helped to decrease risk of moisture accumulation. We showed that in these climates, adding a ventilated air space along with using smart vapor retarder eliminated risk of moisture accumulation and prevented excessive OSB (oriented strand board) moisture content. Furthermore, our simulation results showed that risk of mold growth was significantly lower in vented smart roofs than other systems. Simulating the effect of snow on the roof for Anchorage, Montreal and Chicago showed that the hygrothermal performances of white roofs improved with snow accumulation on the roof.


identifier: Alshamrani, Othman  (2012) Evaluation of School Buildings Using Sustainability Measures and Life-Cycle Costing Technique.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Greenhouse gases and energy extraction, production and consumption contribute to polluting the environment, and have led to climate change and global warming, now ranked as one of the top priorities on the United Nations' environment agenda (Montreal & Kyoto protocols). In the United States and Canada, the building sector represents the third-largest domain of total energy consumption, after the industrial and transportation sectors. In Canada and the United States alone, close to 80 million students, teachers and staff spend at least eight hours a day in schools. There is a growing demand to construct sustainable schools designed to provide more healthy, comfortable and productive learning environments as well as to reduce energy consumption and building costs. The research presented here details the development of a Selection Framework that enables school boards to select sustainable and cost-effective structure and envelope types for new school buildings. The selection is performed based on an evaluation of the LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) rating system and life-cycle costing techniques for typical structure and envelope-type alternatives. Fourteen different structure and envelope types are investigated, covering steel, concrete, and wood structures, in various combinations covering both conventional and sustainable options. A Sustainability Assessment Model is developed to measure the sustainability performance of conventional or "Non-green" alternatives, based on the evaluation of certain LEED categories such as energy consumption, recyclability and reuse of material, along with incorporating the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) technique. Furthermore, Life Cycle Costs Forecasting Models are developed by applying Monte Carlo simulation to determine the cost effectiveness or the economic viability for fourteen green and non-green school structure alternatives. Comparisons between these alternatives are performed using various deterministic and stochastic approaches in accordance with confidence levels, and risk assessment using the Efficient Frontier technique. The selection criteria was evaluated and weighted by experts' opinions. Their evaluation indicates that running costs represent the most significant criterion, followed by initial costs and then sustainability. The selection of alternatives based on a deterministic approach was subjected to high risk, and the selection is also enhanced by applying the Efficient Frontier technique (risk assessment). It is found that, if the selection is based on only one life cycle stage, it would lead to a decision that would not be the best for the long term. Hence, whole life cycle stages should be considered in the selection. It is seen that this research provides a method that can assist governments and decision makers in minimizing their overall expenditures on public buildings and to provide the best possible structural/envelope system, while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emissions and minimizing the environmental impact associated with public sector buildings.


identifier: Smith, Timothy Eric  (2012) The Male Body, Male Homosocial Desire and the Comedic Device Penis in Contemporary Hollywood Comedies.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis will show how the Comedic Device Penis (CDP), an original concept to this work, elicits laughter and shock from an audience but remains strictly within the confines of a conservative, heteronormative sphere.  This thesis expands on previous scholarly work showing the need to critically engage with the images of men and the male body.  Chapter One deals with Sedgwick’s theory of Male Homosocial Desire (MHD), from her book Between Men (1985), which is corroborated and/or exemplified in Hollywood comedies.  The analysis shows how MHD is illustrated very well in Hollywood comedies, such as The 40-Year-Old Virgin (Judd Apatow 2005), and Old School (Todd Phillips 2003), among others.  Chapter Two extrapolates on theories from Lehman’s book Running Scared (1993), and a subsequent article “Crying Over the Melodramatic Penis”(2001) and the new concept of the CDP is conceived.  Through a detailed textual analysis focusing on the aesthetics of film, this thesis will show how the representation of the penis is not eroticized and any positive references to homosexuality are avoided.  The six Hollywood comedies that exemplify this new concept are: Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (Jake Kasdan 2007), Observe and Report (Jody Hill 2009), The Hangover (Todd Phillips 2009), Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg 2008), Zack and Miri Make a Porno (Kevin Smith 2008), and Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Nicholas Stoller 2008).


identifier: Gargouri, Inès  (2012) Essays on US mutual fund industry.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

title: Essays on US mutual fund industry


identifier: Cooper, Christopher A.  (2012) Learning amongst Experts and Politicians: An Analysis from Canadian Pension Policy.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The Royal Commission on the Status of Pensions in Ontario (Haley commission) and the Parliamentary Task Force on Pension Reform (Frith committee) were both established during the Great Pension Debate (1977-1984) to study the Canadian pension system and to develop proposals for reform. Yet despite studying pensions in the same country and era, the two inquiries developed fundamentally different solutions. Whereas the Haley commission recommended incremental adjustments to programs, the Frith committee reframed pensions as an issue intrinsically tied to and perpetuating gender biases in society. Using Peter Hall’s systematic process analysis, this thesis finds that the different recommendations of these two public inquiries are largely the result of: (a) the varying types of information used by the inquiries (specifically expert versus non-expert information); and (b) the social learning amongst women’s groups in the period between the two inquiries. The combination of an inquiry open to using non-expert information alongside an increased number of women’s groups presenting specific proposals for reform, led to the Frith committee’s fundamental reframing of pensions.


identifier: Mehdizade, Mohsen  (2012) A Decomposition Strategy for Optimal Coverage of an Area of Interest using Heterogeneous Team of UAVs.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
In this thesis, we study the problem of optimal search and coverage with heterogeneous team of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The team must complete the coverage of a given region while minimizing the required time and fuel for performing the mission. Since the UAVs have different characteristics one needs to equalize the ratio of the task to the capabilities of each agent to obtain an optimal solution. A multi-objective task assignment framework is developed for finding the best group of agents that by assigning the optimal tasks would carry out the mission with minimum total cost.

Once the optimal tasks for UAVs are obtained, the coverage area (map) is partitioned according to the results of the multi-objective task assignment. The strategy is to partition the coverage area into separate regions so that each agent is responsible for performing the surveillance of its particular region. The decentralized power diagram algorithm is used to partition the map according to the results of the task assignment phase. Furthermore, a framework for solving the task assignment problem and the coverage area partitioning problem in parallel is proposed. A criterion for achieving the minimum number of turns in covering a region a with single UAV is studied for choosing the proper path direction for each UAV. This criterion is extended to develop a method for partitioning the coverage area among multiple UAVs that minimizes the number of turns.

We determine the "best" team for performing the coverage mission and we find the optimal workload for each agent that is involved in the mission through a multi-objective optimization procedure. The search area is then partitioned into disjoint subregions, and each agent is assigned to a region having an optimum area resulting in the minimum cost for the entire surveillance mission.


identifier: Walsh, David  (2012) Quality Validation through Pattern Detection – A Semantic Web Perspective.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.


identifier: Aloqaily, Moayad  (2012) Multiparty/Multimedia Conferencing in Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks for Improving Communications between Firefighters.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
In current practice, firefighters’ communications systems are verbal, using a simplex Radio Frequency (RF) system (walkie-talkie). They use a push-to-talk mechanism in which only one person can talk at any time and all other firefighters will hear the messages. They use special codes (e.g. 1008, 1009, etc.) to express their current situation. Firefighters of the same team need to be in visual contact with each other at all times. This RF system does not support other functionalities (e.g. video communications, conference calls). In addition, because communication between firefighters is a flat structure, private communications is not possible.
Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks (MANETs) are infrastructure-less and self-organized wireless networks of mobile devices, which are not based on any centralized control. MANETs are suitable for the hosting of a wide range of applications in emergency situations, such as natural or human-induced disasters, and military and commercial settings. Multimedia conferencing is an important category of application that can be deployed in MANETs. This includes well-known sets of applications, such as audio/video conferencing, data communications, and multiplayer games.
Conferencing can be defined as the conversational exchange of data content between several parties. Conferencing requires, at the very least, the opening of two sessions: a call signaling session, and a media handling session. Call signaling is used to set up, modify, and terminate the conference. Media handling is used to cover the transportation of the media, and to control/manage the media mixers and media connections.
So far, very little attention has been devoted to the firefighters’ communication system. In the present work, we focus on building a new communication system for firefighters using multimedia conferencing/sub-conferencing in MANETs. The background information for the firefighters’ current communications system and MANETs, along with the multimedia conferencing, is provided. The limitations of this system are determined, and the requirements are derived to determine the functionalities of a better communication system that will overcome current limitations. We have proposed a cluster-based signaling architecture that meets our requirements. We have also identified a state-of-the-art media handling and mixing system that meets most of our requirements, and have adapted it to inter-work with our signaling system. We have implemented the proposed architecture using SIP signaling protocol. Performance measurements have been  performed on the prototype. Through experiments, we have found that the new multimedia communication system is a very promising approach to solve the current firefighters’ communication problems.


identifier: Monk, David F  (2012) An Examination of Canadian Civil Society Organizations’ Role and Contribution to the Effort of Global Citizenship Education in Canada.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
In an era of increased globalization it is difficult to ignore the growing divide between the rich and the poor. This thesis examines the ways public engagement and education about international development issues take place in the public sphere, in Canada.
     The thesis reviews the role of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and four Canadian Civil Society Organizations (CCSOs): CARE, Cuso, the McLeod Group as well as the role of the umbrella organization regrouping 92 CCSOs, the Canadian Coalition for International Cooperation (CCIC), in engaging the public about issues surrounding international development.
The research relies on information gleaned from the relevant websites, a range of publications and interviews with the four CCSOs.  It identifies that the role for public engagement primarily falls on the shoulders of CCSOs, who deem public engagement to be an important part of what they do.  It recounts the different ways the CCSOs interviewed are involved in public engagement as well as some of the key methods and strategies they employ.  It concludes that CCSOs value public engagement however they are severely restricted in what they can do because of budget restraints and reduced government funding.  The thesis also suggests further avenues for research into the way education about issues of international development takes place in other formal, non-formal and informal learning contexts in Canada.


identifier: Mohamed, Mohamed El Menshawy  (2012) Model Checking Logics of Social Commitments for Agent Communication.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
This thesis is about specifying and verifying communications among autonomous and possibly heterogeneous agents, which are the key principle for constructing effective open multi-agent systems (MASs). Effective systems are those that successfully achieve applicability, feasibility, error-freeness and balance between expressiveness and verification efficiency aspects. Over the last two decades, the MAS community has advocated social commitments, which successfully provide a powerful representation for modeling communications in the figure of business contracts from one agent to another. While modeling communications using commitments provides a fundamental basis for capturing flexible communications and helps address the challenge of ensuring compliance with specifications, the designers and business process modelers of the system as a whole cannot guarantee that an agent complies with its commitments as supposed to or at least not wantonly violate or cancel them. They may still wish to first formulate the notion of commitment-based protocols that regulate communications among agents and then establish formal verification (e.g., model checking) by which compliance verification in those protocols is possible.

In this thesis, we address the aforementioned challenges by firstly developing a new branching-time temporal logic---called ACTL*c---that extends CTL* with modal operators for representing and reasoning about commitments and all associated actions. The proposed semantics for ACL (agent communication language) messages in terms of commitments and their actions is formal, declarative, meaningful, verifiable and semi-computationally grounded. We use ACTL*c to derive a new specification language of commitment-based protocols, which is expressive and suitable for model checking. We introduce a reduction method to formally transform the problem of model checking ACTL*c to the problem of model checking GCTL* so that the use of the CWB-NC model checker is possible. We prove the soundness of our reduction method and implement it on top of CWB-NC. To check the effectiveness of our reduction method, we report the verification results of the NetBill protocol and Contract Net protocol against some properties. In addition to the reduction method, we develop a new symbolic algorithm to perform model checking ACTL*c.

To balance between expressiveness and verification efficiency, we secondly adopt a refined fragment of ACTL*c, called CTLC, an extension of CTL with modalities for commitments and their fulfillment. We extend the formalism of interpreted systems introduced to develop MASs with shared and unshared variables and considered agents' local states in the definition of a full-computationally grounded semantics for ACL messages using commitments. We present reasonable axioms of commitment and fulfillment modalities. In our verification technique, the problem of model checking CTLC is reduced into the problems of model checking ARCTL and GCTL* so that respectively extended NuSMV and CWB-NC (as a benchmark) are usable. We prove the soundness of our reduction methods and then implement them on top of the extended NuSMV and CWB-NC model checkers. To evaluate the effectiveness of our reduction methods, we verified the correctness of two business case studies.

We finally proceed to develop a new symbolic model checking algorithm to directly verify commitments and their fulfillment and commitment-based protocols. We analyze the time complexity of CTLC model checking for explicit models and its space complexity for concurrent programs that provide compact representations. We prove that although CTLC extends CTL, their model checking algorithms still have the same time complexity for explicit models, and the same space complexity for concurrent programs. We fully implement the proposed algorithm on top of MCMAS, a model checker for the verification of MASs, and then check its efficiency and scalability using an industrial case study.


identifier: Azagba, Sunday  (2012) Three Essays in Empirical Health Economics.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.


identifier: Fontaine, Paul Edward  (2012) The Punjabi diaspora in a time of media hybridization: The empowering of ‘counterpublics’.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
This thesis explores the ways in which three Punjabi-Canadian news outlets in British Columbia push back against negative representations in the mainstream press, while drawing attention to causes of concern to members of that diasporic community in Canada and around the world.
I argue that the three outlets reflect the formation of “public sphericules,” which both provide counter-narratives to mainstream discourse and offer coverage that attempts to integrate members of that diasporic group into mainstream Canadian society. These are important roles for a number of reasons; because of the negative representations of South Asians that have characterized the Canadian mainstream press’ coverage; and because multicultural news outlets help people to negotiate between their physical and cultural homes. Scholars in the areas of diasporic studies, South Asian studies, and counterpublic formation inform this thesis.
Through qualitative interviews with the editors at each of the publications, as well as through a two-month framing analysis of the coverage at the outlets, this study explores how multiple public sphericules can be bonding agents, building a sense of cohesion within a cultural community, while at the same time bridging that cultural community with the larger communities in which they live.


identifier: Bangalore Somanatha, Revathi  (2012) Design and Validation of Automated Authentication, Key and Adjacency Management for Routing Protocols.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
To build secure network-based systems, it is important to ensure the authenticity and integrity of the inter-router control message exchanges. Authenticating neighbors and ensuring their legitimacy is essential. Otherwise, the routes installed could be erroneous or targeted at causing an attack on the system.

Current methods, which are based on manual keying, are error prone, not scalable, and result in keys being changed infrequently (or not at all) due to lack of authorized personnel. These issues can be addressed only by having an automated key management system that can automatically generate, distribute and update keys.

The issue can be cast as a group key management problem with a `keying group' defined as the set of all routers that share the same key. A keying group can be as large as an entire administrative domain, or as small as a pair of peer routers. The smaller the scope of the key the less damaging the loss of a single key is likely to be.

In this thesis, we propose an automated key management system that will be able to handle different categories of keying groups and also ensure important properties such as adjacency management, protection against replay attacks, confidentiality of messages, smooth key rollover, and robustness across reboots. Although there is some ongoing work with regard to developing automated key management systems, none of the existing methods handles all these cases. We have formally validated the protocol designed, for essential security properties such as authentication, confidentiality, integrity and replay protection, using a formal validation tool called AVISPA.


identifier: Chen, Yichao  (2012) Design and Evaluation of Façade-Integrated Solar Technologies Suitable for High-Latitude Applications.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
This thesis investigates the design and evaluation of façade-integrated solar technologies optimized for high latitude locations. To address the climatic and socio-economic challenges pertaining to Northern housing, a pre-fabricated active envelope system is designed to generate energy from renewable sources while functioning effectively as a passive building enclosure.
An experimental prototype is developed using high-performance structural insulated panel (SIP) wall with the capacity to accommodate several modular solar components including unglazed transpired collector (UTC), transpired glazing (TG), and photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) systems. Ten collector configurations based on the experimental prototype have been evaluated at the state-of-the-art Solar Simulator and Environmental Chamber (SSEC) laboratory, which allows for a compressed timeline and repeatable results compared to outdoor experiments.
Custom thermal network models for the different collector configurations are developed for steady state and annual analyses. Simulation results are compared to and validated by experimental data from the SSEC laboratory.  The potential of energy conservation and renewable generation by the proposed solar facades is estimated using typical meteorological year weather data of three northern Canadian cities.
Two case studies, involving existing façade-integrated solar technologies at high latitudes, are presented in the Appendix. Field inspections were conducted for a 17-year-old photovoltaic façade in Nunavut, and six Unglazed Transpired Collector (UTC) façade installations in Northwest Territories. In an effort to connect with reality and to investigate the suitability of building integrated solar technologies, the fieldwork examined and discussed the current state of performance and operation issues for the existing solar installations at high latitudes.


identifier: Amoozgar, M. Hadi  (2012) Development of Fault Diagnosis and Fault Tolerant Control Algorithms with Application to Unmanned Systems.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Unmanned vehicles have been increasingly employed in real life. They include unmanned air vehicles (UAVs), unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), unmanned spacecrafts, and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). Unmanned vehicles like any other autonomous systems need controllers to stabilize and control them. On the other hand unmanned systems might subject to different faults. Detecting a fault, finding the location and severity of it, are crucial for unmanned vehicles. Having enough information about a fault, it is needed to redesign controller based on post fault characteristics of the system. The obtained controlled system in this case can tolerate the fault and may have a better performance. The main focus of this thesis is to develop Fault Detection and Diagnosis (FDD) algorithms, and Fault Tolerant Controllers (FTC) to increase performance, safety and reliability of various missions using unmanned systems.

In the field of unmanned ground vehicles, a new kinematical control method has been proposed for the trajectory tracking of nonholonomic Wheeled Mobile Robots (MWRs). It has been experimentally tested on an UGV, called Qbot. A stable leader-follower formation controller for time-varying formation configuration of multiple nonholonomic wheeled mobile robots has also been presented and is examined through computer simulation.

In the field of unmanned aerial vehicles, Two-Stage Kalman Filter (TSKF), Adaptive Two-Stage Kalman Filter (ATSKF), and Interacting Multiple Model (IMM) filter were proposed for FDD of the quadrotor helicopter testbed in the presence of actuator faults. As for space missions, an FDD algorithm for the attitude control system of the Japan Canada Joint Collaboration Satellite - Formation Flying (JC2Sat-FF) mission has been developed. The FDD scheme was achieved using an IMM-based FDD algorithm. The efficiency of the FDD algorithm has been shown through simulation results in a nonlinear simulator of the JC2Sat-FF.

A fault tolerant fuzzy gain-scheduled PID controller has also been designed for a quadrotor unmanned helicopter in the presence of actuator faults. The developed FDD algorithms and fuzzy controller were evaluated through experimental application to a quadrotor helicopter testbed called Qball-X4.


identifier: Omar, Rayan Saleem M  (2012) Improving the Stability of Supply Chain Operations Planning Considering the Effects of Congestion.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Reacting to customer demand changes by frequently re-planning and re-scheduling the production plans is one of the managerial perspectives to improve customer satisfaction enabled through new information technologies such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). However, this may cause nervousness in supply chain operations, resulting in unexpected operational costs, and increased lead time due to congestion in the nodes of the supply chain. The objective of this thesis is to develop a decision support system to identify the lot sizing and batching decisions by considering the congestion effects resulting from uncertainties in a supply chain environment. A Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model is developed to determine lot sizing decisions for a supply chain. The developed MILP model considers the effect of congestion at the supplier nodes using queuing models. In addition, instability metrics are proposed to measure the stability of supply chain lot sizing decisions. The output of the lot sizing decisions is tested with the proposed metrics in a simulation environment by considering various uncertainty levels. A sensitivity analysis is conducted in order to demonstrate the impact of batching and supplier capacity decisions under high, medium, and low demand variability. The results show that increasing the supplier capacity by a small increment has a significant improvement on the total cost. Moreover, considering the congestion effect into their MRP schedule increases the overall service level. The benefits of incorporating the congestion effects have also been demonstrated by the proposed stability metric.


identifier: Tayarani Bathaie, Seyed Sina  (2012) Fault Detection and Isolation of Jet Engines Using Neural Networks.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
The main objective of this thesis is to design a fault detection and isolation (FDI)
scheme for the aircraft jet engine using dynamic neural networks. Toward this end
two different types of dynamic neural networks are used to learn the engine dynamics.
Specially, dynamic neural model (DNM) and time delay neural network (TDNN) are
utilized. The DNM is constructed by using dynamic neurons which utilize infinite
impulse response (IIR) filters to generate dynamical behaviour between the input
and output of the network. On the other hand, TDNN uses several delays associated
with the inputs of the neurons to achieve a dynamic input-output map. We have
investigated the fault detection performance of each structure. A bank of neural
networks consisting of a set of 12 networks that are trained separately to capture
the dynamic relations of all the 12 engine parameters are considered in this study.
The results show that certain engine parameters have better detection capabilities
as compared to the others. Moreover, the fault detection performance was improved
by introduction of the concept of "enhanced fault diagnosis scheme" which employs
several networks and monitors several engine parameters simultaneously to enhance
and improve the accuracy and performance of the diagnostic system.
The fault isolation task is accomplished by using a multilayer perception (MLP)
network as a classifier. The concept behind the isolation is motivated by the fact that
there is a specific map between the residuals of different networks and a particular
fault scenario. We show that the MLP has good capability in learning this map and
isolates the faults that are occurring in the jet engine. To demonstrate our diagnostic
scheme capabilities, 8 different fault scenarios are simulated and according to the
simulation results, our proposed FDI scheme represents a promising tool for fault
detection as well as fault isolation requirements.
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identifier: Gharakhani Siraki, Arbi  (2012) Efficiency Estimation of Induction Machines with Limited Measurements.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
The first goal of this thesis is to develop a non-intrusive in-situ efficiency estimation technique, which is capable of dealing with unbalanced supplies and under- or overvoltage conditions. For the purpose of this thesis, non-intrusiveness refers to electrical measurements at terminals only, with no mechanical measurements, not even speed. This requirement imposes limitations on the available data, which brings challenges to the efficiency estimation problem. To have the lowest possible intrusion level, only two line voltages and currents are allowed to be measured, and all the required information, such as input and output power, speed, temperature, and the motor parameters, must be calculated or estimated solely based on these measurements.
The second goal of this thesis is to develop a simple method for full load efficiency estimation from no-load uncoupled testing, which can be used in refurbishment centers to estimate the efficiency of induction machines without performing expensive dynamometer testing.


identifier: Reid, Natasha S.  (2012) The Contemporary Identities of Art Museum Educators as Told through Their Life Histories.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Over the past three decades, art museums have been undergoing massive changes as they attempt to become more public-oriented centers that develop deep connections with diverse audiences. This new focus means more responsibility for and expectations of museum educators. At the same time, there is often far too little recognition of the important work conducted by these professionals. Art museum educators come from widely varied backgrounds, since the qualifications for these positions are inconsistent. Furthermore, definitions of museum education vary among professionals and institutions. The result is the absence of a unified understanding of the role of museum educators and sometimes a lack of credibility with colleagues outside of their profession. In these circumstances, museum educators are dealing with a growing identity crisis. Little research into the identities of art museum educators has included their narratives. Examining art museum educators’ identities through narrative inquiry can help them to become more effective instigators of positive change in their institutions. Furthermore, in researching museum educators’ stories of lived experiences, we are afforded the opportunity to reveal and derive insight from narratives that are not typically heard.

     This study provided a locus for five art museum educators to articulate their current beliefs, attitudes, and practices related to museum education and the origins of these perceptions through rich narrative explorations. By employing life history research as a methodological framework, this dissertation explored museum educators’ personal and professional experiences to develop a more holistic understanding of what it means to be a museum educator today. This methodology was also studied as a form of professional development. The rich stories revealed by these practitioners were examined individually and through a process of cross-case analysis. The insight developed will help art museum educators, their instructors, and their institutions better understand what is necessary to optimize these educators’ potential to effectively reach out to diverse audiences in meaningful ways. This dissertation concludes with suggestions for pre-service education programs and in-service professional development endeavors.


identifier: Clarke, Andrea  (2012) Externalized ATP in intact erythrocyte suspensions: modulation and determination.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Well recognized for its role as the energy currency of cells, ATP plays an altogether different role in the mammalian vascular system. Erythrocyte-derived extracellular ATP is fast gaining recognition as a vital vasodilator in blood; stimulating a rapid widening of blood vessels when released into the circulation. Currently, the primary technique employed to determine the concentration of ATP released from erythrocytes is the luciferin-luciferase chemiluminescent assay, which is both robust in signal and specific for ATP. However, the assay is subject to interferences inherent to working with erythrocytes, such as the presence of hemoglobin, which filters the emitted chemiluminescence signal.
At the outset, the current work examined the luciferin-luciferase chemiluminescent assay in the microplate format and evaluated the parameters necessary to determine ATP in suspensions of intact erythrocytes. Based on the methodological considerations which arose from the examination of the assay, the concentration of ATP in suspensions of intact erythrocytes was compared to that of their supernatants. It was determined that the ATP released into the supernatants of erythrocyte suspensions represents but a fraction of the ATP which is externalized and accessible for enzymatic reactions. Known stimuli of ATP release, including CO2 and hypo-osmotic stress,  were also used to compare the sensitivity of erythrocytes obtained from humans to those from rats, a common pharmacological model organism: human erythrocytes proved to be more sensitive to stimuli than rat erythrocytes.
Ultimately, a method for measuring ATP in suspensions of intact erythrocytes was developed, and the possibility of two modes of erythrocyte release was discovered. The erythrocyte has long been held as a sensor within the vasculature, and this work underscores the growing importance being placed on the erythrocyte’s role as an effector through the regulation of the release of the vasodilator ATP


identifier: Wells, Johnathan William  (2012) When God Appears.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: When God Appears