identifier: Baird, Shirley May  (1995) The stained glass war memorial windows of Charles William Kelsey.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Charles William Kelsey (1877-1975) trained in England and emigrated to Montreal in 1922. His stained glass designs can be found in England, Australia, the United States and in over sixty-eight churches in Canada. This thesis focuses on his war memorial windows commissioned between 1921 and 1956. Forty-two windows were studied: ten memorials for World War I, twenty-two memorials for World War II and ten memorials for both World Wars. Research is divided into three main areas: how Kelsey developed his reputation as a stained glass artist in Canada, the influences of the English stained glass revival of the late nineteenth century that are found in his designs and the choice of themes incorporated into his war memorial windows. Since his main patrons were the Anglican and United Churches, these windows also provide examples of the prevailing taste in religious memorials and demonstrate the variety of accepted and recognized symbols and subjects for war memorial windows.


identifier: Ivory, Sarah  (1995) The European art and Canadiana collections of Robert Wilson Reford (1867-1951).  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

type: Thesis NonPeerReviewed

abstract: Robert Wilson Reford, a Montrealer engaged in the shipping business, amassed a large collection of Old Master and European pictures which included a significant number of British paintings of the eighteenth century, and showed a preference for portraits. Highlights included portraits by Bronzino, Veronese, Gainsborough, Reynolds, and Hoppner, a large collection of Boningtons, and the Madonna of the Yarnwinder attributed to Leonardo da Vinci. Collected between 1909 and 1948, the paintings were purchased primarily from a few well-known dealers in London, New York and Paris who were to add considerably to the quality of Reford's collection. His taste, therefore, is representative of the international taste for Old Masters and eighteenth-century portraiture which dominated the art market from the late nineteenth century to the 1920s.  Reford also collected a large number of Indian medals and trade silver, watercolours, maps, prints, and other documents which constituted his collection of Canadiana. Collected from the mid-1880s to the 1930s, the collection reflects Reford's interest in material history concerning Canada's past. Several other collectors were equally interested in validating Canada's history and their concerns were related to the growth of Canadian nationalism during the later nineteenth and early twentieth century.


identifier: Farah, Mary Anne  (1995) The significance of the introduction of electronic interaction to the history of the art object and the viewer.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Since the late 1960s, a new artistic phenomenon--"electronic interactivity" as it is referred to by practitioners--has emerged which is worthy of art historical assessment. As part of such an endeavour, this text examines how electronic interactivity has altered the traditional relationship between art objects and art viewers.  The first chapter covers some of the twentieth century art movements that contributed to the emergence of different forms of viewer participation with artworks. The second chapter presents a compilation of the ideologies that have motivated many interactive artists to create work that is dependent on viewer participation. In addition, it provides a dialogue about how viewers have responded to interactive artworks and some associated problems. The third chapter expands upon the definition of "interactivity" by combining artists' and writers' definitions with the author's. This understanding of interactivity provides a spring board to present two main methods for electronic interaction in art in the final chapter--"pathway/explorer" and "cocreator". Both of these terms are used to separate different modalities of information exchange between artworks and art viewers.


identifier: Perout, Alena  (1995) Environmental refugees : defining environmental migrants, and long term solutions to deal with environmental migration.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Environmental degradation and population migration is becoming growing concern to the international community. An increasing number of environments around the globe are suffering from deterioration and an increasing number of individuals survive in an environment which can barely support life. As environmental degradation continue, many will have to migrate to a new location. Some will move within their own countries. Others will cross international borders. Those who have the means might leave at an early stage of environmental deterioration. Many, often women and children, will wait until the last possible moment to leave their homes and will feel a sense of desperation similar to that of the millions of refugees around the world today who flee political and social unrest. Those who migration due to the degradation of their environment are environmental refugees.  Environmental refugees will only be created if certain conditions exist in a region. This form of migration is also mostly the result of drastic changes in able to cope with relatively rapid changes in the environment. In addition, situations of environmental migration seem to be more common. The goals of this thesis are to provide a definition of environmental refugees and ta identify potential source regions of environmental refugees. These are clearly the first steps towards finding short term and long term solutions to prevent further suffering and to curtail future environmental refugee flows.


identifier: Pacheco, Barney  (1995) Foreign branding and its effects on product perceptions and attitudes : a reassessment.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Considerable effort has been expended by researchers in ascertaining whether country of origin affects product evaluations. The majority of studies indicate that COO does indeed affect the way consumers perceive and evaluate products. One of the recent contributions to research in this area is the study conducted by Leclerc, Schmitt and Dubé (1994) which focused on the effects of foreign branding--the strategy of spelling or pronouncing a brand name in a foreign language. The major conclusion of the Leclerc et al. (1994) study was that foreign branding can be an effective means of influencing consumers' perceptions and attitudes. The present research is the first attempt to replicate and extend those findings.  Experimental stimuli similar to that used in the Leclerc et al. (1994) study were administered to subjects to examine their reactions to products with English, French or Man brand names originating from four different geographic regions. Only partial support was found for the findings of Leclerc, Schmitt and Dubé (1994). The results revealed a significant gender effect with females liking French names more than males. Foreign branding also appeared to increase levels of perceived product hedonism among males but to have the reverse effect on females. The findings also seemed to suggest that foreign branding was more effective than COO information in influencing product evaluations.


identifier: Robillard, Francine  (1995) Constructing ourselves : women, eating and identity.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Eating disorders in general, and bulimia in particular, are phenomena which are becoming increasingly prevelant among women in North America. Although these behaviours have generally been categorized as mental disorders, this study takes a more sociological approach to 'eating disorders' and concentrates on the social elements intrinsic to such behaviour.  Relying on the conceptual frameworks offered by certain social constructionist sociologists of the body, this study explores the relationship between body, eating and identity. Emphasizing the element of choice which is intrinsic to the particitants' bulimic behaviour, this work explores how the women in this study socially construct themselves around their 'disorder'. Unlike the more popular tendency to say that we are socially constructed beings, independent of our will, this work reveals that, in fact, we also socially construct ourselves based on the options available to us, at any given time and place in history.


identifier: Giannopoulos, Constantina  (1995) Restrained eaters' food-related thoughts in a suppression paradigm.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Restraint refers to a chronic, deliberate concern about limiting food consumption. The present research examined restrained and unrestrained eaters' frequency of food-related thoughts and ability to suppress food-related thoughts. In Study 1, questionnaires were administered to a large sample to measure dietary restraint and the extent to which individuals thought about food. Restrained relative to unrestrained eaters reported thinking more about food. In Studies 2 and 3, restrained and unrestrained eaters were led to eat cookies under the guise of a study of taste preference. Subsequently, they were asked to suppress thoughts about the tasting while thinking aloud. Restrained relative to unrestrained eaters experienced more intrusions of cookie-related thoughts. Implications for dietary restraint are discussed.


identifier: Morelli, Urbain  (1995) Socialist communitarianism and its values for contemporary society.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate how a socialist communitarian ethic, rather than a Western capitalist market ethic, provides the necessary foundations for the existence of democracy, freedom and equality, in contemporary society. In order to show this, I will use as my primary texts Karl Polanyi's The Great Transformation and Michael Walzer's Spheres of Justice. Taken together, these two books provide a rich backdrop against which democracy can be defended. Although Polanyi and Walzer reflect two quite different approaches and attitudes to questions concerning social and political philosophy, I will argue that Polanyi's version of socialism and Walzer's theory of communitarianism are not irreconcilable. When amalgamated, these two theories can be made into a solid socialist communitarian ethic that provides the necessary foundations for democracy.


identifier: Chan, Angela  (1995) The solo pianist : a critical analysis of concepts of musical giftedness.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis, proceeding from an interdisciplinary perspective, offers a critical analysis of the premises governing concepts of musical giftedness and their relevance to the understanding of the nature and development of the solo virtuoso pianist. Drawing on research in psychology, education and piano pedagogy, it examines the specific characteristics of the virtuoso performing experience with special reference to the relationship between the pianist and her$\sp1$ instrument, performing environment, and audience. In particular, it discusses the cognitive and physical demands placed upon the artist in preparing for and performing "live" in concert.  In examining the premises underlying representative theoretical frameworks as well as more widely used evaluative measures of music ability, the study identifies several major limitations. In particular, this thesis argues that the most significant inherent weaknesses in existing tests of musical performance abilities are their undue reliance on isolable and easily quantifiable components, such as acuity of aural perception and sight-reading accuracy, as the primary measures and predictors of high level musical performance skills.


identifier: Grover, Samir  (1995) Solving layout compaction and wire-balancing problem using linear programming on the Monsoon multiprocessor.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The theme of this work is parallel computing for a CAD application. The layout compaction and wire-balancing problem in VLSI physical design can be formulated as a dual transshipment problem (DTP) which can be written as a linear programming problem and solved using the network dual simplex (NDS) algorithm.  The goal of our work is to implement this algorithm using an implicitly parallel functional language called Id on a small shared memory Monsoon dataflow multiprocessor and study the features of this declarative language to determine quantitatively the amount of parallelism exposed in each feature. In the process, we also examine the parallelism in each phase of the application. We observed that Id's functional features (Higher-order functions, tuples, list and array comprehension, etc.) played a major role to extract the parallelism from our codes. The atomic M-structure allows processes to interact freely, hence, contributing to the parallelism. The resultant parallelism amounted to an average of 20 to 25 operations per cycle.  In this thesis, we compare sequential pivoting with concurrent pivoting strategy in the NDS algorithm. From the experiments, we show that the loss of basicity after concurrent pivoting and then, retaining it makes the NDS slower due to the poor performance of the 0-token spanning-tree building method. Moreover, both pivoting strategies show almost the same amount of parallelism.


identifier: Savin, Daniela  (1995) A neural network model for resource leveling.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: A new neural network model aimed at solving the resource leveling (RL) problem in construction is developed. The model is derived by mapping a formulation of the RL problem as a quadratic augmented Lagrangian multiplier (QALM) optimization, onto an artificial neural network (ANN) architecture employing a Hopfield network. Specifically, it is shown that the augmented Lagrangian associated to the RL problem can be interpreted as the energy function of the Hopfield neural network (NN). The ANN architecture consists of two main blocks. The first is the Hopfield NN block, and the second is a control block for the adjustment of Lagrange multipliers in the QALM optimization. The latter is also used for the computation of the new set of weights of the Hopfield block.  A new methodology for the derivation of the weight-matrix of the Hopfield-based NN architecture for RL is also proposed. An in-depth study of the matrices generated from the formulation of the RL problem as a QALM optimization, has revealed some very useful structural properties. It is shown that due to these properties, it is possible to develop a flexible and computationally efficient procedure for the formulation and updating of the weight-matrix of the ANN configuration. This procedure allows for the on-line computation of the new set of weights of the Hopfield NN block with the adjustment of Lagrange parameters. The procedure also solves the key issue of mapping the QALM optimization formulation of the RL problem, onto an ANN architecture.  Finally, an experimental validation of the proposed model is presented along with its results.


identifier: Verlaan, Pierrette  (1995) Gender-related aggressive strategies, psychosocial adjustment, and parental influences in middle childhood.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The present study examined three dimensions of children's aggression: (1) gender differences in the use of physical, verbal, and indirect strategies of aggression; (2) the relations between type of aggressive strategy used and psychosocial adjustment; and (3) the links between children's externalizing behavior problems and family functioning. The sample consisted of 406 students (205 girls and 201 boys) in Grades 5 and 6, ranging in age from 10 to 13 years (mean age = 11.2). Children provided information on same-sex peers' aggressive strategy use and the frequency of their aggression, withdrawal and likeability. A subsample of 189 mothers (97 girls and 92 boys) and 158 fathers (81 girls and 77 boys) provided reports of their children's behavior and social problems, and completed measures which assessed antisocial behavior, marital problems and parenting difficulties.  The results provided evidence of gender-related forms of aggression. Specifically, physical aggression in boys and indirect aggression in girls. The findings also indicated that both physical and indirect forms of aggression were related to same-sex peer alienation. Physical aggression was linked with externalizing, internalizing and interpersonal problems, and indirect aggression was associated with social withdrawal. In addition, physically aggressive girls were more disliked than physically aggressive boys, and were viewed by fathers as experiencing more interpersonal problems than physically aggressive boys. Conversely, boys who engaged in indirect aggressive strategies were also less liked and were viewed as more socially withdrawn by same-sex peers than girls who also engaged in indirect aggression. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that gender role atypical behavior exacerbates the risk for psychosocial impairment.  The results of pathway analyses indicated that externalizing behavior problems in children were also strongly related to parental adjustment difficulties. Specifically, maternal antisocial behavior and marital hostility were linked to sons' and daughters' externalizing problems via dysfunctional child-rearing practices. Maternal antisocial behavior, however, was also directly relevant to children's difficulties. For fathers, the factors related to externalizing difficulties in sons were as those specified for mothers. However, fathers' rejecting/hostile parenting style did not appear to be relevant to daughters' externalizing difficulties. The present findings contribute toward a better understanding of gender role aspects of aggressivity and their links with children's psychosocial adjustment and parental competencies


identifier: Radvar-Zanganeh, Siasb  (1994) The role of the Elementary Perceiver and Memorizer (EPAM) in optical character recognition (OCR).  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Elementary Perceiver And Memorizer (EPAM) is one of the few existing general models of human perception. It has been successful in simulating and describing many human cognition phenomena. In this thesis, the role of EPAM is studied in terms of an OCR machine. The model is described in some detail. Its strengths and shortcomings have been pointed out. Some suggestions are provided for its shortcomings. Two of the suggestions are implemented and tested in this thesis. In EPAM, objects of any complexity level could be described. In this experiment the primitive objects of the EPAM model are defined as characters, and words of the English language are defined as the upper bound on the complexity of the objects. In this way the model is tested under: (1) One level of object complexity. (2) A large base of objects with a variable length feature set. As such, to test the modification's effect on the behaviour of the model, EPAM is used as a postprocess to a character segmentation and recognition subsystem. The experiment is tested with 30 fonts of different typefaces with sizes ranging between 7 points to 12 points. For the segmentation subsystem a line, word, and character segmenter is provided. A Feature extraction methodology and a recognition model are also provided for the character recognition subsystem. EPAM is trained with 23692 words and tested with the results of the character testing font set.


identifier: Fearnley, Jack  (1996) The fundamental critical points of modular elliptic curves.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In their paper, "Arithmetic of Weil Curves", Mazur and Swinnerton-Dyer prove that the number of fundamental critical points of the normalized weight two modular form associated with an elliptic curve is an upper bound on the analytic rank of the curve. Their calculation of this quantity for all elliptic curves of conductor less than 424 confirmed that, with only 16 exceptions, the bound is sharp.  It is the intention of this thesis to compute the number of fundamental critical points for all curves of conductor less than 4000.


identifier: Ayyadevara, Venkateswara Rao  (1995) Development of an automated robotic deburring workcell.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis deals with the development of an automated robotic deburring workcell for refurbished components with intricate geometry. Deburring of a refurbished workpiece involves establishing the location of the workpiece, establishing its geometry using surface digitizing and mathematical splining algorithms, extrapolating the reconstructed surface to get the edge profile, determining and executing the tool path.  The robot chosen for the workcell is YAMAHA Zeta-1 robot designed specifically for deburring. A displacement sensor with an accuracy of 0.004 mm is interfaced to the workcell. The limited computational ability of the robot controller and its closed architecture have necessitated the development of an external controller to coordinate the activities of the workcell. The robot controller neither provides for communication with external computing systems, nor does it allow interfacing external sensors.


identifier: Ramsaran, Arlene  (1996) Desilicated ZSM-5 zeolite as catalyst for the dehydration of ethanol.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The new desilicated forms of the zeolites X, Y and ZSM-5 were prepared by the selective removal of silicon atoms from the parent zeolites in an aqueous solution of base. This treatment, which decreases the Si/Al ratio while keeping the zeolite framework almost unmodified, enhanced the ion exchange capacities of all the zeolites, a property which can be exploited industrially for the X and Y zeolites since the desilicated forms had higher total ion removal rates of calcium and magnesium ions from hard water.  Similarly, desilication results in a higher density of acid sites as shown in the following. $\sp1$H MAS NMR studies were done on anhydrous samples of desilicated ZSM-5 and have detected a signal which was not observed for the parent sample and is believed to arise from the interaction of Bronsted acid sites hydrogen bonded to framework Aluminum atoms. This corresponds to the creation of a second generation of Bronsted Acid Sites (BAS II) distinguishable from the normal bridging hydroxyl BAS (BAS I) associated with tetrahedrally coordinated aluminum in the zeolite framework.  In catalytic testing studies, the desilicated ZSM-5 zeolite was found to display a higher total conversion in the dehydration of absolute ethanol into ethylene, however the selectivity for ethylene was higher for the parent zeolite at lower reaction temperatures. This was a direct consequence of the higher density of acid sites on the desilicated zeolite, which is comprised of BAS II in the presence of "unusual" Lewis acid sites of type II (LAS II). These Lewis acid sites were also detected by $\sp1$H MAS NMR during the rehydration phase and are believed to be produced by dehydroxylation of BAS II which were generated by the "desilication-healing" phenomena. LAS II are distinguishable from LAS I since the latter are easily rehydrated back to the corresponding BAS I. The nature and strength of these different acidic sites on the parent and those created on the desilicated ZSM-5 were also studied in more detail by the techniques of XPS, FTIR, NH$\sb3$ TPD, nitrogen and argon adsorption and desorption (BET), DTA/TGA and poison testing using pyridine and 2,6-dimethylpyridine.  Upon steam treatment of the desilicated zeolite, both the total conversion and selectivity for ethylene improved significantly in the dehydration of absolute ethanol. Steaming was capable of rehydrating the LAS II into BAS II, a reconversion which was previously too demanding to be achieved under the conditions of catalytic testing, hence the low selectivity for ethylene at lower reaction temperatures. Further evidence of this reconversion is provided by catalytic testing with aqueous ethanol for which the desilicated zeolite achieved higher total conversions and selectivities for ethylene than the parent at all reaction temperatures, and the selectivity for ethylene was always significantly higher than was achieved with absolute ethanol. This has important implications for the Bioethanol to Ethylene Process.  A cut off temperature was also confirmed for the dehydration of ethanol, at which the reaction mechanism changed from the two step conversion into diethyl ether and ethylene, into the one step, direct conversion to ethylene. These temperature ranges were determined to be 200-225$\sp\circ$C and 225-250$\sp\circ$C for absolute and aqueous ethanol respectively.


identifier: Abdel-Rahman, Mohamed  (1996) Geotechnical behavior of shell foundations.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The geotechnical behavior of shell foundations was investigated experimentally, numerically, and theoretically. Experimental investigation was carried out on nine prototype foundation models in loose, medium, and dense sands. Experimental set-up was organized and instrumented to perform the testing program. Loading tests were conducted on surface as well as embedded footings. Triangular, conical, and pyramidal shell models were tested against conventional strip, circular, and square flat counterparts, respectively. The influences of shell configuration on the ultimate bearing capacity, settlement, contact pressure distribution, and stresses within the soil mass, were investigated. Special loading tests using colored sand layers in a Plexiglas tank were performed to determine the failure mechanism of shell foundations. Numerical modelling, using the finite element code "CRISP," was conducted to simulate the experimental tests conditions of the plane strain models. Elastic perfectly plastic soil model, employing Mohr-Coulomb's yield criteria, was adopted to simulate the behavior of the tested sand. Deformed meshes, displacement vectors, stresses, strains, and displacements of the plane strain models are analyzed and presented. A theoretical model to predict the ultimate bearing capacity of shell foundations was developed. The theory provides kinematically and statically admissible solution. The effects of shell configuration on the shape of rupture surface and accordingly on the ultimate bearing capacity were incorporated. A computer program "BC-Shell" was developed to perform the mathematical calculations of the theoretical analysis. The program "BC-Shell" was then designed in an interactive mode for an easy application to predict the ultimate bearing capacity. Parametric study was conducted to examine the sensitivity of the governing parameters on the ultimate bearing capacity. Design charts and design tables are also presented to determine the bearing capacity coefficients and depth factors. In addition, the theory was extended to predict the ultimate bearing capacity of shell foundations in axisymmetrical and three dimensional conditions by introducing shape factors for shell foundations. The results of this study support that shell foundations should come into wider use in the geotechnical field as a serious alternative to shallow and deep foundations.


identifier: Balfour, Louise  (1996) Examining how avoidant coping and anger suppression relate to emotional eating in young women.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The present research furthers our understanding of the process through which young women eat in response to negative emotions. The importance of restrained eating (chronic dieting) as a precursor for emotional and binge eating is well documented. As a group, restrained eaters reliably eat more in response to negative emotions compared to nonrestrained eaters. Researchers have recently noted, however, that there are important sources of individual variability in restrained eating. The present investigation sought to clarify these potential sources of variability in restrained eating by examining how two passive coping styles, avoidant coping and anger suppression, relate to how young women eat in response to negative affect. The influence of these two styles of coping on emotional eating was examined in two studies. The first study used an experimental paradigm and the second used a questionnaire format.  In Study 1, the effects of film induced affect on eating behaviour were examined in 73 young women classified as high and low on both avoidant coping and dietary restraint. Participants were randomly assigned to watch either a horror film or documentary film in a laboratory setting. Comparisons between anxiety scores before and after watching the films indicated that the horror film increased anxiety and the documentary film decreased anxiety. As predicted, the only group of participants who ate more in the horror compared to the neutral film was the high restraint, high avoidant copers. These results suggest that negative affect may prompt overeating in a subgroup of restrainers who use more passive and indirect modes of coping with stress.  Study 2 explored how anger suppression predicts emotional eating behaviour after considering the influence of body weight, dietary restraint, and self-esteem; factors known to have important influences on emotional eating behaviour in women. Questionnaires assessing heights and weights, self-esteem, dietary restraint, and desire to eat in response to emotions were completed by 190 young women. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicate that on the final step of the regression, suppressed anger contributes unique variance to the prediction of emotional eating behaviour.  Findings from these two studies highlight how the overreliance on passive coping strategies, such as avoidance and anger suppression, can contribute to the process of emotional eating in young women. This is important given the association between emotional eating and more disturbed eating behaviours, such as binge eating. The current research also sheds light on the variability in restrainers vulnerability to eating in response to negative emotions. Young women who avoid using strategies aimed at directly managing their anxiety and who seek to suppress their feelings of anger are more susceptible to eating when upset than women who do not use such passive styles of coping


identifier: Doyon, Carol  (1995) De l'exemple à l'archive : la constitution des discours sur l'art du passé, en France, entre 1850 et 1900.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Cette etude comprend deux volets. Le premier volet explore le champ discursif de l'histoire de l'art dans la seconde moitie du dix-neuvieme siecle en France a partir de trois modeles sociologiques principaux: le modele du "cluster" de T. N. Clark, celui de la "formation culturelle" de R. Williams et celui du "champ disciplinaire" de P. Bourdieu. Le but de l'exercice consiste a trouver les formations hegemoniques qui articulent le champ historiographique de l'art. Nous avons trouve six sous-champs qui se repartissent selon quatre types de preoccupations differentes: la chronologie qui instituent les archeologies antiques et medievales; les techniques de fabrication et les modes de construction: architecture et "arts appliques"; l'esthetique et l'importance du style: les "arts du dessin" et enfin, une approche symbolique: l'archeologie et l'art chretiens. Chacun d'eux developpe ses formations culturelles et ses--"clusters"--qui permettent la proliferation d'une multitude de textes constituant le discours usuel, donc "moyen" de la discipline.  Le second volet limite son investigation aux pratiques discursives dominantes du champ des "arts du dessin"--surtout la "vie d'artiste" et la "description d'oeuvre" en s'inspirant, pour la biographie, des travaux de D. Madelenat et de Kurz et Kris. Pour les descriptions d'"oeuvres d'art", l'analyse a ete effectuee a partir d'un certain nombre de modeles: les diverses "lexies" de R. Barthes, "la lecture comme construction" de T. Todorov, mais surtout en relevant l'importance de la theorie esthetique classique de l'ut pictura poesis et des techniques de l'ancienne rhetorique. Parmi les cas a l'etude, il faut mentionner celui de Charles Blanc dont deux oeuvres, Histoire des peintres de toutes les ecoles et Grammaire des arts du dessin, servent d'exemples pour notre propos.  Ce second volet nous permet de voir comment au XIXe siecle, la modernite en histoire de l'art N'est pas seulement a lire dans la transformation du champ artistique des avant-gardes, mais aussi dans la structuration d'un champ historiographique ou les pratiques epidictiques academiques cedent lentement, mais progressivement la place a des pratiques discursives plus strictement historiennes.


identifier: Danis, Caroline  (1996) An assessment of money laundering legislation in Canada and the United States.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: While the seizure and forfeiture of the proceeds of crime is a deterrent for some criminals, in reality, this option is not enough to fight money laundering effectively. This essay will examine the different programs, strategies, laws and regulations concerning money laundering and drug trafficking enacted in Canada and the United States.  In addition to defining money laundering, an overview of the structure, that is the methods available to criminals to launder money will be offered. Furthermore, the effects of money laundering on the economy will be touched upon briefly, to have a better understanding of why acting immediately is necessary if our living standards are to the remain the same. Moreover, two case studies will be analyzed to have a better understanding of how the legislation from both Canada and the United States is applied.  It will be proven that although Canada and the United States are strongly committed to fighting money laundering, improvements are desperately needed. Solutions such as new legislation, additional resources for law enforcement agencies, education of key individuals, the creation of an international organization or multinational bank regulating the flow of money and its origins and, an increase in cooperation between financial institutions, law enforcement agencies, their respective governments and foreign states will be introduced.


identifier: Daniel, John S  (1995) The mega-universities and the knowledge media : implications of new technologies for large distance teaching universities.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: We describe the development of distance education with reference to its history, the technologies it has used and the pedagogical situations it creates. It is useful to distinguish between the remote-classroom and correspondence traditions of distance education and between synchronous and asynchronous methods. This provides a basis for reviewing the status of the mega-universities, the ten distance teaching universities that enroll over 100,000 students, and the strategic challenges these institutions face.  Although the mega-universities operate at much lower unit costs than conventional universities they face competitive challenges as more institutions adopt distance teaching methods. We analyse the competitive situation of the mega-universities, using a framework developed by Michael Porter, in order to determine where these institutions should focus their efforts to achieve cost leadership and/or desirable differentiation.  We then examine how new technologies might help the mega-universities to enhance their competitive advantage in priority areas, notably by improving the cost-effectiveness or of teaching and learning. The knowledge media that have grown out of the convergence of computing, telecommunications and the cognitive sciences receive special attention.  The study concludes that networking students from their home computers should reinforce the competitive advantage of the mega-universities. Distance education was already evolved through two generations, correspondence courses and multi-media packages. The knowledge media represent a third generation of supported open learning that enriches distance education by giving students rapid communication with the people and learning resources of the academic community.


identifier: Frias, Gisela  (1996) The growth of a myth : a case study of Chile's accession to the North American Free Trade Agreement.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study is an investigating analysis of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in the context of capitalism and its internationalization, globalisation. The emphasis is placed on the relationship between neoliberalism and NAFTA through a comparative study of neoliberal policies implemented in Chile since 1973 and NAFTA provisions. Some of the issues to be addressed are: the shared ideology behind neoliberalism and NAFTA, the interest behind the agreement, the use of the agreement to consolidate neoliberal reforms, the social costs of implementing NAFTA and the social discontent it has generated.


identifier: Dalton-Rheaume, Frances  (1996) Aimee Semple McPherson : "the forgotten evangelist".  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Aimee Semple McPherson has been described as the most successful evangelist of the 1920's and 1930's. In spite of this, serious scholarship about her is notably absent from historical records. What little that has been written about McPherson has, for the most part, been derogatory, and feminist writers have all but ignored her. Why has McPherson, who has been described as "perhaps the most charismatic and controversial woman in modern religious history"$\sp1$ been largely ignored by religionists? How significant a role did gender play not only in her success but in the vituperous attacks on her character which arose as a result of this success? Was there a conflict between the socio-religious culture and the personality of McPherson?  The thesis will examine the historical background of sectarian Christianity which formed the back-drop of McPherson's life and ministry, from a feminist perspective. It will detail McPherson's life and her rise to prominence. Her Foursquare Gospel church and its theology, together with its practices and rituals will also be examined. Attention is drawn to the divine healing aspect of this church, an aspect which was responsible for so much of its success. The thesis will try to identify who McPherson's followers were, and what part the location of the Angelus Temple, situated in Los Angeles, played, if any, in contributing to her fame.  Finally, the thesis will address the subject of the character of McPherson, her motivation and social agenda and ultimately, it is hoped, shed some light on why Aimee Semple McPherson became "the forgotten evangelist."


identifier: Krajewski, Walter  (1996) Voice from the dust : a literary analysis of the Book of Mormon.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The Book of Mormon is a religious text which, like the Bible, may be subjected to various methods of analysis. This thesis discusses whether literary methods of analysis are applicable to a sacred text, and suggests rules which should govern such a method of analysis.  Following these rules, the thesis provides an analysis of specific themes particular to the Book of Mormon and suggests how they are integral to the structure of the text. Then it relates the linguistic problems which the authors encountered in their transcription and translation labours, and considers the writers' self-conscious compositional efforts in relation to the moral message which the book proclaims. Two anomalies--large sections from the Book of Isaiah and progressively intrusive editorializing--are then examined in terms of their incorporation into the thematic and structural integrity of the text. Finally, consideration is given to the hermeneutical problem the contemporary reader encounters in reading and comprehending an ancient text.  The thesis demonstrates that there is a closely integrated relationship between the form and the content of the text, and argues that the authors' achievement of their purpose--to preach a message to a distant, future audience--can be considered a sophisticated linguistic and literary accomplishment.


identifier: Veroff, Vicki B  (1995) An integration of friendship and social support : relationships with adjustment in college students.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: A conceptual integration of friendship and social support, explored via factor analysis, was examined in relation to adjustment in 242 undergraduate university men and women. Despite considerable overlap between theoretical components of adult friendship and social support, empirically these two areas have remained quite distinct. The present study sought to consolidate the two important research areas, looking at sex differences and the ways in which interpersonal resources can facilitate adjustment. Subjects were recruited from two local universities for this questionnaire-based study. Participants provided information about their best same-sex friend, their social network as a whole, a romantic relationship (if applicable) and various aspects of adjustment, including depression, self-esteem, quality of life and physical symptoms. Best friend and social network items, respectively, were grouped into subscales representing previously postulated dimensions of friendship and social support. These subscales were entered into exploratory factor analyses, separately for best friend and for network, to determine whether as predicted, friendship and support would combine conceptually. The factors which emerged were entered into hierarchical multiple regressions in order to investigate the connections between these relationship factors, daily hassles and adjustment. The results suggest that relationship factors, particularly those offered by a large, high-quality social network, offer protective benefits for college students. Further, having a trusted, satisfying best friendship and a high-quality romantic relationship appears to enhance certain aspects of adjustment for students as well. Daily hassles were found to detract significantly from the well-being of young men and women. From a theoretical perspective, support was gained for viewing friendship and support not as distinct constructs, but rather, as joint contributors to the phenomena of interpersonal relationships. Practical implications include the need to examine ways of helping college students with small, less than adequate social networks build larger, more beneficial sets of resources.


identifier: Stonebanks, Christopher D  (1996) An interactionist view of elementary school physical education and socialisation : the past and present process of learning one's place in society.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Physical education programs have been charged with the responsibility of developing our children's bodies through sports and exercise. In addition, we expect adult-supervised, structured play to expose our children to fundamental concepts of modern life: competition, co-operation, rules, values, structure and hierarchy. If this is so, then physical education is an important socializing mechanism; yet somehow society does not expect this to be its explicit goal. This paper investigates the value of physical education in the socialization of children, how it has served and failed societies in the past, and how it may serve and fail them in the future. An historical survey of various societies' athletic programs details their socializing effects in the past. Discussions on the social consequences of our current programs are evidenced by field observation; we study the dynamics of athletic peer groups, observe the initiation of novices and examine the effect of professional sports heroes. An examination of the theoretical principles behind the observations allows the reader to appreciate the impact on the developing child of the social dynamics of formalized play. We come to understand that much of the skill and knowledge acquired during such activity are vitally social; from the social perspective, we cannot discount the implications of improperly directed formal play. Furthermore, we cannot ignore the tremendous positive socializing potential of our children's physical education.


identifier: Spraakman, Gary  (1996) The use of internal audit findings in governmental organizations : an experimental study.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Transaction cost economics (TCE) provides a theory for examining the phenomenon of internal audit. TCE is concerned with economizing or choosing the lowest cost option from buy and make alternatives. With the buy or market alternative, costs are kept low by competition. However, with the make or in-house alternative, costs are controllable because of the ability to direct and monitor production. In this regard, Williamson (1975, 1985) has argued that internal auditors provide managers with useful information for cost economizing.  When in-house production is chosen over market, TCE maintains that there are rational reasons for the choice. These reasons are described by Williamson (1985) as dimensions, namely: asset specificity, uncertainty, and frequency (i.e., size). With the existence of these dimensions, information is needed to direct production activities. Accordingly, the usefulness of internal audit operational information for economizing the (dependent variable) is hypothesized to be positively related to the existence of these dimensions. In addition, based on Penno (1990), the usefulness of internal audit findings for economizing is hypothesized to be positively related to the hierarchical level to which the director of internal audit reports.  These hypotheses were tested with an experiment administered to 244 senior executives in 29 departments of two large governmental organizations. The response rate was an acceptable 40.6 percent. A split-plot general linear model was used for the statistical analyses. This entailed a full factorial, repeated measures model for the within-subjects variables, asset specificity, uncertainty, and size The hierarchical level to which the director of internal audit reports was analyzed as a between-subjects variable.  The hypotheses for the positive relation of asset specificity and size to usefulness were supported at the 0.01 level, while there was some support for the positive relation for the hierarchical level to which the director of internal audit reports. There was no support for a positive relation for uncertainty.


identifier: Guarnieri, Maria  (1996) A preliminary study of genetic variation within and among populations of Diaptomus leptopus (Copepoda: Calanoida) : a DNA sequence analysis of the Mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase I gene.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Previous studies examining the population structure of aquatic organisms have been based generally on behavioral traits, morphological traits and allozyme studies. DNA sequence analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene may also be of use to study population structure. Thus, a study investigating the genetic variation within and among seven populations, distributed from Quebec to New York, of the freshwater copepod Diaptomus leptopus was conducted.  Variation among populations was shown in both the nucleotide sequence and the observed haplotype frequencies. These results indicate that the populations may differ. The phylogenetic tree obtained reveals that most of the individuals studied are most similar genetically within their population and that there are varying degrees of differentiation among populations. Most of the nucleotide substitutions are synonymous and a majority of the base changes occur at the third codon position. The amino acids that do change in the calanoid copepod occur at sites which are variable for other organisms sequenced. Hence, these sites are not thought to be important for the maintenance of the protein structure and function. Therefore, these results suggest that the gene product is not altered and the differences seen, in the mtCOI gene, among the populations, studied here, may be selectively neutral. The results obtained need to be supported by more individuals and genes studied, examination of historical aspects of population distribution and further analyses.


identifier: Naseh, Sasan  (1995) Experimental investigation of anisotropic etching of silicon in tetra-methyl ammonium hydroxide.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Anisotropic etching of silicon is of such fundamental importance in silicon micromachining that it has been studied and continues to be studied by many researchers. Yet, even with all the attention that it has received, there remain many difficulties, such as toxicity of the most commonly-used etchants. This work is an extensive experimental investigation of anisotropic etching of silicon in the relatively non-toxic tetra-methyl-ammonium hydroxide (TMAH). Using a temperature-controlled etch apparatus, basic etch rate experiments on both Sid and Sin confirm and extend previous literature results. Extensive underetch experiments shows that the TMAH is qualitatively similar to other more common etchants such as KOH and EDP, but has several quantitative differences. The underetched planes are found to be a sensitive function of etchant composition. Under certain etchant conditions, {110) planes are found to be planes that etch slower than expected. The evolution of hillocks on {100) etched surface is characterized, as a function of etchant parameters. Hillocks are found to occur only at TMAH concentrations less than 20 wt.%. Re-etch experiments show that hillock-producing conditions at the etched surface are disturbed if the etch is interrupted. The effect of externally applied stress on the etch rate is investigated and found to be not significant. However very subtle stress-induced features are observed. The use of TMAH in CMOS-compatible micromachining is explored in certain device geometries.


identifier: Zaidi, Asif Nadeem  (1995) A neural network approach for generating derivative information from quantized position measurements.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In the control of robot and other mechanized systems, there exists a need for the generation of first and higher order derivative information. Not much effort has been made to address this issue. Instead much of the work, especially in robot control, has relied on a priori knowledge of the system dynamics to determine the derivative information.  The goal of this thesis is to propose a generalized methodology to determine first and higher order derivative information without any a priori knowledge of a system's dynamics. For illustration purposes the system that we will concentrate on is a flexible joint robot manipulator. In achieving our objective, we impose three restrictions on the resulting methodology. First, the acquisition of the derivative information required for the control of a robot manipulator must be done without assuming knowledge of the robot's joint position or its dynamics. Second, we must not use any additional hardware than is absolutely necessary. Thus, for our flexible manipulator system, we must only use a sensor to measure the position variable. The derivative information (velocity, acceleration and jerk) must be determined by the proposed methodology. Third, the derivative information must be determined in real time.  We accomplish the objectives using Tap Delay Neural Networks (TDNN). We incorporate the proposed methodology into the control system of a flexible joint manipulator. Numerous simulation results show the success of our proposed scheme within robot control loops. Additionally, we compare the performance of a number of alternatives within this scheme with that using conventional linear filtering techniques. Again, we see the superiority of the proposed TDNN scheme over the linear filtering approach


identifier: Cooley, Georgina Miriam  (1996) Who is this self I'm supposed to be expressing? : narrative inquiry into the art and learning of twelve women visual arts students.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The life narratives of twelve women visual arts students at Concordia University, Montreal form the core of this study. Consistent with the concept of feminist narrative inquiry, discussion of the author's academic, artistic and teaching experiences establishes the background for the study. Interviews focused on students' life stories and their self-selected art works. Diverse personal histories and evolving perspectives on art making, self concept and learning were revealed. Regardless of age and life experience, these women regard their art learning as catalytic in their growth toward subjectivity, and personal, social and cultural agency. Links are drawn between expectations, life experiences, family relationships (particularly with fathers), art production, and their commentary on creative engagement.  Students expected to acquire artistic skills, aesthetic knowledge, and to become competent art makers. The study presents examples of how those expectations were met of frustrated. The women tell how they acquired skills and knowledge and came to see themselves as artist with ideas to express. The interrelationship of personal experience, self reflection, the influence of teachers, and exposure to new ideas, is shown to be significant in developing artistic content.  The students' stories, viewed in relation to established proposals of learning dynamics, create new narratives of visual arts learning. Work by Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger & Tarule in Womens' Ways of Knowing, provides insights into standpoints that these students assumed in certain situations. Examples are given of how these personal points of view were manifested in the students' art work, attitudes, and interactions with instructors.  Prof. Stan Homer's proposal of aesthetic response and creative processes offers a concept of learning grounded in Winnicottian theory, wherein illusionistic fusion with the work in progress is encouraged. The teacher's role is then to establish critical distance and assist the student through the inevitable disillusionment.  The study focuses on positive learning experiences and defines the concepts of the "good enough teacher" who models the skills and knowledge of art making, who makes knowledge available to students, and who fosters the student's illusion of artistic achievement until she can appreciate the disillusionment of critical discussion.


identifier: Almonte, Richard  (1996) A scholarly edition of Mary A. Shadd's A plea for emigration, or, Notes of Canada West.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The goal of this thesis has been to provide a reliable edition of Mary A. Shadd's long-forgotten 1852 book A Plea for Emigration; Or, Notes of Canada West. Shadd was an abolitionist, teacher, editor, army recruitment officer, lawyer, advocate for women's rights as well as an immigrant to Canada from the United States who lived here between 1851 and 1864. This thesis follows conventions of editing embodied in editions published by the Centre for Editing Early Canadian Texts based at Carleton University. These conventions include an Editor's Introduction which provides biographical and literary context, as well as a complete editorial apparatus including explanatory notes, bibliographical description of copy-text and emendations. The editing of Shadd's book, it is hoped, will allow scholars and teachers to reassess the scope of writing by Blacks in the Canadian tradition, as well as establish Shadd as more than just a figure in history, but also as a writer whose works deserve to be read today.


identifier: Allen-Hermanson, Sean  (1996) Attributions of inferential error, epistemic virtues, and models of minimal rationality.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: I defend an account of agency which holds that a more desirable, empirically accurate, model of rationality must reject certain well-entrenched assumptions about the connection between logic and good reasoning. I argue following Cherniak, that models of rationality must use desire fulfillment, and not just logic or probability theory as the ultimate normative standard of rational choice . Cherniak's theory is expanded upon, defended from both real and imagined critics , and distinguished from the positions of Stich, the Positivists and Relativists.


identifier: Caldareri, Vincenza  (1996) Artist, art-educator and reflective inquiry : a phenomenological research that investigates creative and pedagogical experiences.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis is based on the assumption that there are significant relationships between my art making process and my art teaching practice. While I am able to implicitly incorporate my feelings and intuition as subjective experiences within my holistic sense of my "self", I am using the systematic and disciplined process of reflective inquiry to make the relationships explicit--that is, to document them, describe them, and make them consciously available for communication and analysis by me and by readers of the thesis. Through self-reflection, I explore how my inner, private meanings are manifested in my outer, public practices as an artist and as a teacher, and see how they can be a resource for other art educators.  In presenting my research I adopted David Kolb's model of experiential learning as a frame that I applied to my experiences as an artist and as a teacher.  Through description of my art-making practices and reflective introspection, I integrated practical and theoretical orientations within myself as an artist. In the art classroom, I adopted participant observation and action research strategies for my research. The data from the studio was in the form of a journal/diary, along with the actual art products. I have included photographs to show to the reader some of the images I produced. My data from the classroom was in the form of audio tapes, a video tape, log/reflection/diary, and photographs of student's art-work. I then used methods of qualitative research to analyse the data and to discern the relationships that emerged from both collections of data.  For me teaching is a life-long process of learning, just as in the creative process there must be a constant evolution. In order for the art-educator to evolve, he/she has to practice creative activity. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)


identifier: Lazar, Daphne  (1996) Chabad Lubavitch : the centrality of the Rebbe in the movement during his lifetime and after his death.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The Chabad Lubavitch movement provides modern-day sociologists and anthropologists with the opportunity to study a large, world renown messianic movement that identified its Messiah, namely their Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson only to watch him die shortly after. Two years after the Rebbe's death, the Chassidim (adherents) of this movement continue to grapple with their loss. Without a successor to guide Schneerson's followers and no new focus of attention, many of the Chassidim continue to proclaim the Rebbe as the Messiah. The remainder of the Chassidim continue to function as Lubavitchers but without special emphasis on public Messianic declarations. The discrepancies in the Messianic belief between the groups have created a split in the Lubavitch movement. What holds these two groups together is the fact that no single Lubavitcher denies the importance of the Rebbe to the Chabad Lubavitch movement despite his passing.  This paper will first provide a brief history of the development of Chasidism and Chabad Lubavitch leading up to the transition of the movement in the 1950's. The next section will provide a thorough examination of the major changes that Lubavitch underwent over the four decades that Schneerson led the movement. The final part of this paper will describe the numerous coping skills that the Lubavitchers have developed since the death of the Rebbe for the present and how they plan to confront the future.


identifier: Mellamphy, Janelle  (1996) Youlogy : self/portraiture, Canada, and Taras Polataiko's YOU series.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: What does YOU mean? Who does YOU define? If your initial answer is that YOU defines the other , why is it then that every I responds to the other's YOU? When you say YOU, I think I. When I say YOU, you think I. Or is it we? YOU is both singular and plural, one and anyone, clear and complex. YOU can be anyone and everyone. But can YOU mean you, if YOU means me and them as well? YOU puts into question the very idea of identity. This equivocality of where one YOU begins and the other ends, the questioning of the subject position and of the object of that subject's gaze, is what is explored in Taras Polataiko's YOU series.  In this thesis, I seek to face the question of identity in terms of self/portraiture. Centring my discussion around YOU , a series of self-portraits by Ukrainian-born Canadian artist Taras Polataiko, I will face the question of identity first with regard to portraiture, by defining the aspects of the self a portrait aims to encapsulate; second as applied in YOU , when the series is read through a Lacanian lens; and third, as taken to its il -logical conclusion: the YOULOGY of a notion


identifier: Sahni, Isher-Paul  (1996) The will to act : an analysis of Max Weber's sociology in the light of Goethe's fiction.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Max Weber's Protestant Ethic and vocation essays are interpreted in the light of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Elective Affinities, Wilhelm Meister , and Faust . Drawing on themes which frame the latter's novels, the importance of experience, renunciation, and a specialized vocation which underlie the 'will to act' will be developed. Following this, it will be shown these themes reemerge in Weber's sociology and his conceptualization self-conscious determination. This view argues that Goethe's notion of social action, which required devotion to a vocation which contributed to the growth and vitality of community, was the source of empowerment which framed Weber's sociology and understanding of meaningful social action.


identifier: Anthony, Elizabeth  (1996) Artistries of interior time : the subjective experience of time and art therapy, focussing on schizophrenia.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Time, and in particular the subjective sense of time, is an invisible medium crucial to art therapy processes that has not received a focused inquiry in the literature. After a review in the introduction of those considerations which have been given to time in art therapy literature, the initial chapters of this thesis explore theoretical and developmental perspectives on the subjective experience of time as formulated in the schools of psychoanalysis, analytical psychology and existential psychotherapy. While each school ultimately deals with a client's experience of time as a whole, each is shown to preference one temporal perspective: psychoanalysis the past, analytical psychology the "other time" of archetypal reality, and existential psychotherapy the future cusp of the present. These findings are then integrated into an exploration of interior time in creative process, particularly with regard to the process and products of art therapy, in order to arrive at an understanding of how qualities and dynamics inherent in therapeutically supported art processes and their visual products make art therapy uniquely suited to establish healing connectivities within our clients' experience of time. J. T. Fraser's formulation of temporal umwelts, which he has identified the artist as particularly adept in traversing, is used as a unifying model for this study. Finally, a brief examination of several psychiatric diagnoses from the perspective of each as involving a disorganisation of temporal experience culminates in the presentation of the case of a client with schizophrenia. In form and content, his art process and products are shown to eloquently embody the meanings of his experience of the psychoneurodynamic, temporal disordering inherent in schizophrenic process.


identifier: Kiamanesh, Hassan  (1996) An investigation to predict the sub-atmospheric pressure on high spillways.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In the past few decades, spillways have attraction significant as flow measuring devices as well as for release of flood discharges for dams.  Severe cavitation damage has occurred on many high spillways around the world, including Russia, Pakistan, Venezuela, and Iran. In Iran, this phenomena caused serious damage to the Karun I dam spillway. Many studies and investigations related to cavitation effects were performed on different scale models and prototypes.  Presently, standard shape spillways are designed based on previous experiences. Every case is subjected to a physical model study. It seemed necessary to systematize the evaluation of the flow field and the pressure distribution on the crests of spillways. The investigation of the subatmospheric pressure which is the main cause of cavitation was primary objective of the thesis. Consequently, a functional numerical model for design purposes was developed. Since viscous effects can be negligible, a two-dimensional irrotational flow was assumed. Comparable results between numerical and experimental spillway models validated this assumption.  The developed numerical model was based on Navier-Stokes equations and the Bernoulli equation for Boundary-Fitted Curvilinear Coordinates (BFCC). The discretizations and computations were executed on a fixed, square grid regardless of the shape of the physical boundary. Equations were discretized using the finite difference method. The results show that the BFCC system is capable of treating Navier-Stokes equations for a wide range of Reynolds numbers with free surface boundary.  In order to validate the numerical results of the problem, they were compared with WES 1 experimental data from the U.S. Army (1952). Also a small lab model was built to determine the free surface and pressure over an existing spillway. The investigation demonstrated agreement between the numerical, lab-scale and other researchers results.  WES spillways are shaped knowing the design head. New shapes and pressures can easily be predicted by executing the BFCC program and introducing a optimal head for reiterated designs.  The developed model can predict the formation of subatmospheric pressure at the early stage of spillway design. This model can also be applicable to flow in partially filled tunnels and in the design of supercritical slopes.  While the BFCC model is a significant step forward in the development of numerical methods for predicting flow behavior on spillways, the flow patterns can often defy present analytical techniques.  The thesis also contains several recommendations about spillway design in order to avoid damage due to the cavitation.  1 The Waterway Engineering Station


identifier: Hodges, Margaret  (1996) Sigrun Bulow-Hube : Scandinavian modernism in Canada.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Sigrun Bulow-Hube (1913-1994) was an architect and industrial designer who came to Canada from Sweden in 1950. In 1953, she formed the AKA Furniture Company which specialized in the design and construction of Scandinavian Modern furniture. This thesis focuses on Bulow-Hube's furniture design of the 1950's and 1960's, and, on her reception during those years in the Canadian cultural and popular presses. Bulow-Hube arrived at an ideal time to capitalize on the developing Canadian market for Scandinavian design. Canada was influenced by furniture styles from the United States, and, by the late 1940's, Scandinavian Modernism was among the most popular styles in America. Although Bulow-Hube was acknowledged in the media as one of the best designers working in Canada at the time, research reveals that Bulow-Hube was usually characterized as a 'decorator' or 'taste maker' as opposed to an 'artist.' Designing within patriarchy, Bulow-Hube represented two ideas: first, she qualified as an 'authentic' Swedish designer, a rarity within a society which craved an international identity but could claim few career designers. Second, she represented the woman's point of view at a time when women were expected to take the primary role in the management of the domestic sphere.


identifier: Raposo, Cremilde  (1996) Strategies of survival among illegal migrants in Montreal.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis using a case study approach examines the migration and employment strategies of illegal migrants in the labour market in Montreal. The migratory flows discussed are permanent in nature. The thesis also examines the role of networks in initiating the migration process and in securing employment in Montreal. It includes an examination of the conditions of employment and the sectors of employment. It argues that illegal migrants work in the secondary labour market, that is on the fringes of the formal economy or in the informal economy. Income disparities between North and South countries ensure that migrants continue to live and work illegally in Montreal. This raises a discussion of the strategies used by migrants to change their status to a legal status. The thesis discusses the experiences of both women and men. It posits the view that women are migrant workers in their own right and not only as dependents of male migrants. This is attributed to the increase in service sector jobs and the increased demand for paid domestic labor in the Canadian economy. It is concluded that immigration policies allow and maintain illegal migration and that there is a demand for this kind of labour in the Montreal economy. Furthermore, illegal migrants fulfill a particular labour market need.


identifier: Roycroft, Michelle  (1996) Needling the system : the textile art of Colette Whiten, Barbara Todd, and Ann Newdigate.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis examines contemporary Canadian textile art by three women: Ann Newdigate, Barbara Todd and Colette Whiten who, through their respective mediums of tapestry, quilting, and embroidery, challenge existing systems of meaning through a strategic critique of dominant cultural ideologies. Simultaneous to this discussion it seeks to examine how traditional and institutional structures have contributed to the devaluation of textiles, while at the same time considering the possibility textiles provide for an intervention into those systems.


identifier: Shulman, Deborah  (1996) From the pages of three ladies : Canadian women missionaries in Republican China.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis focuses on three courageous Canadian women who served as United Church of Canada missionaries in China in the first half of the 20th century. Drawing principally on their diaries and letters, the thesis examines the China experiences and impressions of Margaret Helen Brown (1887-1978) who spent 39 years in China as an educator and editor, primarily in Henan and Shanghai; Mary Letitia Lamb (1879-1960) who spent 20 years in China as an educator and evangelist, primarily in Sichuan; and Victoria Cheung (1897-1966) who spent 43 years as a medical missionary in Guangdong. Each of the women was involved in a different sector of mission work, and together the three represent the types of missionary work undertaken by Canadian Protestant women missionaries in China.  The three main chapters each focus on an individual woman. The first part of each chapter provides a biographical sketch of the woman. The second and third parts bring the voice of each woman to the reader, as she describes her experiences in China and her impressions of China. The fourth part is an analytical discussion of each woman's narration


identifier: Zubalik, Janis R  (1996) "Advancing the material interests of the Redeemer's Kingdom" : the Erskine Presbyterian Church, Montreal, 1894.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis takes Montreal's 1894 Erskine Presbyterian Church, by Montreal architect Alexander Cowper Hutchison (1838-1922), as a specific example of the building of an Akron-auditorium combination plan church. Although relatively rare in Montreal, this American church type was perhaps the most popular style of church for evangelical Protestant congregations in North America from 1880 through about 1914. Inspired by theatre architecture and a Methodist Sunday School programme, these churches featured an auditorium sanctuary contiguous to a two-tiered multi-celled Sunday School building. They were typically commissioned by newly affluent businessmen and were frequently built in the Richardsonian Romanesque manner.  This study is a social and architectural examination of the Erskine Congregation's three church buildings of 1833, 1866 and 1894 and the 1937 alteration by Percy Erskine Nobbs (1875-1964) at the behest of William Massey Birks (1868-1950) because of new conceptions of "churchliness". The thesis contributes to the understanding of ideology on built form and the church building practices of 19 th century Montreal Scots Presbyterians. It is the first study devoted to this church type in Montreal.


identifier: Nguyen, Tang Hung  (1996) Building inspection with automated code compliance checking.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Inspecting existing buildings for conformity with current regulations is often difficult to carry out for people lacking expertise in code compliance checking. The present research aims at developing an automated approach for the diagnostic of existing buildings during inspection. The proposed methodology is that of an intelligent system combining current computer technologies such as expert systems, databases, and hypertext techniques. The expert system represents and reasons with specialist knowledge to diagnose problems with code compliance checking whereas the database and hypertext techniques are the database and hypertext techniques are efficient for handling cross references among distinct building subsystems and disciplinary viewpoints in data management systems.  The research methodology has been implemented in a software prototype known as Health and Safety Expert System (HASES). The prototype system relies on knowledge and reasoning to interpret the requirements of Part 3 of the National Building Code of Canada. HASES aims at facilitating the inspection of existing buildings by simplifying the data collection and compliance checking processes, generating reports, and providing access to texts and relevant case studies on the fly, as an inspector walks around a building.


identifier: Saberi, Mohammad-Ali  (1996) The structure of carbon dioxide adsorbed on a sodium chloride (001) surface.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Two sets of parameters and potential energy surfaces for a single CO$\sb2$ molecule adsorbed on the (001) face of a uniform semi-infinite crystal of NaCl were developed and tested using the Steepest Descent method. When the CO$\sb2$ molecule attains the absolute minimum of the potential energy it was found, for both parameter sets, to lie parallel to the surface at height z = 2.5 A above the connection line of two adjacent Na$\sp+$ ions (along the $\langle 110\rangle$ direction) at 1.994 A from Na$\sp+$ (C to Na$\sp+$); i.e. the carbon atom is directly above the midpoint between two sodium ions. The values of the potential energy were found to be E$\sb\min = {-}7.643$ kcal/mol and E$\sb\min = {-}8.000$ kcal/mol for parameters set I and set II respectively. Saddle points in the potential energy surfaces were found to exist above the connection line between Na$\sp+$ and Cl$\sp-$ (the $\langle 100\rangle$ direction). The position of this point correspond to a lateral sodium to carbon distance of 0.92 A and a carbon height of z = 2.95A above the surface for parameter set I. At this position the molecule is tilted by an angle of $35\sp\circ$ from surface $(55\sp\circ$ from the surface normal). The potential energy at this point was found to be E$\sb{\rm sad} = {-}5.723$ kcal/mol which yielded an estimated diffusion barrier energy of E$\sb{\rm diff} = 1.918$ kcal/mol. The parameter set II was examined the similar results was obtained.  The single molecule surface potential which was developed was then used within the Metropolis Monte Carlo method to examine monolayer, bilayer and trilayer configurations of CO$\sb2$ on an NaCl(001) surface. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)


identifier: Boeva, Valentina  (1995) Distribution of ammonium nitrate as nitrogen containing nutrient for in-situ biodegradation by means of electrokinetics.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In-situ bioremediation is a technology, which has recently gained the attention of specialists for the clean-up of hydrocarbons. Organic chemicals are persistent and hard to deal with, because they are usually present in three forms: dissolved into groundwater, as free product over the groundwater surface, and adsorbed onto soil particles. The requirements for the bioremediation process to occur are the availability of microorganisms, a biodegradable pollutant, an electron acceptor, and nutrients. The shortage of nutrients in an available form for the microorganisms is very often a limiting factor for successful bioremediation in-situ. The main difficulties for the supply of nutrients usually come from the low permeability of soils. The feasibility of the application of electrokinetic processes, and, more specifically, the induced electroosmotic flow, for achievement of uniform distribution of nutrients for in-situ bioremediation in a natural clayey silt was investigated. Three different concentrations of ammonium nitrate solution were used. The experiment showed the efficiency of the electrokinetic method for supplying nutrients in a low permeability soil, especially for distribution of solutions with intermediate (1000 mg/L) concentrations. An advantage of the method is the prevention of the leaching of nitrates through the controlled electroosmotic flow.


identifier: Osman, Abdusslam  (1996) Smoothness of invariant densities for certain classes of dynamical systems.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Under certain conditions a many-to-one transformation of the unit interval into itself possesses a finite invariant ergodic measure equivalent to the Lebesque measure. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate these conditions and to show how differentiable properties of the invariant density are inherited from the original transformation.


identifier: Littmann, Helene  (1997) Ground zero : three novellas.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: Ground zero : three novellas

abstract: This thesis consists of three novellas linked thematically through setting and era, East Vancouver in the 1980s and early 1990s. "Midsummer" is an ironic romantic comedy, in which the happy ending is, on reflection, deeply problematic. "Ground Zero" is darker in tone, dealing with dissolution and disintegration. "Pesadilla Beach" involves memory and different generations in the same community. These stories are told through limited third person from the point of view of the young woman protagonist of each. While acknowledging the belief in the unified philosophical subject may now be essentially untenable, these stories none the less attempt consciously to present their heroines as subject. The heroines are active in creating and judging their own worlds, and have the skills needed to survive on at least a day-to-day basis in their communities; despite setbacks and failures, they are never victims. The stories are characterized by a clear and linear narrative structure, a strong sense of physical place, and dialogue which carries a great deal of the work of characterization. These stories are part of a project to develop a narrative form fitted to the subject matter, and as such are a process in development rather than a final style


identifier: Alfoldy, Sandra  (1997) Theory and craft : a case study of the Kootenay Christmas Faire.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In this thesis Modernism's lack of involvement with craft, the social theory of consumption, and material feminism, will be used to position craft within existing theory.  It is my hope that through this thesis I will demonstrate that craft can and must work with contemporary theory in order to take an active role in its future directions. By relying on the work of theorists, combined with the specific example of the Kootenay Christmas Faire, I hope to initiate a broader debate on the theoretical interest in craft by both craftspeople and those operating within institutions of art.


identifier: Al-Hihi, Mahmoud M  (1997) Arab immigrants in the Canadian labour market : expectations and compromises.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Immigrants have always played an important role in the development of Canada. This study analyzes the adjustment problems of Arab immigrants who live in Montreal and have immigrated to Canada in the 1980's and the 1990's. It is an attempt to explore the nature of their economic adaptation. Economic adaptation is raised here as one aspect--albeit an important one--of their integration in the larger society. I have used both quantitative and qualitative methods in the analysis of the data that I have obtained from the interviews of the sample of Arab immigrants. The findings indicate that Canadian education and experience, length of residence, official languages proficiency (especially French), marital status and community support are major influences in their integration in the Montreal labour market. This thesis also examines the relationships among expectations, compromises and outcomes.


identifier: Abizaid, Alfonso  (1996) Changes in NPY staining in the arcuate nucleus during and after food restriction in lactating rats.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study investigated the effects of food restriction on Neuropeptide Y (NPY) staining in the arcuate nucleus of lactating rats to evaluate a role for NPY in the maintenance of lactational diestrus in food restricted rats. NPY staining was compared on days 15, 20 and 25 of lactation between animals fed ad libitum (AL) and animals food restricted on days 8-14 postpartum (FR). To determine the contribution of nursing underfed pups to any differences observed, litters were switched daily between an additional AL and FR group from day 15 postpartum and dams were sacrificed on day 20 postpartum. Twenty four hrs. prior to sacrifice animals received 1$\mu$g of colchicine icv. Animals were perfused and their brains were processed for NPY immunocytochemistry. FR dams had a higher number of NPY stained cells in the arcuate nucleus on day 15 of lactation than AL dams, and this effect persisted for five days after refeeding (p $<$.05). Increases in NPY staining in food restricted rats were unrelated to the nutritional status of their litters. Finally, data revealed that dams that remained in lactational diestrus on day 25, tended to have more NPY-stained cells in the arcuate nucleus than dams that had shown an estrous smear (p =.08). These results indicate that food restriction affects NPY immunoreactivity in the arcuate nucleus and the time course of these changes suggest that NPY may play a role in prolonging lactational diestrus.


identifier: Barbaro-Forleo, Guido  (1997) The behavior of English and French Canadians towards the environment.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The study was primarily concerned with examining the behaviors of English and French Canadians towards the environment. In order to achieve this goal the two ethnic groups were compared on several variables, namely, attitudes, behaviors, environmental knowledge, differential values, individualism and collectivism, and demographics. Through the use of various multivariate methods we were able to come up with some interesting conclusions. The results indicated that although the French Canadians in our sample are more likely to have favorable attitudes towards environmental issues, they are also less likely to engage in environmentally friendly behaviors which require a personal cost. The opposite result was obtained for the English Canadians in our sample. French Canadians also proved to be more knowledgeable on recycling issues than English Canadians. When acculturation was present the differences between the attitudes, behaviors, and environmental knowledge of the two groups were indeed made less evident. French Canadians in our sample were found to be more individualist, while English Canadians were found to be more collectivist. In line with this finding, English Canadians placed more importance on terminal and instrumental values which are more likely to be held by a collectivist person. The opposite was true for the French Canadians in our sample. Limitations and implications were provided.


identifier: Adcock, Mark R. A  (1997) Symbolic computation of electron-proton to slepton-squark scattering cross sections based on a left-right supersymmetric extension of the standard model.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The calculation of the cross section of supersymmetric processes based on a left-right supersymmetric extension of the standard model is presented. The Feynman diagrams for the neutralino-quark-squark and chargino-quark-squark are written down, and the production of sleptons and squarks resulting from the t-channel exchange of neutralinos and charginos in electron-proton scattering is analyzed. The symbolic programming language Mathematica ® , is used to develop a program to generate a symbolic representation of the invariant amplitude for these processes. Differential cross sections, based on numerical values of the free parameters of the left-right supersymmetric model, are generated.


identifier: Bures, Eva Mary  (1996) Effect of cooperative structure of small-group online activities on student satisfaction, benefits and use in distance education and an exploration of online strategies.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study's objective is to improve the design of small-group online activities in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) distance education (DE) environments. Participants were volunteers drawn from an undergraduate education course, $n=38.$ Drawing on cooperative learning techniques, students in one section filled in group reflection forms and played assigned student moderator roles in online small-group activities. The level of significance is $p<0.05.$ The students in the cooperative condition tended to be more active in ungraded online activity. Specifically, they tended to engage in more instructor-student interaction and informal, social student-student interaction. They also reported spending significantly more time on the course. However, they did not tend to achieve better grades in the course. Nor were there any statistically significant affective differences between the two groups. This study suggest methods by which a DE undergraduate online instructor can increase students' social activity and instructor-student interactions. This has practical implications for those instructors troubled by low online participation.  The study also includes a different perspective of the small-group activities, focusing on interpersonal dynamics. An analysis of critical incidents between group members, identifying good or poor use of online strategies, suggests that four strategies should be added to Burge's (1994) list: (1) Graceful new member entry; (2) Clarifying ambiguities related to task; (3) Coping gracefully with non-participation; and (4) Negotiating shared level of intimacy. The study concludes with practical suggestions for implementing online small-group work in a distance context.


identifier: Armstrong, Valerie Leila  (1996) Mainstreaming Martina : representing lesbians in the '90's.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In this thesis I address the proliferation of representations of lesbians in North American mainstream media in the early to mid-1990s. Through a focus on a specific object/subject, Martina Navratilova, I investigate the discourse of progressiveness which accompanies this proliferation. As well, I argue that the shift in the way lesbians are being represented is indicative of a new cultural approach to lesbian sexual difference. This approach, "a homosexuality of no importance" (D. A. Miller), is a strategy of partaking of, and enjoying, lesbian difference while at the same time denying its importance and relevance. My theoretical analysis is conducted within the terrain of lesbian/feminist and "queer" theories of gender and sexual identity, lesbian feminist writings on visibility and representation, and recent Marxist and feminist writings on women in sport. A discussion of the conditions, or terms, of lesbian visibility in mainstream media is key to my analysis.


identifier: Dachraoui, Taoufik  (1996) Fast parallel algorithms for sorting and median finding.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Many sorting algorithms that perform well on uniformly distributed data suffer significant performance degradation on non-random data. Unfortunately many real-world applications require sorting on data that is not uniformly distributed. In this thesis, we propose a new strategy, A-ranksort, for sorting on parallel machines which has a stable behavior on input distributions of different entropies. Our sorting algorithm essentially consists of deterministically computing approximate ranks for the input keys, and using these to route to destinations that are guaranteed to be close to the final destination, and finally using a few steps of odd-even transposition sort to complete the sorting.  We implemented A-ranksort, B-flashsort (40), Radix sort (20), and Bitonic sort (6) on a 2048 processor Maspar MP-1. Thearling (73) proposes a test suite of inputs with which to evaluate the performance of sorting algorithms. We tested all the algorithms on a very similar test suite.  Using similar ideas, we also designed a new deterministic selection algorithm for integers that is simple and fast. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)


identifier: Bonter, Katherine  (1997) Quantitative analysis of the extracellular glutamate concentration of the nucleus accumbens.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Intracerebral microdialysis was used to sample neurotransmitters from the extracellular fluid of the nucleus accumbens (NAS). Sample concentrations of dopamine and glutamate were assayed using high performance liquid chromatography followed by electrochemical detection. Sample glutamate concentrations decreased and then increased during the first ten to twelve hours following probe implantation. After stabilization sample glutamate and dopamine concentrations were estimated at a range of flow rates (0.25 $\mu$l/m, 0.5 $\mu$l/m, 1.0 $\mu$l/m, 2.0 $\mu$l/m); dopamine and glutamate concentrations varied inversely with the rate of perfusion. Estimates of the normal NAS extracellular glutamate and dopamine concentrations could not be obtained from these data using the "extrapolation to zero flow" method because there was no evidence of asymptotic yield within the range of flow rates that could be tested. An estimate of the normal NAS extracellular glutamate concentration (4.0 $\pm$ 0.8) was obtained using the no-net-flux method. The no-net-flux estimate was not significantly affected by an increase in the local depletion of dopamine and other small molecules caused by doubling the perfusate flow rate. The estimated extracellular glutamate concentration was 3.8 $\pm$ 0.8 $\mu$M at a flow rate of 0.5 $\mu$l/m and 4.25 $\pm$ 0.9 $\mu$M at a flow rate of 1.0 $\mu$l/min. These concentrations are not significantly different, suggesting that this increase in local depletion did not influence the activity of glutamate releasing cells in the tissue adjacent to the probe. Changes in dialysis sample dopamine concentration were determined during the extraction of NAS glutamate or the delivery of glutamate to the NAS. No significant changes in the sample dopamine concentration were associated with the perfusion of a range of glutamate concentrations surrounding the estimated NAS extracellular glutamate concentration.


identifier: Gaudine, Alice  (1997) A longitudinal field experiment of post-training interventions and transfer of training of the McGill model of nursing.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Employee training programs need to develop ways of increasing the likelihood that learned skills and behaviours are used when employees return to their jobs, i.e., that "transfer of training" occurs. One way to facilitate transfer of training is to perform a post-training intervention designed to increase transfer of training.  This dissertation has four main purposes. The first purpose was to test the effects of two post-training interventions, relapse prevention and transfer enhancement, in a 2 x 2 experimental design. The two interventions were designed to increase transfer of training by increasing self-efficacy for the training task, or a person's belief in his or her ability to perform the training task. Subjects were 147 nurses from one hospital who participated in a two day workshop. Self-efficacy and transfer of training were measured by both self-reports and supervisor reports at two and six months following training.  Contrary to prediction, the two post-training interventions did not result in higher transfer of training than the control group. It is suggested that the training itself was effective in increasing self-efficacy and in leading to transfer of training in control subjects, making post-training interventions redundant for this training program.  The second purpose was to test the effect of "motivation to learn" on transfer of training. Strong support was found for the hypothesis that "motivation to learn" is positively related to transfer of training.  The third purpose of the dissertation was to examine the process by which transfer of training occurs. This study hypothesized that self-efficacy would be positively related to transfer of training, and strong support was found for this hypothesis.  The fourth purpose of the dissertation was to examine the influence of transfer climate on transfer of training. It was found that supervisor and coworker support had a positive effect on self-reported but not supervisor-reported transfer of training.  A model of transfer of training is presented and recommendations for research and practice are discussed


identifier: Burke, Allan Andrew  (1997) A labyrinth of endless steps : the postmodern city and Paul Auster's urban detective.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Taking as its starting point Fredric Jameson's assertion that postmodernity is marked by "a mutation in built space itself," this thesis examines the representation of urban space in Paul Auster's The New York Trilogy and attempts to characterize the effects of this spatial mutation on Auster's detective protagonists. The detective's traditional cognitive function is shown to depend upon a cartographical ability to spatially organize the events of a case as part of the process of transforming them into a coherent narrative in hopes of producing a solution. The novels which constitute Auster's trilogy, City of Glass, Ghosts, and The Locked Room demonstrate that this spatio-cognitive function has become more difficult for the urban detective as, with the transition from modernity to postmodernity, cities have grown to staggering proportions. The sheer immensity of the postmodern city has rendered the detective's task of bringing a series of disparate and random facts together nearly impossible. This inability to comprehend the totality is precisely the effect of postmodernity that Jameson diagnoses in the postmodern subject and thus Auster's detectives are read as proxy for the postmodern subject in general.


identifier: Duong, Duc Quang  (1997) Simulation of the error control procedures in the Xpress Transport Protocol.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Computer networking technology has seen explosive growth over the past thirty years. Along with the rapid development of high speed communication media, the demand for a more efficient transport layer protocol is increasing. Many research activities have been devoted to this area. The Xpress Transport Protocol (XTP) is one such example. XTP was designed to fix some deficiencies in the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and to provide a highly efficiency transport service.  This thesis presents the simulation of the error control procedures of XTP by using a simulation tool called SMURPH (System for Modeling Unslotted Real-time Phenomena), which is an object-oriented configurable simulator. Ethernet is the chosen LAN environment for the simulation of XTP in SMURPH.  The simulation results show that XTP has excellent performance, even for large file transfers in an environment with high bit error rates. The excellent performance of XTP is due to the excellent design decisions made for the error control mechanisms.  Fiber optic transmission medium is rapidly becoming available for communication networks. The low bit error rates are a beneficial result of the move toward fiber optic networks. The thesis thus investigates the performance of XTP and the behavior of the XTP error control for bulk transferring in a low bit error rate environment.  The thesis also studies the Ethernet Capture Effect problem, which results in performance degradation of XTP simulation. The thesis shows that XTP can overcome the Ethernet Capture Effect by using an enhanced backoff algorithm for its collision resolution.