identifier: Muluka, Venu  (1998) Optimal suspension damping and axle vibration absorber for reduction of dynamic tire loads.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Variations in the dynamic tire forces of commercial freight vehicles, known to accelerate the road damage, are strongly related to vibration modes of the vehicle associated with vertical and pitch motions of the sprung and unsprung masses. The high levels of tire induced road damage caused by heavy vehicles has prompted a growing demand for the design of road-friendly vehicles. In this study, the enhancement of road friendliness of heavy vehicles is investigated using two methods to control the resonant forces: (i) Determination of optimal asymmetric force velocity characteristics of the suspension dampers to control the tire forces corresponding to the resonant modes; (ii) Optimal design of an axle vibration absorber to control the tire forces corresponding to the unsprung mass resonant modes. An analogy between the dynamic wheel loads and the ride quality performance characteristics of heavy vehicles is established through analysis of a linear quarter-vehicle model to illustrate the potential benefits of optimal damping. A weighted optimization function comprising the dynamic load coefficient (DLC) and the overall rms vertical acceleration at the driver's location is formulated to determine the design parameters of the damper and axle absorbers for a range of vehicle speeds and road roughnesses.


identifier: Wang, Kun  (1998) Dynamic analysis of a tracked snowplowing vehicle and assessment of ride quality.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

type: Thesis NonPeerReviewed

abstract: Tracked snowplow vehicles, designed for removing snow from the sidewalks, pose severe ride environment for the drivers, primarily arising from road wheel-track-terrain interactions. The drivers of such vehicles are thus exposed to a comprehensive magnitude of low frequency whole-body vibrations. Exposure to such large amplitude low frequency vibration limits the performance abilities of the driver and thus the vehicle mobility.  The ride dynamics of a modern snowplowing vehicle is analyzed through systematic considerations of the track dynamics, track-terrain interaction, road wheel suspension, snowplowing forces, road wheel-track interactions, secondary suspension and biodynamic behavior of the driver. An in-plane twelve-degrees-of-freedom ride dynamic model of the vehicle is developed.  The ride dynamic response of the model is analyzed under deterministic and random road excitations, during transit and plowing operations. The validity of the analytical model is demonstrated by comparing the response characteristics with the measured data. The ride quality of the vehicle is assessed in relation to the proposed guidelines upon applying the recommended frequency-weighting filters.  The influence of variations in design and operating variables on the ride performance of the vehicle is investigated through a comprehensive parametric study. The variations in operating conditions include the speed, road roughness, the nature of task, and snow parameters. The parametric study on design variables includes the variations in secondary and primary suspension, geometry, track tension and elasticity, and road wheel parameters. The results of the study are discussed to highlight the contributions of these parameters the ride quality and to identify most desirable design and operating conditions


identifier: Zhao, Jianzhao  (1998) Evaluation of efficiency of partial hybrid finite element method using composite laminates with crack.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The efficiency of the global/local approach using partial hybrid finite elements is examined by the determination of interlaminar stress fields around interior delamination crack tips in composite laminates subjected to out-of-plane loading. The stress field consisting of both in-plane and out-of-plane components around a through thickness edge crack in a laminated composite under uniaxial tension is also studied. The cracked composite laminate is modeled with three types of elements: 20-node three-dimensional sub-laminate partial hybrid elements are used in the local region where the stress gradients are expected to be high; 8-node degenerated partial hybrid plate elements are used in the global region and 15-node transition elements are employed to connect the local and global regions. The results show that the partial hybrid finite element-global/local approach yields accurate solutions with one-third active degrees of freedom, consumption of one third computer space and CPU time as compared with the conventional displacement finite element method.  Experiments were performed for cross-ply laminates with mid-plane interior delamination crack subjected to three-point bending. The predicted critical loads by finite element analysis based on both a strength-based criterion and a fracture mechanics approach are in good agreement with the experimental data.  It is found that the symmetric notched flexure (SNF) specimen used in the study of interior delamination is quite promising for Mode-II fracture test. In view of having no standard for measuring Mode II fracture toughness of composite laminates, further investigation on SNF is carried out. A finite element analysis was conducted for prediction of the stress distribution around the crack tip to prove that the failure mode is Mode II and this is in excellent agreement with experiment results.


identifier: Delaney, Shawn  (1998) Reverse engineering and optimisation of the BLASTP program.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The BLASTP (Basic Local Alignment Search Tool for Proteins) is a popular protein database search program. The BLASTP algorithm consists of three steps: (1) Constructing the set of neighbourhood words, (2) Scanning a database sequence for word hits, and (3) Extending a word hit. By using a reverse engineering approach, the architecture of the program that implements the algorithm is obtained and described. It was found that approximately 90% of the program's execution time is spent doing the third step of the algorithm, extending word hits. This work describes three optimisations to the algorithm that significantly decrease the program's execution time. The optimisations are of two types: (1) Two new sequence representations that facilitate the extension step and are only used in the extension procedure and (2) A scanning procedure that restricts the number of invocations of the extension procedure. The first optimisation represents the query as a sequence of memory addresses. These addresses are those of the rows of the residue pair score matrix which correspond to a particular residue. This representation reduces the number of instructions executed per matrix access. The second optimisation represents the query and database sequence as a sequence of residue-doublets. A doublet consists of two adjacent residues. Extensions are done in steps of aligned residue-doublet pairs. The third optimisation counts the number of word hits per aligned segments of the query and database sequence. The extension procedure is invoked only if the number of hits per alignment meets a threshold criteria. Each optimised algorithm is implemented in the BLASTP version 1.4 program. A comparison of performance data between each of the optimised programs and the unmodified program shows a performance increase of 15%, 48% and 63% respectively.


identifier: Haddad, Sami Samir  (1998) Automatic semantic header generator.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: Automatic semantic header generator

abstract: As the amount of information and the number of Internet users grow, the problem of indexing and retrieval of electronic information resources becomes more critical. The existing search systems tend to generate misses and false hits due to the fact that they attempt to match the specified search terms without context in the target information resource. The COncordia INdexing and DIscovery system is an indexing system. It is a powerful means of helping users locate documents, software, and other types of data among large repositories. In environments that contain many different types of data, content indexing requires type-specific processing to extract information effectively.  The Semantic Header, which is proposed by Desai (11), contains the semantic contents of information resources. It provides a useful tool in searching for a document based on a number of commonly used criteria. The information from the semantic header could be used by the search system to help locate appropriate documents with minimum effort.  This thesis introduces an automatic tool for the extraction and storage of some of the meta-information in a Semantic Header and an automatic text classification scheme.


identifier: Li, Daqing  (1998) Road sign recognition.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: Road sign recognition

abstract: A method for recognizing road signs in street scene images is proposed.  We first developed a fast region growing segmentation method, combined with a 1NN smoothing filter, to work on color and produce robust segmentation results even when the image is noisy. An effective color distance measurement is developed to work with the segmentation.  We then designed a hierarchical feature representation scheme, which organizes model features in a tree structure. The tree nodes are components that form the basic parts of a model, and the tree leaves are primitive physical features that can be mapped directly to basic features in segmented image. A matching error model was defined to work with the feature representation scheme.  To deal with the complexity in object detection, we designed an anchor feature and its detection scheme for the use of alignment detection. Alignment transformations are further verified by a unified matching scheme, which integrates feature ordering and performance tactics into one process.  We used a modified Hausdorff distance as the final verification method in matching a candidate to the model. An efficient algorithm in calculating the distance using Voronoi diagram based on edge map as point set is developed.


identifier: Li, Steven  (1998) Re-engineering a B-tree implementation using design patterns.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Software design is a difficult creative task learnt from long experience. Reusable object-oriented design aims to describe and classify designs and design fragments so that designers may learn from other peoples' experience. Thus, it provides leverage for the design process.  The evolution of a B-tree indexing system, which is a component in a database management system, is presented to illustrate how design patterns clarify the design and make it more understandable. This re-engineering is a necessary step towards a reusable design and implementation for multi-dimensional indexes. It also demonstrates the reuse of the design knowledge captured in design patterns.


identifier: Liang, Wen  (1998) A compiler optimization framework for Concordia parallel C.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In this thesis, we present the design and implementation of a compiler optimization framework for the Concordia Parallel C (CPC). CPC is the working language for the Concordia Parallel Systems Simulator (CPSS), whose purpose is to study interactions between parallel runtime systems and languages and their impacts on performance.  The major challenge of designing a compiler optimization framework is to choose an appropriate Intermediate Representation (IR) that is able to support the solving of dataflow equations efficiently and applying corresponding transformations easily. The demanding issue in implementing such a framework is to make it general enough to meet the requirements of various dataflow analyses and transformations.  We choose Control Flow Graph (CFG) as our intermediate representation because it is a general and mature compiler IR. We developed a two-pass algorithm that can build CFG from the CPC Abstract Syntax Tree (CPC-AST). Based on CFG representation, we implemented an optimization framework that can solve dataflow equations in either forward and backward manner. As a demonstration example, we showed how to solve the Common Subexpression Elimination (CSE) problem using the optimization framework.  To make our optimization framework general yet efficient, we pay special attention on data structures used in our implementation. Sets are the common data structure used in describing dataflow equations and their solution algorithms. We use linked lists to represent sets and implement various set operations such as intersection, union and member on linked lists.  Our optimization framework is general yet efficient to solve various compiler optimization problems including CSE, live variable analysis, and reaching definition. The experimental results show that the implemented CSE optimization does improve program performance.


identifier: Rodziewicz, Pawel  (1998) Timing and scheduling analysis of real-time object-oriented models.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The increasing complexity of real-time software has led to a recent trend in the use of high-level modelling languages for the development of real-time software. One representative example is the Real-Time Object Oriented Modeling (ROOM) language, which provides features such as encapsulation, polymorphism, inheritance, state machine descriptions of system behavior, formal semantics for executability of models and the possibility of automated code generation. The full benefits of the ROOM language are obtained through the use of the ObjecTime toolset, designed to support the ROOM language and its development process in order to automatically create an executable for a target platform equipped with a real-time operating system. However, the ROOM language and the ObjecTime toolset largely ignore the temporal aspects of real-time systems, and fail to provide any guidance to the designer about predicting and analyzing the temporal behavior of their intended applications.  The main objective of this thesis is to develop ways to perform such timing and scheduling analysis for single- and multi-threaded ROOM models. This work builds on results presented in (SFR97) and (SPFR98), where guidelines for the design and implementation of real-time object oriented (ROOM) models were developed and tested.  In this thesis, we shall consider three orthogonal timing analysis methods: real-time scheduling theory, symbolic model checking and discreet task simulation. We formulate design guidelines for single-and multi-threaded ROOM executables. Then we develop and validate canonical scheduling models for each type of executable. Finally, we present a case study of an automobile cruise control system to further illustrate the concepts presented in this thesis


identifier: Stocek, Christine  (1998) Being your own best teacher in the light of being an other.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study Being your own best teacher in the light of being an other is a phenomenological studio and essay inquiry. Its autobiographical content is based on two years I spent teaching eight native women living in a small community in northern Quebec. I combined into collages, selected photographs taken throughout this teaching experience. Ways in which the photographs impacted each other determined the content of the layering of images and the final texts in the collages. A language evolved from the structure of the collages, which fostered my understanding of how I functioned, as a teacher, who my students were, and how I could grow to be the teacher they needed. Few jobs revealed my inner self so ruthlessly. Diverse challenges which caused me to question both who I was personally and professionally resulted in my becoming stronger, more self-defined, and better articulated. This thesis provides me with the words and images to express these experiences.


identifier: Virginianne  (1998) Art lessons that develop of positive attitude toward abstract art : an interview study.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The goal of this investigation is to find a simple body of knowledge that will provide teachers and students with the understandings needed to appreciate the visual passion of prominent abstract artists' works. In order to do that, I wanted to learn what art educators know in regard to abstract art, and about how they change students' negative attitudes toward abstract art, and how do art teachers motivate students to inquire further into a visual expression to ascertain its true worth, and what can inspire students to try to discover the value of the aesthetic experience offered in abstract art.


identifier: Topalian, Marco Yertchanig  (1998) Metamorphosis, entropy, and seduction : selected moments from the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo by Moriyama & Teshima.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The Canadian Embassy in Tokyo by Toronto's Moriyama & Teshima is the representation of a metatemporal continuum. Raymond Moriyama, partner-in-charge of the project, conceived of the privately financed building as an intricate tableau of determined absolutes that equally serve him and his patron, the Canadian federal government. This thesis is a theoretical study exploring three selected spaces from the Embassy which are analysed as architectural moments. The exterior envelope, the median fourth floor, and the theatre space are established as produced by and producers of metamorphosis, entropy, and seduction. The emphasis of the materialist discussion is placed on the conservative socio-political catalysts which arbitrate the practice of architecture in the context of a global capitalism bent on privileging governmental and corporate mercantile interests.


identifier: Raju, Isaac Samuel Raj  (1998) Influence of road roughness and directional maneuvers on the dynamic performance of heavy vehicles.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The gross vehicle weight (GVW) and dimensions of articulated freight vehicles have been considerably relaxed during the past few decades, which have contributed to many concerns related to highway safety and preservation of the roadways. The directional dynamics of articulated heavy vehicles is investigated to study the influence of road roughness on the directional performance measures and the road damage potentials of the vehicle undergoing a directional maneuver. The directional performance characteristics and the road damage potentials are investigated for low speed cornering and high-speed directional maneuvers. A number of measured road profiles are analyzed to identify three groups of roads, namely: smooth, medium and rough roads based on their roughness index (RI) values. A detailed analysis of the road roughness data is carried out to derive correlation between the right and left wheel excitations. A range of performance measures are formulated to study the influence of road roughness on the directional dynamics and the influence of steering maneuver on the pavement damage. The equations of motion of the vehicle are solved for typical low-speed cornering, and high-speed lane-change and evasive maneuvers. The results of the study show that the road roughness affects some of the directional performance measures of the vehicle in a significant manner, specifically the lateral load transfer ratio related to dynamic rollover potential of the vehicle. The study also revealed that the multiple excitations arising from the tire-road interactions and the directional maneuvers, significantly contribute to the dynamic wheel loads transmitted to the pavement. The contributions of excitations arising from directional maneuvers to the dynamic wheel load are presented in terms of different measures, which have been related to the road damaging potentials of heavy vehicles. These measures include dynamic load coefficient, the dynamic road stress factor and the peak tire force.


identifier: Shadpey, Farshid  (1997) Force control and collision avoidance strategies for kinematically redundant manipulators.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The problem of position control of non-redundant manipulators was addressed during the initial stages of development of robotics in the 70's. In the 80's, extension of robotic applications to new non-conventional areas, such as space, underwater, hazardous environments, and microrobotics, brought new challenges for robotic researchers. Position control strategies failed in performing tasks that needed interaction with a robot's environment. On the other hand, non-redundant manipulators were unable to perform tasks that required dexterity comparable to that provided by the human arm. Also, imprecise dynamic modeling put severe restrictions on performance of control algorithms which were based on exact knowledge of dynamic parameters. These issues have therefore attracted a lot of attention in following three areas: force and compliant motion control, redundancy resolution, and adaptive control strategies. These areas have been addressed separately. However, there exists no unique frame work for an adaptive compliant motion control scheme for redundant manipulators which enjoys all the desirable characteristics of the methods that have been proposed for each individual area, e.g., the existing compliant motion control schemes are either not applicable to redundant manipulators or cannot take full advantage of the redundant degrees of freedom.  In this thesis, the existing schemes in each of these three areas are reviewed. Based on the results of this review, a new redundancy resolution scheme at the acceleration level is proposed. The feasibility of this scheme is studied using simulations on a 3-DOF planar arm. This scheme is then extended to the 3-D workspace of a 7-DOF redundant manipulator. The performance of the extended scheme with respect to static and moving object collision avoidance and also joint limit avoidance is studied using both simulations and hardware experiments on REDIESTRO (a REdundant, Dextrous, Isotropically Enhanced, Seven Turning-pair RObot constructed in the Center for Intelligent Machines at McGill University). Based on this redundancy resolution scheme, an Augmented Hybrid Impedance Control (AHIC) scheme is proposed. The AHIC scheme provides a unified frame work for combining compliant motion control, redundancy resolution, and adaptive control in a single methodology. The feasibility of the proposed AHIC scheme is studied by computer simulations and experiments on REDIESTRO.


identifier: García Bravo, William  (1998) The teaching profession in the multicultural educational framework : a case study in native communities of Cauca, Colombia.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis delves into geographical and historical accounts to arrive at an understanding and detailed description of the development of teacher training programs in the native regions of Cauca, Colombia. It raises some critical issues which allow us to understand the contemporary educational problems and demands that the natives make from the Colombian State. The study also documents the important role that natives have played over the long history of the evolution of the Colombian educational system.  This thesis is based on a review of the literature, government and official documents, participant observation and information gathered from 50 autobiographical self-reports of teachers in training. Its main contribution is to bring together a lot of varied and scattered information on teachers and the teaching profession in Colombia. It also proposes an initial classification and typology of native teachers. This thesis will be a useful resource for policy makers, program developers and researchers interested in better understanding educational issues that matter to native communities in Colombia as well as in the improvement of teacher training programs in multicultural settings and in developing countries.


identifier: Deans, Robert J  (1998) Issues in interactive interface design and evaluation.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This work is a practical exploration of the interactive interface. The purpose is to provide a step-by-step guideline for the design and evaluation of interactive multimedia interfaces intended for limited-use training programs, delivering specific content to well-defined user groups. The discussions are intended for new or seasoned interface designers looking for a comprehensive collection of best practices, procedures, suggestions, observations and experiences to help conceive, design, develop, approve, test and evaluate interfaces for single or series-based interactive multimedia delivered on CD-ROM or diskette. These discussions are illustrated with interfaces from three different interactive training program series designed for pharmaceutical and biotechnical companies.


identifier: Duncan, Jennifer  (1998) Sanctuary and other stories.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: Sanctuary and other stories

abstract: This collection of linked short stories concerns itself with the lives of young people coming of age in the punk subculture of downtown Toronto in the 1980s. Long third-person narratives are interposed with brief first-person monologues. The longer stories explore how the alienated characters, who are either unconsciously unwilling or psychologically incapable of articulating themselves, nevertheless inadequately fumble into moments of haphazard connection in which they resonate with each other in a way that suggests the possibility of at least limited evolution. The brief monologues are close-ups that allow a more immediate and intimate exposure of the ways in which the anonymous characters are constructed by the economic restrictions, family breakdowns, corporate-driven culture of simulacra, etc. that compose their world.


identifier: Koelbleitner, Chris  (1997) Frankenstein and Great Expectations : the romantic child and the Victorian adult.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis examines the interplay between Romantic and Victorian discourses in Great Expectations. At the heart of my argument is the contention that Pip has a Romantic childhood and steadily grows into a Victorian adult. The work of some critics suggests that Dickens was not able to reconcile the presence of Romantic and Victorian values in his text, These critics argue that in order to transform Pip into a respectable adult, committed to Victorian values of duty, forgiveness, social harmony, and steady employment, the text repudiates much of what it initially endorses about Pip the child, In defence of Dickens' portrayal, I situate Pip's progress in relation to several texts which impinge upon the novel, either directly or indirectly, Chief among these texts is Frankenstein; I propose that, like Frankenstein, Dickens' novel argues that the egotistical resentment of childhood must be relinquished in order to make possible a healthy adulthood, In this way, Pip may be seen not to repudiate the Romanticism of his youth, but merely grow out of it, However, I also suggest that Pip's Victorian values disguise a strategy by which he subverts the authority of those who have manipulated him.


identifier: Ng, W. Taien  (1998) The maps of our bodies and the borders we have agreed upon.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: These linked poems and prose poems deal thematically with cartography the mapping of territories, relationships, bodies, self. They are maps and meditations on traversing space, both physically and emotionally. The narrator, in exploring desires, relationships, bodies, and acts of travel (as opposed to places travelled), foregrounds the ongoing need to map things, both spatially and metaphorically--lines, words, dots to show us where we've been and where we're going.


identifier: Gupta, Dipti  (1998) Confronting the challenge of distribution : women documentary filmmakers in India.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Since 1980, Indian women have moved into documentary filmmaking in increasing numbers using film as a tool for raising consciousness and social change. Their work reflects an extensive variety of styles and genres, a comprehensive range of subjects, a broad spectrum of ideological perspectives--revealing the diversity that India represents. Yet, independent documentary filmmakers remain economically and politically marginalized in India and unknown in the international community.  This is a study of four Indian women documentary filmmakers: Jharna Jhaveri, Rinki Roy, Manjira Datta and Suhasini Mulay. At the center of this thesis are interviews with these four women which were conducted in 1996 and 1997. These interviews chronicle the practices of documentary film making and the struggles of these women to make space in the industry. The thesis acknowledges the role of women in documentary film making in India and the process of its production and distribution of documentary films. In conclusion the thesis indicates the need for a distribution network in India to promote and circulate the works of documentary filmmakers


identifier: Zernentsch, Sheri  (1998) Gay families in the media in the age of HIV and AIDS.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis investigates print media discourse on gay families in the context of HIV/AIDS and the gay rights movement. Comparing and contrasting reports from the mainstream heterosexual press, the mainstream gay press, and the gay community press, revealed a moral discourse on AIDS that implicated gay men throughout the 1980s. At the same time, a resurgence appeared in religious conservative forces working to recuperate the traditional nuclear family ideal through a family values agenda. The importance of family in gay communities during the 1980s meant that the existence of gay families, legal and social discrimination, and caregiving support, became important components in the gay/AIDS movement. As cases of HIV and AIDS surfaced in hetereosexuals in the late 1980s, and AIDS factored into the traditional home and family domain, a discourse on gay families also started to emerge in the mainstream press. Unlike the media images projected in the previous decade of single promiscuous gay men with AIDS, gay families were presented as normalized: sanitized, monogamous, and AIDS-free, much like the traditional nuclear family. The issues around HIV, AIDS, AIDS stigmatization and discrimination in gay families were left unmentioned in these reports. The contextualization of HIV/AIDS and gay families also waned in the gay community press during the 1990s as a result of changing attitudes around disease, death, and the family, although gay families continue to be talked about in the context of gay rights.


identifier: Beggs, Noah Stewart  (1998) Bodies, minds and materialism.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: Bodies, minds and materialism

abstract: It is common to describe subjective experience as a mental, and thus metaphysical, phenomenon. This core assumption is a central tenet of our intellectual history. How this bears on our ability to take seriously new theories of mind in light of progressive discovery is what is at issue in this paper. Herein, it is argued that because the idiom we use to speak about the mind is predisposed to countenance ontological dualism, it begs the question against alternative conceptions of mind. I will thus argue that subjectivity need not entail non-physical phenomena, pace the assumptions of the traditional dualist idiom.


identifier: Yates, Jodye  (1998) Diazepam administration during acute thiamine deficiency attenuates subsequent neuropathology and spatial-memory deficits in rats.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Pyrithiamine-induced thiamine deficiency (PTD) in rats causes deficits on a wide variety of spatial-memory tasks. PTD-induced memory deficits are thought to result from damage in areas of the diencephalon that are selectively vulnerable to the metabolic disruption of thiamine deficiency. However, a high incidence of seizures during the late stages of PTD treatment complicates this interpretation, as these seizures may contribute to the neuropathological and behavioural outcome of PTD. The present experiment assessed spatial allocentric working-memory in recovered PTD rats. Two groups of rats received PTD treatment; one group received diazepam (5mg/kg) upon the first sign of overt seizures in order to attenuate them until treatment reversal (Group PTD+DZ), and the other group received no diazepam (Group PTD). Following recovery, the rats were trained on a delayed matching-to-place (DMTP) task in a water maze, and tested with retention delays of 4, 30, and 120 seconds. Both experimental groups displayed DMTP acquisition defecits, and PTD rats were subsequently impaired at all retention delays. By contrast, the PTD+DZ rats were impaired only at the 120-sec delay. Moreover, thalamic neuropathology was attenuated in the PTD+DZ rats. Although further studies will be needed to determine the mechanism by which diazepam exerts its protective effects in this model, the present study suggests that PTD-induced neuropathology and memory deficits can be attenuated by treatments that reduce seizure activity.


identifier: Davetian, Benet  (1998) Reconsidering the siblings : a critical study of Robert Bly's The Sibling Society.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Reconsidering the Siblings attempts to investigate the nature of moral panics by testing The Sibling Society, a work written by a prominent American Literary critic, Robert Bly. In his work Robert Bly suggests that America is in deep crisis and that a return to vertical associations and relationships will help reclaim the positive aspects of the American heritage. In this thesis, I analyze some of the premises used by Bly in his arguments and suggest that America's social problems are not as much the result of moral turpitude but the logical consequences of a courageous experiment in democratic culture. Through an analysis of the American educational system, the media, the family, and the corporate culture, I attempt to show that America's early Puritan roots and the manner in which it broke from its European heritage led to a culture in which "irony" became a vehicle via which Americans tried to deal with the tensions which arose when rapid change and development eclipsed the firm moral positions of early Americans.


identifier: Ford, Kimberly-Anne  (1998) Risky business : the negotiation and management of work-related risk by patient-attendants and prostitutes.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis examine work-related risk in two "risky" human service occupations: the hospital patient-attendant and the street prostitute. The research question is twofold: what elements of service work give rise to work-related risk, and what conditions impact upon the negotiation and management of occupational hazards. The rationale for comparing these two occupations lies in their similarities: the emotional and physical contact with clients and patients, along with the performance of 'dirty work', yields similar risks such as violence, infection and occupational injury. Meanwhile, differences in each working environment, for example with respect to institutional legitimacy in the hospital versus illegitimacy and stigma on the street, provide an interesting context in which to study the effects of occupational organization on risk management by workers. This study applies a qualitative and quantitative analysis to the study of occupational risk, using interview data from a sample of 92 Montreal street prostitutes and patient-attendants. It was found that patient-attendants often cope with occupational risk in an institutional and routinized manner, while prostitutes often rely on personal rules and co-workers to manage various risks. It is concluded that the organizational structure of both occupations impacts upon risk management by workers.


identifier: Hayes, Martin  (1998) Global and transnational flows and local Cree youth culture.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis is a result of an ethnographic study of identity and culture of young people within a context of dramatic social and economic change. A discussion is presented on ways in which young people in an eastern James Bay Cree community are interpreting and using extralocal flows of cultural symbols, ideas and meanings from a number of sources and creolizing them within their local context. Two sources of cultural flows are focussed on: the mass media and Pan-Indian ceremonies, which were both found to be important factors in shaping town-life experiences and to be providing mediums that are used by some young people to establish their own cultural space in the community.  Cree youths in Red Bank is their highly visible use of new cultural symbols, provides a good example of the diversity of a community's cultures and how these cultures are in continual processes of change.


identifier: Khudaverdian, Clara  (1998) The dancing body.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: The dancing body

abstract: This thesis investigates the ballet culture's conception of the body. It explains how the ballet dancer uses the body, sees it, and talks about it. It analyzes their discourses and practices and renders a description of "The Dancing Body". Thirteen retired ballet dancers were interviewed (7 women, 6 men) about their experiences in this milieu, and three months were spent observing their daily rituals and practices. Through the analysis of the dancers' lives and the ethnographic notes, it was concluded that "The Dancing Body" is not only a vehicle through which dancers express themselves on stage but that this conception of the body is weaved into the dancer's identity.


identifier: Khalil, André  (1998) Exploration of the fractal dimension.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: Exploration of the fractal dimension

abstract: This thesis studies the theoretical and experimental determination of the fractal dimension of different sets. It contains both pure and applied topics. After establishing the ground rules, we look at ways to calculate the fractal dimension of fractal interpolation functions and we end the study with an experiment consisting in the estimation of the fractal dimension of two graphs representing the activities of two companies at the Toronto Stock Exchange. In fact, we will see that there is a certain cohesion between the fractal dimension of a cloud of points and the absolute value of the slope of the regression line approximating the same cloud of points.


identifier: Bedair, Hatem  (1998) Improvement of inelastic performance for friction damped asymmetric buildings.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis investigates the effect of having brace strength eccentricity (slip load eccentricity) negative that of stiffness eccentricity on the performance of friction damped braced frames, in an effort to improve the efficiency of friction damped braced frames in single and multi-storey buildings.  Firstly, multi-storey models having stiffness ratio (brace stiffness to frame stiffness) of three and strength ratio (brace strength to frame strength) of unity are subjected to an ensemble of earthquakes over a wide range of stiffness eccentricity $\rm e\sb{s}$ such that $\rm0<e\sb{s}<1.2$ and a range of slip load $\rm e\sb{pb}$ such that $-$e$\rm\sb{s}<e\sb{pb}<e\sb{s}$. The results demonstrate that as the slip load eccentricity $\rm e\sb{pb}$ moves from the stiff side to the flexible side of the structure, maximum displacement and ductility demands are reduced and more storeys participate in dissipating energy. Maximum improvement is obtained when $\rm e\sb{pb}$ = $-$e$\rm\sb{s}$.  The inelastic behavior of single-storey model is studied using the history of base shear and torque. A single storey model with stiffness ratio of three and strength ratio of one is subjected to an earthquake over the range of slip load and stiffness eccentricity indicated above. The results show that as $\rm e\sb{pb}$ shifted to the flexible side of the structure the maximum base torque is decreased.  The energies imparted and dissipated by brace slippage and frame yield of the single storey model indicated above are studied. The results demonstrate that the energy dissipated by the braces increases as the slip load eccentricity moves to the flexible side of the structure.  The research demonstrates that the slip load eccentricity must be considered in the design of friction bracing


identifier: Dumais, Guy  (1998) Detection of separable predicates on series-parallel systems.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In this thesis, we address part of the predicate detection problem on distributed computations. We introduce two new classes of predicates, the monotonic predicates and the separable predicates. These classes generalize several classes of well-known predicates as the conjunctive predicates. We show that these classes are detected efficiently on distributed computations having the series-parallel property. This deviates from the approach used in the past where the detection problem was addressed for small classes of predicates to be detected on general distributed computations.  The detection algorithm is based on a decomposition of the state lattice into simple subsets called concurrent intervals. This decomposition has its own interest since it helps understanding the relation between the complexity of the state lattice and the complexity of the event structure. At the heart of this relation is a new structure: the communication graph. We show that the communication graph gives a suitable level of abstraction to deal with the predicate detection problem.


identifier: Narain, Jaya  (1998) Architectural support for massively-concurrent parallel computing.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Parallel computing is an intricate mix of marketplace requirements, architectural understanding, technology issues, and issues concerning costs. One controlling myth is that high-volume commodity processors must, by the nature of things, be the common building blocks for both desktop clients and room-size servers. This myth--and the supporting myth of architectural convergence of clients and servers--should be subject to dispassionate analysis.  With only one program counter per processor, conventional processors are becoming increasingly unresponsive in spite of faster clock rates. We will show that reliance on Instruction-Level Parallelism (ILP) for performance drives processor state upwards. When this massive state is not distributed across multiple program counters, processors choke on their own expensive context switches, here reconceptualized to show their true cost.  Within the framework of Little's law from queueing theory, we analyze conventional RISC superscalar processors as a case study of the inadequacy of the class of "ILP" processors. We contrast this to multithreaded processors that exploit both ILP and Thread-Level Parallelism (TLP).  As a contribution to parallel programming, we show how data caches in multithreaded architectures can be used to manage speculative state, and perform atomic updates involving multiple variables.  There is no "convergence architecture"; there are only divergence architectures


identifier: Peng, Yuan  (1998) Modeling of intelligent networks using SDL and an approach for feature interaction detection.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Features are novel telecommunication functions that are provided to users as individual commercial offerings. Intelligent Network (IN) is a new network framework proposed by ITU-T (International Telecommunication Union) in order to enable fast and cost-effective introduction of a large number of useful features. However, as more and more features are developed, various kinds of unexpected interference emerge among multiple features. Such interference prevents the features from fulfilling their tasks correctly. This is the problem known as Feature Interaction (FI).  This thesis concentrates on the analysis and detection of Feature Interactions in Intelligent Network systems. First we present our work in modeling IN using the formal description language SDL (Specification & Description Language) based on the Distributed Functional Plane (DFP) of the Intelligent Network Conceptual Model (INCM) that is defined in the ITU-T Q.12xx series recommendations. Use of SDL in this model makes it precise, concise and free of ambiguity. This model serves as a platform to study IN entities, features and FIs. Secondly, a new detection approach is proposed in order to discover FIs efficiently. This approach attains strong detection ability and low computational complexity by focusing on scanning for major causes that lead to FIs rather than studying detailed feature behaviors. Most known FIs listed in Bellcore FI Benchmark as well as several new FIs were successfully detected using our method. Our IN model in SDL can also be used to simulate the call processing and feature running situations, which provides a potential way to verify the FI detection results of our approach, especially for new FIs.


identifier: Mattes, Catherine  (1998) Whose hero? : images of Louis Riel in contemporary art and Métis nationhood.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Louis Riel is perhaps one of the most controversial figures in Canadian history. In mainstream Canadian society, he is often described as a "Canadian hero", a "Father of Confederation", or the "Founder of Manitoba". He has become an icon for various organizations, political parties, and cultural groups in Canada. Although for many Métis Riel is a "Canadian hero", he is also an important figure for the Métis nation. Many Métis use the image of Riel as a source of inspiration in fighting for cultural autonomy, pride, and respect in Canada. Therefore how he is discussed in literature, or how he is portrayed in art greatly affects the lives of many Métis. The purpose of this thesis is to examine images of Louis Riel in contemporary art in reference to Métis nationhood. I use visual images of Riel to discuss the various opinions of Riel, Métis historical and contemporary cultural struggles, and the concept of "nation" in reference to the Métis. My intent is to give a Métis point of view on art that deals with the controversial Louis Riel. I attempt to challenge mainstream opinions of Riel, how history has been written about First Peoples, and various non-Métis perceptions about the Métis. Little or no research has been done about images of Louis Riel and Métis nationhood, and with this thesis I hope to help fill this void.


identifier: Tomaszewska, Lara  (1998) Marionettes and metaphor : political satire in the photographs of Tina Modotti.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Recent scholarship on Tina Modotti (1896-1942) has regarded her photographs as relatively straightforward social and political constructs. This thesis shall investigate Modotti's placement within Mexican post-revolutionary political and social drama and consider her cultural and aesthetic production as expressions of class, gender, national and artistic identity. The focus of the study is Modotti's series of marionette photographs produced in 1929. The thesis examines her strategic use of marionettes as symbols of Mexican folklore and also as a traditional device of political commentary. An analysis of Modotti's photography will reveal this little-studied series as representing a shift back to formalist concerns of photographic quality and subtlety, and toward heightened political subversiveness, complexity and metaphoricity. Feminist and postcolonial studies provide a theoretical framework within which Modotti's photographs may be conceived of as symbolic cultural signifiers. In particular, notions of difference (sexual, cultural, national) and identity (hybrid and nomadic) ground this study within North American cultural discourse. The marionette photographs are studied with reference to Marxist ideology and Mexico. Also, the metaphoric quality of puppets is examined and the marionette series is conceived of as complex metaphorical constructions. Lastly, the marionette photographs are positioned as a new narrative strategy and are analyzed in terms of content and technique.


identifier: Veitch, Michelle H  (1998) Social discourse in the media interpretation of Christiane Pflug's doll paintings.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis examines the reviews of Christine Pflug's exhibition of doll paintings at the Isaacs Gallery from May to June 1964 and uncovers the gendered politics behind the art discourse surrounding the critical interpretations of Pflug's works. I consider how the reviewers establish the painter as a mother and housewife, suggesting that she produces in a domestic sphere, thus removing her from a gallery context. At the same time, they connect Christiane Pflug to the painted image of the black and white dolls which are shown in an interior environment and placed against altering land- and cityscape views.  This thesis also examines Pflug's experience as a German immigrant woman in Canada and relates the reviews of her works to the social environment in Toronto during the sixties, focusing on the changing position of German and Caribbean females. In my opinion, Christiane Pflug's doll paintings offer a shifting perspective of reality and capture the experiences of a woman transient who moves from place to place, constantly switching locations and gaining a new outlook on life.


identifier: Kissi, Edward  (1997) Famine and the politics of food relief in United States relations with Ethiopia : 1950-1991.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The dissertation examines famine in Ethiopia as an issue in U.S.-Ethiopian relations from 1950 to 1991. It argues that to avoid restructuring Ethiopia's semi-feudal society, and to make military security the primary goal of its foreign relations, the Imperial Ethiopian Government opposed U.S. efforts to place land reform and agricultural development at the centre of its priorities in Ethiopia from 1950 to 1974. Although the Revolutionary Government, which deposed the Imperial Government and ruled Ethiopia from 1975 to 1991, promoted land reform, its agricultural policies and domestic politics violated human rights in a period when democratization and human rights had become the prerequisites for American agricultural aid. The dissertation challenges the argument that the Revolutionary Government deliberately created famine to embark on a well-defined program of genocide against its ethnic and political foes. It provides an alternative view that in the war to settle their competing visions of post-Imperial Ethiopia, the Revolutionary Government and its opponents used famine, starvation and terror to create domestic allegiance and external sympathy. U.S.-Ethiopian relations deteriorated over the human rights atrocities, anti-American attitude and communist orientation of the Revolutionary Government, but Washington and Addis Ababa cooperated to save lives threatened by war and famine.


identifier: Gasher, Mike  (1999) The Grey Fox meets Jumanji : the emergence of the feature-film industry in British Columbia.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis studies the emergence since the late 1970s of a feature-film industry in British Columbia. The thesis asserts that the relationship of this cinema its place of production can be best understood in terms of media globalization, rather than in the more conventional terms of national cinema development. Through an assessment of the history of cinema in British Columbia, the political economy of the North American film industry, provincial film policy and the way films made in British Columbia are located spatially and temporally, it is argued that the British Columbia feature-film industry belongs to a continental media ecology, closely, but not fully, integrated with the transnational commercial cinema based in Hollywood. The thesis concludes with a discussion of changing conceptions of place in a period of globalization, and proposes that British Columbia is particularly well-suited to Doreen Massey's notion of place as 'meeting place' or 'intersection.' Such a sense of place is critical to situating the British Columbia feature-film industry, which has been built upon a complex interface of distinct transnational and regional/local regimes of production.


identifier: Levy, Andrea Terry  (1998) Reframing socialism from the fifties to the fin-de-siècle : the intellectual odyssey of André Gorz.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study traces the intellectual trajectory of French social thinker André Gorz from the post-war period to the present. It canvasses the evolution of Gorz's philosophical, and political concerns, from his participation in the development of existential Marxism in the 1950s and his elaboration of a strategy of revolutionary reformism in the 1960s, through his role in the genesis of French political ecology in the 1970s, and his advocacy, in the 1980s and 90s, of a civilization of free time.  The dissertation seeks to situate Gorz's ideas in the changing social and intellectual conjuncture in which they germinated and matured, paying particular attention to his response to the twin crises of ecological degradation and structural unemployment which became a focus of political attention in the mid-1970s in France and throughout western Europe. It traces some of the key intellectual influences upon Gorz's thinking in the successive periods under study, including the philosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre, the tradition of radical trade unionism in Italy, and the ideas of Ivan Illich. It looks in turn at the impact of Gorz's own ideas on elements of the left in France and abroad. Forming a leitmotif of the study is Gorz's changing conception of the age agency of social transformation--from his confidence in the revolutionary potential of the "new working class" to his hopes for the "non-class of non-workers" as a prefiguration of a new movement of social change subversive of the work-based society.  Gorz emerges in this investigation as a progenitor of New Left social theory and as the living legacy of that body of ideas at a time when many European, North American and above all, French intellectuals abandoned interest in radical social and political thought. An attempt is made to analyze the numerous contradictions and reversals In Gorz's lifetime of thinking on the left, and to engage critically with many of the questionable presuppositions and lacunae apparent in his work. At the same time, Gorz's oeuvre is presented as a pioneering and valuable endeavour to forge a revitalized left response to the changing social and economic conditions of the advanced capitalist countries in the last half century.


identifier: Dastoor, Dolly P  (1998) Rate and predictors of decline in dementia of the Alzheimer type as measured by the hierarchic dementia scale (HDS).  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Alzheimer's disease is characterized by progressive decline in several domains of cognitive functions, which have variable rates of change in the decline process. The overall objective of the study was to develop a model to predict the rate of decline in individual patients as measured by the Hierarchic Dementia Scale (HDS) based on the risk factors of age of symptom onset, education, gender, and place of residence.  It was hypothesized that younger age of symptom onset would predict a faster rate of decline on the total HDS score and in the seven cognitive domains of orientation, language, memory, praxis, calculation, concentration, and perception. A related question concerned the contribution of specific cognitive functions of language and praxis in predicting rate of decline.  This study examined 60 patients with Alzheimer's disease assessed at 6-month intervals over 18 months. At each assessment the HDS, an instrument, based on Piagetian concepts and neuropsychological findings, was administered to assess severity of impairment. Descriptive information were obtained at entry into the study.  Using a repeated measures univariate and multivariate design format, the results show significant age and time effects for the total HDS score and for the seven cognitive domains. A model of decline in language and praxic functions was built using the Bayesian Information Selection Criterion (BIC). Of all the variables entered in the model (REML), age of onset, education level and place of residence were selected as predictors of decline.  Regression analysis revealed that, for every year of difference in age of symptom onset there was a significant difference of 1.60 points on the total HDS score, .72 points on the language score and .26 points on the praxic score. The covariates of education and place of residence predicted significant decline on total HDS and language scores, but not on the praxic score.  This study indicates that patients with Alzheimer's disease, who have earlier age of symptom onset, lesser education, and who live in an institution will decline faster on the total HDS and language function scores


identifier: Dayan, Joelle  (1998) Friendship bonds, perceived parental support and self-esteem in children from individualist and collectivist cultures.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Individualist cultures emphasize independence, self-reliance, self-expressiveness, and emotional detachment in most of their relationships, whereas collectivist cultures emphasize interdependence, cooperation, maintaining harmony, and strong emotional attachment. Based on these differences, a goal of this study was to investigate how the social relationships of children vary across age as a function of belonging to an individualist or collectivist culture. It was also a goal to investigate whether the self-esteem of individualist and collectivist children was differentially influenced by receiving social support from particular individuals in their social networks. Participants included 601 children between 9 and 18 years of age who came from a variety of ethnic backgrounds (mainly Canadian/Quebecois, Greek, Arabic, and Caribbean). Participants completed a set of questionnaires during class-time on two separate occasions. Contrary to expectations, there was no difference between ethnic groups in terms of individualism/collectivism. Individualism/collectivism was, therefore, considered as a personality dimension (Realo, Allik & Vadi, 1997). As expected, collectivist children perceived their peer relationships to be more supportive than individualist children did. Collectivist elementary school children also reported fewer negative interactions in their peer relationships than individualist elementary school children. Contrary to expectations, there were no developmental differences between individualist and collectivist children in terms of provisions of support provided by mothers, best friends, and relatives. However, individualists and collectivists differed in their reported sources of intimacy and companionship. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses predicting global self-esteem from interactions of individualism-collectivism and social support from different members of the social network showed that the self-esteem of the most individualist children was predicted most strongly by social support from best friend, whereas there was no such prediction for the most collectivist children. Implications of these findings are that individualist and collectivist individuals will seek out different members of their social networks to satisfy various needs such as intimacy and companionship. Clinicians should be aware of these differences to help clients to find ways to maximize the social support they receive from their networks.


identifier: Frank, Ilana  (1999) The use of word-learning principles in young monolingual and bilingual children.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Adherence to the mutual exclusivity principle, which states that each object category can have only one name, has been demonstrated in toddlers and preschool-aged children. Studies of mutual exclusivity in bilingual children over 3.5 years have generally found a tendency to honour the principle within languages, but not across languages. To date, younger bilinguals' adherence to this principle has not been investigated. Also in question has been whether children's ability to fast map more likely reflects adherence to the mutual exclusivity principle or to the novel name-nameless category (N3C) principle. In the present cross-sectional study, monolingual and bilingual children were tested at 27 and at 35 months of age. In a first task, monolingual and bilingual children were presented with novel labels violating mutual exclusivity within a language, and were tested on their learning of the labels. Bilinguals were also administered a similar task in which mutual exclusivity was violated across languages. An assessment of the bilingual children's vocabulary production was undertaken using the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory (Fenson et al., 1991), as well as a Quebec French adaptation developed specifically for this study. All children in this study were also administered a fast mapping task. A visual perspective-taking task was administered to determine whether bilinguals have an advantage in this parallel cognitive domain. Across both language groups, children aged 35 months honoured mutual exclusivity more than children aged 27 months. No differences were found between monolinguals and bilinguals in adherence to mutual exclusivity. In addition, bilingual children performed similarly when mutual exclusivity was violated within a language and across languages. The proportion of translation equivalents in the bilingual children's vocabulary did not relate to their mutual exclusivity task performance. Moreover, monolinguals and bilinguals did not differ in fast mapping or in perspective-taking skills. These results suggest that bilingual language experience does not have a significant impact on adherence to the mutual exclusivity principle before the age of 3 years. In addition, fast mapping performance was independent of adherence to mutual exclusivity, supporting the operation of an N3C principle. The results are discussed with reference to the nature of word-learning principles.


identifier: Sauvé, Danielle  (1999) Neuroanatomical specificity of prolactin-induced hyperphagia and expression of fos-like immunoreactivity following central administration of prolactin.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The present experiments extend our understanding of the orexigenic properties of prolactin (PRL) in female rats. PRL is known to increase food intake in virgin female rats when injected intracerebroventricularly (icv) but it is not known where in the brain PRL acts to promote feeding behavior. The first series of studies investigated the role of the paraventricular nucleus (PVN), ventromedial nucleus (VMH), and medial preoptic nucleus (MPOA) in the hyperphagic actions of PRL. Ad libitum fed virgin female rats received twice daily site-specific injections of PRL (800 ng) over a period of 10 days. Only subjects demonstrating regular vaginal cyclicity were included in the study. Food intake, body weight, and vaginal cyclicity were measured daily. Results showed that PRL significantly increased food intake when injected in the PVN. A nonsignificant trend towards a hyperphagic response in the last 5 days of testing was observed in rats receiving intra-VMH injections of PRL, and the MPOA was not responsive to the feeding stimulating properties of PRL. None of the manipulations affected body weight or vaginal cyclicity as demonstrated by vaginal smears. In sum, although it is possible that PRL action may occur at other sites, the present results reveal that PRL acts through the PVN to induce feeding in virgin female rats.  A second experiment investigated the pattern of cellular activation, as revealed by Fos-like immunoreactivity (Fos-lir), in the PVN, VMH, and MPOA of female rats following treatments of varying lengths of icv administration of PRL. Ad libitum fed virgin female rats were given 1, 7 or 15 icv injections of PRL twice daily at a dose known to promote hyperphagia (2 [Special characters omitted.] /0.5 [Special characters omitted.] ). The rats were sacrificed one hour after their last injection and their brains processed for Fos-fir. Significant changes in expression of Fos-lir were observed only in the PVN of rats having received 15 injections of PRL. Therefore the PVN is the hypothalamic site most responsive to the effect of PRL on feeding behavior, and the one in which most cellular activation was observed after chronic administration of PRL. Given that PRL can upregulate its own receptors, and that PRL effects in the brain occur by PRL binding to its receptors, it is plausible to suggest that significant increases in the expression of Fos-lir in the PVN of rats after prolonged icv administration of PRL may reflect an upregulation of PRL receptors. Suggestions for future studies that would elaborate on these results are proposed.  These are the first tests of the site-specificity of the central effect of PRL on feeding in rats, and of the expression of Fos-lir in selected hypothalamic sites after a varying number of icv injections of PRL. It is concluded that PRL plays a significant role in the PVN to promote feeding and cellular activation as evidenced by both behavioral and immunohistochemical data


identifier: Li, Ye  (1998) Numerical evaluation of wind-induced dispersion of pollutants around buildings.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: A detailed and comprehensive numerical study of wind-induced pollutant dispersion around buildings has been carried out. Research in this area was reviewed and analyzed. The results from various studies were compared. Based on the review and the comparison with various studies, a more effective methodology for the numerical evaluation of dispersion of pollutants around buildings has been proposed.  Computed results of a two-layer approach show various degrees of improvement for the concentration field in the wake region and on the back wall of the building. Results from two-layer approach also show improvement on the building roof for along-wind direction. However, the two-layer approach does not seem to work well for roof concentration along the cross-wind direction; this is probably due to the drawback of the isotropic turbulence model used.  The previous numerical studies on pollutant dispersion around rectangular buildings only investigated the concentration profiles for along-wind direction or vertical direction, and these were only for limited situations. A systematic examination of pollutant concentration in the wake of a rectangular building has been carried out for two different release sources. The concentration profiles have been investigated for along-wind, across-wind and vertical directions for various locations. The numerical simulation results have been compared with those from the experiments and from the Modified Gaussian Model. Results from numerical simulation generally agree well with those from the experiments. It was found that the numerical simulation predicts ground level pollutant concentrations better than the Modified Gaussian Model in the near building wake area.  The influence of numerical errors on the computed results and the effects of thresholds in the demoralization and convergence process have been investigated for the first time in the area of numerical simulation of pollutant dispersion around buildings


identifier: El-Ariss, Bilal M  (1999) Nonlinear time-dependent analysis of externally/internally prestressed reinforced concrete beams.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: A simple procedure for the nonlinear analysis of externally and/or internally prestressed reinforced concrete beams including the time-dependent effects caused by creep and shrinkage of concrete and relaxation of prestressing steel is presented. The procedure is capable of tracing the structural response of these structures through their service load history as well as throughout the elastic, inelastic, and ultimate load ranges.  Sections can change throughout the length of the member and the variation of the material properties within the element is accommodated. The section is divided into concrete parts of different materials and the reinforcement steel is divided into layers of different properties. Each concrete part and steel layer is considered in a uniaxial state of stress.  Time dependent variation of concrete properties is considered. The instantaneous loss in the prestressing force due to friction and anchor setting in posttensioned structures is also recognized. The time domain for which the analysis is required is divided into a number of time intervals. At any instant, the instantaneous changes in stresses and deformations are calculated and added to the existing values. For any time interval, the gradual change in stresses and deformations are determined and added to update the existing values. Also for each time interval, nonlinear equilibrium equations which are valid for the current material properties are set up and solved using the displacement method. An initial stiffness method combined with the unbalanced load iterations for each load increment or time interval is used for the nonlinear equilibrium.  A series of numerical examples are tested and comparisons are made with other analytical and experimental data. Numerical data from the nonlinear and time-dependent analyses of prestressed posttensioned reinforced concrete simple beams are presented


identifier: Nguyen, Tan Khai  (1998) Electrical characterization of fluorinated and oxynitrided gate-oxides.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Many novel gate oxidation processes have been developed to meet the ongoing quest for thinner and higher-quality gate dielectric layers. Among these processes, fluorination and nitridation methods have emerged as promising techniques for ultra-large scale integrated circuit (ULSI) technology. Reported data in the literature is presented to show the advantages of these two processes. There are various ways to fabricate fluorinated and oxynitrided SiO 2 films. In this work, fluorination is done by shallow F-ion implantation through polysilicon gate, followed by thermal diffusion into the underlying gate oxide. Oxynitridation is done by a heat treatment in N 2 O gas. The samples are fabricated as lot-splits of the Mitel 1.5 om process.  As background, the mechanisms of generation of oxide trapped charges during hot carrier injection stress are discussed. In this light, the quality of fluorinated and oxynitrided gate-oxides are discussed, in comparison with control oxides. The dissertation also discusses methods used to characterize the electrical properties of oxides. According to the framework of DiMaria et al , gate voltage changes during Fowler-Nordheim stress are sensitive only to trapped charges located outside a tunneling distance from the cathode interface. The dissertation discusses how DiMaria's framework can be applied to obtain information about trapped-charge generated in the bulk oxide and trapped charges generated at or near the SiO 2 interfaces outside or within a tunneling distance from the cathode interface. This technique will be used to do electrical characterization on gate oxides treated by fluorination or oxynitridation.  In this work, oxynitrides show convincingly better performance than the fluorinated and the conventional thermally-grown oxides under positive gate bias Fowler-Nordheim tunnelling injection stress. However, under negative gate bias Fowler-Nordheim tunnelling injection stress, only the lower-temperature oxynitrides show advantages, not the higher-temperature oxynitrides. Channel hot electron injection stress also confirms the feasibility of incorporating oxynitridation into sub-micrometer processes. The application of the developed electrical characterization technique helps to reveal the complex behaviors of charge components induced in gate oxides under Fowler-Nordheim stress.


identifier: Pinheiro, Humberto  (1999) Resonant UPS topologies for the emerging hybrid fiber coaxial networks.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems have been extensively applied to feed critical loads in many areas. Typical examples of critical loads include life-support equipment, computers and telecommunication systems. Although all UPS systems have a common purpose to provide continuous power-to critical loads, the emerging hybrid fiber-coaxial networks have created the need for specific types of UPS topologies. For example, galvanic isolation for the load and the battery, small size, high input power factor, and trapezoidal output voltage waveforms are among the required features of UPS topologies for hybrid fiber-coaxial networks. None of the conventional UPS topologies meet all these requirements. Consequently. this thesis is directed towards the design and analysis of UPS topologies for this new application. Novel UPS topologies are proposed and control techniques are developed to allow operation at high switching frequencies without penalizing the converter efficiency. By the use of resonant converters in the proposed UPS topologies. a high input power factor is achieved without requiring a dedicated power factor correction stage. In addition, a self-sustained oscillation control method is proposed to ensure soft switching under all operating conditions. A detailed analytical treatment of the resonant converters in the proposed UPS topologies is presented and design procedures illustrated. Simulation and experimental results are presented to validate the analyses and to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed schemes.


identifier: Benazon, Ophra  (1998) Beyond aesthetics : a contemporary approach to teaching visual language at a post secondary level.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Because present discourse focuses on the conceptual aspect of art, I am concerned that the cognitive and affective aspects of visual language have been neglected. In this study I introduced students to a revised approach to the formal elements of art, that breaks away from the prescriptive nature of historical formalism and its association with elitism. I adopted a semiotic approach as developed by Fernande Saint-Martin built on psychoanalytical theory, on Jean Piaget's findings on human construction of space, and on gestalt theory. This approach is based on a notion of perception that incorporates other senses in addition to vision; it adopts no particular aesthetic theory, takes into consideration personal experience, leaves room for subjective interpretations; is not judgmental, yet does not drift into relativism.  I posed the question: How will first-year painting students at Bishop's University be able to utilize, or not, selected aspects of Saint-Martin's visual language in the production and analysis of selected paintings. Students were encouraged to use art materials and visual language not as a means for expression of preconceived ideas, but rather as generators or facilitators of meaning. The teaching method is modeled on Donald Schön's reflection-in-action approach. The research method includes reflection-in-action together with phenomenography.  The most surprising finding is that the in-class analysis of the elements resulted in productions and dialogues echoing an expressive aesthetic. A disappointing aspect is that the students did not adopt the terms proposed by Saint-Martin. Instead, they used everyday inclusive terms (e.g. rough texture) rather than specific ones (e.g. granular, pointillist), thus often missing more subtle discriminations.  The study demonstrates that form and expression are intertwined, and that attention to form widens the students' visual vocabulary in painted images and in verbal expression. The assignments facilitated the students' use and stereotypes about the nature of art. The frequent dialogues, class discussions, and collective projects created a congenial atmosphere allowing for freedom of expression in our classroom deliberations on art


identifier: Simon, Cheryl Inez  (1998) Gender, genre and globalization : discourses of "Femininity" in the popular culture of the 1990's.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The thesis traces the discursive construction of gender and femininity in American popular crime stories, focusing on the years 1989-1994. I argue that popular notions of gender and femininity acquired new significance at this time and that the renegotiation of these concepts can be read in, enabled by and has had an impact on the conventions of film noir , detective fiction, and tabloid crime genres. In the 1980's and early 1990's, in conjunction with shifts in social concerns and the emergence of new discourses relating to sexuality, new representational technologies, and the intensification of economic globalization, the prior, popular understanding that there was a correspondence between gender and the body became destabilized in social discourse. Simultaneously the stability of representational practice, tout court , was undermined. At this time, a proliferation of narratives about women and crime that challenged the sex-gender relationship, appeared in popular culture. Asserting that gender was a social construction, many of these representations were also self-reflexive of their own constructedness and foregrounded their status as representation. In these instances, the concept of "gender parody" was raised through genre parody. These crime stories revived the styles, forms, genres and narrative preoccupations of post-WW II American popular culture to ironize the gender roles and social relations of these earlier representations. Other crime narratives raised the question of gender stability thematically, as an issue related to shifts in social roles, often bringing about changes in the genre's typical point-of-view structures. In all, the semantic value and symbolic position of "Woman" were contested. An examination of these representations foregrounds the manner in which the concept of gender has shifted over the last ten years, and since the second world war. It also highlights related transformations in popular generic forms. The thesis provides textual analyses of a selection of actual and fictional crime narratives to examine the ways in which femininity is constructed through the interaction of popular, feminist, political, economic, sociological, psychoanalytical and legal discourses, and to what ideological purpose.


identifier: Ranta, Leila  (1998) Focus on form from the inside : the significance of grammatical sensitivity for L2 learning in communicative ESL classrooms.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Are analytic learners at an advantage in second language (L2) learning? Early research on aptitude (Carroll, 1962) established the significance of grammatical sensitivity when learners are in structure-based instructional settings. This study addressed the question of whether grammatical sensitivity is associated with L2 learning outcomes when instruction is communicative in nature. The participants were five classes of francophone children studying in an intensive ESL program at the grade 6 level. Learners' grammatical sensitivity was defined as 'the ability to focus on form' and was operationalized as the ability to correct errors in written French (L1). A variety of L2 proficiency measures were administered over the course of one academic year. Three types of analysis were performed on the data: a principal components analysis, a cluster analysis, and an interlanguage analysis. The results of these analyses indicate that grammatical sensitivity is associated with success in L2 learning to some degree since: (1) a 'Grammatical Sensitivity' factor emerged as one of three factors in a principal components analysis; (2) performance on a measure of grammatical sensitivity distinguished strong learners from weak learners; (3) higher levels of grammatical sensitivity were associated with higher stages of grammatical development in oral production.  However, it is also clear that grammatical sensitivity is not sufficient to account for differences among weak and strong learners in this population. It is argued that other learner abilities such as working memory capacity and phonemic coding ability may account for the observed patterns of learner performance. Overall, the information-processing model of SLA proposed by Skehan (1998) proved to be a useful framework for the interpretation of the findings of this study.


identifier: Rooney, Kevin  (1998) Designing a task-based syllabus and materials for Tyndale Level 1.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The purpose of this project is to provide the Tyndale St. George's Community Centre with a program it could adopt for its Level 1 adult ESL course by adapting a structural/functional set of materials and syllabus to reflect a different approach. It is by exploring and putting into practice current thinking and research in syllabus design, second language acquisition, methodology, and adult education that the author has designed a new program to address the specific needs of Tyndale adults. The four chapters of the thesis present: (1) the rationale for the project with a description of Tyndale students and their language needs, (2) the rationale for designing the new Level 1 program according to the principles of task-based language teaching, (3) a description of the pilot project which consisted of designing task-based materials and then piloting them with a Level 1 class at Tyndale, (4) the author's conclusions based on the pilot project. The three appendices present: (1) the student materials that could be used in the new Level 1 program, (2) the Teacher's Guide, (3) materials used in the pilot project and referred to in Chapter 3 but not included in the final version of the new program.


identifier: Jennings, Melissa  (1998) Siblings' perceptions of their divorce experiences and the qualities of the sibling relationship.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study looks at the qualities of the sibling relationship in divorced families by examining the questionnaire and interview data of children and custodial parents. The data is studied both quantitatively and qualitatively in order to obtain a richer portrait of the sibling relationship. Conclusions are drawn cautiously due to the small sample size, and to other methodological considerations. However, it appears that children from divorced families report a wide range of experiences. Additionally, children in the same family tend to report different experiences, and it seems that developmental issues have an important impact on the sibling relationship. Further research in this area should be conducted before definite conclusions are made.      Indexing (document details) This study looks at the qualities of the sibling relationship in divorced families by examining the questionnaire and interview data of children and custodial parents. The data is studied both quantitatively and qualitatively in order to obtain a richer portrait of the sibling relationship. Conclusions are drawn cautiously due to the small sample size, and to other methodological considerations. However, it appears that children from divorced families report a wide range of experiences. Additionally, children in the same family tend to report different experiences, and it seems that developmental issues have an important impact on the sibling relationship. Further research in this area should be conducted before definite conclusions are made.


identifier: Reid, J. M  (1998) Gender equity in coeducational physical education : myth or reality.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Research indicates that physical education programs are not exemplars of equity, and girls' physical education experiences, fraught with unequal opportunities, attention and success, are potentially restrictive and oppressive. Specifically, this study provides an analysis of the socialization process and its effects on physical activity involvement. An historical overview then explains how gender influenced the development of physical education. A further account is given to show how dominant gender ideologies contribute to, and are perpetuated by the structures and practices of physical education teacher education within the current educational system.  Critical feminist pedagogy is then examined in light of applying a physical education curriculum which has the potential to challenge gender differentiation and produce a foundation for progress and change. Student narratives, from several Cegep physical education classes, are presented to illustrate students' personal reflections on their experiences with this new learning process.


identifier: Gotham, Lee  (1999) The festive wound : L'Anormâle and El Quemado : twin fictions.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The Festive Wound is a pair of thematically related short novellas. Their theoretical underpinning is concerned with the interstices, or liminal moments, where polarities dissolve in inversions and admixtures of pat understandings. The Festive Wound can be construed as the paradoxical product of its twin constituent parts, contradictory as they are complementary, alike as they are dissimilar.  The novellas discuss the psychic trauma we experience in our contemporary urban lives and the problem of healing the resulting wounds. Emotional dependency is figured as resulting from our confusing the physical, intellectual and psychical properties of our lives. These considerations are both exaggerated and undercut by a narrator whose experiences are as picaresque as his meditations would be profound. Alternating levels of diction, double-entendres, false endings, dreams and hallucination are all employed to heighten the subjective character of the narrator's experience


identifier: Cheryl., Dabreo-Ramharack  (1998) Uplifting The Black Race - only males need apply : Black male militancy in Malcom X, Panther, Boyz n' the hood, and Get on the bus.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis examines Malcolm X, Panther, Boyz N' The Hood and Get On The Bus, and reveals that a deliberate attempt is made on the part of these narratives to construct a specific black identity in relation to black activism. These films position black males in a space which allows them to directly affect issues regarding black identity, political activism, the black community, and the nation. Furthermore, Malcolm X, Panther, Boyz and Get On The Bus specifically address young black males, and favor a discourse that is from a particular male standpoint. As a result, the films articulate black manhood through militancy and its subsequent sexual appeal.  Since the focus of these films is intentionally on the male characters, the black woman's role in the liberation struggle is portrayed as being of little consequence. This is not to say that the narratives do not make an effort to confront and challenge narrow visions of black masculinity. In essence, black women are included, even if it is through their mere "visibility." However, each film promotes a discourse which reiterates that the black liberation struggle and uplift of the race as a whole is dependant on black men. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)


identifier: Krekhovetsky, Luba  (1998) Writing ethnicity on the Internet : communicative practices of the Ukrainian virtual community.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The thesis examines the process of ethnic identity formation through computer-mediated communication. In so doing, it inquires into the relationship between ethnicity and computer technology. It explores the ways in which ethnicity is expressed and articulated through the writing practice of computer-mediated communication, and investigates how a particular ethnicity is constituted, negotiated, and reified through the practices of computer-mediated communication. The research centres on a specific ethnocultural formation: the Ukrainian diaspora. It analyzes the discursive formation of the InfoUkes mailing lists, a series of Web-based discussion lists accessible through the InfoUkes Web site. The research method, a combination of discourse analysis and ethnography, entailed interpreting and explicating a number of the discussions on the InfoUkes lists. Analysis of these discussions demonstrates that the communicative practice of the InfoUkes mailing lists constitutes an inquiry into ethnic identity. This thesis posits that ethnicity is continually rearticulated and renegotiated through communicative practice. It concludes that the discursive formation of the InfoUkes lists fostered the emergence of an ethnically-based virtual community within which participants were able to negotiate and inscribe their ethnic identities both individually and collectively.


identifier: Downs, Joanne  (1998) The status of simulation theory in the interpretation debate.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: There is a debate going on in the contemporary philosophical literature concerned with our folk-psychological capacities, that is, how we explain, predict and interpret the behavior of others, and how we ascribe mental states such as beliefs and desires to each other. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the status of the two opponents of this debate, simulation theory and theory-theory, concerning the plausibility of their explanation of self knowledge, our capacity to attribute mental states to ourselves and to each other. A preliminary concern is to determine whether or not simulation theory should be considered a plausible rival to theory-theory, the presently dominant theory of our folk psychological capacities.


identifier: Kaposy, Chris  (1998) Speaking and the world : a phenomenology of voice.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The aim of this work is to describe how the human speaking voice can be simultaneously present and absent to those who hear and listen. A significant portion of the work is devoted to a study of Joseph Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness with a focus on the character Kurtz who is described as "little more than a voice". As well, I investigate Maurice Merleau-Ponty's idea of "authentic speech" and how that relates to a phenomenon I describe as "speech projecting a world". In the last section of the thesis I confront some realist presuppositions about how we understand the meaning of the term "the world" in order to show that realism is inadequate. The work concludes with a consideration of the ontological and metaphysical implications of saying that the human voice in speech is both present and absent.


identifier: Fulton, Stephanie E  (1998) The lateral hypothalamus and energy balance : facilitation and inhibition of perifornical self-stimulation by long- and short-term metabolic signals.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Electrical stimulation of certain brain areas produces a robust effect that directs the animal towards obtaining more stimulation. This phenomenon is believed to result from the activation of neural circuits that direct the animal towards naturally-occurring reinforcers such as food. The lateral hypothalamus (LH) is considered a particularly good site for obtaining vigorous self-stimulation in rats. There is evidence that chronic food restriction enhances the reward value of LH electrical stimulation when the electrode is positioned in the perifornical region. The objective of the present work was to characterize the forward circuitry activated by perifornical stimulation by examining the effects of long- and short-term energy balance manipulations within the same subjects. In this regards, Experiment 1 was carried out to replicate the findings that chronic food restriction facilitates perifornical self-stimulation. Experiment 2 was carried out to investigate the effect of a 48 hour period of food derivation on self-stimulation. To examine whether leptin signaling is involved in the process whereby food restriction enhances the rewarding effect of the perifornical stimulation the effect of an intraventricular infusion of leptin on self-stimulation was tested in Experiment 3.


identifier: Pratt, Lana Marie  (1998) The effects of a mixed dopamine D2/D3 agonist and antagonist on ethanol intake within a limited and a continuous access paradigm.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The effects of the mixed dopamine D2/D3 agonist, quinpirole and antagonist, raclopride on ethanol consumption were examined within both a limited and a continuous access paradigm. The goals of these studies were to determine if decreases in ethanol intake after administration of the dopaminergic agents were the result of the type of paradigm employed, reductions of DA-mediated reinforcement or rather to non-specific drug effects, such as locomotor suppression. Experiment 1 demonstrated that quinpirole (0.1 mg/kg) failed to alter ethanol intake in rats exposed to a 1hr-limited access period. Raclopride-treated (0.5 mg/kg) rats significantly decreased their ethanol intake but were ataxic for the entire 1-hr limited access period. These results suggested that manipulations of the D2/D3 receptors at the dose tested had non-specific effects on the consumption of ethanol. Experiment 2 assessed whether the effects obtained within a limited access paradigm were comparable to a 22-hr continuous access paradigm. Similar, to Experiment 1, quinpirole (0.1 mg/kg) failed to attenuate ethanol consumption within a continuous access paradigm. Contrary to Experiment 1, raclopride (0.5 mg/kg) significantly increased ethanol intake during the treatment and post-treatment periods.  Taken together, the findings of Experiment 1 and 2 demonstrated that the D2/D3 agents employed did not produce reductions in ethanol intake specific to ethanol reinforcement. Further, the raclopride induced increase in ethanol intake in Experiment 2 is contradictory to previous reports that systemic injections of DA antagonists produce reductions in ethanol intake. The results suggested that the D2/D3 receptors are not likely to be the primary mediators of ethanol intake.


identifier: Buchanan, Holly R  (1998) A living pharmacy : the practice of Kastom medicine in Honiara.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Honiara, is a young urban setting where individuals from different ethnic groups and islands are creating their own urban culture. The practices of traditional healers in Honiara occur in a context where little action has transpired to integrate kastom medicine into the national health system. While policies and strategies were created to foster the incorporation of traditional healers into the health system, their focus is associated with rural areas and static concepts of 'tradition'. Such a focus does not consider social and cultural change, urban practices, or the rural/urban circular movements of healers. At the same time, traditional healers are creating their own networks, developing their practices and negotiating their positions as kastom medicine is utilized informally alongside biomedicine. Their conceptions about the causation of diseases coexist with Christian and magical beliefs in a context of continuity and change. How kastom medicinal knowledge is created, transmitted, legitimized controlled, challenged, changed and acted upon is discussed against the background of the complexity of urban social life. Healer's knowledge of their natural pharmacopoeia is a great resource at the level of primary health care, as are the roles healers play as specialists in divining and healing kastom illnesses. The significance of this work is threefold: in this stage of development of the country it is important to understand the coexistence between medical traditions, and to understand their changing roles in an urban context and in the national health system; theoretically it will further our understanding of social change, and it will fill gaps in the lack of scholarship in the area of traditional medicine in the Solomon Islands and more specifically in urban Honiara.


identifier: Nerone, Marco  (1998) Skill, remuneration, and employment in production and service related work in Canada : a quality assessment.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In this study, job structure is assessed in terms of workers' occupational status and mobility. Job quality is accounted for in this process on the basis of workers' perceptions of their skill requirements and job security, and on the basis of their level of intrinsic interest. The findings indicate that respondents perceive their skill requirements and job security in ways that do not necessarily correspond with their occupational status or mobility. They also indicate no strong correlation between respondents' occupational status or mobility and their intrinsic interest.  Given these findings, the issue is that one cannot evaluate jobs on a variety of dimensions and assume that these measure desirability. These measures do not insure that the workers view them in the same terms. Job quality may be more a matter of what the individual takes as the most desirable from among a range of often limited alternatives