identifier: Pourali, Parsa  (2014) Pattern-Based Generation of AMF Configurations.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Information Technology service providers aim at attracting customers by providing services that meet a high level of quality. They should not only satisfy functional requirements, but also non-functional requirements. An important non-functional requirement is the level of service availability. Service Availability Forum (SAForum), a consortium of communications and computing companies, has developed a set of services and standard Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to address the issue of high availability for the Commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS)-based systems and enable portability. Among the services standardized by the SAForum, the Availability Management Framework (AMF) has the important role of ensuring the high availability of an application and its services, by managing the redundant application components deployed on the cluster. To achieve this task, AMF requires a configuration that represents the logical organization of the application components and their services.
The design of AMF configurations is a complex and error prone task. Automation of the process is the first step towards improving the quality of such configurations. It also enables exploring different potential solutions for a given set of requirements. An automated approach to generate configurations for applications to deploy on top of the SAForum middleware has been proposed in the context of the MAGIC project. This approach, however, may generate several configurations among which some may not meet the required level of service availability. Therefore, the system designer needs to evaluate the generated configurations using an availability analysis tool to select an appropriate one for deployment. One may want to improve this process by targeting directly in the generation process, the configurations that can guarantee the requested level of service availability.
The objective of this thesis is to propose solutions to enhance this configuration generation process and generate configurations that can guarantee the required level of service availability without using advanced analysis tools. For this purpose, we propose configuration design patterns to improve the expected level of service availability and quantitative methods that eliminate some configurations that do not meet the availability requirement. The configuration design patterns improve the expected level of service availability by selecting the best configuration options. The methods estimate service availability for the different possible combinations of software components, which can provide the requested services, taking into account the properties of these components and the behavior of the SAForum middleware. As a proof of concept, we have embedded our proposed solutions into a prototype tool as an eclipse plug-in and validated our work with case studies.


identifier: Orecchia, Giulio  (2014) Torsion-free rank one sheaves on a semi-stable curve.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

type: Thesis NonPeerReviewed

abstract: The aim of this work is to build a compactification of the Picard scheme for a particular reducible semi-stable curve of genus 1 over a field k. The curve X is given by two copies of the projective line intersecting at two nodes. The compactification is given by the moduli space of torsion-free rank one sheaves on X. We give an alternative definition of such sheaves on the base change of X to any k-scheme S. Then we prove that the stack of rigidified, simple torsion-free rank one sheaves is a scheme, covered by copies of the original curve X.


identifier: Aeon, Brad  (2014) Remembrance of things past: How employees perceive their company’s history.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Over the past few decades, organizations have been increasingly showcasing and narrating their history (Keulen, 2013). A testament to this trend are the growing number of corporate museums and the increasing popularity of corporate archivists such as The History Factory (Delahaye, Booth, Clark, Procter, & Rowlinson, 2009; Fogerty, 1997; Nissley & Casey, 2002). The phenomenon hasn’t gone unnoticed in academia, as many scholars have looked into the concept of rhetorical history—the practice of narrating organizational history in a self-serving way —and put forward several hypotheses relating to the effects of rhetorical history on strategic change and organizational culture (Gioia, Corley, & Fabbri, 2002; Ooi, 2002; Suddaby, Foster, & Trank, 2010). I contend that engaging in rhetorical history can be understood as an act of impression management, that is, rhetorical history is the process of managing the historical image of an organization to appeal to relevant audiences (e.g., customers, employees). But for corporate history to be effective, the audience must value and give credence to that history; in order to know whether this is the case, I conducted an exploratory study on how 29 employees from two medium-sized organizations experience corporate history in their daily lives. As well, I inquired into related issues such as how corporate history is assembled and how it circulates within the organization. The results offer, among other things, a detailed description of the attitudes employees hold toward their organization’s history. I conclude with an overview of this study’s theoretical and practical implications.


identifier: Michaud, James  (2014) Is Emotional Authenticity Enough: Do Personal Factors Influence the Perceived Authenticity of Frontline Employees.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Organizations are always interested in engaging in any activity that will improve a customer’s experience and increase their intentions to return for repeat business. Frontline employee authenticity may be one way to improve customer experiences. Research has found authenticity to be the highest sought after attribute in a frontline employee by customers (Gruber, 2011). Perceived authenticity has also been related to customer satisfaction and perceived friendliness of employees (Grandey, 2005). What isn’t clear is whether customers are able to accurately tell when an employee is being authentic or is acting. Some argue that individuals are very capable of detecting inauthenticity, however, most of this research has taken place in laboratory settings (Frank, Ekman, & Friesen, 1993; Surakka & Hietanen, 1998) or used student role play situations wherein individuals’ full attention was directed at their targets (Bono & Vey, 2007).
This study seeks to find out if there are personal factors that frontline employees have that allow them to be perceived as being more authentic than their actual authenticity. In addition, it will seek to improve the measurement of authenticity by separating it from emotional display strategies and by taking more frequent and accurate measurements. The study failed to link actual authenticity to perceived authenticity and hence failed to find personal factors that moderate this relationship. It did, however, offer insight into potential methodological changes in the area of study and it reinforced the importance of perceived authenticity to researchers, customers and businesses.


identifier: Azarfar, Shahab  (2014) On variational formulas on spaces of quadratic differentials.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: We study the variational formulas for the normalized Abelian differentials and matrix of b-periods on Hurwitz spaces, the moduli spaces of holomorphic Abelian differentials and quadratic differentials over compact Riemann surfaces. As the main result of the thesis, we find a complete set of local vector fields on the non-hyperelliptic connected component of the principal stratum of the moduli space of holomorphic quadratic differentials preserving the moduli of the base Riemann surface.


identifier: Sidhu, Karmjit  (2014) Charitable Impulses: Motivations, Experiences and Effects of Volunteering.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Volunteering is a still relatively underexplored field of research that has, however, steadily gained prominence within the workforce and academic curriculums. This thesis will attempt to delineate the field of charitable action by examining the experiences and perspectives of twenty-one interlocutors recruited for the research. Through an in-depth analysis of their backgrounds and interests, this study will concentrate on the motivation, experience and effects of charitable action. In particular, it will argue that amongst Montreal volunteers, these stages often reflect features associated with the shift from close-knit communal forms of living to highly individualized interactions. As will be elaborated, the relationship between socioeconomic change and the actual process of volunteering can illustrate the highly flexible nature of this field and the lasting impact of structural shifts.


identifier: Kukkonen, Tiina  (2014) Drawing as Social Play: Shared Meaning-Making and Creative Development in Young Children's Collective Drawing Activities.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
This study conceptualizes collective drawing as a form of play in early childhood that provides opportunities for social and creative growth through peer interactions. Research has suggested that as children draw together, they develop narratives and stimulate each other’s imagination (Coates & Coates, 2006; Papandreou, 2014). However, no studies have specifically explored play within open-ended group drawing with the aim of identifying processes for shared meaning-making and shared creative development.

The present study investigated instances of group play that occurred within young children’s open-ended drawing activities and how this encouraged the development of shared meaning and shared creativity. One preschool class of 16 four- to five-year-old children was observed over eight 1-hour free play sessions. During each session, the children were presented with a variety of drawing materials and large drawing surfaces. No restrictions were placed on the number of children that could participate, or the subject matter of the drawings.

The overall findings of this study add to the literature on shared meaning and children’s play through drawing, and support the integration of open-ended drawing activities in early childhood environments. The children employed various strategies to create and maintain a shared understanding while drawing, and developed creativity through peer learning and observation. Materials were noted as a possible motivating factor for encouraging group play.


identifier: Matthews, Tomas  (2014) The Impact of Specialized Musical Training on Rhythm Abilities: Comparing Drummers, Pianists, Singers and String Players.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The current study assessed the importance of specialized musical experience in rhythm perception and production by comparing the rhythm abilities of four groups of musicians. Drummers, singers, pianists and string players performed four different rhythm tasks: the Rhythm Synchronization task, the Beat Synchronization task, the Tap-Continuation task and the Beat Alignment Perception Test. This battery of rhythm and beat-based tasks were used to assess the effects of specific musical experience on both higher level rhythm processing and basic sensorimotor synchronization. Within-group differences in performance showed that factors such as meter, metrical complexity, tempo and beat phase significantly affected the ability to perceive and synchronize taps to rhythm or beat. Interestingly, there were no between-group differences in performance for any of the tasks except the basic Tap-Continuation task which tested the ability to maintain a target tapping tempo without the aid of a metronome. When un-paced tapping variability was split into motor and timing variability using the Wing-Kristofferson model (1973), drummers were shown to have the lowest timer variability while pianists had the lowest motor variability. These results suggest that general musical experience is more important than specialized musical experience with regards to higher cognitive processing of rhythms, whereas low-level cognitive processes and bottom-up motor processes are affected uniquely by specialized experience.


identifier: Girotti, Manuela  (2014) Riemann-Hilbert approach to Gap Probabilities of Determinantal Point Processes.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
In this work, we study problems related to gap probabilities of certain universal determinantal point processes. The study of gap probabilities can be addressed in two directions: derivation of a Lax formulation of PDEs, as in the first two works presented here, and study of asymptotic behaviour, as in the last work. In order to achieve such results,  the powerful theory of Riemann-Hilbert problem will be widely implemented.

We first consider the gap probability for the Bessel process in the single-time and multi-time case. We prove that the scalar and matrix Fredholm determinants of such process can be expressed in terms of  determinants of integrable kernels in the sense of Its-Izergin-Korepin-Slavnov and thus related to suitable Riemann-Hilbert problems. In the single-time case, we construct a Lax pair formalism and we derive a Painleve' III equation related to the Fredholm determinant.

Next, we consider the problem of the gap probabilities for the Generalized Bessel process in the single-time and multi-time case, a determinantal process which arises as critical limiting kernel in the study of self-avoiding squared Bessel paths. As in the Bessel case, we connect the gap probability to a Riemann-Hilbert problem (derived from an IIKS kernel) on one side and to the isomonodromic tau-function on the other side.

In particular, in the single-time case we construct a Lax pair formalism and in the multi-time case we explicitly define a completely new multi-time kernel and we proceed with the study of gap probabilities as in the single-time case.

Finally, we investigate the gap probabilities of the single-time Tacnode process. Through steepest descent analysis of a suitable Riemann-Hilbert problem, we show that under appropriate scaling regimes the gap probability of the Tacnode process degenerates into a product of two independent gap probabilities of the Airy process.


identifier: Wallace, Jacqueline  (2014) Handmade 2.0: Women, DIY Networks and the Cultural Economy of Craft.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Handmade 2.0: Women, DIY Networks and the Cultural Economy of Craft

Jacqueline Wallace, PhD
Concordia University, 2014

This dissertation is a feminist ethnography of the contemporary craft scene in North America. It examines do-it-yourself (DIY) networks of indie crafts as a significant cultural economy and site of women’s creative labour, moving beyond existing research, which has historically focused on craft as primarily associated with women’s domestic activity, or as a salon refusé subordinated to the fine arts, or affiliations with turn of the 20th century industrialization. Rather, my research focuses on contemporary craft work as a field of women’s cultural production, informal networks and entrepreneurship—a highly contemporary cultural and economic phenomenon buoyed by the rise of the so-called creative class, a DIY ethic and a broader conception of craftwork as “Handmade 2.0,” underscoring the role of digital media and networked communications in the modern craft economy. By contrasting the global ecommerce marketplace, Etsy, and the work of independent crafters, it offers a significant contribution to emergent debates at the intersections of the gendered workplace, flexible labour and (corporatized) cultural production. Specifically, this research makes three key interventions: a reconceptu-alization and cultural analysis of DIY craft as a Bourdieuian-influenced field of gendered cultural production; a case study and critique of Etsy as a corporatized model and significant marker of social class and distinction; and a feminist cultural analysis of crafty women’s making, connecting, and the precarity of their feminized labours.

The research findings underscore the contemporary importance of gendered, informally networked cultural production that must constantly interface with other more entrenched institutions, while also exposing the vast personal and professional networks that female makers as individual entrepreneurs must incessantly nurture to earn esteemed social and cultural capital—both on- and offline.  These dynamics require crafty women to play multiple roles in the circuit of culture, and most often for paltry wages and at significant emotional cost. By way of a critical feminist analysis, it concludes that today’s indie craft represents a complex and dynamic web of tensions, discourses and contradictions as women negotiate the material and emotional labours of their multiple identities and investments in the ‘always on’ work/lifestyle environment of the digital age. Finally, by calling for the continued vigilance of feminist inquiry and policy and advocacy work, I suggest pathways for future research as new technologies, social media and economic models continue to evolve and affect this growing sector of flexible forms of women’s creative work existing outside conventional employment structures and social protections.


identifier: Moghtadernejad, Sara  (2014) Dynamics of Droplet Shedding and Coalescence under the Effect of Shear Flow.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Droplet shedding and coalescence has various industrial applications from ink-jet printing to ice accretion on wind turbine blades, power lines or aircrafts. It is known that the incipience of icing phenomenon in the mentioned applications arises from the shedding and coalescence of the rain droplets. The coalesced droplets then start to form a runback flow and when temperature is below the water freezing point, ice can be accumulated on these structures which alters the performance in the mentioned technologies. Accordingly this work is dedicated to a fundamental study on dynamics of droplet shedding and coalescence as a preliminary stage of ice formation.
Sessile droplets are deposited on surfaces where various air flows are introduced to them for analyzing their shedding behavior. As it is believed that using superhydrophobic coatings decreases the amount of ice accumulation on the solid surfaces, the effect of different surface wettabilities ranging from hydrophilic to superhydrophobic is also studied on droplet dynamics.
It is shown that on a hydrophilic substrate when the air speed is high enough, rivulets are formed from merging droplets. In contrast, on a superhydrophobic substrate there is no rivulet formation. Instead coalesced droplets roll on the surface and detach from it if the air speed is sufficiently high. In addition, the results indicate a contrast in the mechanism of the coalescence and subsequent detachment between a single and two droplets on a superhydrophobic surface. At low air speeds, the two droplets coalesce by attracting each other before detaching with successive rebounds on the substrate, while at higher speeds the detachment occurs almost instantly after coalescence, with a detachment time decreasing exponentially with the air speed.
A wind tunnel experiment was designed to characterize the rivulet dynamics on various surface wettabilities. Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics method was performed and its results were compared with the ones obtained from the experiments. The results indicate that increasing the air speed results in formation of waves with higher frequency in comparison with the lower air speeds. It was also demonstrated that as on superhydrophobic substrates instead of rivulets series of droplets are formed these substrates can be suitable candidates for anti-icing purposes.


identifier: Farinha Matias, Rodrigo  (2014) On Modular Forms, Hecke Operators, Replication and Sporadic Groups.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
In the first part of this thesis we find all congruence subgroups of PSL2(R) and respective
weights for which the corresponding space of cusp forms is one-dimensional. We compute
generators for those spaces.
In the second part we establish a connection between the Hecke Algebra of Γ0(2)+ and
the group 2 · B, the double cover of the Baby Monster group. Namely, we find a new form of
replication, 2A-replication, that is reflected in the power map structure of 2 · B. This is very
similar to the fact that usual replication reflects the power map structure in the Monster
group. We use a vertex operator algebra and a Lie algebra that were constructed by H¨ohn
and see that the McKay-Thompson series for 2 ·B satisfy 2A-replication identities. This also
simplifies the computations made by H¨ohn to identify every McKay-Thompson series as a
Hauptmodul by using generalized Mahler recurrence relations. This strategy follows in spirit
Borcherd’s proof of the original Moonshine Conjectures.
We also extend these ideas to Γ0(3)+ and 3·F3+. However, even though the generalization
is straightforward there are McKay-Thompson series that have irrational coefficients for which
our replication formulas don’t work.


identifier: Husbands, Kambili  (2014) Dead Skin: Theorizing Representations of HIV/AIDS.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In this study, I argue that early depictions of HIV/AIDS in the mainstream media displayed a marked emphasis on the skin. I locate these depictions within a history of Western preoccupation with skin as a symbol of social belonging, bodily integrity, and modern selfhood. I also maintain that these depictions played a crucial role in constituting both the epidemic as a whole and the bodies associated with it. I draw connections between skin studies, queer theory, and critical disability theory in order to uncover some of the ways in which the skin acts as a repository for cultural imaginings of selfhood, good health, and psychosocial wellbeing. In keeping with my interest in the intersections of sexuality and disability studies, my thesis is organized into three related chapters: 1) sexuality and the skin; 2) disability and the skin; and 3) death and the skin.


identifier: Eghtesadi, Shahrzad  (2014) The Influence of Defects in Concrete (Cracking and Consolidation) on Water Absorption and Electrical Conductivity.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
The great impact of durability on concrete performance and service life makes it a serious issue in the recent years. Cracking plays an important role in increasing the mass transport properties of concrete thus decreasing its durability against harsh environmental conditions. Construction defects such as improper consolidation is another factor leading to the unacceptably high rate of concrete deterioration.
In this research, several concrete specimens were manufactured with two different water-cement ratios. The influence of cracking induced by both mechanical and thermal loading on mass transport properties of concrete was studied. Further, the effect of construction practices including over-vibration and insufficient consolidation on concrete properties was investigated. Ultrasonic pulse velocity was applied to identify the presence of internal damage. Water absorption, electrical conductivity and electrical resistivity are the main standard test methods used for durability evaluation.
It was found that water absorption and electrical conductivity of concrete are not significantly affected by the formation of localized bond cracking under short term tensile loading below 80% of the ultimate capacity. However, the well distributed network of shrinkage cracking associated with rapid microwave heating can accelerate the rate of water and chloride ingress through concrete to the large extent. Results also showed that the presence of large, interconnected voids induced by insufficient degree of consolidation has much more destructive influence on concrete microstructure.


identifier: Kayhani Kermanshahi, Tara  (2014) Affirmative Disclosure in Fast Food Advertisements: Its Effect on Attitudes Toward the Ad, Attitude Toward the Brand and Purchase Intentions.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
The present study examined the literature in consumer attitudes and behavior toward ads and the impact of nutrition and health disclosures of food products on consumers’ evaluations and perceptions of products. Three experiments were conducted using two different fast food restaurants; one perceived to be healthy (Subway) and the other perceived to be unhealthy (Burger King). The first study investigated the different effects of affirmative disclosure in ads on attitude toward ad and brand and purchase intentions. Study 2 compared the effect of two types of disclosures on attitudes and purchase intentions: one-sided and two-sided messages. Study 3 focused on consumers’ dietary habits and the difference it makes on their attitudes and behaviors when affirmative disclosure appears in ads.
Affirmative disclosure has different effects on the two fast foods. Overall disclosure has greater effect on consumers of healthier fast food. However, when comparing one-sided versus two-sided disclosures, the findings suggest that one-sided messages are more effective for the fast foods perceived as healthy, like Subway. Consumers who follow healthy dietary habits have more favorable attitudes when exposed to disclosure compared to those that follow an unhealthy lifestyle.
The findings suggest innovative strategies for advertisers, marketers, managers and public policy makers searching for ways to make ads more persuasive and specifically more effective in fighting unhealthy eating and obesity.


identifier: Song, Weilong  (2014) a framework for automated similarity analysis of malware.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Malware, a category of software including viruses, worms, and other malicious programs, is developed by hackers to damage, disrupt, or perform other harmful actions on data, computer systems and networks. Malware analysis, as an indispensable part of the work of IT security specialists, aims to gain an in-depth understanding of malware code. Manual analysis of malware is a very costly and time-consuming process. As more malware variants are evolved by hackers who occasionally use a copy-paste-modify programming style to accelerate the generation of large number of malware, the effort spent in analyzing similar pieces of malicious code has dramatically grown. One approach to remedy this situation is to automatically perform similarity analysis on malware samples and identify the functions they share in order to minimize duplicated effort in analyzing similar codes of malware variants.

In this thesis, we present a framework to match cloned functions in a large chunk of malware samples. Firstly, the instructions of the functions to be analyzed are extracted from the disassembled malware binary code and then normalized. We propose a new similarity metric and use it to determine the pair-wise similarity among malware samples based on the calculated similarity of their functions. The developed tool also includes an API class recognizer designed to determine probable malicious operations that can be performed by malware functions. Furthermore, it allows us to visualize the relationship among functions inside malware codes and locate similar functions importing the same API class. We evaluate this framework on three malware datasets including metamorphic viruses created by malware generation tools, real-life malware variants in the wild, and two well-known botnet trojans. The obtained experimental results confirm that the proposed framework is effective in detecting similar malware code.


identifier: shah, nurisya mohd  (2014) some families of complex biorthogonal polynomials in a model of non-commutative quantum mechanics.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
the main objective of this thesis is to study some new families of complex biorthogonal polynomials which arise in a model of non-commutative quantum mechanics (NCQM) in two dimensions. The NCQM model in which we are interested is a system with an extended Landau Hamiltonian, such as the one which arises when an electron is placed in a constant magnetic field. The new polynomials are deformed versions of the well-known complex Hermite polynomials, generated by the non-commutative raising and lowering operators. We work out in detail the construction of the polynomials and compute some of their useful properties, e.g., the associated generating functions and three-term recurrence relations. It is shown that relative to a non- commutative scaling factor, these polynomials form a class of biorthogonal complex polynomials and in a certain well-defined limit, they reduce to the standard complex Hermite polynomials.
The second objective of this thesis is to study the group theoretical properties of certain bilinear combinations of the non-commutative ladder operators. This is done following the well-known manner in which the angular momentum generators of standard quantum mechanics can be obtained from bilinear combinations of the raising and lowering operators of the harmonic oscillator. We study the Lie group structures that are generated by these operators, which again depend on a parameter characterizing the non-commutativity and which, in an appropriate limit, reduce to the standard quantum mechanical operators.


identifier: Tao, Jian  (2014) New Perspectives and Methods in Loss Reserving Using Generalized Linear Models.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Loss reserving has been one of the most challenging tasks that actuaries face since the appearance of insurance contracts. The most popular statistical methods in the loss reserving literature are the Chain Ladder Method and the Bornhuetter Ferguson Method.

Recently, Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) have been used increasingly in insurance model fitting. Some
aggregate loss reserving models have been developed within the framework of GLMs (especially Tweedie distributions). In this thesis we look at loss reserving from the perspective of individual risk classes. A structural loss reserving model is built which combines the exposure, the loss emergence pattern and the loss development pattern together, again within the framework of GLMs. Incurred but not reported (IBNR) losses and Reported but not settled (RBNS) losses are forecasted separately. Finally, we use out of sample tests to show that our method is superior to the traditional methods.

In the third chapter we also extend the theory of limited fluctuation credibility for GLMs to one for GLMMs. Some criteria and algorithms are given. This is a byproduct of our work but is interesting in its own sake. The asymptotic variance of the estimators is derived, both for the marginal mean and the cluster specific mean.


identifier: Annis, Fiona  (2014) Seeking the After-Image: Swan Songs, Place, and the Photographic Image.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Seeking the After-Image: Swan Songs, Place, and the Photographic Image is a practice-led research-creation initiative located at the intersection of photography, art history, and continental philosophy. The three fields of study do not seek to illustrate or justify one another, but rather act as unique contributors to a multifaceted investigation.  As an initiative that reflects a crossing of disciplinary boundaries, Seeking the After-Image: Swan Songs, Place, and the Photographic Image, contributes to both contemporary art production as well as cultural and social criticism by means of a critical and reflexive engagement that intertwines studio practice and scholarly research. The doctoral study is undertaken with the conviction that a creative impulse is implicit to both scholarly research and studio praxis, and that these endeavours have the potential to stimulate and enhance one another.

The thesis consists of two complimentary components, distinct in means but integrally connected in content.  This includes the realization of a comprehensive body of artwork, as well as a written thesis of critical, creative, and theoretical content. The conceptual underpinnings that inform the realization of the body of artwork act as the departure point for the written thesis. The body of artwork realized for this study, The After-Image (Swan Songs), is a series of photographs that document the landscapes and architectural sites associated with the swan songs of a selection of artists and intellectuals. My interest in how these swan songs continue to agitate, activate, or even haunt the present informs the emergence of the central concept of the after-image. The after-image embodies the notion that the past inhabits the present in very real ways, and acts as a philosophical tool to engage in dialogue with revenants that continue to populate the present. This concept binds the seemingly disparate chapters together, and emerges as a constant thread throughout the thesis.


identifier: Braiden, Michelle  (2014) The Nomos of Border-Making Practices: The Chaco War, League of Nations and Indigenous Dispossession.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The Chaco War (1932-1935) was a border war fought between Bolivia and Paraguay over the Chaco Boreal, a vast expanse of land in the centre of South America that was (and still is) traditional indigenous territory.  This thesis analyzes a document published by the League of Nations on the conflict, The Report of the League of Nations Commission on the Chaco Dispute Between Bolivia and Paraguay, from the perspective of critical border studies.  The League of Nations considered itself a disinterested third party arbitrator in the dispute.  The central argument of this thesis is that the League was not a disinterested party and that its Report on the Chaco War is not a neutral retelling of the events of the Chaco War.  Rather, the League’s Report is an expression of dominant Western border-making practices and exemplifies the way in which the border discourses of the interwar period failed to recognize indigenous sovereignty with respect to land, law and custom.  This thesis therefore inquires into the relationship between borders and spatial imaginaries as embedded in three discourses of indigenous dispossession: the doctrine of just war, the legal principle of uti possidetis de jure and the legal concept of terra nullius.  The work of Carl Schmitt is used to highlight the links between these border-making discourses and indigenous dispossession.  Schmitt’s concept of the nomos is discussed in relation to the spatial order of the League of Nations and its attempts to uphold the Westphalian paradigm of international law while simultaneously claiming to be a humanitarian institution.


identifier: Rivas, Mariolys  (2014) On the construction and topology of multi-type ancestral trees.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Branching processes or Galton-Watson processes can be used to model the genealogy of a population of different species, where birth and death events represent speciation and extinction. In  the more general context of multi-type branching processes, species are classified under phenotypical traits, and the probability of speciation and extinction is dependent on individual types. Since most accessible biological data concerns surviving species, it becomes necessary to extract information about the shape of genealogical trees from the available knowledge on the standing population, and to devise random models allowing backward reconstruction of ancestry under the rules of a particular branching process. We present two investigations on the topology of ancestral multi-type branching trees, generalizing several known results from the single-type case, and obtaining some new results that can only be formulated in the multi-type setting.

In the first part of the thesis, we present a backward construction algorithm for the ancestral tree of a planar embedding of a multi-type Galton-Watson tree assumed to be quasi-stationary, and we derive formulae for the conditional distribution of the time to the most recent common ancestor of two consecutive individuals at the present time, and of two individuals of the same type.
We specialize these formulae to multi-type linear-fractional branching processes, and observe some effects of the symmetry of the parameters in the two-type case.

In the second part of the thesis, we extend the concepts of cherries and pendant edges from rooted binary trees to the multi-type setting, and compute expressions and asymptotic properties for mean numbers and variances of these structures under the neutral two-type Yule model.

We explain how type mutations appear naturally in ancestral trees of multi-type birth-death processes, and show that these ancestral trees are Markovian and behave as pure-birth processes, by giving explicit time-dependent rates. We derive formulae and asymptotic properties for the mean number of cherries and pendant edges of each type in a multi-type pure-birth process with mutations. We show that sometimes it is possible to recover the defining rates of this process from the asymptotic proportion of leaves, cherries and pendant edges of each type.


identifier: Levesque, Michel  (2014) Youth Enrichment Services Comic Book Project (YES CBP): Comics Creation with LGBT/Q Youth.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: As an arts-informed qualitative case study, this thesis is positioned at the intersection of comics, community art education and lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBT/Q) youth studies. Specifically, it examined a comics creation program entitled the Youth Enrichment Services Comic Book Project (YES CBP) that I taught as a community art educator at a youth centre in New York City serving LGBT/Q youth. The research illuminates the issue of adapting comics pedagogy to the specific interests of two learners and to the safe space social context of an LGBT youth centre. A sociological lens – Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of practice – was employed to understand comics pedagogy and comics creation as social practices within community art education. The study employed a customized methodology combining qualitative case study research and arts-informed research, leading to the use of comics creation as a form of thematic analysis that rendered data into a series of large comics pages. With its customized methodology, the thesis also investigated methodological intersections between qualitative research and comics practices. This thesis broadens conceptualizations of CAE practice and pedagogical relations through Bourdieusian concepts of field, capital, habitus and interest.


identifier: Salman, Aela  (2014) A Conditional Process Model of Millennial Women’s Online and Offline Support of a Fashion Event: Influences of Appeal to a Charitable Cause, Current Fashion Behaviours and Social Identities.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The purpose of this research is to explore cause-related marketing in the context of a fashion event for Millennial women and elucidate how to gain their online and offline support. How much emphasis should be placed on the cause or social aspect, as opposed to the fashion or market aspect, in the Facebook event promotion? What is the effect of Millennial women’s current fashion behaviours and their social identities on their support for the fashion event? A local fashion show organized for and by Millennials, and supporting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, was presented to participants. Two identical Facebook event pages containing different videos emphasizing either the cause (augmented cause appeal) or fashion (standard fashion appeal) were designed. Participants were randomly assigned the task of examining these appeal pages. Two sets of dependent variables measuring support for the fashion event (online and offline) were included. The effectiveness and moderating effects of the augmented cause versus standard fashion Facebook event page appeal, the direct influence of current fashion behaviours, as well as the direct and mediating effects of social identities were studied, using Hayes’ conditional process modeling. This research provides evidence that greater online and offline support for a fashion event are engendered with the addition of an emotional video with a cause appeal, rather than one highlighting the fashion appeal. Interestingly, certain current fashion behaviours are found to directly influence offline but not online support. Moreover, female gender identity is found to be a strong predictor of support outcomes, and significantly mediates the relationship between most current fashion behaviours and online and offline support. Theoretically, this is the first research to contrast for-profit versus not-for-profit motives in an innovative and digital context. The findings demonstrate that the addition of an emotional emphasis of the cause will appeal to a wider population, independent of their current fashion behaviours, whereas simply mentioning the association to the cause but highlighting the products or fashion facet will influence Millennial women’s support for a fashion event depending on their levels of current fashion behaviours. Millennials should be recognized as a generation that values a sense of community. Marketing and public relations professionals should capitalize on this by incorporating inspirational, moving and empathetic content of the cause. It is more powerful in attracting a larger public than simply mentioning the cause on their Facebook pages. Evidently, practitioners from both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations can benefit from the results to develop effective communication strategies, and create social media pages and campaigns that will connect, engage and empower sub-groups of Millennial women.


identifier: Smart, Miles  (2014) A View into the Sahtu: Land Claims and Resource Development.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis examines the Sahtu region of the Northwest Territories and the Sahtu Dene and Metis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement as a unique example of Northern Aboriginal governance.  Attention is given to the political developments in Aboriginal/state relations which led to the contemporary relationship between the Sahtu regime, the Government of Canada, and the resource industry.  The role of culture and the land are explored which comes together to form the Sahtu deep view.  The Sahtu deep view is a pragmatic approach to government relations and resource development which invokes a profound cultural connection to the land and a parallel concern for the far future.  The town of Norman Wells in the Sahtu is examined to reveal its unique position as a resource development town and regional hub.  Specific examples of an oil exploration play and federal policy in land claim implementation are used as insights into how the Sahtu regime operates and its larger goals.


identifier: Masoudifar, Nassim  (2014) Monitoring Occupancy and Office Equipment Energy Consumption Using Real-Time Location System and Wireless Energy Meters.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Buildings are one of the major energy consumers because of the need to meet occupants’ requirements. The commercial/institutional sector accounted for 14% of total energy consumption in Canada in 2009 while office buildings consumed 35% of this amount. Auxiliary equipment used 19% of the total energy consumed in office buildings. Previous studies showed the impact of occupancy behavior on IT equipment energy consumption. This thesis proposes a new method for monitoring occupancy behavior and energy consumption of IT equipment. Two wireless sensor technologies are investigated to collect the required data and to build an occupancy behavior estimation profile: Ultra-Wideband Real-Time Location System for occupancy location monitoring and ZigBee wireless energy meters for monitoring the energy consumption of IT equipment. The occupancy monitoring data gained from the UWB are used to create the occupants’ hourly profile. The occupancy profile based on short-time monitoring can be used to simulate long-term energy consumption. In conclusion, the comparison between the results shows up to 11% and 24% saving for heating loads and cooling loads, respectively. The proposed method profiles also resulted in up to 65% and 78% reduction for lighting and IT equipment energy consumption in the office, respectively. Therefore, dynamic occupancy driven profiles will reduce the energy consumption.


identifier: Chen, Fei  (2014) Synthesis of Substituted Thienoisoquinolines by Atom-Effecient Palladium-Catalyzed Reactions.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Carbon-carbon (C-C) bonds are one of the most common bonds in nature and hence, the formation of C-C bond has always been of interest in synthetic chemistry. Consequently, numerous Pd-catalyzed C-C bond forming reactions, such as Kumada, Heck, Suzuki, Negishi, and Stille couplings, have been developed during the last decades. The majority of these methods can be used in the formation of biaryls and hetero-biaryls that are important moieties in pharmaceuticals and materials due to their special properties such as conjugated π systems and planar structures. Thiophene is one of the most important heteroarenes and is frequently used in the synthesis of biologically active compounds and fine chemicals.

As an example, the biologically active thienoisoquinoline scaffold (160), discovered by Wyeth, can be used as a potential therapeutic for inflammatory-related diseases such as atherosclerosis, type II diabetes, and cancer through the inhibition of nuclear factor NF-κB. The patented synthetic route to access the desired scaffold involves an eight-step reaction sequence including two Pd-catalyzed Suzuki coupling reactions. With increased emphasis on green chemistry, modular environmentally-friendly Pd-catalyzed C-C bond forming reactions, such as decarboxylative cross-coupling and C-H activation, have received increased attention in the past decade. These reactions do not require pre-functionalization of the coupling partners and do not produce high mass and stoichiometric by-products, therefore they can be employed to access scaffold (160) more efficiently. We developed two experimental approaches towards these thienoisoquinoline systems. A 5-step synthesis employing a Pd-catalyzed intramolecular decarboxylative cross-coupling (158 → 159) followed by direct C-H arylation (159 → 160). Alternatively, the palladium-catalyzed reactions can be telescoped to produce a one-pot sequence that provides efficient access to aryl-substituted thienoisoquinolines (158 → 160 directly). The work presented in this thesis demonstrates the applicability of decarboxylative and C-H activation couplings in the efficient synthesis of biologically important compounds. The synthesis of several analogues using both described methods will be presented and the advantages will be described. The one-pot method offers a convenient way to access this scaffold in excellent yields that avoids the longer synthetic route previously reported.


identifier: Butler, Jason D.  (2014) Navigating the Intersection of Education and Therapy in the Drama Therapy Classroom.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Ever since the profession of drama therapy was established, very little has been written about education and pedagogy within the field and the existing literature has been largely from the educator’s point of view.  With more drama therapy education programs being created and with recent growth in the field, a more explicit inquiry into drama therapy education is necessary.  This study aimed to address this gap in the literature and to begin exploring the topic of drama therapy education and pedagogy.  Drama therapy is an experiential form of therapy that utilizes a wide variety of embodied and dramatic approaches to serve various populations.  As a reflection of the modality, drama therapy education is also an embodied form of learning that incorporates multiple perspectives on experiential learning.  Due to its experiential nature, drama therapy education frequently evokes the personal affective material of students both intentionally and unintentionally, often causing complications for students and educators.
This research was a phenomenological study that examined the lived experience of drama therapy students in experiential learning processes that evoked and utilized their personal affective material.  Through the exploration of the phenomenon a model was created to describe the student experience, outlining expectations, responses, and consequences.  Most notably, the study examined the intersection of education and therapy within the drama therapy classroom as well as how this intersection can be navigated.  Also included in the study was a composite, fictional narrative that was used to further illustrate and give dimension to the phenomenon.
Recommendations from the study aimed at encouraging better communication, a stronger focus on pedagogy, more effective means of establishing and assessing competencies, more substantial incorporation of drama and theatre skills in the classroom, requirements of personal therapy for students and a clearer articulation of ethical practice within pedagogy.  The recommendations were seen as being applicable to fields beyond drama therapy including drama and theatre, counseling, psychotherapy, teacher education and human systems intervention.


identifier: Bergo Tremblay, Miriam  (2014) Clement of Alexandria and the Sibylline Oracles.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Clement of Alexandria, recognized as the most Greek among early Christian writers, is one of the patristic authors who quotes the Sibylline Oracles. Originally a collection of Greco-Roman oracles that were believed to have been uttered by the ancient prophetess Sibyl, the original Sibylline texts were a powerful tool for political and religious resistance throughout the Hellenistic world. The original oracles are not extant, but the Sibylline Oracles, a Judeo-Christian collection of pseudepigrapha oracles that closely mimic the original Greco-Roman Sibylline prophecies and which were believed to be authentic until the seventeenth century, has survived almost in its entirety, and is quoted by several patristic authors, including Clement.
The symbiosis between Clement and the Sibyl has been commonly exaggerated in scholarship until recently, perhaps blindfolded by the apparent positive treatment that Clement grants to the Sibyl – to the point of attributing to her the title of Hebrew prophetess – in comparison to other patristic authors. The present study focuses on the use of the Sibylline Oracles by Clement and his relationship with the Sibyl within his work and in relation to his overall rhetoric. Although the Sibyl played a prominent role in Clement’s discourse of Christian precedence and Christianity as an universal race, as one progresses through the three stages of his three-fold work – a trilogy comprising the Protrepticus, Pedagogus and Stromateis, which represented three different steps in the quest of Clement’s disciple towards becoming the true Gnostic – it becomes clear that Clement’s view on the Sibyl fluctuates, and is more complex than has previously been assumed.


identifier: Richard, Vincent Roy  (2014) Lithocholic Acid and Macromitophagy Regulate the Dynamics of Lipid Metabolism and Storage to Modulate Chronological Aging in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Abstract
Aging is a complex biological phenomenon that is caused by a multitude of extrinsic and intrinsic factors. At the level of the organism aging can be defined as the loss of resistance to factors promoting pathologies over time, while at the population level it is more accurately reflected by the increased mortality rate with the age of the population. Understanding the underlying intrinsic and extrinsic factors is key to understanding, and perhaps mitigating age-related functional decline. In our lab we use Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model organism for studying the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate cellular aging. In the course of my project I sought to investigate the role of mitochondrial quality control, as well as lipid metabolism and storage in regulating the aging process in yeast. We found that deletion of Atg32p shortened yeast chronological lifespan (CLS) under caloric restriction growth conditions and abrogated the life-extending capabilities of lithocholic acid (LCA) – a bile acid that extends CLS even under caloric restriction conditions.  Deletion of Atg32p also resulted in aberrant morphology, membrane lipid composition, and a reduction in the mitochondrial functional state.  To address why deletion of Atg32p negated the beneficial effects of LCA we sought to first locate into which subcellular compartment LCA accumulates. It was found that LCA enters yeast cells and accumulates largely in the inner mitochondrial membrane. I observed that treatment with LCA alters mitochondrial lipid composition, size, and morphology. In the atg32Δ deletion background, mitochondrial lipid composition was aberrant, and these cells were highly susceptible to both H2O2 induced apoptosis and fatty acid induced liponecrotic cell death.  From this I sought to understand the mechanisms through which exogenous monounsaturated fatty acids induced cell death. Using a combination of electron microscopy, biochemical assays, and mass spectrometry it was found that exogenous palmitoleic acid (POA) causes a type of cell death which is characterized by morphological and biochemical features which are unique from the three best characterized types of programmed cell death- apoptosis, necrosis, and autophagic cell death – and has henceforth been referred to as liponecrotic cell death. In addition to this, we showed that mitophagy as well as lipid storage pathways and peroxisomal beta-oxidation of free fatty acids are protective processes against POA induced programmed cell death.  Together this data allowed for the formulation of a working model integrating mitochondrial quality control processes and those involved in lipid metabolism and storage in mediating the regulation of chronological lifespan in yeast.


identifier: Wang, Li Ming  (2014) A new CAD/CAM/CAE integration approach to modelling flutes of solid end-mills.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Milling is used widely as an efficient machining process in a variety of industrial applications, such as the complex surface machining and removing large amounts of material.  Flutes make up the main part of the solid end-mill, which can significantly affect the tool’s life and machining quality in milling processes. The traditional method for end-mill flutes design is using try-errors based on cutting experiments with various flute parameters which is time- and resources-consuming. Hence, modeling the flutes of end-mill and simulating the cutting processes are crucial to improve the efficiency of end-mill design.  Generally, in industry, the flutes are ground by CNC grinding machines via setting the position and orientation of grinding wheel to guarantee the designed flute parameters including rake angle, relief angle, flute angle and core radius. However, in previous researches, the designed flute profile was ground via building a specific grinding wheel with a free-form profile in in the grinding processes. And the free-form grinding wheel will greatly increase the manufacturing cost, which is too complicated to implement in practice.  In this research, the flute-grinding processes were developed with standard grinding wheel via 2-axis or 5-axis CNC grinding operations.
For the 2-axis CNC flute-grinding processes, the flute was modelled via calculating the contact line between the grinding wheel and cutters. The flute parameters in terms of the dimension and configuration of grinding wheel were expressed explicitly, which can be used to planning the CNC programming.
For the 5-axis CNC flute-grinding processes, the flute was obtained with a cylinder grinding wheel via setting the wheel’s position and orientation rather than dressing the dimension of grinding wheel. In this processes, optimization method was used to determine the wheel’s position and orientation and evaluating the machined flute parameters. Beside, based on the proposed flute model, various conditions for grinding wheel’s setting were discussed to avoid interference of flute profile.
A free-form flute profile is consequently generated in its grinding processes. However, in the end-mill design, the flute profile is simplified with some arcs and lines to approximate the CAD model of end-mills, which would introduce errors in the simulation of cutting processes. Based on the proposed flute-grinding methods, a solid flute CAD model was built and a CAD/CAM/CAE integration approach for the end-mill was carried out to predict the cutting forces and tool deflection. And also, the prediction results with various methods are verified to demonstrate the advantage of proposed approach. This work lays a foundation of integration of CAD/CAM/CAE for the end-mill design and would benefit the industry efficiently.


identifier: Cabral, Raquel de Montalvão  (2014) Hardy Spaces and Differentiation of the Integral in the Product Setting.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This work concerns strong differentiation and operators on product Hardy spaces. We show, by counterexample, that strong differentiability of the integral fails even for functions in the intersection of  H_{rect}^{1}(\mathbb{R}×\mathbb{R}) with L(logL)^{ε}(\mathbb{R}^{2}) for all 0<ε<1. Our example is a modification of a function that appears in a work of J. M. Marstrand, where he makes a claim concerning” approximately independent sets”. We generalize his claim and, as a corollary, we obtain a version of the second Borel-Cantelli Lemma. In addition, we prove that a function f created by Papoulis to show that the strong differentiability of ∫f does not imply the same behavior for ∫|f|, belongs to the product Hardy space H_{rect}^{p}(\mathbb{R}×\mathbb{R}). The method that we develop to approach this example allows us to relax the sufficient conditions of the Chang-Fefferman atomic decomposition. In analogy with the proof of this result, we demonstrate that a theorem of R. Fefferman, which concludes H^{p}→L^{p}, 0<p≤1, boundedness of two-parameter operators from their behavior on rectangle atoms, can be generalized to settings with more parameters. This generalization enables us to extend a theorem of Pipher concerning boundedness of multiparameter Calderón-Zygmund operators from H^{p} to L^{p}. Furthermore, we present variants of Journé's Lemma, two of which hold for the product of \mathbb{R} with a metric measure space satisfying certain conditions.


identifier: Chagnon, Karina  (2014) La manipulation et la censure du discours queer dans la traduction française de deux séries télévisées: Les enjeux de la réception.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: La traduction d’objets télévisuels est chose courante et, pourtant, cette pratique fait intervenir des enjeux discursifs complexes, surtout lorsqu’il s’agit de traduire le discours marginal d’un public dominé, comme c’est le cas du discours queer. Les séries Queer as Folk et The L Word, des productions canado-américaines, ont eu l’effet d’une révolution télévisuelle lors de leur diffusion entre 2000 et 2009. Un discours queer revendicateur y était donné à voir à travers l’emploi du sociolecte queer et la présentation de thèmes au cœur des préoccupations des personnes queers, comme la sexualité, la représentation dans les médias, le brouillage des genres, l’homophobie et le sida. La présente recherche, avec son approche sociologique, vise à comparer les contextes de production et de réception des séries pour ensuite expliquer la stratégie générale de traduction vers le français, une traduction qui, au demeurant, démontre des tendances générales d’évacuation et de censure de la sexualité en plus d’un relèvement systématique du registre de langue. Une étude de la réception des séries, à partir de commentaires glanés sur des sites web et des blogues, est complétée par une analyse comparative du discours à l’aide de la linguistique queer portant sur une trentaine d’échantillons de dialogue tirés des séries.


identifier: Hussain, H M Ishrar  (2014) Linguistic Approaches for Early Measurement of Functional Size from Software Requirements.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The importance of early effort estimation, resource allocation and overall quality control in a software project has led the industry to formulate several functional size measurement (FSM) methods that are based on the knowledge gathered from software requirements documents. The main objective of this research is to develop a comprehensive methodology to facilitate and automate early measurement of a software's functional size from its requirements document written in unrestricted natural language. For the purpose of this research, we have chosen to use the FSM method developed by the Common Software Measurement International Consortium (COSMIC) and adopted as an international standard by the International Standardization Organization (ISO). This thesis presents a methodology to measure the COSMIC size objectively from various textual forms of functional requirements and also builds conceptual measurement models to establish traceability links between the output measurements and the input requirements. Our research investigates the feasibility of automating every major phase of this methodology with natural language processing and machine learning approaches.  The thesis provides a step-by-step validation and demonstration of the implementation of this innovative methodology. It describes the details of empirical experiments conducted to validate the methodology with practical samples of textual requirements collected from both the industry and academia. Analysis of the results show that each phase of our methodology can successfully be automated and, in most cases, leads to an accurate measurement of functional size.


identifier: Pawar, Neha  (2014) Managing High-Availability and Elasticity in a Cluster Environment.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Cloud computing is becoming popular in the computing industry. Elasticity and availability are two features often associated with cloud computing. Elasticity is defined as the automatic provisioning of resources when needed and de-provisioning of resources when they are not needed. Cloud computing offers the users the option of only paying for what they use and guarantees the availability of virtual infrastructure (i.e. virtual machines). The existing cloud solutions handle both elasticity and availability at the virtual infrastructure level through the manipulation, restart, addition and removal of virtual machines (VMs) as required. These solutions equate the application and its workload to the VMs that run the application. High-availability applications are typically composed of redundant resources, and recover from failures through failover mostly managed by a middleware. For such applications, handling elasticity at the virtual infrastructure level through the addition and removal of VMs is not enough, as the availability management in application level will not make use of additional resources. This requires new solutions that manage both elasticity and availability in application level. In this thesis, we provide a solution to manage the elasticity and availability of applications based on a standard middleware defined by the Service Availability Forum (SA Forum). Our solution manages application level elasticity through the manipulation of the application configuration used by the middleware to ensure service availability. For this purpose we introduce a third party, ‘Elasticity Engine’ (EE), that manipulates the application configuration used by the SA Forum middleware when a workload changes. This in turn triggers the SA Forum middleware to change the workload distribution in the system while ensuring service availability. We explore the SA Forum middleware configuration attributes that play a role in elasticity management, the constraints applicable to them, as well as their impact on the load distribution. We propose an overall architecture for availability and elasticity management for an SA Forum system. We design the EE architecture and behavior through a set of strategies for elasticity. The proposed EE has been implemented and tested.


identifier: Klimock, Jason  (2014) Beyond Beauty: A Philosophic Consideration of Victorian Era Atlantic Salmon Flies.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis developed out of an attempt to fuse my hobby of tying fishing flies with my academic pursuits in art history. I have made fishing flies based on the especially fancy patterns from the Victorian period for a number of years and was always left wondering why it was they were so fancy. With this as a starting point this thesis seeks to place these objects within the world of craft, in an art historical discourse. Beyond this simple goal however, I also use these objects as a way to discuss issues around how craft, particularly handicraft, is treated in an academic context. Craft is positioned as a category of art proper, in order that it might be pushed to the margins of artistic production. Further, craft itself is broken down into categories that are considered along hierarchical lines of legitimacy. In the Victorian period handicraft (also known as domestic craft) is typically cast as the domain of women and does not have the same level of legitimacy as the production of the Arts and Crafts movement, for example. Victorian Salmon flies, despite not yet figuring in an academic discourse, share marked similarities with handicrafts of the Victorian period. And here, even though both women and men made flies, men were the predominant consumers of these flies and we can consider that perhaps our view of handicraft as an exclusively gendered space might be slightly misplaced. Though salmon flies have a place next to handicraft, I also argue through this thesis that salmon flies - and by extension handicraft - have much in common with object of the Arts and Craft movement, as well as those made by industrial production. These similarities are indicative of larger social concerns that apply to all manner of crafted objects. I propose an alternative reading of these salmon flies that is not dependent on adherence to preexisting craft categories. Rather I propose a phenomenologically-influenced reading of these flies that treats pleasure as an integral component of their function. In this, I draw on the writings of Martin Heidegger to discuss how these flies can allow the user to come to experience their place in the world. Finally, I suggest that this line of inquiry into these objects can be applied to other types of neglected handicrafts.


identifier: Bui, Minh Nhat  (2014) Evaluating IP Multimedia Subsystem Performance.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
The IP Multimedia Subsystem has seen increasing deployment over the past few years. This also means that the number of subscribers has significantly increased. Thus IMS performance analysis becomes a critical area to be researched. There are various methods to conduct the system evaluation. Most of the previous work has concentrated solely on methodology models or physical system measurements. This thesis proposes a new model combining a queueing network model and physical system measurements to achieve a precise and realistic evaluation result.

The proposed model uses the concept of an open multi-class queueing network with heterogeneous requests. The requests enter IMS system at a Poisson distribution rate and are grouped into different classes. They travel within the queueing network with or without changing classes depending on which nodes are being processed. After passing through the required nodes, the requests exit the network. The serving time at each node is measured and the final system response time can then be derived using our formula. Our model can also predict the IMS saturation point over which the system becomes unstable. In addition, the CPU utilizations for each IMS component are derived. Based on these values, multiple IMS components can be efficiently grouped onto one machine to save system resource.

The proposed model is verified for the IMS registration, call setup and termination procedures in an IMS test-bed system. The measured and calculated performance results match precisely. In addition, the model can group multiple IMS components or can separate one IMS component into multiple logical components. This scalability is crucial in production systems where the number of components grows continuously. Service providers can use this model to study the message flows in their IMS network and see how the system responds when the traffic load changes.


identifier: Seddiki, Ons  (2014) Linking HOL Light to Mathematica using OpenMath.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
One of the most important benefits of using a theorem prover system is the absolute accuracy of the obtained result. However, solving mathematical problems
often requires both deductive reasoning and algebraic computation. This issue is due to the fact that many real-life problems can be described with equations for which
we cannot find easily symbolic (or closed-form) solutions and therefore we are not able to formalize them using the theorem prover. In other cases, some applications
require well developed libraries and a deep knowledge of the theories to formalize simple expressions. A straightforward way to overcome these issues is the use of
computer algebra systems or numerical approaches which are known to be the most efficient tools in symbolic computation. However, to preserve the soundness of the
computation, the results of these systems should be formally verified. In this thesis, we present a general architecture to connect HOL Light, a higher-order logic theorem prover, to any mechanized mathematical system that supports the mathematical standard OpenMath. We implemented a prototype, called HolMatica, which links HOL Light to the computer algebra system Mathematica through OpenMath. We
describe our implementation of a HOL Light translator which converts HOL Light statements into OpenMath object and vice-versa.


identifier: Merat, Pooya  (2014) SINGULARITY ANALYSIS AND WORKSPACE DETERMINATION OF PARALLEL MANIPULATORS: APPLICATIONS TO RECONFIGURABLE MANIPULATORS.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The reconfigurable manipulator with lockable cylindrical joints, proposed by Aghili [1], is a reconfigurable mechanism that offers robust reconfigurability for serial manipulators while adding minimal weight to the system. Such a design can be very advantageous in space applications where both dexterity and minimum weight are necessary. Analysis of singularities and workspace is necessary for control process of this manipulator. In this thesis, first, we present the literature on the singularity analysis of parallel manipulators and propose a numerical method for singularity avoidance. Then, a literature on workspace determination methods is presented and another numerical method for workspace analysis is proposed. Both of these methods are applicable to a specific class of parallel manipulators including the reconfigurable manipulator with lockable cylindrical joints. The singularity avoidance technique is based on estimating the closest singular configuration in the workspace. The results of this method are compared to two other related methods and the advantages and disadvantages of the method are discussed. The second proposed method is towards the workspace determination of manipulators. Workspace determination can be used in the design stage or in control. Results for several case studies are illustrated and the advantages and limitations of this method are discussed. As a complementary contribution to this thesis, a Matlab package has been also developed as a modeling and simulation test-bed for this type of reconfigurable manipulators.


identifier: Alvandi, Mohammadhossein  (2014) Delay Optimization in Multi-Hop Wireless Networks with Network Coding and Successive Interference Cancellation.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Wireless networks consist of a number of nodes, which communicate with each other over wireless channels. Unlike wired-networks, wireless networks have limited bandwidth, and are much more susceptible to environmental effects such as wireless interference. As a result, it is difficult to transmit information reliably at high data rates. The problem is further compounded by the quality of service (QoS) requirements such as minimum delay and maximum throughput imposed by current and future applications. That said, recent advances in coding techniques, communication protocols and architectures give the promise of future wireless networks that will proliferate high quality wireless applications.
Network coding (NC) and successive interference cancellation (SIC) have been shown to improve the throughput of multi-hop wireless networks (MWNs). NC enables a node to transmit multiple packets concurrently as a single coded packet, while SIC allows multi-packet reception (MPR) by removing interference. However, emphasis of the work done so far has been determining maximum throughput of such networks without giving consideration to QoS requirements. Maximization of the throughput may lead to paths in the network that experiences very high packet delays. The objective of this thesis is the minimization of average packet delay in a MWN for a given traffic demand matrix with joint application of NC and SIC techniques.
We formulate a cross-layer optimization that performs scheduling, routing, and more importantly capacity allocation in a way that the average packet delay is minimized. Our optimization model considers thoroughly all feasible NC and MPR opportunities in the network and allows nodes to encode up to 4 packets together.
We consider a network that uses conflict-free scheduling and has multi-path routing capability. The method is valid both in the presence and the absence of opportunistic listening on any wireless network topology and any pattern of traffic. We present numerical results to evaluate the performance of the proposed scheme. The results are also compared to that of the previous studies that treat NC and SIC separately. Our findings indicate that significant throughput improvement can be achieved by a winning combination of NC and SIC techniques.


identifier: Chalise, Anupama  (2014) Selection of Sustainability Indicators for Wastewater Treatment Technologies.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Wastewater treatment systems must be measured and assessed in terms of its sustainability performance and to enable continuous improvement over the long term. This work involves the selection of indicators and methodologies used for incorporating sustainability consideration into the design of wastewater treatment module. The GoldSET is a decision support tool for development and implementation of sustainability in engineering projects. Following the findings of the indicators for a new wastewater treatment module, this thesis aims to contribute to these activities for the development of sustainable indicators as the tool for assessment improvements. These indicators are developed especially for the industrial wastewater treatment module but may be also suitable for municipal wastewater treatment. It proposes a general framework with a relatively simple, yet comprehensive set of indicators for identification of more sustainable practises for WWTP. The framework consists of a number of qualitative and quantitative indicators comprising the four dimensions of sustainability: environment, society, economy and technology. It then describes the weighing scheme which provides a mechanism to assess the performance of each option with respect to indicator. The largest and most balanced square with respect to the four apexes of environment, social, economic and technical performances gives the most sustainable option. Thus, it serves as a tool which can assist companies in accessing their performance regarding their goals and objectives in the field of sustainable development.


identifier: Zhou, Biru  (2014) Culture, Self, and Their Mutual Influences on Social Anxiety and Social Support.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Sociocultural contexts provide frameworks with which people attempt to make sense of the world. Different sociocultural contexts foster different views of the self and how the self is related to others (Markus & Kitayama, 1991, 2010). Self and sociocultural context are deeply interrelated, and have a joint mutual influences on both psychological processes and overt social beahviours. This dissertation presents two manuscripts that showcase different methodological and analytical approaches to the unpacking of cultural variations in social anxiety and social support processes.
Manuscript 1 presents two self-report based studies that examine the mediating effects of self-construals and intolerance of uncertainty for cultural variations on social
anxiety and the offensive-type of Taijin Kyofusho (OTKS). A two cultural group comparison (i.e., Euro-Canadians vs. Chinese migrants) in Study 1, and a three cultural
group comparison (i.e., Euro-Canadians vs. Chinese vs. Japanese) in Study 2 were used to analyze the same mediation model. Results showed that there are significant
differences among these different cultural groups on both social anxiety and OTKS, and that theses variations can be explained via different mediators. Both studies
demonstrated that there are both psychological universality and cultural variations for social anxiety and OTKS in different cultural contexts.
Manuscript 2 examined how social support experiences are influenced by friendship qualities, gender and cultural effects. Social support experiences can be best
understood within different levels of social complexity from Hinde (1987). This study combined the conceptual approach of Hinde with the analytical approach of the Actor-
Partner Interdependence Model (Kenny, Kashy, & Cook, 2006) to scrutinize both actor and partner effects during social support interactions among same-sex peers in two cultural contexts (i.e., Euro-Canadian vs. Chinese). Results indicated that friendship qualities predicted different support seeking (direct vs. indirect) and support provision (supportive vs. negative) styles. Cultural and gender variations also influenced support seeking and provision behaviours interpersonally and intrapersonally, after controlling for the nonindependence between the support seeker and the helper. These two manuscripts illustrated the endeavour to bridge theoretical, conceptual, and methodological frameworks in order to unpack the influences of culture and the self on psychological processes and social behaviours.


identifier: Siddiqui, Hassaan  (2014) UWB RTLS for Construction Equipment Localization: Experimental Performance Analysis and Fusion with Video Data.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Construction sites are well known for their dynamic and challenging nature. Several researchers are investigating the application of various Real-time Location Systems (RTLSs) for improving the safety and productivity of construction projects. When integrated with real-time data analysis systems, RTLS can contribute to make the construction environment smarter and safer by identifying safety hazards and inefficient resource configurations. Previous research shows that the Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology, an emerging type of RTLS, is suitable for the identification and tracking of construction resources. However, a thorough study to evaluate the impact of the factors that affect the performance of the UWB RTLS in construction projects is still required. This research investigates the performance of UWB RTLSs in indoor and outdoor environments along with the evaluation of the factors which affect their performance. Moreover, the harsh environment of construction sites and the complex nature of construction projects provide numerous challenges for an individual technology to deliver accurate information in a timely manner. Therefore, this research also proposes a Multi-Sensor Data Fusion (MSDF) approach which leverages the benefits of video recording and image processing as a complimentary data source. It was found that the UWB RTLS is an effective tool to monitor construction resources; however, some of the UWB data can be missing or erroneous and the quality of the data can be improved by applying a suitable data enhancement method to accurately localize construction equipment. Furthermore, it was noted that the MSDF approach has the potential to better localize construction equipment by overcoming the limitations of UWB RTLS.


identifier: Arsic, Alexander  (2014) Self-Directed Learning in an International Baccalaureate High School Class.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Self-directed learning is an adult-education concept that suggests that a learner should maintain control over all aspects of a learning activity. In an effort to examine self-directed learning in a high school environment, this study utilized document analyses and direct observation to evaluate the dimensions of learner control (conative, algorithmic, semiotic, and economic) in a secondary five International Baccalaureate classroom. Following an observation of approximately five weeks and a thorough analysis of readily available documents pertaining to the International Baccalaureate programme, the degree of learner control in each of the four dimensions was discussed. Although the degree of learner control varied depending on many aspects, the principal finding of this study is related to the concept of classroom energy. The energy of the classroom and the way teachers responded to this energy was found to greatly influence the degree of learner control of the students. This implies that teachers need to be aware of this energy and work with what students bring to the classroom to allow for the highest amount of learner control in all the dimensions.


identifier: Moghtadai, Mehran  (2014) Partial Hedging of Equity-Linked Products in the Presence of Policyholder Surrender Using Risk Measures.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Throughout the past couple of decades, the surge in the sale of equity linked products has led to many discussions on the valuation of surrender options embedded in these products. However, most studies treat such options as American/Bermudian style options. In this thesis, a different approach is presented where only a portion of the policyholders react optimally, due to the belief that not all policyholders are rational. Through this method, a probability of surrender is found and the product is partially hedged by iteratively reducing the measure of risk to a non-positive value. This partial hedging framework is versatile since few assumptions are made. To demonstrate this, the initial capital requirement for an equity linked product is found under a bivariate equity/interest model with a copula based dependence structure. A numerical example is presented in order to demonstrate some of the dynamics of this valuation method. In addition, a surprising result is found during the adjustment of the surrender parameters which directly implies that under a particular valuation method, an increased number of policy surrenders causes a drop in the initial capital requirement. This counter-intuitive result is directly caused by the partial hedging method.


identifier: Garcia Martinez, Salvador  (2014) Using Commercial Games to Support Teaching in Higher Education.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Commercial games are those that are distributed primarily for entertainment. Because of their immersive and engaging characteristics, they are often used as teaching tools in Higher Education. However, it is not clear exactly how faculty members incorporate the games to their courses. This study analyzes the way commercial video games are used as an instructional tool in Higher Education.

This study took a qualitative multiple-case approach. Three cases were studied pertaining to the games Minecraft, World of Warcraft, and SimCity. Fourteen faculty members who have used commercial video games as part of their courses were interviewed. Courses’ syllabi, calendars, and descriptions of assignments were also considered.

Results of this study show that participants are influenced by their experience, personal and research interests, perceptions, and popularity of the games. Participants used the games as different types of media such as video, virtual environments or simulations. Participants tended to choose the game first, then figured out the pedagogy.  They integrated the games at different levels: to illustrate something, as an object of study, as a context for class related activities, as a production tool, and as a context to apply theory.

Overall, participants’ experiences using the games for teaching was positive but the majority only used games to support the teaching of lower order thinking skills and many did not proceed with game play according to pedagogical practices recommended by education specialists. Opportunities and limitations were specific to each game with the exception of technical issues and lack of informational resources on how to play the games.


identifier: Jacob, Marie-Jeanne  (2014) Learning to Make, Making to Learn Comics Creation: The Intrinsic Educational Qualities Contained within Comics and their formation.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
This thesis is a heuristic self-study investigating the educational qualities contained within comics and their formation, demonstrating how and what I learned by participating in their creation, the nature of my learning in these instances, and the implications of this for me as an art educator. The research explores comics within the contexts of creation, learning, tacit knowledge, mental health and flow states.
	By creating comics during immersive periods of between 24 and 48 hours, (reflecting my own creative process,) I apply my experiences to further my learning. I then develop and modify my approach to improve my creative process, adding to the pedagogical experience of comics creation. This subsequently assists the development of a deeper understanding of the making and creative process.
	Examining my experiences throughout the learning process invariably related to the fact that I suffer from depression; Through the creation of comics and my thesis, my private struggle with depression becomes public. This realization in turn leads me to transformative theory, an approach which through critical reflection and self-examination transforms how one makes meaning. As a result of process and created circumstance I also experience flow states and review these as positive optimal experiences, resulting in high performance.
	Considering the pedagogical potential of my experience I explore the concept of art as a research tool, to the point of illustrating my thesis.


identifier: Majumdar, Suryadipta  (2014) On End-to-end encryption for Cloud-based Services.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Cloud-based services are now an integral part of everyday lives of many users.
Indeed, users who do not use Facebook, Gmail, Dropbox, GoogleDrive, QQ, Baidu or
similar services are now a rarity. These services offer seamless integration of
user data with multiple user-owned devices, reliable online backup, and enable
easy and instant communications between users. Such features, at an affordable
price of zero dollars,  make these services very popular, even though they are
an antithesis to user privacy, and help create large-scale surveillance programs
such as NSA PRISM. Several mechanisms have been proposed and implemented to make
these services privacy-friendly. Most past proposals rely on public key systems
with user-managed private keys, or password-based symmetric encryption.
We explore a symmetric-key approach without password-derived keys
 to facilitate end-to-end encryption of
stored user data (e.g., cloud storage) and communication messages (e.g.,
web-based email). We propose Keyfob, a key management scheme for easy key
transfer between user-owned devices, and between users. Keyfob uses high-entropy
random keys for encryption instead of password-derived keys, and leverages
DH-EKE (Bellovin and Merritt, IEEE S&P 1992) with weak secrets for secure key
transfer. Each user needs to manage one user-master key, and all other keys are
derived from that master key or a pair-wise shared master key. We implemented Keyfob
as a Firefox extension using the Firefox Sync service, which implements an EKE
variant. Keyfob can make several applications and services privacy-friendly, if
appropriate intermediate layers are implemented, e.g., as plugins between a
target cloud-service application and the Keyfob extension. We have implemented
two such plugins to support encrypted Dropbox (in desktop and Android) and Gmail
(in desktop). Our hope in proposing Keyfob with a symmetric-key approach is to
highlight challenges in such a lesser-explored mechanism, and  attract
researchers towards the long-standing problem of enabling end-to-end encryption
in a cloud-dominated environment.


identifier: Megelas, Alex  (2014) Power Up! Learning in a Hackerspace.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: Power Up! Learning in a Hackerspace

abstract:
This qualitative research project considers the acquisition of technological literacy in the lived, physical context of the Foulab hackerspace, a community of practice located in Montreal, Quebec.

	Hackerspaces are an offshoot of hacker culture. They are physical sites (garages, lofts) where individuals who sometimes self-identify as hackers come together to share tools and knowledge, and collaborate on projects of a technological nature. As educational communities, hackerspaces are member-led and member-funded. Initiatives stemming from hackerspaces including computer programming, electrical design and small electronics projects.
Power Up! participants were six individuals, including the lead researcher, who all identified themselves as having experienced barriers to engaging with technology. The research objective was to see how (if) Foulab would contribute to participants overcoming their reluctances, successfully complete a project and in so doing, acquire mastery over the tools and knowledge required.
Participants were required to design and build a bicycle-powered electricity generator with the support of the Foulab membership, facilities and tools.

While the project was successfully completed, there were clashes between the lab and Power Up! project which prevented the project from being fully integrated into Foulab. The research project documents this and how, as a result, Power Up! grew into its own peer-based learning community.

Participants met at Foulab weekly for ten weeks. At the onset of the project, participants were asked to take part in a written reflection and a group conversation in order to consider their prior and current engagement with technology.

Participants then began to develop a methodology for working together that first saw them engage in research into the theoretical fundamentals of electrical conductivity and electrical project design. They then came up with a design for the bicycle-powered generator and gathered the tools and parts necessary to assemble it.
This process, and the participants' engagement with each other and with Foulab, was documented in field notes by the lead researcher. At the conclusion of the project, participants took part in a group discussion to reflect on the experience.


identifier: Al-Fanek, Issa  (2014) Collaborative Coding Techniques with Analog Network Coding in Wireless Y-Channel-Relay Networks.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: After channel coding reached near Shannon-limit performance with the introduction of Turbo codes and Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) codes, research moved on to network coding techniques to enhance overall network performance. The most recent and novel of those approaches is the idea of Physical (Analog) Network Coding which embraces interference from other users, mixes signals in the channel rather than in a relay, and can theoretically increase throughput in the two-way relay channel by up to two folds. In this thesis, we explore this idea, and analyze the theoretical gains of using network coding in a Y-Channel problem - where three users communicate through a common relay. We study existing collaborative coding techniques for the Y-Channel like nested recursive convolutional codes, and Combined Network Channel (CNC). After that, we introduce enhanced nested codes based on turbo codes that achieve good performance in poor SINR conditions. In addition, we propose a novel equal-rate collaborative coding scheme based on algebraic linear block codes. This scheme is simpler to implement than CNC, yet its burst-traffic performance is better than any of the studied solutions. In theory, this code reduces the number of transmission timeslots by up to three folds. Finally, we put forward practical scenarios where physical network coding can be harnessed – mainly in Long Term Evolution (LTE) Multicast (eMBMS), and opportunistic routing in Wireless Mesh Networks.


identifier: Ivanescu, Matei-Alexandru  (2014) Manganese as secondary electron donor in native bacterial reaction centers.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Abstract
Manganese as secondary electron donor in native bacterial reaction centers
Matei-Alexandru Ivanescu

Catalytic water splitting by oxygenic photosynthetic organisms has provided a primary energy source for sustaining life for over 2 billion years. The incorporation of manganese ions by primitive photoautotrophs represents an evolutionary breakthrough in the transition from anoxygenic to oxygenic photosynthesis. This study presents the first time observation of electron donation from manganese to the oxidized dimer in native bacterial reaction centers. This has been achieved by simultaneously fulfilling three requirements: i) lowering the oxidation/reduction potential of the Mn2+ ions by coordination with bis-tris propane to as low as 332 mV ii) elevating the potential of the dimer by ~60 mV, and iii) increasing the lifetime of the  charge-separated state. Kinetic analysis revealed that the first-order electron transfer proceeds with time constant of ~83 ms and the bound manganese must be about 22 Ǻ away from the dimer. Changes in dipole moments of the bacteriochlorophyll monomers and the change of the polarizability of the dimer upon manganese binding suggest that Mn2+ could bind in two solvent-accessible cavities near the two monomers. Measurements of electron transfer from cyt c22+ to P+ in an environment with high Mn2+ concentration reveal a disruption of the function of the natural secondary electron donor for the BRC which could have profound implications regarding the aforementioned evolutionary transition.


identifier: Ives, Charles  (2014) Plato’s Timaeus: Physics for the Sake of Philosophy.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: It should be reasonable to think of the Timaeus as an exposition on physics or, what I consider to be synonymous, cosmology.  Such a view, in fact, is a constant in commentary on the dialogue.  What is less prevalent, I find, is prolonged attention to why cosmology is at issue in the first place, and in this dissertation, at the most general level, I am filling in for this lack of attention. The Timaeus is not solely a physical treatise.  Rather, it is part of a larger multifaceted narrative.  As we learn at the outset of the dialogue, the previous day Timaeus and his cohort, which includes most notably, Critias, ask Socrates to offer his views on the nature of the ideal city.  Socrates accepts but asks the group to reciprocate with a story about his city at war.  They agree and the following day return to tell the story.  When digging deeper, we see that Socrates is asking more specifically for an encomium to his city that highlights not only its actions in war but also its warriors’ education as philosophers.  Critias, who spearheads the response, recognizes these details though instead of offering a story entirely his own, he draws on Solon’s account of the culture of ancient Athens and its battle with Atlantis.  This account includes not only the martial component of the encomium but also specifics about the Athenian warriors’ education which, as it turns out, is centered on the study of the kosmos.  In the end, Critias and Timaeus split the task of presenting Solon’s account.  Critias will relay the story about the Athenian warriors’ victory but only after Timaeus, who shows cognizance of both Socrates’ interest in philosophy and the ancient Athenians study of the kosmos, presents an account of the cosmological education of philosophers.  Thus, my most comprehensive contention is that the physical views expressed in the Timaeus are first and foremost the substance of an educational program that acts as the gateway to philosophy and consequently to superior philosopher-warriors, and I spend the majority of the dissertation unpacking this claim.