identifier: Tomiuk, Marc Alexander  (2000) The impact of service providers' emotional displays on service evaluation : evidence of emotional contagion.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The present work begins with an exhaustive and comparative review of the emotions literature in psychology and in sociology. In Chapter Six, a model of the emotion system of the service encounter is developed. In part, it represents a conceptualization and a substantial and substantive extension of Hochschild's (1983a) work on emotional labor . The model not only accounts for the emotional reactions of consumers to the affective displays of service providers but provides an interdisciplinary perspective on emotion. Accordingly, we draw on elements from cognitive and somatic perspectives in psychology, Hochschild's (1983a) interactional theory, the views of other social constructivists, purist sociological perspectives, and on perspectives from communication studies in an attempt to account for the multilevel emotional dynamics which occur in the service encounter. It becomes evident that emotions are not simply intrapersonal states but that they are also social or interpersonal phenomena. It is also stressed that the consumer's and service provider's emotion processes involve different determinants. Importantly, it is suggested that cognitive appraisal theories do not provide the only general mechanism which may account for consumer emotion in the service encounter. Alternatively, primitive emotional contagion rests on somatic theories of emotion. Its underlying mechanism is essentially pre-attentive (unconscious) and thus does not imply the type of mental calculus which is suggested by appraisal theorists as a determinant of emotion. At a theoretical level, primitive emotional contagion appears to better account for emotion in a dynamic and interactive manner than do cognitive theories which essentially represent stimulus-response models. It also represents a compelling explanation for mutual entrainment, synchrony, rapport, and matched emotional states in interaction. On the other hand, cognitive appraisal theories appear to provide a mechanism for consumer emotion after the occurrence of failure in a component of service. Next, an experimental study is conducted to test a variety of hypotheses based on the proposed conceptual model and the services evaluation literature. Results indicate that the interaction between the valence of a service provider's emotional displays and the social context of these displays does have a significant effect on various evaluation factors including service quality dimensions, satisfaction, and behavioral intent. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)


identifier: Schecter, Myer  (2001) Physician - Jewish family communication about futile medical treatment : a qualitative approach.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

type: Thesis NonPeerReviewed

abstract: The purpose of my research is to see how hospital physicians and Jewish families perceive their communication when further aggressive treatment of the patient is considered futile. Today's hospital physician has little time to get to know the patient and finds it easier to communicate with the family, especially in the medically futile situation. Other forces impinging on communication include the high cost of hospitalization, which pressures physicians to release patients as soon as possible, and a short-staffed medical team. The family's desire to prolong life is often based on their religious beliefs and culture or their internal values, feelings and traits which emphasize prolonging life. In my research, I interviewed physicians, families, nurses, administrators and families in cases of expressed difficulties in communication disagreements about futility. I found that families and physicians were at odds in their understanding of futility and their perception of how they communicated with each other. My last chapter offers a collaborative model of good communication and suggestions of how to deal with the pressures on families and physicians in these most difficult times.


identifier: MacLennan, Anne Frances  (2001) Circumstances beyond our control : Canadian radio program schedule evolution during the 1930's.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Despite the best efforts of many Canadian nationalists and government agencies to control and develop radio broadcasting in the 1930s such factors as the abilities, strengths and weaknesses of the private broadcasters as well as the availability of various types and forms of programming governed the direction and development of the program schedule offered to listeners during the decade. A simple random sample of radio program schedules has been selected from The Vancouver Sun, The Montreal Gazette and The Halifax Herald employing three weeks from each year of the decade for all three cities. A content analysis of the sample was conducted to assess trends and the development of Canadian radio programming in the 1930s. This analysis has allowed for the re-creation of the broadcasting environments of Vancouver, Halifax and Montreal and permitted the development of a typology that describes the stages of the evolution of Canadian radio stations from novice to mature. Studying the similarities of programming strategies as these radio stations moved through common stages of development isolates and amplifies the impact of local and national circumstances. Canadian radio stations operated within a fixed framework determined by their geographical location, local population distribution, language and wavelength restrictions. Successful survival depended upon their objectives, financing and to a significant extent, the manipulation of their program schedules. Most importantly, these stations existed within the context of a broader North American radio industry characterized by the domination of networks. In the United States during the 1930s, NBC, CBS and Mutual modelled the development of diversified program genres. In Canada, the creation of a public broadcasting body, first the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission (CRBC) and then the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), was the most significant innovation in Canadian broadcasting history. Through the analysis of program schedules, this thesis explores and explains how Canadian radio stations survived the Depression decade by diversifying their offerings through the use of a combination of local and network, Canadian and American programming.


identifier: Prévost, Natasha  (2001) Barbara Cigana, ou le nomadisme identitaire : étude explorant le mouvement identitaire : la masculinité, le travestisme et la déterritorialisation de genre et sexuelle dans le Nord-Est brésilien.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Cette étude ethnographique explore différents aspects de l'identité de genre liée à l'homosexualité à l'intérieur d'une communauté villageoise et travestie au Brésil. L'emphase de la recherche est portée sur les possibilités de nomadisme et de déterritorialisation de l'identité de genre chez les travestis de Fortaleza. Les questionnements impliqués touchent: la construction de l'identité de genre et sexuelle, l'identité de genre masculine et féminine, l'orientation sexuelle, la diversité des comportements sexuels et le nomadisme identitaire chez les hommes et les femmes du village de Cidade das Pedras, ainsi qu'à l'intérieur de la communauté travestie de Fortaleza. Le but est de démontrer le caractère construit et imposé de l'identité de genre par la société dominante. Ce faisant l'étude expose les différentes contradictions liées aux valeurs véhiculées à l'intérieur de la société brésilienne par rapport à l'identité de genre et sexuelle et propose la déterritorialisation de l'identité de genre comme alternative à la bipolarité du masculin et du féminin.


identifier: Tinning, Rebecca  (2001) One woman's nation : Pauline Hanson, femininity and right wing populism in Australia.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In the 1990's the most powerful right-wing populist party in Australian history, One Nation Party , was formed and led by Pauline Hanson. Populist parties, like Pauline Hanson's One Nation , have traditionally been a masculine domain yet Hanson masterfully gained support for her views by deploying the powerful rhetoric of home and family. This thesis illuminates Hanson's use of traditional notions of femininity such as mother, care-giver, and teacher in her speeches and charts the way that these gendered representations shaped key policy issues on multi-culturalism, immigration, globalisation and the family. This discourse helped Hanson articulate a politics of resentment which appealed to a constituency comprised, primarily, of "white" Australian men displaced from their traditional place of social, cultural and political privilege. To gain a greater understanding of Hanson's discursive manoeuvres, an examination of letters written by women to the editors of major Australian newspapers was undertaken. This media analysis reveals how this domestic discourse was adopted by women who supported Hanson and by women who were opposed to Hanson's racially-based views. This thesis indicates how women who opposed Hanson negotiated her domestic rhetoric to counter to her policies.


identifier: Mechouet, Mohamed Amokrane  (2001) Web based CINDI system.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: Web based CINDI system

abstract: This thesis presents the design and implementation of the CINDI System based on the World Wide Web. The CINDI (Concordia INdexing and DIscovery) is a system which enables a user to index and discover information resources on the Internet. The information resource is described using a metadata called a Semantic Header, which is stored in a distributed databases management system; it is distributed for reliability and availability. The Semantic-Header is replicated at different nodes of the Internet. The locations of such nodes are stored in a database catalog.  A prototype has been developed based on this proposal. The prototype is composed of three main subsystems: the Web Server, which also hosts the catalog database, a primary site for the Semantic Header and subject databases, and a replicated site. In the prototype, UML (Unified Modeling Language) has been employed for the analysis and design of the CINDI system using Oracle Database Management System for its implementation. The Apache Web Server is used to communicate between the Browser (the client) and the Databases (the server) subsystems using the HTTP protocol. This communication is implemented using Java servlets which have two main functions. They are used as server to retrieve the HTML form information from the browser, and as client to send requests to Oracle databases.


identifier: Lo Faso, Vince  (2001) Implementing XTP in an IP environment.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: Implementing XTP in an IP environment

abstract: XTP is a transport level protocol that can operate over several network and data link layer protocols. This paper examines the issues involved in implementing XTP version 4.0 over the IP network protocol. We investigate transport related issues that are unique to XTP, examine the behavior and performance of XTP/IP in a Linux kernel implementation (LinuxXTP), recommend several enhancements to the XTP Specification revision 4.0, and introduce Transport Traffic Services for XTP for the most common Internet traffic types. Comparisons to TCP are made to highlight the relative strengths and weak points of XTP.


identifier: Blake, Caminee K  (2000) The social significance of having good or poor auto[bio]graphical memory from an impression formation perspective.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The focus of the present research is on assessing people's perceptions of others as a function of the others' autobiographical recall ability. It is concerned primarily with perceptions of others, and to some extent with people's perceptions of the nature of autobiographical memory itself. The core hypothesis is that people will judge others with good autobiographical memory as more sociable, warm and emotionally involved and those with poor autobiographical memory as less sociable and as more cold and indifferent. In most of the studies, participants were provided with written descriptions of a person and asked to report their impressions of this target primarily by providing ratings on various trait characteristics. First, Studies 1a and 1b surveyed people's perceptions of the nature and importance of autobiographical memory. Results demonstrated that when participants are explicitly asked, having good autobiographical memory is perceived to be normative both descriptively and prescriptively. In this context, having poor autobiographical memory would be perceived as unusual and may be judged harshly. Study 2 was designed to elicit participants' perceptions of others with good or poor autobiographical memory, and good or poor task-related memory using an open-ended, unstructured format. Study 3 assessed whether people's perceptions of targets having good or poor autobiographical memory differed along the social and intellectual dimensions of implicit personality theory relative to perceptions of having good or poor task-related memory. Results of Studies 2 and 3 indicated that perceptions of good and poor autobiographical memory targets generally differed from perceptions of task-related memory targets. As hypothesized, a link between perceptions of sociability and autobiographical memory on the one hand, and perceptions of intellectual competence and memory for task-related information on the other hand was supported using both an unstructured and a more structured methodology. Study 4 examined whether good relative to poor autobiographical memory targets are perceived as significantly more sociable and whether perceptions of warmth might mediate this perception of global sociability. It appears that participants develop an impression of good autobiographical targets as warm, which then influences their ratings of the target on some of the other sociability trait terms. These results are consistent with warm being viewed as a central evaluative term given that it seems to carry significant weight when forming impressions of good and poor autobiographical memory targets. Studies 5 and 6 assessed whether perceptions of targets with good or poor autobiographical memory are primarily related to the warm and cold central trait terms within the social domain. As expected, results of Study 5 supported that individuals with poor memory for personal events and experiences are perceived to be significantly colder relative to individuals described with good autobiographical memory. Similarly, the results of Study 6 indicated that participants perceived individuals with good autobiographical memory as warm relative to individuals with poor autobiographical memory. Overall, the present studies consistently supported that having good autobiographical memory is strongly tied to perceptions of sociability and warmth. Having access to memories for one's personal events and experiences is perceived to be socially desirable and communicates information about oneself and seemingly one's interest in engaging with others.


identifier: Mamfredis, Maria  (2000) "A nation of priests" : the world-view of the Temple scroll and its application to the way of life prescribed in the sectarian scrolls from Qumran.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Too often in the study of the Dead Sea Scrolls the relationship between the Temple Scroll and the sectarian scrolls is dismissed as minimal, or non-existent due to one of two general lines of reasoning. The first line of reasoning begins with the premise that whereas the Temple Scroll is concerned for the most part with laws pertaining to the construction and maintenance of the ideal Temple the sectarian scrolls are concerned with the laws pertaining to a particular community or communities. It is assumed that, just as the Temple Scroll shows no concern with the creation or maintenance of a community without a Temple, so too the sectarian scrolls betray little or no interest with the running of the Temple. The second line of reasoning assumes that a relationship may exist, but in this case the Temple Scroll is seen as prescribing an eschatological ideal, whether this is the Temple or the Law for the Land.  My thesis contends that the relationship between the Temple Scroll and the sectarian scrolls is both immediate and intimate. It argues that the specific world-view introduced by the Temple Scroll is evident in the sectarian scrolls and that this very world-view is essential for creating the framework upon which the way of life prescribed in the sectarian scrolls is modeled.


identifier: Czach, Elizabeth  (2000) Home movies then and now.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: Home movies then and now

abstract: This study examines the practices and discourses of small gauge filmmaking and attempts to account for the longevity and persistence of the medium. Emphasis is placed on the perception of the home movie as the primary implementation of amateur filmmaking technology. Some of the issues addressed are: the ideology of the family as perpetuated in the home movie making aesthetics of the 1940s, '50s and '60s, the use of the home movie as a code within narrative commercial feature films, and the artistic and political claims made for small gauge filmmaking. The conclusion examines present-day discourses and the positioning of super 8 filmmaking as a revolutionary or radical practice.


identifier: Gidda, Satinder Kaur  (2001) Molecular and biochemical characterization of hydroxyjasmonate and flavonoid sulfotransferases from Arabidopsis thaliana.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Recently, we initiated a functional genomics project with the objective of characterizing the biological function of all the sulfotransferase (ST) coding genes of A. thaliana . Based on amino acid sequence alignment with previously characterized soluble STs, we have identified 17 genes coding for putative STs in the genome of this plant. Prior to this work, only one ST-coding gene ( AtST1 ) has been characterized from A. thaliana . AtST1 was shown to sulfonate brassinosteroids and was proposed to be involved in the modulation of their biological activity. This thesis presents the characterization of two more ST-coding genes from A. thaliana , namely AtST2a and AtST3a .  The recombinant AtST3a protein was found to exhibit strict specificity for position 7 of flavonoids. In contrast with the previously characterized flavonol 7-ST from Flaveria bidentis that sulfonates only flavonol disulfates, AtST3a was found to accept a number of flavonols and flavone aglycones, as well as their monosulfate derivatives. The AtST3a is expressed only at the earlier stage of seedling development. In contrast, the expression pattern of the flavonol 3-ST from Flaveria species is detectable at all stages of plant development, with highest activities found in the terminal buds and first pair of leaves. The natural occurrence of a ST exhibiting high specificity for flavonoids in A. thaliana suggests that sulfated flavonoids may be of more common occurrence in the plant kingdom than once thought.  In this study, we demonstrate that the AtST2a from A. thaliana encodes a sulfotransferase specific for 11- and 12-hydroxyjasmonic acid. Jasmonic acid and its derivatives, commonly named jasmonates, are of ubiquitous occurrence in the plant kingdom and they play an important role in the plant response to biotic and abiotic stresses. More recently, it has been demonstrated that jasmonates are also involved in the control of key developmental processes such as anther development. AtST2a is not expressed in plants growing in the light but is induced 8 hours after their transfer to the dark. Overexpression of AtST2a in transgenic Arabidopsis leads to a delayed flowering phenotype observed only when the plants are growing under long-days. In contrast, decreasing AtST2a expression by expressing antisense AtST2a RNA leads to an early flowering phenotype observed only in short day-grown transgenic plants. Our results suggest that the function of AtST2a is to sulfonate hydroxylated jasmonic acids under growth conditions that do not favor flowering. This data also suggest that hydroxylated jasmonic acids act as signals that promote the transition from vegetative to reproductive growth when A. thaliana is exposed to an inductive photoperiod.


identifier: Filosa, Angelo  (2001) Study of locally unfolded forms of cytochrome c by Fourier transform infrared and of H2O2-mediated oxidation of ferricytochrome c and metmyoglobin by mass spectrometry.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The reaction of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) with metmyoglobin (Mb) and ferricytochrome c (cyt c) forms highly reactive intermediates that are believed to be important in myocardial reperfusion injuries and in triggering apoptosis, respectively. Furthermore, the alkaline isomer(s) of cyt c have been implicated in the apoptotic process. Hence, a detailed study was performed to characterize the locally unfolded forms of cyts c, and to identify reactive intermediates generated in the cyt c and Mb polypeptide upon their reaction with H 2 O 2 .  Raising the temperature at neutral pH can induce the alkaline isomerization of cyts c. The intensity of the 695-nm absorption and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) amide II band as a function of temperature was monitored, revealing that the alkaline form of tuna cyt c appears about 20C̕ lower (V35C̕) than those of horse and cow cyts c (V55-60C̕). The cyts c also exhibit increased susceptibility to tryptic digestion at temperatures approaching their alkaline-transition temperature. Curve-fitting of FTIR amide I ' bands revealed essentially identical secondary structure in horse and cow cyts c, whereas splitting of cc-helical absorption was observed in tuna cyt c, indicating the presence of less stable helical structures. Resolution enhanced 2D IR correlation analysis of the FTIR amide I ' band revealed that an extended-chain structure adjacent to the heme unfolds first in tuna cyt c.  By monitoring the Soret absorption of cyt c, it was found that the presence of excess H 2 O 2 caused heme degradation with no evidence for the formation of an oxyferryl heme intermediate in cyt c on the stopped-flow time scale (t 1/2 < 1 ms). However, H 2 O 2 -mediated damage of cyt c was inhibited in the presence of cyanide, confirming that the cyt c/H 2 O 2 reaction is ferric heme-mediated. Spin-trapping was coupled to peptide mass mapping (ST/LC/MS) to locate protein-based radicals formed during the reaction of cyt c and Mb with H 2 O 2 . Tyr74 in horse and cow cyts c and Trp33 in tuna cyt c were inferred as possible radical sites formed during the cyt c/H 2 O 2 reaction, while Tyr103 was confirmed and Lys42 was inferred as possible radical sites formed during the Mb/H 2 O 2 reaction.


identifier: Salinaro, Angela  (2001) Fundamentals of heterogeneous photocatalysis ; and, Consequences of inorganic and organic UV sunblocks on DNA.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Titanium dioxide is a highly photoactive catalyst used extensively to abate and detoxify polluted waters, air, and soils. It is also commonly employed in commercial sunscreen lotions as a physical filter to block UVA/UVB sunlight radiation, designed to protect people from sunburns and skin cancers. The thesis is two-dimensional. Part A deals with fundamental studies of photocatalysis. Part B addresses more practical considerations of the use of titanium dioxide in suncreams.  The thesis addresses the fundamentals of Heterogeneous Photocatalysis to provide additional understanding of the activity of TiO 2 , and of the (primary) events occurring during the photocatalytic process. A protocol is developed for measuring photochemical quantum yields, Z, in heterogeneous media. Turnover quantities and the nature of photocatalysis are treated mathematically. The spectral dependence of quantum yields and wavelength-dependent selectivities of photocatalysts are examined for the first time. Of import, reactions occurring at the TiO 2 particle surface involve hot charge carriers that do not relax down the conduction and valence band electronic manifolds as fast as conventional Wisdom had predicted.  Further, the thesis focuses on the genotoxic effects of TiO 2 on DNA. The spectroscopic features of TiO 2 , make it an excellent UVA/UVB sunblock. We demonstrate that, when commercial TiO 2 specimens are illuminated with UV radiation, hydroxyl radicals are generated, which damage supercoiled DNA plasmids and human skin cells as evidenced by single- and double-strand breaks, and kill yeast cells. Passivation of the titania particle surface reduces the photoactivity, of titanium dioxide with profound impact on the photooxidation of phenol. Also, damage to DNA., human skin cells and yeast cells is dramatically attenuated by modified titania samples, thus making them safer for use in sunscreen lotions. Moreover, the modified specimens completely retain their UVB/UVA absorption characteristics.  Contrary to manufacturers claims, commercial sunscreen lotions exposed to simulated sunlight are not photostable. Preliminary spectroscopic and photochemical studies on active ingredients in various solvents are reported. Results indicate that the organic chemical UV filters photodegrade on exposure to simulated sunlight in relatively short time. The nature of the solvent and the presence of oxygen influence the photodegradation. Formation of singlet oxygen is suspected


identifier: Haig, Thomas Arthur  (2001) The conversant community : HIV health promotion work at Action Séro Zéro.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This dissertation is a case study drawn from ethnographic research undertaken at Action Séro Zéro , a community-based health promotion organization in Montréal providing HIV prevention services to gay, bisexual and transgender men. The research focuses on how people working at this organization use conversation as a health promotion strategy. The use of conversation in Séro Zéro's work is examined in relation to idealized conceptions of community, common within the health promotion paradigm, as a self-organizing, grassroots civil sector well placed to address fundamental health issues. Such conceptions pose problems for undertaking prevention work within the complex, contested, and far-from-ideal terrain of 'the gay community.' Practices that encourage conversation, and the recurrence of face-to-face talk as a theme characterizing Séro Zéro's work, are analyzed as a significant way in which the organization deals with the discrepancies between the idealized community of health promotion and the constraints of community-based work. In response to calls by some theorists to abandon community as a frame of reference for social analysis and action, a theory of 'conversant community' is developed. This conception is used to argue that Séro Zéro's work develops the dialogic and ethical relations of interpersonal talk as a form of agency important to well-being and health, extending the dimensions of community produced and experienced through the act and the art of conversation.


identifier: Krasowska, Anna Ewa  (2001) Wigner functions for a class of semidirect product groups.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: We define and construct Wigner functions for the class of semidirect product groups [Special characters omitted.] whose linear part H ✹ GL ( n , [Special characters omitted.] ) is a closed Lie subgroup of GL ( n , [Special characters omitted.] ) admitting at least one open and free orbit in [Special characters omitted.] .  Such groups are classified up to conjugacy in dim n = 3 and in dim n = 4 under the further requirement that they possess a semisimple ideal.  The general construction is based on three main requirements: (i) the exponential map exp : [Special characters omitted.] [arrow right] G has a dense image in G , with complement of (left or right) Haar measure zero; (ii) the group admits a square-integrable representation; (iii) the Lebesgue measure d X * in the dual of the Lie algebra can be decomposed as [Special characters omitted.] , [Special characters omitted.] where [Special characters omitted.] denotes a coadjoint orbit parametrized by an index [Special characters omitted.] , [Special characters omitted.] is a measure on the parameter space, [Special characters omitted.] is a positive function on that orbit and [Special characters omitted.] is the invariant measure under the coadjoint action of G .  We discuss in detail all these elements in the case of semidirect product groups [Special characters omitted.] of the kind described above and give an explicit form of the generalized Wigner function related to them.  Cases of special interest are those for which the domain of the generalized Wigner function can be endowed with the structure of phase space: a sufficient condition for this to be is given in terms of purely geometrical properties of the coadjoint orbits.  Relevant examples are discussed with emphasis on the case of the quaternionic group as a 4-dimensional wavelet group; this is a natural non-abelian extension of the known notions of wavelet groups in 1 and 2 dimensions which have extensive applications in signal analysis


identifier: Kandyba, Kristina  (2001) Eliciting new, believed-in memories : the role played by retrieval techniques and demand factors.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Research on memory modification and creation has suggested that not only can details of memories for events from childhood be altered, but entire and complex memories can be created. However, several questions remained unanswered. The focus of the present research was to examine the extent to which subjects will alter their opinion to reflect the belief that an event happened in childhood and the conditions under which this will happen. It examined whether motivation is by itself a sufficient factor to enable subjects to remember unknown and originally repudiated events from childhood, or whether strong demands are also necessary. A second aim was to compare three so-called memory retrieval techniques that are currently employed in therapy to retrieve memories from childhood: the first was hypnosis, the second involved relaxation and visualization (termed guided imagery ), and the third involved relaxation and concentration (termed focused thinking ). In two sessions, the second a week after the first, subjects were asked to 'remember' two events of which they claimed to have no recollection. The occurrence of the two events had also been repudiated by subjects' parents in a telephone interview. Results revealed no differences between groups: guided imagery and focused thinking were as effective as hypnosis in producing memories which led over 50% of subjects to claim that each of the two events had taken place. Further, subjects' initial motivation to determine whether they had experienced these new events was sufficient for them to produce memories and alter their original judgments; added pressure in the form of social demands from the experimenter was not necessary. Subjects' altered opinions remained unchanged despite being told that their parents had no memory for the events, and remained stable over a period of several months following the study. Implications of memory retrieval for therapeutic and legal purposes are discussed.


identifier: Ma, Liying  (2001) Constructive neural networks with applications to image compression and pattern recognition.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The theory of Neural Networks (NNs) has witnessed a striking progress in the past fifteen years. The basic issues, such as determining the structure and size of the network, and developing efficient training/learning strategies have been extensively investigated.  This thesis is mainly focused on constructive neural networks and their applications to regression, image compression and pattern recognition problems. The contributions of this work are as follows. First, two new strategies are proposed for a constructive One-Hidden-Layer Feedforward NN (OHL-FNN) that grows from a small initial network with a few hidden units to one that has sufficient number of hidden units as required by the underlying mapping problem. The first strategy denoted as error scaling is designed to improve the training efficiency and generalization performance of the OHL-FNN. The second strategy is a pruning criterion that produces a smaller network while not degrading the generalization capability of the network.  Second, a novel strategy at the structure level adaptation is proposed for constructing, multi-hidden-layer FNNs. By utilizing the proposed scheme, a FNN is obtained that has sufficient number of hidden layers and hidden units that are required by the complexity of the mapping being considered.  Third, a new constructive OHL-FNN at the functional level adaptation is developed. According to this scheme, each hidden unit uses a polynomial as its activation function that is different from those of the other units. This permits the growing network to employ different activation functions so that the network would be able to represent and capture the underlying map more efficiently as compared to the fixed activation function networks.  Finally the proposed error scaling and input-side pruning techniques are applied to regression, still and moving image compression, and facial expression recognition problems. The proposed constructive algorithm for creating multilayer FNNs is applied to a range of regression problems. The proposed polynomial OHL-FNN is utilized to solve both regression and classification problems. It has been shown through extensive simulations that all the proposed techniques and networks produce very promising results


identifier: Zhang, Chao  (2001) Random delamination of graphite/epoxy laminated composites : stress analysis, failure criteria, experimental characterization and stochastic modeling.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The delamination failure of laminated composites exhibits two distinct characteristics; (1) the corresponding failure strengths display considerable scatter, and (2) the morphologies of the fracture surfaces and the interlaminar strengths are dependent on the magnitude of the fiber orientation difference (abbreviated as FOD below) angle between the two adjacent plies of the interface.  A variational solution technique is developed to determine the three-dimensional edge effect stresses around pin-loaded holes in symmetric laminated composites. The stress state around the holes is divided into two parts, one the in-plane stress state determined using the Classical Laminated Plate Theory (CLPT) and the other the boundary layer stress state arising from the edge effects which only exists in the vicinity of the holes. The equilibrium equations of boundary layer stress state with zeroth-order approximation are derived from a set of power expansions. Analytical solutions for the boundary layer stress state are then obtained by imposing zeroth-order stress functions on the variational principle of complementary energy. The developed variational solution technique is versatile, which can be used to calculate the edge effect stresses at straight free edges, curved free edges and pin-loaded hole edges with or without friction in laminated composites.  An experimental investigation is conducted to study the effects of fiber orientations on the interlaminar shear (ILS) strengths of CYTEC ® G40-800/5276-1 graphite/epoxy laminated composites. The ILS strengths at the [straight theta]-interfaces ([straight theta] = 0,̕ 10,̕ 20,̕ 30,̕ 40,̕ 50,̕ 60,̕ 70,̕ 80 ̕and 90)̕, around which the two neighboring plies have a FOD angle [straight theta], are experimentally characterized using the modified double notch shear specimens with an elaborately designed layup.  A stochastic simulation model is proposed in a phenomenological sense, in which the probabilistic dependence of ILS strengths on the FOD angles [straight theta] is simulated as a non-Gaussian nonstationary stochastic process within the bounded interval [0, s/2].  Two innovative delamination criteria in terms of quadratic and cubic polynomials in each case, are developed based on the Malmeister strength theory and Hashin assumption. The intent of the developed criteria is to include the effects of [straight theta]-dependent and directionally-dependent interlaminar strengths into the failure evaluation of laminated composites, as demonstrated by the experiments in the present thesis. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)


identifier: Zhang, Xiong  (2001) Nonlinear finite element modeling and incremental analysis of a composite truck tire structure.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The performance of a road vehicle is directly related to the static and dynamic properties of tires, which provide support and control for vehicles and which must possess good durability under various tire-road interactions and loading conditions. The tire characteristics are inherently dependent on various structural and geometric parameters, the material properties of the individual layers of a tire and the loading conditions. In view of the simulation and analysis of tire response, in terms of deformation and stress fields, and vibration properties, extensive analytical studies had been conducted in the past based on the linear analysis of the multi-layered tire structure, assuming negligible shear interactions between the layers. In this dissertation, a nonlinear finite element model of a radial truck tire is developed based on its composite structural elements to analyze the various stress fields, with focus on the inter-ply shear stresses between the belt and carcass layers as functions of normal loads and inflation pressures. The model is validated through a comparison of the normal force-deflection characteristics and the contact patch geometry derived from the model with the laboratory-measured data in a qualitative sense. The tire model is used to conduct a parametric study on the shear interactions in the multiple layers under a wide range of loading conditions, to derive a more desirable set of structural parameters that can lead to lower values of maximum shear stresses within the loaded multi-layered tire structure. A polynomial function has been derived to estimate the two-dimensional tire-road contact pressure distribution as a function of the inflation pressure and the normal load. The tire model is further used to study the free-vibration behavior of the inflated tire structure. The influences of the individual structural parameters on the load and pressure-dependent natural frequencies of a radial truck tire are also investigated. The results show that the proposed finite element tire model based on adequately measured geometric and material properties of a tire structure can yield considerable benefits in the tire design and heavy vehicle performance.


identifier: Albertson, Constant  (2001) Because clay has a memory : conversations about dyslexia, ceramics and success.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: A qualitative interview methodology that retells the life stories of seven highly successful dyslexic ceramic artists is used in this thesis to explore relationships between compensating for the learning disability dyslexia and career choice for seven highly successful dyslexic ceramists. Disturbed by the apparently random nature of educational interventions and by the attitudes of many experts towards children with learning disabilities, I intend to bring into better focus why some dyslexics have succeeded and what might be done to support dyslexic compensation.  I argue both that most students, not only those with learning disabilities, are under-served by the current structure and offerings in public schools and that appropriate teaching practice for dyslexics is good for all students. Three major factors emerged in dyslexic compensation: (1) The caring support and guidance of adults, both teachers and parents who promote 'authentic' success, (2) the value of good teaching practice with an emphasis on problem-finding, multi-sensory and contextualized knowledge, and (3) the learner's passionate interest in a field tolerant of learning differences that at the lower levels is both accessible to those with reading difficulties, but also offers important opportunities for expression and exploration of thought and feeling, and the meaning of experience.  For the artists who participated in this study, ceramics was the field that offered, at all levels of study and practice, important opportunities for authentic success, while also gradually demanding improved research skills. The artists' interest in ceramics supported, guided and encouraged their reading practice. The more they learned from their practical experience of ceramics, the more they were able to learn from texts because of a slow build up of contextualized vocabulary and content knowledge


identifier: Woodrow, Anna  (2001) Why are they laughing? : the re-formulation of identity in Canadian stand-up comedy.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis is an ethnographic account of the world of Canadian stand-up comedy which explores the conflict and congruence between shifting identities, divided loyalties, private and public selves. Comedy is seen as a dance between the performers and audience members, symbolizing the everyday communicative experience of identity transmission. These identities are cultural, political, spatial and reflect popular values, beliefs, and shared knowledge. The process of this dance is both inclusive and exclusive--inclusive of those who share the dominant value system and exclusive of those at the margins who are not recognized as a part of the whole. Those who laugh, belong; laughter measures inclusion and exclusion. The sense of belonging resulting from inclusion and is linked to the metaphor of 'home' which ties into the cultural, social and geographical elements of a politicised identity. Paul Ricoeur's three levels of mimesis are used to explain identity formation of self and other. The research uncovers the love/hate duality of performance and mirrors the individual's need to be both who one is and whom others expect one to be . The comedic experience exposes the constant societal negotiation for control and the exchange of power. In the title 'Why are they laughing' they refers to both the performer(s) and the individual audience members which participate in comedy. Some laugh because comedy offers the opportunity to reinvent and express oneself. However, not all laughter is joyful, and not everyone is laughing.


identifier: Childs, Katharine S  (2001) The struggles of mentoring : just where do you think you're going?  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis is a reflective inquiry into my practice as a mentor working with a population of young adults enrolled in a full-time academic program of studies in an adult education center. Although there has been research on mentoring adults who return to school in a university or college setting, very little appears in the research literature about mentoring adolescent and younger adult students returning to school in an adult education program set in a high school environment. This thesis begins to address this gap by presenting a detailed description that captures some of the essence of my practice working with young adults.  In this self-study, I describe, examine and reflect on myself as a mentor, using narrative accounts to illustrate my attempts to develop and expand certain mentoring skills and to align my practice more fully with my values. Through the use of stories of my practice infused with poetry and various image texts, I illustrate the use of multi-modal representations as a possible means of further enhancing, expanding, and articulating educational practices (Harris, 1981). This inquiry suggests that a thoughtful program of mentoring integrated into an academic setting can be a viable and empowering form of education for students from disaffected or marginalized populations. Mentoring is depicted as a moral endeavor and a careful mode of listening. Vision or dreams, a sense of purpose, goal setting, faith in one's students, perseverance, and an awareness of the connection of joy and sorrow are central to this analysis of mentoring


identifier: Chin, Kevin  (2001) The need for including motivational aspects in formative evaluation of adult learning.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Research has shown that individual motivation is a necessary component of adult learning, playing an important role in an individual's positive attitude towards knowledge seeking (Wlodkowski, 1985; Phares, 1991). Individuals who are motivated will be more likely to have a future interest in what they have learned and be more likely to use what they have learned, possibly becoming life-long learners (Wlodkowski, 1985). The rapidly changing economy demands life-long learners who can successfully upgrade their personal and professional skills. Formative evaluation can contribute to realizing this initiative through evaluation of learner motivation and delivering more effective and efficient curricula that meet learner needs.  In order to take into account the psychological and sociological complexities of motivational issues related to short-term classroom-based educational interventions, an Evaluation Design of Motivation and Achievement is proposed. Drawing upon measures of learner motivation and achievement in the form of self-report tests and performance assessment, this formative evaluation design provides guidelines for data collection, data analysis and as well suggests possible motivational strategies and techniques for implementation. By attempting to take into account the psychological and sociological complexities of motivational issues related to an educational intervention, it is argued that this evaluation design has the potential to bridge a gap in learner needs and designed curricula through an emphasis on the interdependent relationship between motivation and achievement in adult learning environments.


identifier: Vincellér, Elizabeth Catherine  (2001) Design, development, and formative evaluation of DB-notebook : a prototype computer-based tool to support less skilled readers.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The design, development, and formative evaluation of a prototype intended to support less skilled adult readers through a reading task are described. Less skilled readers are defined as students who have difficulty understanding school-assigned reading material because they lack metacognitive strategies. The prototype, called DB-notebook aims to assist by providing a reading strategy that suits a given reading task and reading material. The computer was selected as the instructional medium because it is viewed as a powerful tool with the potential of helping learners become more strategic readers. To justify further the use of a computer, the reading material supplied was in electronic form. In the design phase, a storyboard was produced depicting the reading strategy and related activities. A subject matter expert informally evaluated this. Changes were based on the feedback obtained. The storyboard acted as the foundation upon which the computer-based prototype was built. Once a final prototype was completed, two experts and five students reviewed it. DB-notebook was assessed in terms of its appropriateness, its utility, its usability, and its aesthetics. The assessors' opinions regarding the use of computers to take and review notes and their feelings towards reading from a computer screen were assessed. The methods used to develop and evaluate DB-notebook and the results obtained are presented. Overall, the idea of a tool like DB-notebook was well accepted. Some activities were even considered useful. Nevertheless, DB-notebook was difficult to use and had problems with aesthetics. Recommendations for improvement and suggestions for further research are discussed.


identifier: Zhong, Le  (2001) A critical literature review of case-based reasoning and its educational applications.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This critical literature review documents the shifts and variations in Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) terminology and reasoning models that have arisen in the past twenty years. Different versions of CBR theory, differences in terminology across these versions, and shifts in terminology within individual programs of theory development and research in CBR are identified. A framework for understanding the shifts and variations in CBR literature, and a framework for categorizing the variations in CBR cognitive science literature are proposed. Finally, educational applications of CBR are examined within the context and framework for understanding CBR I developed, and possible variations of these applications are explored.


identifier: Vollick, L. Erin  (2001) The originals.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: The originals

abstract: The Originals depicts a parallel between the paranoia of nuclear war and the codification of urban youth faced with squalor and a sense of hopelessness for the future. The novel attempts to create a locus between the "flashbulb memory" of Samantha Smith, political anxieties of the 1980's, and its effects on a group of impoverished youth living in an urban Canadian centre in the mid 1990's.  The narrator Magpie and her friends grew up panicked and obsessed over the possibilities of nuclear war, brought on by the political climate of the 1980's and the foreign policy positions of the Reagan administration. They found a sort of salvation in the historical figure Samantha Smith--an American girl who is accredited with helping to end hostilities between the U.S.S.R. and the United States in the mid-1980's through a letter she wrote to Prime Minister Yuri Andropov in 1983. As events in Magpie's present escalate, she realizes that her world view has been constructed by the rhetoric of war and poverty, and that escaping these narratives is necessary for survival.


identifier: Lamb, Stephen  (2001) 'There was never man handled as I am' : the legacy and significance of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, 1558-1660.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: For centuries, historians and theologians have acknowledged the pre-eminent role of Thomas Cranmer in the English Reformation. However, his significance as an enduring religious influence in the century following his martyrdom has not received close investigation. This thesis traces the legacy and significance of Cranmer from the Elizabethan Settlement to the Restoration, focussing especially upon important mid-seventeenth-century religious debates. Interpretations of Cranmer during 1558-1660 provide strong indications of where English Protestantism stood theologically, and how highly many Protestants valued the reforms enacted under Cranmer and his colleagues during the reign of Edward I (1547-1553). This legacy has a significant bearing upon how one interprets English Protestantism, as it demonstrates a commitment to the Reformed theology of Cranmer's later years and a lack of continuity with Roman Catholic antecedents. Furthermore, mid-seventeenth century interpretations of Cranmer demonstrate the importance of religious factors in the English Civil Wars. Changing interpretations of Cranmer by radical puritans and Laudians highlight the innovative nature of religious reforms leading to and during the hostilities of the 1640s, whilst the use of Cranmer by moderates within the English Church reveals a longstanding reverence for and adherence to the doctrine of the Edwardian reformers. Thus, this examination reveals the construction of Cranmer as a universally approved Protestant hero during the Elizabethan era, lasting into the 1630s. This came undone in the mid-seventeenth century, however, as debates over the eucharist, episcopacy, and liturgy forced Laudians, Presbyterians, and especially radical puritans, to re-evaluate Cranmer and the role he played in the Edwardian Reformation.


identifier: Rose, Stephen  (2001) Consciousness and reductive explanation : has materialism been refuted?  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Much of the contemporary literature on consciousness in the philosophy of mind is concerned with how phenomenal experience might be accounted for in scientific theory. One position, due to David Chalmers, Frank Jackson and others, has it that because consciousness is not open to reductive explanation (consciousness is not logically supervenient on the physical), materialism, which is committed to a priori conceptual analysis, must be false. In this thesis, an attempt will be made to discredit this viewpoint. While Ned Block and Robert Stalnaker argue that explicit micro-macro (physical) entailments can only be a posteriori justified, I argue that non-explicit entailments can be handled in the same way, and so can only be empirically grounded. These two arguments taken together suggest that micro-macro entailments cannot be a priori justified. If this is the case, then it would seem that materialism is not committed to a priori conceptual analysis and, thus, the failure of consciousness to be a reductively explainable phenomenon, whether true or not, does not warrant any anti-materialist conclusions. Additionally, in reply to the eliminativist attack, a defense of consciousness and qualia will be mounted.


identifier: Day, Sara  (2001) Attachment to mother, father, and best friend as predictors of the quality of adolescent romantic relationships.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The relative contribution of the attachment to mother, father, and best friend to the quality of adolescent romantic relationships was investigated. Participants (N = 276, mean age = 19) completed the Relationships Questionnaire (RQ: Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991). Scores were calculated to form perception of one's worthiness with the target figure (Model of Self) and perception of the target figure's availability (Model of Other; Griffin & Bartholomew, 1994). Hypotheses were: (1) attachment to romantic partner would be predicted by attachment to best friend after controlling for the contribution of attachment to parents, and (2) attachment to parents would predict attachment to best friend.  Results indicated that more secure attachments to parents predicted more favorable views of the Self with Romantic Partner, with views of Self with Father uniquely contributing. In addition, attachment to best friend predicted beyond that of parents, with Self with Best Friend uniquely contributing. Relationship quality with parents predicted the quality of best friendships, with views of Self with and of mother uniquely contributing. These results suggest that the more favorable adolescents view themselves with their best friend, and their parents, the more positively they view themselves with their romantic partner. Additionally, how adolescents perceive themselves with and view their mothers seems to play a unique role in how they see themselves with and view their best friends. Furthermore, while good relationships with mothers may contribute uniquely to more secure adolescent best friendships, fathers may have a special place in adolescents' romantic relationships.


identifier: De Genna, Natacha  (2001) An investigation of physical health in high-risk mothers and their preschoolers : an inter-generational study.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Health is a result of both internal (biological) and external (e.g. environmental) factors, and it has effects on both child development and the parent-child relationship. The present study examined the role of physical health in high-risk families with young children. The Concordia Longitudinal Risk Project includes a sample of mothers who were identified in childhood as being highly aggressive and/or socially withdrawn. Previous findings from this prospective, inter-generational project suggest that the offspring might be at risk for both health and academic problems by the time they reach school-age. Mothers and their preschool children were visited at home on several occasions in order to collect data on their health and maternal parenting stress. The results indicated that maternal childhood aggression and social withdrawal as well as substance abuse play a role in health of the next generation from the prenatal period to the preschool years. There was also evidence for continuity of physical health from birth until early childhood, with neonatal status emerging as a marker for colic and illness in early childhood. More mature newborns who did not need medical treatment before leaving the hospital were less likely to have common childhood illnesses. Children who were ill more often during early childhood had mothers who reported higher levels of parenting stress. The role of health in family functioning is discussed within the context of the literature and models of inter-generational transfer of risk. Finally, implications for clinicians and public health policy are discussed.


identifier: Van de Velde, Caroline  (2001) Monitoring eye movements to uncover the role of visual context in the access to verb-complement information during sentence comprehension.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study examined the role of sentence and visual context in the access to verb-complement information, using an eye-tracker paradigm. Two sets of sentences were contrasted, a highly constraining causative construction in which there was a close conceptual relation between the verb and its direct object (e.g. " The woman burned the candle "), and a neutral construction with a transitive perception verb (e.g. " The woman admired the candle "). Moreover, we conducted an object search task to monitor the time subjects took to look at the target object (e.g. " candle ") when presented in isolation, using the same three probe points (onset of the noun, offset of the noun, and offset+200 ms). From these latter measurements, the saccade onsets to the target noun in the sentence experiment were subtracted in order to obtain a pure measurement of verb effects in the sentences. Subjects were asked to perform two different tasks; a memory matching task where they had prior viewing of the set of objects before the advent of the sentence, and a visual search task where the set of objects appeared only during the presentation of the sentence. Memory effects were then examined by contrasting the data collected from these two tasks. Results failed to support a statistically significant difference between these two types of sentence constructions, regardless of task, suggesting that verb-specific representations do not cause faster eye movements to objects related to typical complements of verbs. In conclusion, the language comprehension system appears to rely primarily on structural analyses of linguistic representations, which are independent from conceptual interpretation.


identifier: Wada, Nancy Shima  (2001) A trajectory illusion and its relations to induced motion and smooth pursuit eye movements.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Navigation in the environment relies, in part, on the visual system to differentiate self-motion from that of other objects. Research examining the way in which the brain is able to visually disentangle forward locomotion from eye motion, for example, suggests that the brain may have an eye movement compensation mechanism. Other findings, however, question the existence of this mechanism in that the previously reported illusory shift in the focus of expansion (FOE) may be due to induced motion. Yet, this alternative hypothesis may need to be revised in order to account for the perception of straight, radial trajectories as curved. In order to understand the conditions under which this trajectory illusion exists, the current investigation examined the role of induced motion, radial speed gradient, and smooth pursuit eye movements (SPEM). Results suggest that the strength of the illusion relies on induced motion and SPEMs, thereby implicating that the role of eye movements in the illusory FOE shift needs to be taken into consideration.


identifier: Covey, Stephen  (2001) Community policing : a model for change in service delivery in the public sector.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.


identifier: Nouvet, Elysée  (2001) El mundo, God, and the flesh : experiencing sacredness in a Nicaraguan church.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.


identifier: Nolan, Patricia A. E  (2001) Benedict Labre House : 1952-1966 : the history of an unofficial lay apostolate.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In 1952 Benedict Labre House opened as a house of hospitality for the poor and as a center for the lay apostolate. Situated at 418 La Gauchetière Street in St. Patrick's parish, Benedict Labre House served Montreal's marginalized residents. In 1954, a parallel mission, Patricia House, was established in Griffintown to assist marginalized women and their children. In 1955, Benedict Labre House moved into Griffintown, a small community in St. Ann's Ward, which was once the historical home of the city's Irish Catholic community.  Benedict Labre House evolved out of a confluence of the theology and praxis of several American and Canadian lay movements. One of many lay organizations operating within Quebec during this period, this Catholic lay organization was not mandated by the church hierarchy. Despite its unofficial status, Benedict Labre House became known as a vital Catholic lay organization. Through an informal approach to formation, this lay apostolate provided theological, spiritual and practical education to Montreal English lay Catholics from 1952-1966.  Key to Benedict Labre House in this period was the founding group, including Tony Walsh, and other lay people from Montreal's English Catholic community. This thesis seeks to demythologize Tony Walsh and Benedict Labre House through a critical analysis of the sources.  Using many primary documents, such as newspapers, correspondence and interviews, this historical account seeks to examine the evolution of Benedict Labre House's lay theology, its theory and praxis during its founding, 1952-1955, its development, 1955-1959, and its peak and decline in the Vatican II years, 1960-1966.


identifier: Vermette, Richard  (2001) The adaptive significance of multiple mating by males in the polygynandrous waterstrider Aquarius remigis (Heteroptera: Gerridae).  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In polygynandrous species, sperm competition and female post-insemination processes may influence male paternity success. Hence, insemination (i.e. successful sperm transfer) may not guarantee reproductive success for the male. Using a variation of Parker's (1970) sterile (irradiated) male technique, I examine the relationships among paternity success, mating success (proportion of matings resulting in sperm transfer) and duration of copulation for males of the polygynandrous waterstrider Aquarius remigis . Prolonged copulation is characteristic of this species and has been interpreted as a paternity assurance strategy, analogous to post-copulatory contact guarding. Mating success was a significant predictor of fertilization success for males. The results of this study lend strength to previous studies of sexual selection in A. remigis that have used mating success as an estimate of reproductive fitness. However, the presence of considerable unexplained variance in paternity success suggests that post-insemination processes may also be important. Copulation duration correlated negatively with mating success, suggesting a trade-off between mating frequency and duration. Contrary to expectations, copulation duration also tended to have a negative effect on paternity success. These results suggest that prolonged copulation is not analogous to post-copulatory contact guarding and does not function as a paternity assurance strategy in A. remigis .


identifier: Wang, Shengwu  (2001) Light regulation of the RNA-binding activity of 46 kDa protein in chloroplast of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In this thesis project, I undertook a study of the light regulation of a 46 kDa RNA binding protein associated with chloroplast membranes in C. reinhardtii . The optimal conditions for binding of this protein were characterized. Initial purification steps using (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 precipitation and affinity chromatography revealed that this protein is present at extremely low abundance. This activity is low in the dark and increases drastically within 1-10 minute following a shift to light. This activation does not require protein synthesis in either the chloroplast or the cytosol. Finally activation is abolished by a proton ionophore and an inhibitor of the cytochrome b 6 /f complex, and partially reduced by an inhibitor of photosystem II. With a previous finding that ADP inhibits the RNA-binding activity of the protein in vitro , these results support a role of ADP in repression of this binding activity.


identifier: Begum, Monzu Ara  (2001) Bifurcation in complex quadratic polynomial and some folk theorems involving the geometry of bulbs of the mandelbrot set.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The Mandelbrot set M is a subset of the parameter plane for iteration of the complex quadratic polynomial Q c ( z ) = z 2 + c . M consists of those c values for which the orbit of 0 is bounded. This set features a basic cardioid shape from which hang numerous 'bulbs' or 'decorations'. Each of these bulbs is a large disk that is directly attached to the main cardioid together with numerous other smaller bulbs and a prominent 'antenna'. In this thesis we study the geometry of bulbs and some 'folk theorems' about the geometry of bulbs involving spokes of the antenna.


identifier: Jean, Dominic  (2001) A full century of monthly Canadian stock price index returns : a review of the Fisher hypothesis and some anomalies.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: New primary data on the behaviour of Canadian stock prices since the turn of the 19th century are combined with the existing Toronto Stock Exchange Stock Price Return Index to provide a stock price index that spans the full length of the 20th century. Although long period returns have been available for several countries, to date no such data have been published for Canadian markets notwithstanding the fact that equity trading was quite active during this period, especially in Montreal. With these data we are in a position to address for the first time a number of anomalies associated with long horizon returns and irregularities that have been reported for other countries, such as the Gibson Paradox and the January effect. Results only partially support the Fisher hypothesis, but suggest that both the Gibson Paradox and the January effect no longer hold. A December effect appears to have replaced the January effect in the last decade of the 20th century.


identifier: Qian, Zhonglian Cindy  (2001) The influence of culture on pro-environmental activities : comparing English, French and Italian Canadians.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study was primarily concerned with examining the behaviors of English, French and Italian Canadians towards the environment. Given the bi-cultural environment of Montreal, Italian Canadians in our sample were divided into three groups: strong Italians, Italians acculturated toward the English culture, and Italians acculturated toward the French culture. In order to achieve the goal of our study, the three ethnic groups (studied in two separate groups, English/English Italians/strong Italians and French/French Italians/strong Italians) were compared on several variables, namely, attitudes, behaviors, environmental knowledge, values, individualism/collectivism and demographics. The results indicated that although the English Canadians held more positive environmental attitudes and had higher level of environmental knowledge than Italian Canadians, they did not exhibit any environmental friendly behaviors except they purchased less environmentally unfriendly products. Similar patterns were found for French Canadians and the opposite result was found for Italian Canadians. When we look at acculturation, English Italians and French Italians were found acculturated toward the two dominant cultures on most of the variables studied. Strong Italians in our sample were found to be the most collectivists. It was also found that French Canadians in our sample were more individualists than English Canadians. In line with this finding, much higher percentage of French Canadians placed less importance on terminal and instrumental values, which are more likely to be held by a collectivist person. Limitations and implications were provided.


identifier: Kamali, Mahtab  (2001) Recovery of copper from low-grade ores by Aspergillus niger.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The main concern of this study is to find a feasible and economical technique to recover metals from oxide low-grade ore microbially. Owing to the large quantities of metals that are embodied in low-grade ores and mining residues, these are considered new sources of metals. On the other hand they potentially imperil the environment, as the metals they contain may be released to the environment in a hazardous form. Hence, mining industries are seeking an efficient technique to handle these ores.  Pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical techniques are either very expensive or have a negative impact on the environment. That is why a new environmental strategy called "sustainable development" is coming into perspective. This study employs heterotrophic leaching that falls into this new environmental strategy.  In this study, by employing Aspergillus niger , the feasibility of recovery of metals from a mining residue is shown. A. niger exhibits good potential in generating varieties of organic acids effective for metal solubilization.  Organic acid effectiveness was enhanced when sulphuric acid was added to the medium. Different agricultural wastes were evaluated and the maximum solubilization of 68%, 46% and 34% was achieved for copper, zinc and nickel, respectively. Also iron codissolution of 7% was gained.


identifier: Bourduas, Stephan  (2001) Generation of SDL specifications from UML and MSC use cases.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.


identifier: Liang, Zhonghui  (2001) A performance analysis of a modified leaky bucket mechanism.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Preventive congestion control is more effective and widely used than reactive control. It is usually implemented in two ways: Connection Admission Control (CAC) and Usage Parameter Control (UPC). Leaky bucket (LB) is a typically used UPC mechanism. A traditional LB can either police a bursty source's Peak Cell Rate (PCR) or Average Cell Rate (ACR) but not both of them simultaneously, meanwhile, it introduces cell delays by buffering cells before they are transmitted into the network.  In this thesis, we propose a modified Leaky Bucket mechanism, in which a single LB can police both the PCR and ACR simultaneously. The first characteristic of the modified LB is that the token generator is designed to be dynamic which alternates between On and Off states, tokens will be generated during the token generator's On period at a speed equalling to the policed bursty source's PCR. The second characteristic of this modified LB is that no token pool or cell buffer is utilized. Therefore, cells generated by a bursty source can be transmitted into the network at its PCR only when the token generator is simultaneously in On state. Cells can either be transmitted or discarded, no cell delay occurs. As a result the source's PCR cannot be exceed the token generator's PCR


identifier: Mei, Yan  (2001) Combined forward error correction and error concealment for digital video transmission.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Forward Error Correction (FEC) coding has been widely used in digital communications to improve the transmission performance over noisy channels. Based on the introduced redundancy and encoding structure, a maximum likelihood (ML) decoding scheme can be used to correct significant part of transmission errors. For digital video transmission, further enhancement of the reconstructed video signal can be done by error concealment based on the residual redundancy of the video signal. FEC and error concealment are usually treated as independent processes.  This thesis presents an error resilience scheme, which combines Forward Error Correction (FEC) and Error Concealment (EC) in order to further enhance the quality of the video signal transmitted over a noisy channel. Of particular, for a given FEC scheme in use, a Multiple Candidate Likelihood (MCL) channel decoding strategy is proposed. Unlike the traditional ML decoder that provides only one corrected sequence, the proposed MCL decoding strategy offers a number of candidates with their reliability information. These candidates are further examined in terms of syntax/semantic validity and their discontinuity measure, which are related to the video source coding.  Performance of video signals in terms of the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) as well as subjective measure by visual inspection of video frames and sequence is investigated for different video sequences and various FEC coding schemes. Both simulation and analysis are used to evaluate performance of the proposed schemes and to assess their complexity. Research results indicate that the proposed strategy outperforms the traditional ML decoding technique for the same FEC code in use, especially at the high channel bit error rates (BER). Simulation results are in a good agreement with the analytical prediction. Selection of key parameters and characteristics of the proposed combined FEC and EC are discussed.


identifier: Tong, Linying  (2001) DNS based routing protocol in ad hoc networks.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In this thesis, we consider a large population of mobile stations that are interconnected by multihop wireless networks. DNS Based Routing Protocol is introduced for use in the multi-hop wireless ad hoc networks. In this protocol, each node knows the node connectivity within its reachable set; some nodes have DNS capability, which are responsible for route discovery. The routing is performed on two levels: Local node and terrestrial Global IP. By using DNS technique, the performance of the networks is highly improved. Simulation results give the characteristics and functionalities of the protocol, including forwarding latency, overhead cost, total transmission delay and network throughput. This routing protocol supports real-time streams.


identifier: Wei, YingRao  (2001) Evaluation of roaming and download times in universal cellular/wireless LAN systems.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The growing demand for wireless access has led to the emergence of all kinds of standards for wireless communication, each of which has its own special requirements. The future transceiver equipment of mobile station (MS) should support the operation of these systems from the viewpoint of system compatibility. In this case, multi-mode, multi-band operation is required for user's convenience. Moreover, realization of small size and low power consumption handy terminals is necessary. These are the trends that have led to continued discussion about software radios (also called software defined radio, SDR). SDR is emerging as a potential programmatic solution: a software implementation of the user terminal which is able to reconfigure such terminal to suit the changing radio environment as for example in the case of global roaming. There are a great number of international organizations and forums for software defined radios around the world.  In this thesis, a generalized state diagram of a SDR reconfigurable, multi-mode mobile station that could roam/handoff between different wireless systems is developed. A detailed description of the power-up, roaming and download operation for this reconfigurable MS is presented. Furthermore, its roaming connection establishment acquisition time in different scenarios is evaluated. Specifically, the relationships between the roaming acquisition time and system resource blocking probability, mobile station resource blocking probability, packet successful transmission probability over wireless channel and signaling bit rate over the universal base station channel in different cases and design scenarios are analyzed. Such evaluations are important for prior design of SDR mobile terminal and universal base station in global roaming situations.


identifier: Kolbe, Massimiliano  (2001) Laminar burning velocity measurements of stabilized aluminum dust flames.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The laminar burning velocity of a stabilized dust flame is experimentally investigated in the present work. The dust used was aluminum powder with an average particle diameter of approximately 5 microns. Dust flames, in comparison to gas flames, are thicker and brighter, may be influenced by radiation heat transfer, respond differently to heat losses, and are influenced by the particular flow configuration due to the particle's inertia. With the apparent sensitivity to a specific experimental apparatus, the introduction of a fundamental flame speed or burning velocity may be problematic for dust combustion. The present work investigates to what degree burning velocities obtained from Bunsen dust flames depend on experimental conditions (i.e. flow rate and nozzle diameter). The current experimental apparatus permits the stabilization of aluminum-air dust flames using conical nozzles and the accurate measurement of dust concentration. Experimental results show that burning velocities in aluminum-air suspensions increase considerably with the increase in flow rate but decrease with the increase in nozzle diameter. Theoretical estimations show that radiation heat transfer effects are small and cannot explain the observed experimental trends. The present analysis of dust flames shows that the observed effects are primarily the result of flame curvature and of larger flame thickness as compared to gas flames.


identifier: Ma, Xiao Qing  (2001) Fuzzy control for an under-actuated robotic manipulator : Pendubot.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Control of under-actuated mechanical systems (robots) represents an important class of control problem. This thesis studies several related control problems associated with an under-actuated robot, Pendubot, from the point view of fuzzy logic control. To swing up the Pendubot from a rest position to the upright configuration, a fuzzy algorithm is proposed from non-complete sets of linguistic rules that link some mechanism states to the sign of a single control action. Therein, a simplified Tsukamoto's reasoning method and quasi-linear-mean aggregating operators are used to derive and analyze the controller input-out mappings. In order to balance the Pendubot at the unstable upright top configuration after swinging up, another simple fuzzy controller is derived according to its joint states: This combining fuzzy algorithm for swinging-up and balancing is successfully applied to the Pendubot. This thesis also investigates the case that the Pendubot tracks a desired signal and a corresponding fuzzy scheme is proposed, which combines the linear regulator theory with the Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy methodology. The stability and stability conditions for this fuzzy scheme are analyzed. Numerical simulations for all the above controllers are carried out to validate the theoretical analysis by using SIMULINK. Finally, the hardware experiments in the Pendubot have successfully been conducted in the Robotics and Mechatronics Laboratory.


identifier: Xie, Xiangyu  (2001) Absorbed power as a measure of whole body vehicular vibration exposure.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In this thesis, absorbed power during exposure to vertical whole-body vibration is considered as a potential indicator of the physical stress affecting human health. The amount of vibration energy, either absorbed or exchanged between the source and body, may be a good measure of the physical stress on the body since it takes into consideration the interaction between the vibrating structure and the body as well as the relative motion between the vibrating body parts. Moreover, energy is a scalar quantity that makes it easy to add up contributions from all directions and all body segments to a single value.  In order to study the energy content of the vibration transmitted to the whole body and to the different body segments, a four-degree-of-freedom linear biodynamic model used in earlier studies is chosen to represent the body. The local absorbed powers and the total power absorption under different excitations ( e.g. sinusoidal excitation, random excitation, and transient excitation) are derived. On the basis of the model and of the guidance provided in ISO 2631-1 (1997) to relate vibration exposure with the risks of health effects, health guidance caution zones are established based on absorbed power.  The eigenvalues and natural frequencies, damping ratios and damping ratio matrix, the vertical transmissibilities from seat to different body segments, and driving-point mechanical impedance for the 4-DOF biodynamic model are also computed.


identifier: Gaffar, Ashraf  (2001) Design of a framework for database indexes.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Database system performance depends greatly on the performance of the indexes used to lookup and update the database, therefore it is important to have efficient indexes to the database. Specialized application indexes developed by experts have "specialized source code" for each kind of database application. The time and cost to develop an index specific to the kind of application could be very high, making it unaffordable or even unavailable in many cases. Object-oriented framework technology has been used to produce index frameworks that can be applied to develop indexes, reducing the development cost. An index framework allows one to adapt to different key/data types, different queries and different access methods.  In this thesis, we focus on balanced tree indexes, and develop a framework in the style of the STL. We focus on the early stages of analysis, architecture, and design in an object-oriented methodology in order to design the framework. We achieve a modular framework with decoupled modules for data, data references, containers, indexes, iterators, and algorithms. This allows for developing new applications by replacing some of these modules and reflecting the changes from one model to the next, without affecting the other modules. This would result in easier developing process with less steep learning curve, and produces applications that have their own "specialized" architecture, design and source code.


identifier: Gantchev, Nadia Andrea  (2001) An object-oriented design of a subsumption architecture.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The hardware subsumption architecture for robots as developed by Rodney Brooks is implemented in software in an object-oriented way and used for strategies of trucks in the Truckin' simulation game.  The subsumption architecture is a layered mediator invented by Rodney Brooks for behaviour-based control of robots. The layers are minimally dependent and use minimal communication. We develop an object-oriented software design for the subsumption architecture, and demonstrate that each layer can be used as a slot for a set of plug-and-play components that implement different micro-strategies for achieving a particular goal. Guidelines for the development of specific layers and components of a subsumption architecture are also presented.


identifier: Gdura, Youssef Omran  (2001) C++ software for computing and visualizing 2-D manifolds using Henderson's algorithm.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Scientific Computing is an exciting and growing area that provides an important link between Computer Science and the Engineering and Physical Sciences. Today, computer graphics and geometric modeling are used routinely in science, engineering, business; and entertainment. In this thesis we develop object-oriented techniques and software for computing and visualizing implicitly defined manifolds ("surfaces") that arise a wide range of applications. The software differs from existing software for computing such manifolds in its software architecture. Furthermore, its algorithms are based on numerical continuation methods, rather than on subdivision techniques, which allows its practical application to the computation of two-dimensional manifolds in high-dimensional Euclidean spaces. The overall software provides a graphical user interface, algorithms for computing two-dimensional manifolds in higher-dimensional spaces, and graphics routines to visualize the manifolds.


identifier: Graham, Angus  (2001) Incremental validation of policy-based systems.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Policy-based systems are gaining popularity as a way to manage applications with dynamic behaviour. These systems have policies specifying the desired behaviour, entered into the system by either end-users or system administrators. In order to assure that the policies don't violate any stipulated properties of the system or conflict with one another, the policies must be validated. This validation process can take a very large amount of time as the system's policy base grows.  This thesis suggests an incremental validation method, whereby a system which has been determined to be consistent can be validated when a new rule is added to the system. "Trigger chaining" is a concept introduced in this thesis that examines which policies are triggered by the firing of a particular policy. This concept leads to new kinds of conflicts. An algorithm is suggested for incremental detection of such conflicts and is shown to operate in linear time, as opposed to complete revalidation which has quadratic complexity. Trigger chaining also leads to the detection of cyclic conflicts which are briefly discussed.  Decision tables are suggested as a suitable format for the internal representation of policies. This format provides a method of checking a policy set for completeness and could help in checking for conflicts. Also decision tables are shown to be a natural format for storing policies. It is also known how to convert decision tables into executable rules, making the transition from decision table-based policies to rule engine policies a simple one


identifier: Karanth, Bhaskar Airody  (2001) Utilizing the notion of removable blocks to enhance program slicing algorithms.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Program slicing is a program decomposition technique that transforms a large program into a smaller one that contains only statements relevant to the computation of a selected function. Applications of program slicing can be found in software testing, debugging and maintenance where program slicing essentially reduces the amount of data that has to be analyzed in order to comprehend a program or parts of its functionality. In this thesis, two program slicing algorithms based on the notion of removable blocks are presented and they are (1) a general static program slicing algorithm and (2) criterion based hybrid program slicing algorithm. The thesis introduced new syntax tree representation using removable blocks and theorized a new navigation technique for the same. The new static slicing algorithm combined with the enhanced dynamic slicing algorithm is used to derive the criterion based hybrid slicing algorithm. The hybrid program slicing algorithm allows the user to define the range of accuracy between static and dynamic program slicing. These algorithms compute slices that are executable for structured and object-oriented programs. It uses the executable property of new static slicing to reduce the input source code to dynamic slicing to save the time and space. The introduced program slicing approaches are part of M[barbelow]ontreal O[barbelow]bject-O[barbelow]riented S[barbelow]licing E[barbelow]nvironment (MOOSE). MOOSE utilizes the information derived from the program slicing algorithms to enhance the functionality and usability of the framework. The preliminary tests with the basic hybrid program slicing algorithm indicate that hybrid program slicing can reduce the algorithmic time and space for the slice computation as compared to the dynamic program slicing.


identifier: Li, Jinmiao  (2001) An object-oriented framework for extensible query optimization.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis proposes a reusable architecture for extensible query optimization. A query optimization system is physically divided into three major components. The framework is designed to span across these components, where each contributes to a single purpose in the system. Design patterns and object-oriented techniques are used to de-couple these components and improve the flexibility within each component. This thesis also makes a clear separation of the search strategy and the search tree. This separation conforms to a design convention, that is, to separate interface from implementation. We believe this separation promotes the reusability of the system and is good for clarity. Also, we define a search strategy interface that allows different search strategies to be easily installed and be used interchangeably. Switching from one search strategy to another only requires modification of two lines of code within the same component. The design is further verified in light of implementation in C++. Moreover, we believe the documentation of a framework is as important as its design.


identifier: Busch, Kathryn  (2001) A qualitative inquiry into my journey of learning as an artist.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This research project studied how my art making is a learning experience. Working from the idea that art production is a qualitative method of inquiry, the process for creating five paintings was closely examined. Through documentation, in the form of journal entries and visual images, learning strategies were identified and discussed. Drawing on the work of John Dewey and Mihály Csikszentmihályi, my art making is identified as a process of problem finding and problem solving.


identifier: Lee, Sang Eun  (2001) Voice : response to children's prime time TV programs.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In this thesis research, I made an art lesson model using a critical pedagogical approach of three steps: naming, reflecting critically and acting. I used my art making process as an example of this approach. The problem that I named is that the messages on TV are not beneficial for children. I have made artwork portraying the unbalanced messages about violence and sexual relationships presented to children; I used the images from Youth Television (YTV), a cable channel in Canada. Self-reflection on my TV viewing habits and researches about children's TV made me realize the deep effects of materialism behind those stimulating images. In this lesson plan, through the research and the self-examination concerning this social problem, the students are encouraged to reflect on their experience about the values of society. Teachers with critical pedagogy will be essential, as guides, to help each student to find their own voice within a flood of messages of society.


identifier: Komako, Noa Jacob  (2001) Support systems in the learning and teaching of mathematics.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study investigated parental involvement and group work as support systems applicable in the learning and teaching of mathematics. The study determined an association between mathematics achievement and the availability of or lack of parental support.  The research took part in Phuthaditjhaba, a predominantly black residential area, situated in the Free State Province of South Africa. The subjects were grade 7 learners and their parents. Learners frequently fail mathematics, and this challenged the researcher to investigate possible causes in order to suggest solutions which could be used to alleviate this problem. One hundred learners were drawn out of 4 schools among 20 schools in both urban and semi-urban settings.  Parents' questionnaires were used to gather the information about learners. Responses to the questionnaire were associated with learners' mathematics scores. Parents were asked about their involvement with their children's mathematics learning. They completed a self-report questionnaire indicating how often they had engaged in each in each of six variables.  The variables tested for association with performance are family structure, socio-economic status, intactness, parental education and parental occupation on one hand as well as the extent of support systems the parents offer their children in the form of home resources conducive for learning.


identifier: Letho, Thabo Samuel  (2001) An effective student-teaching practice program.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study was conducted in the north Eastern Free State Province of South Africa. It investigated the teaching practice component of teacher education and compared its findings to the characteristics of effective teaching recommended in the research literature. The sample was randomly drawn from student teachers and their lecturers, primary and secondary school cooperating teachers, and learning facilitators. Questionnaires were developed and administered to collect the necessary data.  The results indicate that teacher education institutions in this study do not lay the required emphasis on the most salient aspects of reflective teaching and learning in teaching practice. For this reason, effectiveness of the process is compromised. Possible areas of further research have been suggested to bring about more clarity on aspects of teaching practice and the extent to which its values are achieved.


identifier: Sematle, Moroke Zacharia  (2001) Errors in the written English of learners in selected Phuthaditjhaba secondary schools.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study examined errors in the written English of black learners in secondary schools in Phuthaditjhaba. This is a descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study to find out the categories of errors made by Phuthaditjhaba grade 11 learners and the possible causes of such errors. A random stratified sample of three schools, one from the top stratum, one from the middle stratum and one from the bottom stratum, was selected based on the merit list of the overall Provincial Examination Results of the Phuthaditjhaba District for the academic year 1998. Samples of written language were elicited from 108 learners by means of a written composition task. Thirty compositions, ten from each school, were randomly selected for analysis. The thirty compositions were not of equal length; to control for this only the first 200 words of each composition were analyzed for errors. The results revealed that the learners made errors falling into two major categories: grammatical and lexical. Grammatical errors were categorized into verbs, articles, prepositions, singular-plural noun forms and pronouns. Lexical errors were categorized into spelling and semantic errors. An analysis of the errors suggested that they were influenced by the normal development of the target language (intralingual/developmental errors) and by the mother tongue of the learners (interference).


identifier: Longchamps, Denis  (2001) La mémoire de l'histoire : la construction d'un stéréotype : l'habitant canadien-français dans les arts visuels au Québec.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: De nos jours au Québec, le mot ±habitant», dans son sens péjoratif, désigne quelqu'un d'ignorant et simple d'esprit. Pourtant, il n'en fut pas toujours ainsi. Ce mémoire retrace les origines du stéréotype de l'habitant et les valeurs idéologiques, sociales et culturelles qu'il représente. Au coeur même de l'histoire des Canadiens français se retrouvent des événements qui furent déterminants dans l'établissement de ce stéréotype. Les particularités de ce stéréotype de l'habitant canadien-français se retrouvent dans son ambivalence, sa persistance et sa permanence. Tout au long de son histoire, ce stéréotype fut caricaturé, manipulé, louangé, exploité à des fins différentes, autant par les français que par les anglais. Ainsi, avec les oeuvres de Cornelius Krieghoff (1815-1872), l'ambivalence du stéréotype de l'habitant est exprimée en confirmant l'attachement de valeurs idéologiques à ce même personnage. Vient ensuite Horatio Walker (1858-1938) qui illustre la persistence du personnage à travers une poésie visuelle, ce qui lui valut le titre de ±peintre de Barbizon américain», le tout dans une interprétation à saveur de propagande anti-moderniste. Finalement, Alfred Lahberté (1878-1953) confirme la permanence du stéréotype en présentant une image positive de l'habitant dans une oeuvre à contre-courant de la modernité, l'industrialisation et l'urbanisation s'installant au Québec au tournant du siècle.