identifier: Hijazi, Nour  (2017) Charge Carrier Transport and Photogeneration at Very High Electric Fields in Amorphous Selenium.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
The flat-panel digital X-ray detectors (e.g. amorphous selenium, a-Se, based detectors) are replacing the film-based technology in various diagnostic medical imaging modalities such as mammography and chest radiography.  Whereas, there is a huge demand for lowering the irradiation dose in various medical imaging modalities, the present flat-panel digital X-ray imaging technology is severely challenged under low dose conditions. To date, amorphous selenium (a-Se) is one of the most highly developed photoconductors used in digital X-ray imaging, which exhibits impact ionization and usuable carrier multiplication. The viability of avalanche multiplication can increase the signal strength and improve the signal to noise ratio for application in low dose medical X-ray imaging detectors. In spite of the interesting outlook of a-Se, some of its fundamental properties are still not fully understood. Specifically, an understanding of carrier transport at extremely high field in a-Se is in a very premature state. Therefore, an extensive research work is vital to clearly understand the fundamental underlying physics of carrier generation, multiplication, and transport mechanisms in a-Se.
 	In this dissertation, a physics-based model is developed to investigate the mechanisms of the electric field and temperature dependent effective drift mobility of holes and electrons and also the impact ionization in a-Se. The models consider the density of states distribution near the band edges, field enhancement release rate from the shallow traps, and carrier heating. The lucky-drift model for a-Se is developed based on the observed field dependent microscopic mobility. The validation of the developed models via comparison with the experimental data verifies the mechanisms behind the electric field and temperature dependent behaviours of impact ionization coefficient in a-Se. The density of state function near the band edges, consisting of an exponential tail and a Gaussian peak, successfully described the electric field and temperature-dependent effective drift mobility characteristics in a-Se.
The photogeneration efficiency in a-Se under optical excitation strongly depends on photon wavelength and electric field. A physics-based model is proposed to investigate the physical mechanism of charge carrier photogeneration in a-Se under high electric fields. The exact extension of Onsager theory can explain the photogeneration efficiency in a-Se at extremely high electric field.
	The mechanism of carrier recombination following X-ray excitation and hence the evaluation of electric field and X-ray photon energy dependent electron-hole pair (EHP) creation energy (amount of energy needed to produce a detectable free EHP upon the absorption of an X-ray photon) in a-Se have been topics of a very vital debate over the last two decades. These issues are addressed in this thesis. Towards this end, a physics-based analytical model is developed via incorporating a few valid assumptions to study the initial recombination mechanisms of X-ray generated EHPs in a-Se. The analytical model is later verified by a full phase numerical model, considering three-dimensional coupled continuity equations of electrons and holes under carrier drift, diffusion and bimolecular recombination.  The corresponsding calculations of EHP creation energy with wide variations of X-ray energy, electric field and temperature are verified with respect to the available published experimental data. According to this, it is found that the columnar recombination model is capable of describing the electric field, temperature and photon energy dependent EHP creation energy in a-Se for high-energy photons.
	The theoretical work of this thesis unveil the physics of the charge carrier transport and photogeneration mechanisms in a-Se at very high electric fields, which is vital to optimum design of avalanche a-Se detectors. This work will also provide a guideline for further improvement of the radiation imaging detectors.


identifier: Martin, Matthew  (2017) The Role of Attention in Perceiving Multiple Visual Dimensions: Testing Boolean Map Theory Using a Summary Statistics Paradigm.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

type: Thesis NonPeerReviewed

abstract: It has been demonstrated that observers are able to extract the statistical properties of a set of objects, such as the mean size of a set of circles, with surprising efficiency. However, debate surrounds the role of attention in this process, with some theorists claiming that it is ‘automatic’ and done ‘in parallel’, arising from a ‘preattentive’ processing stage. Conversely, other theorists claim that there is a limited attentional capacity for the perception of summary statistics. Further, there is more specific debate surrounding the processes by which summary statistics are computed across different dimensions of visual features simultaneously, such as mean orientation and size. Some findings suggest a cost of encoding two dimensions simultaneously (Emmanouil & Treisman, 2008), whereas others have found evidence of unlimited capacity encoding (Attarha & Moore, 2015b). The Boolean map theory of visual attention would claim that the limiting attentional factor in perceiving multiple visual dimensions simultaneously is stimulus exposure duration. In the current study, participants were shown a set of stimuli which varied in colour, orientation, and size for a fixed exposure duration of 200ms. They were tasked with attending to either one, two, or all three dimensions present in the stimuli. Results indicated that psychophysical performance decreased in terms of both decreased accuracy and increased response times as the number of dimensions attended to increased. The results suggest a bottleneck of selective attention caused by a fixed and difficult exposure duration, consistent with the predictions of Boolean map theory.


identifier: Zhang, Mengyuan  (2017) Network Security Metrics: Estimating the Resilience of Networks Against Zero Day Attacks.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Computer networks are playing the role of nervous systems in many critical infrastructures, governmental and military organizations, and enterprises today. Protecting such mission critical networks means more than just patching known vulnerabilities and deploying firewalls or IDSs. Proper metrics are needed in evaluating the security level of networks and provide security enhanced solutions. However, without considering unknown zero-day vulnerabilities, security metrics are insufficient to capture the true security level of a network. My Ph.D's work is aiming to develop a series of novel network security metrics with a special focus on modeling zero day attacks and study the relationships between  software features and vulnerabilities.

In the first work, we take the first step toward formally modeling network diversity as a security metric by designing and evaluating a series of diversity metrics. In particular, we first devise a biodiversity-inspired metric based on the effective number of distinct resources. We then propose two complementary diversity metrics, based on the least and the average attacking efforts, respectively.

In the second topic, we lift the attack surface concept, which calculates the intrinsic properties of software applications, to the network level as a security metric for evaluating the resilience of networks against potential zero day attacks. First, we develop models for aggregating the attack surface among different resources inside a network. Second, we design heuristic algorithms to avoid the costly calculation of attack surface.

Predicting and studying the software vulnerability both help administrators to improve security deployment for their organizations and to choose the right applications among  those with similar functionality, and for the software vendors to estimate the security level of their software applications. In the third topic, we perform a large-scale empirical study on datasets from GitHub and different versions of  Chrome to study the relationship between software features and the number of vulnerabilities. This study quantitatively demonstrates the importance of features in the vulnerability discovery process based on machine learning techniques, which provides inputs for network level security metrics. Those features could serve as inputs for future network security metrics.


identifier: Xiao, Xuemei  (2018) The Relationship between Futures Market Speculation and Spot Market Volatility.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis investigates the relationship between speculation in futures markets and expected and unexpected volatility in the spot markets for 21 different commodities. I use the index of adequate speculation, INDADSP, and the index of excess speculation, INDEXSP, developed and estimated by Shanker (2017), to capture the degree of speculation required to meet hedging demand, and the degree of speculation in excess of hedging demand, respectively. For comparison, I also use Working’s (1960) speculative index T, as a measure of speculation. I estimate the expected volatility (EV) and unexpected volatility (UEV) of the spot market using a GARCH model. The empirical results indicate that the GJR-GARCH model with a Student’s t distribution for the error term is the most appropriate model, among the GARCH-family of models, to capture the volatility of 17 of the 21 spot commodity returns. However, the results of feeder cattle indicate the exists of serial correlation of the residuals for all three GARCH model I used, so I drop it and do the further analysis for the rest of 20 commodities and financial contracts. For each commodity, I create time series of matched weekly indices of speculation, expected volatility and unexpected volatility. Next, I investigate the long-run and short-run relationships between volatilities and speculation using an autoregressive distributed lag model. The results indicate that there is a long term relationship between expected and unexpected volatility and the speculative indices, for all commodities, except the Euro, Eurodollar, and U.S. T-bond, and a short term relationship between volatilities and speculation for all commodities. Finally, I apply the Toda-Yamamoto test to investigate the causal relationship between speculation in futures markets and volatility in spot markets.  I find that speculation tends to lead expected volatility more than unexpected volatility for the majority of commodities/financial assets. Expected volatility, rather than unexpected volatility, tends to lead speculation for a majority of commodities/financial assets. There is a bidirectional causality between expected volatility and INDADSP, INDEXSP, and T and between unexpected volatility and INDEXSP for several different commodities and financial assets. However, there is no bidirectional causality between unexpected volatility and the speculative indices INDADSP and T for all 20 commodities/financial assets.


identifier: King, Matthew  (2018) The Profitable Purity of Robert Redford: Authenticity, Auteur Capital, and the Sundance Film Festival.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis, through the relationship between actor-director Robert Redford and the Sundance Film Festival, examines the dynamic between filmmakers and film festivals, and the effect the former can have on the latter's public perception. Scholarship on the ties between festivals and filmmakers has been limited, often using Pierre Bourdieu's concepts of field, capital, and habitus to focus on the festival's ability to imbue a director with legitimacy and capital. While this study also uses Bourdieu's theories as a foundation for understanding film festivals, it ultimately filters these concepts through a lens of star and auteur studies to look at the relationship the other way around: that is, how an auteur-star like Redford might affect a festival like Sundance, both economically and culturally. Through closely examining the constructed images of both Redford and Sundance, this study posits that the actor-director brings his prestige and legitimacy--that is, his auteur capital--to bear on the Festival, and therefore affects its public understanding, as well as its values, norms, and practices. Sundance is a bundle of contradictions, each of which points to a habitus of paradoxical beliefs in Redford, which, in turn, reflects and reinforces a dominant society built out of oppositional forces. By comprehending how the public vision of festivals like Sundance can be affected by the popular perception of auteur-stars like Redford, this thesis will further bring light to the economic, political, and cultural relationships and hierarchies at work in such events.


identifier: Dawood, Thikra  (2017) Integrated Condition Assessment of Subway Networks Using Computer Vision and Nondestructive Evaluation Techniques.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Subway networks play a key role in the smart mobility of millions of commuters in major metropolises. The facilities of these networks constantly deteriorate, which may compromise the integrity and durability of concrete structures. The ASCE 2017 Report Card revealed that the condition of public transit infrastructure in the U.S. is rated D-; hence a rehabilitation backlog of $90 billion is estimated to improve transit status to good conditions. Moreover, the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) reported 56.6 billion CAD in infrastructure needs for the period 2014-2018. The inspection and assessment of metro structures are predominantly conducted on the basis of Visual Inspection (VI) techniques, which are known to be time-consuming, costly, and qualitative in nature. The ultimate goal of this research is to develop an integrated condition assessment model for subway networks based on image processing, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) techniques. Multiple image processing algorithms are created to enhance the crucial clues associated with RGB images and detect surface distresses. A complementary scheme is structured to channel the resulted information to Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) and Regression Analysis (RA) techniques. The ANN model comprises sequential processors that automatically detect and quantify moisture marks (MM) defects. The RA model predicts spalling/scaling depth and simulates the de-facto scene by developing a hybrid algorithm and interactive 3D presentation. In addition, a comparative analysis is performed to select the most appropriate NDE technique for subway inspection. This technique is applied to probe the structure and measure the subsurface defects. Also, a novel model for the detection of air voids and water voids is proposed. The Fuzzy Inference System (FIS), Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS), and Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) are streamlined through successive operations to create the integrated condition assessment model. To exemplify and validate the proposed methodology, a myriad of images and profiles are collected from Montréal Metro systems. The results ascertain the efficacy of the developed detection algorithms. The attained recall, precision, and accuracy for MM detection algorithm are 93.2%, 96.1%, and 91.5% respectively. Whereas for spalling detection algorithm, are 91.7%, 94.8%, and 89.3% respectively. The mean and standard deviation of error percentage in MM region extraction are 12.2% and 7.9% respectively. While for spalling region extraction, they account for 11% and 7.1% respectively. Subsequent to selecting the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) for subway inspection, attenuation maps are generated by both the amplitude analysis and image-based analysis. Thus, the deteriorated zones and corrosiveness indices for subway elements are automatically computed. The ANN and RA models are validated versus statistical tests and key performance metrics that indicated the average validity of 96% and 93% respectively. The air/water voids model is validated through coring samples, camera images, infrared thermography and 3D laser scanning techniques. The validation outcomes reflected a strong correlation between the different results. A sensitivity analysis is conducted showing the influence of the studied subway elements on the overall subway condition. The element condition index using neuro-fuzzy technique indicated different conditions in Montréal subway systems, ranging from sound concrete to very poor, represented by 74.8 and 35.1 respectively. The fuzzy consolidator extrapolated the subway condition index of 61.6, which reveals a fair condition for Montréal Metro network. This research developed an automated tool, expected to improve the quality of decision making, as it can assist transportation agencies in identifying critical deficiencies, and by focusing constrained funding on most deserving assets.


identifier: Laleh, Touraj  (2018) Context Verification and Adaptation in Web Service Composition.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Automatic web-service composition aims at automating the design of an appropriate combination of existing web services to achieve a global goal. Most proposed AWSC approaches only consider input/output parameters and quality features of services. However, most real-world web services have applicable conditions and require constraints to be considered according to the execution context of composite services. Constraint verification has a significant impact on the composition and execution of composite services. In particular, runtime verification of service constraints can result in the failure of the execution of composite services and eventually waste computational resources and may incur monetary costs. In addition, traditional adaptation approaches for web service composition consider recovery in case of failure when a service becomes unavailable. They do not take into account changes and limitations in service execution environment which potentially can affect the execution of a wide range of services. Externally-defined constraints are likely to be defined and become or cease to be applicable after the composite service has been deployed.
In this thesis, we propose a novel approach to model and verify different types of constraints inside composite services. We not only consider input/output parameters but also the values that can be assigned to parameters during design and execution of composite services.
In addition, we provide novel failure recovery and adaptation approaches for different types of constraints according to the execution context of composite services. In our solution, we develop a new structure including alternative composite services to recover broken composite services and adapt to external constraints. We finally propose a brokerage architecture including all proposed approaches for constraint-aware service composition and adaptation.


identifier: El-Zahab, Samer ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5242-3791 <https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5242-3791>  (2018) Detection and Localization of Leaks in Water Networks.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Today, 844 million humans around the world have no access to safe drinking water. Furthermore, every 90 seconds, one child dies from water-related illnesses. Major cities lose 15% - 50% of their water and, in some cases, losses may reach up to 70%, mostly due to leaks. Therefore, it is paramount to preserve water as an invaluable resource through water networks, particularly in large cities in which leak repair may cause disruption. Municipalities usually tackle leak problems using various detection systems and technologies, often long after leaks occur; however, such efforts are not enough to detect leaks at early stages. Therefore, the main objectives of the present research are to develop and validate a leak detection system and to optimize leak repair prioritization.
The development of the leak detection models goes through several phases: (1) technology and device selection, (2) experimental work, (3) signal analysis, (4) selection of parameters, (5) machine learning model development and (6) validation of developed models. To detect leaks, vibration signals are collected through a variety of controlled experiments on PVC and ductile iron pipelines using wireless accelerometers, i.e., micro-electronic mechanical sensors (MEMS). The signals are analyzed to pinpoint leaks in water pipelines. Similarly, acoustic signals are collected from a pilot project in the city of Montreal, using noise loggers as another detection technology. The collected signals are also analyzed to detect and pinpoint the leaks. The leak detection system has presented promising results using both technologies. The developed MEMS model is capable of accurately pinpointing leaks within 12 centimeters from the exact location. Comparatively, for noise loggers, the developed model can detect the exact leak location within a 25-cm radius for an actual leak.
The leak repair prioritization model uses two optimization techniques: (1) a well-known genetic algorithm and (2) a newly innovative Lazy Serpent Algorithm that is developed in the present research. The Lazy Serpent Algorithm has proved capable of surpassing the genetic algorithm in determining a more optimal schedule using much less computation time. The developed research proves that automated real-time leak detection is possible and can help governments save water resource and funds. The developed research proves the viability of accelerometers as a standalone leak detection technology and opens the door for further research and experimentations. The leak detection system model helps municipalities and water resource agencies rapidly detect leaks when they occur in real-time. The developed pinpointing models facilitate the leak repair process by precisely determine the leak location where the repair works should be conducted. The Lazy Serpent Algorithm helps municipalities better distribute their resources to maximize their desired benefits.


identifier: zhang, shafu  (2017) The Causes and Consequences of Product Recalls.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: For the chapter 2, I find that a CEO's characteristics will have direct impact on the occurrence of a firm's product recall. I also find that various corporate governances mechanisms can effectively mitigate/control the negative impact of CEO's characteristics on the likelihood of product recall events. For the chapter 3, I investigate the impact of PHC on firms' financial reporting policy. I find evidence that firms experiencing a product harm crisis engage in income-increasing earnings management, and the upward earning management is positively associated with the severity of the product harm crisis. Moreover, income-increasing earnings management is most prominent for crisis firms that produce durable goods, have industrial customers, and have CEOs who possess greater equity incentive and who are earlier in their tenure. Furthermore, upward earnings management helps firms retain major customers and reduces the propensity of a bonus cut and forced turnover for the CEO. For the chapter 4, I study debt market reaction to the announcements of recall firms. I find that banks charge 19% higher interest spreads on loans to recall firms after product recall announcements. In addition, banks monitor recall firms more closely by using tighter non-price terms I further find that the effects of product recall on debt contracting are more pronounced for firms with less independent board of directors, lower ex-ante ability to recover from product recalls, and with multiple product recalls. Taken as a whole, my findings suggest that banks, as informed stakeholders, generally perceive product recalls as a credit risk factor and react to this risk in debt contracting.


identifier: Bicalho de Pádua, Guilherme ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4283-3046 <https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4283-3046>  (2018) Studying and Assisting the Practice of Java and C# Exception Handling.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Programming languages provide features that handle exceptions. These features separate error-handling from regular code and aim to assist software maintenance. Nevertheless, their misuse can cause reliability degradation or even catastrophic failures. Prior studies on exception handling aim to understand the practices of exception handling and their anti-patterns. However, little knowledge was shared about the prevalence of these anti-patterns, nor the relationship between exception handling practices and software quality. In this thesis, I, first, study the exception handling features by enriching the knowledge of handling code with a flow analysis of exceptions. Second, I investigate the prevalence of exception handling anti-patterns. Finally, I investigate the relationship between software quality and: (i) flow characteristics and (ii) 17 handling anti-patterns. Our case study is conducted with over 10K handling blocks, and over 77K related flows from 16 Java and C# projects. I built statistical models of the chance of post-release defects using traditional software metrics and exception handling metrics. Our case study results show the complexity of exception handling. Moreover, I found that although exception handling anti-patterns widely exist in all of our subjects, only a few anti-patterns can be commonly identified. Finally, I conclude that exception flow characteristics in Java projects and some exception handling anti-patterns can provide significant explanatory power to the chance of post-release defects.


identifier: Rastghalam, Golnaz  (2017) Mating MAPK pathway in Candida albicans.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: Mating MAPK pathway in Candida albicans

format: text text text

abstract: The Cek1 and Cek2 MAP kinases have been implicated in mating in C. albicans.  I investigated the relationships of these MAP kinases and a putative MAP kinase phosphatase Cpp1 in the mating process of this fungal pathogen. Consistent with previous observations, mating type homozygous opaque cells that lack both kinases are sterile.  However, several lines of evidence show that the two kinases do not simply provide redundant functions in the mating process.  Loss of CEK1 reduces mating significantly, to about 0.3% of wild type strains, and also reduces shmoo formation and pheromone-mediated gene expression.  By contrast, loss of CEK2 function has a relatively minor effect on mating, reducing it to approximately one third that of the wild type strain.  Intriguingly, CEK2 loss enhances pheromone responsiveness. It increases shmoo formation, pheromone-mediated cell cycle arrest halos, and pheromone-mediated gene expression.  The behavior of the cek2 mutants mimics that of cpp1 mutants defective in the putative MAP kinase phosphatase; cpp1 mutants are also hyper responsive to pheromone, generating large halos, high levels of shmoos, and increased pheromone responsive gene expression.  Surprisingly, cpp1 mutants are more mating defective than cek2 mutants.  The double cek2 cpp1 mutant shows enhanced responsiveness over either single mutant.  Analysis of protein phosphorylation shows that Cek1 undergoes pheromone-mediated phosphorylation of the activation loop, and this phosphorylation is enhanced in cells lacking either the Cpp1 phosphatase or the Cek2 kinase.  Analysis of GFP localization of Cek1-GFP shows enhanced nuclear localization in response to pheromone treatment, consistent with Cek1 playing a central role in pheromone response.  Overall, these results show a complex interaction among the MAP kinases and MAP kinase phosphatase that function in the C. albicans mating pathway.


identifier: Grogan, Allan  (2017) The Influence of CEO Personality on Engagement in Corporate Social Responsibility: The Mediating Influence of Servant Leadership.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: While previous research in upper echelons theory has attempted to understand how managerial characteristics influence organizational criteria, few have directly investigated the effects of personality and leadership on these outcomes and in particular, on corporate social responsibility (CSR). This dissertation addresses the previous concern by investigating how the Five Factor Model of personality influences CSR engagement when mediated by servant leadership in top managers. While previous studies have primarily investigated servant leadership at the micro level of analysis, this study investigates this relatively underexplored concept at the executive level. Using a sample of 101 chief executive officers (CEOs) of the largest S&P 500 organizations, I found that four of the Big Five personality traits had an indirect effect on strategic CSR when servant leadership served as an intervening mechanism on this relationship. Moreover, this indirect effect varies depending on which facet of servant leadership is being investigated. For instance, I found that servant leadership has a stronger indirect effect on the personality-CSR relationship primarily through the dimension of building community and subordinate support as opposed to other dimensions of this concept. These findings reinforce previous research in this domain that servant leaders emphasize subordinate development and provide stewardship to multiple stakeholders both inside and outside of the organization. Overall, the findings in this study offer further insight not only into the antecedents of servant leadership, but on its effects on CSR as well. Finally, limitations and avenues for future research are further discussed.


identifier: Islam, Md. Shahidul  (2018) Emerging Materials and Membrane-Based Processes for Recycling Hydraulic Fracturing Wastewater.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The management of highly saline wastewater released from hydraulic fracturing—also known as fracking—a hydrocarbon releasing process used in the rapidly growing shale gas industry, is a serious challenge for industry and regulators due to its adverse effects on public health and to the environment in general. As well, fracking wastewater also contains particularly concerning levels of suspended solids, mainly comprised of sand and oil. Pre-treatment of fracking wastewater through microfiltration (MF) can effectively remove these suspended solids and oily materials. Forward osmosis (FO), an emerging membrane-based technology, is a feasible method for the treatment of fracking wastewater. For the FO process to be successful, an effectively engineered draw solution, a robust FO membrane, and an efficient pre-treatment, such as MF are required. FO is particularly effective when combined with membrane distillation (MD) for the recycling of the FO draw solutions. Therefore, the goals of this research project were to a) identify an effective draw solution for FO and b) fabricate two types of advanced membrane materials: MF membranes with high water flux, high rejection, and antifouling properties, and a FO membrane for recycling fracking wastewater with high water flux, high rejection, and antifouling properties. In this research, a comprehensive study was conducted to identify novel, yet effective, organic draw solutions for the treatment of fracking wastewater by FO. A novel high water-flux polyvinyl acetate-coated electrospun nylon 6/silica (SiO2) composite MF membrane was fabricated and its performance was tested in regard to water flux, oil rejection, and antifouling properties. In the next stage of this research, a new FO membrane material with high water-flux with high rejection and antifouling properties was fabricated and characterized. Finally, real fracking wastewater was treated using MF and then FO—combined with MD as a downstream separator—using the fabricated membranes. In the pre-treatment stage, ~98.5% turbidity and ~52% of total organic carbon (TOC) were removed from the fracking wastewater via the MF process. Finally, treated water with TDS 23-44 mg/L was obtained from the pre-treated wastewater via the combined FO/MD process. This produced water can effectively be reused for hydraulic fracking.


identifier: Huang, Yueshan  (2018) The effects of online word of mouth on consumers’ purchase intention: A cross-cultural study.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: When compared to the traditional word of mouth (WOM), the online word of mouth, a new way of share and exchange thoughts about products or companies via the Internet, has proved to be a more effective information source for consumers as well as a more powerful marketing tool for companies. While previous studies have found that online WOM can significantly influence consumers’ behavior, this study aims at investigating its effects on consumers’ purchase intentions. Based on the results of a self-administered survey, we conclude that both the quality and quantity of online WOM have positive influences on purchase intentions. More importantly, this study is one of the first to examine this relationship in a cross-cultural context at the individual level. By applying the Hofstede’s cultural values, we found that online WOM will have different effects on the purchase intentions of consumers who have different cultural orientations. This study also provides meaningful managerial implications for online retailers and directions for future study of online consumer behavior.


identifier: Soualhia, Mbarka  (2018) Adaptive Failure-Aware Scheduling for Hadoop.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Given the dynamic nature of cloud environments, failures are the norm rather than the exception in data centers powering cloud frameworks. Despite the diversity of integrated recovery mechanisms in cloud frameworks, their schedulers still generate poor scheduling decisions leading to tasks' failures due to unforeseen events such as unpredicted demands of services or hardware outages. Traditionally, simulation and analytical modeling have been widely used to analyze the impact of the scheduling decisions on the failures rates. However, they cannot provide accurate results and exhaustive coverage of the cloud systems especially when failures occur. In this thesis, we present new approaches for modeling and verifying an adaptive failure-aware scheduling algorithm for Hadoop to early detect these failures and to reschedule tasks according to changes in the cloud. Hadoop is the framework of choice on many off-the-shelf clusters in the cloud to process data-intensive applications by efficiently running them across distributed multiple machines. The proposed scheduling algorithm for Hadoop relies on predictions made by machine learning algorithms trained on previously executed tasks and data collected from the Hadoop environment. To further improve Hadoop scheduling decisions on the fly, we use reinforcement learning techniques to select an appropriate scheduling action for a scheduled task. Furthermore, we propose an adaptive algorithm to dynamically detect failures of nodes in Hadoop. We implement the above approaches in ATLAS: an AdapTive Failure-Aware Scheduling algorithm that can be built on top of existing Hadoop schedulers. To illustrate the usefulness and benefits of ATLAS, we conduct a large empirical study on a Hadoop cluster deployed on Amazon Elastic MapReduce (EMR) to compare the performance of ATLAS to those of three Hadoop scheduling algorithms (FIFO, Fair, and Capacity). Results show that ATLAS outperforms these scheduling algorithms in terms of failures' rates, execution times, and resources utilization. Finally, we propose a new methodology to formally identify the impact of the scheduling decisions of Hadoop on the failures rates. We use model checking to verify some of the most important scheduling properties in Hadoop (schedulability, resources-deadlock freeness, and fairness) and provide possible strategies to avoid their occurrences in ATLAS. The formal verification of the Hadoop scheduler allows to identify more tasks failures and hence reduce the number of failures in ATLAS.


identifier: Mehran, Hassani  (2018) Studying and Detecting Log-related Issues.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Logs capture valuable information throughout the execution of software systems. The rich knowledge conveyed in logs is leveraged by researchers and practitioners in performing various tasks, both in software development and its operation. Log-related issues, such as missing or having outdated information, may have a large impact on the users who depend on these logs. In this paper, we first perform an empirical study on log-related issues in two large-scale, open-source software systems. We found that the files with log-related issues have undergone statistically significantly more frequent prior changes, and bug fixes. We also found that developers fixing these log-related issues are often not the ones who introduced the logging statement nor the owner of the method containing the logging statement. Maintaining logs is more challenging without experts. Finally, we found that most of the defective logging statements remain unreported for a long period (median 320 days). Once reported, the issues are fixed quickly (median five days). Our empirical findings suggest the need for automated tools that can detect log-related issues promptly. We conducted a manual study and identified seven root-causes of the log-related issues. Based on these root causes, we developed an automated tool that detects four types of log-related issues. Our tool can detect 78 existing inappropriate logging statements reported in 40 log-related issues. We also reported new issues found by our tool to developers and 38 previously unknown issues in the latest release of the subject systems were accepted by developers.


identifier: Cyrenne, Emilie  (2018) On the Upper Bound of Petty's Conjecture in 3 Dimensions.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Among the various important aspects within the theory of convex geometry is that of the field of affine isoperimetric inequalities. Our focus deals with validating the upper bound of Petty's conjecture relating the volume of a convex body and that of its associated projection body. We begin our study by providing some background properties pertaining to convexity as seen through the lens of Minkowski theory. We then show that Petty's conjecture holds true in a certain class of 3-dimensional non-affine deformations of simplices. More precisely, we prove that any simplex in R^3 attains the upper bound in comparison to any deformation of a simplex by a Minkowski sum with a small line segment. As part of our theoretical analysis, we make use of mixed volumes and Maclaurin series expansion in order to simplify the targeted functionals. Finally, we provide an example validating what is known in the literature as the reverse and direct Petty projection inequality. In all cases, Mathematica is used extensively as our means of visualizing the plots of our selected convex bodies and corresponding projection bodies.


identifier: Ross, Chase  (2018) Inked Identity: How Tattoos Play a Role in the Development and Perception of Identity, Self, and the Body for Trans Men.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Although much research has been conducted on the embodied experience of tattoos across cultures and subcultures (DeMello 1995; Rubin 1988; Sullivan 2009; Dickson et al. 2015; Ferreira 2014; Roberts; 2012; Johnson 2006; Klesse 2007; Kosut 2008, 2013; Schildkrout 2004), there is presently no research which focuses directly on female-to-male (FTM) trans individuals with tattoos, and how these tattoos help shape their body image, masculinity, and identities. Therefore, the question this research aims to answer is: what role do tattoos play in the development and perception of masculinity, identity, and the self, for transgender men?  Using a thematic analysis method, six themes were extracted from the ten participants interviewed. These themes demonstrate the multiple roles tattoos play in the lives of these trans men. The most significant theme discovered through these interviews was how tattoos are related to one’s trans identity. For some participants, this relation was direct, where individuals got tattoos connected to their trans identity, such as the trans symbol, or the date they started hormone replacement therapy. Yet for others, the connection was indirect, where many participants related tattoos they had before they realized they were trans, and now, can see these tattoos as a reflection of their lives and transition. Other significant themes discovered include: tattoos as permanence; as therapeutic; as storytelling; as reclamation; and as visibility. Overall, I conclude that tattoos play an important role in the lives of these 10 trans men: they are intimately related to their trans identities, as well as to different aspect of their lives.


identifier: Samanta, Suvendu ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6857-0910 <https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6857-0910>  (2017) Analysis and Design of Current-fed Wireless Inductive Power Transfer Systems.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Wireless Inductive Power Transfer (IPT) technology promises a very convenient, reliable, and safe way of transferring power wirelessly. Recent research on IPT establishes its indispensable role and suitability in electric vehicle (EV) applications. Efficient design of both converters and IPT coils are essential to make this technology feasible for mass deployment. The existing research on IPT is mainly based on power converters derived from voltage-source inverter (VSI) topologies, where feasibility of current-source inverter (CSI) has received very limited attention. Considering certain limitations of voltage-fed converters, this research is focused on the concept study and feasibility analysis of current-fed power electronics for IPT systems, where the primary application is EV charging.
CSI leads to parallel LC resonance in the primary side of IPT. The advantages of the parallel tank networks include lower inverter device current stress, very close to sinusoidal coil current, soft-switching of inverter devices, and natural short circuit protection during fault etc. Considering these merits, a new IPT topology is proposed in this thesis, where the inverter is full-bridge CSI and the compensations in primary and secondary sides are parallel and series types, respectively. Compared with the existing IPT topology with current-fed push-pull inverter, the proposed system does not have startup and frequency bifurcation issues. However, due to weak coupling between IPT coils, the primary side parallel capacitor experiences high voltage stress in higher power levels, and this voltage directly appears on inverter devices. To overcome this, a modified IPT topology fed from a CSI is proposed, where the primary compensation is parallel-series type and secondary compensation is series type. Detailed steady-state operation, converter design, soft-switching conditions, small-signal modelling, and closed-loop control are reported for both the topologies. To verify analytical predictions, numerical simulation is performed in PSIM 10 and experimental results obtained from a 1.6kW lab-built prototype are reported.
Considering the requirement of bi-directional power flow capability to support energy injection from vehicle to grid (V2G) for future smart-grid applications, a new bidirectional IPT topology with current-fed converter is proposed. It has current-sharing feature in grid side converter and voltage doubling feature in vehicle side converter. This is the first attempt to implement bidirectional IPT with current-fed circuit and demonstrate grid to vehicle (G2V) and V2G operation. Keeping inverter output power factor lagging, ZVS turn-on of the inverter devices are always ensured irrespective of load variation. Detailed steady-state operation and converter design for both G2V and V2G modes are reported.  Experimental results obtained from a 1.2kW lab-prototype are reported to verify the analysis and performances of bidirectional IPT circuit.
The last part of this thesis addresses the possible improvements on reducing the number of power conversion stages to achieve higher system efficiency, compact size and reduced cost. This is usually done by using direct ac-ac converter as the primary side converter of IPT. Existing single stage IPT topologies are derived from VSI topology. From source side, these topologies have buck derived structure; therefore, none of them draw high quality current from source. In this thesis a new single stage IPT topology is proposed, which has boost derived structure and thereby capable of maintaining unity power factor at source. Dynamic load demand, source current waveshaping and effective wireless power transfer are achieved with two-loop control method. Experimental results obtained from a 1.2kW grid-connected lab-prototype are reported to justify the suitability of this single-stage IPT topology for practical use.


identifier: Wu, Xingwen  (2018) An Investigation of High-Order Polygonal Wheel Wear in High-speed Rail Vehicles.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
The wheel polygonalization, regarded as a periodic radial defect on the wheel circumference, has been observed in high-speed rail vehicles during the recent year. Such periodic defects of the wheel tread, especially the high-order wheel polygonalization, cause high magnitude and high-frequency variation in the wheel/rail contact forces, considerable axle box vibration, and stresses in the vehicle and track components, and thus in-service fatigue failures. The mechanism leading to high-order polygonal wear of the wheels, however, is not yet fully understood, although its adverse effects on dynamic responses of the vehicle have been reported in a few studies. This dissertation research focuses on the mechanisms leading to evolution of wheel tread polygonalization and its effects on dynamic responses of the coupled vehicle/track system.
A coupled vehicle/track dynamic model was initially developed to investigate the influences of discrete wheel defects as well as wheel polygonalization. Owing to the high-frequency nature of the wheel-rail impact force, the wheelset and slab track were modeled as flexible bodies, which were integrated into the vehicle model using the modal superposition method. The multi-body dynamic model was formulated for a typical high-speed train rail car while the track was modeled considering the rail as a Timoshenko beam discretely supported on a flexible track slab. The validity of the proposed coupled model was demonstrated by comparing the simulation model results with those available from the reported studies and acquired from a long-term field test program. The results obtained under excitations arising from a wheel flat or a polygonal wheel revealed substantial effects of wheelset flexibility on the peak wheel/rail creepage, axle box acceleration and stress in the wheelset axle shaft. The high order polygonal wheel wear also resulted in substantially higher frequency variations in the wheel-rail contact forces, which could excite vibration modes of the wheelset and the axle box.
A long-term field test campaign, involving measurements of changes in the wheel surface irregularities and the axle box acceleration responses, was undertaken on a high-speed rail vehicle to characterize wheel polygonalization and its growth rate. The wheel re-profiling process was found to be the main casual factor of initial wheel irregularities, which could be characterized by the third harmonic order. The measured data revealed that initial wear can rapidly propagate into polygonal wear of order 18, likely due to high-frequency wheel-rail impact loads. The results also revealed strong positive correlation between the axle box acceleration and roughness level of the wheel polygonalization. The simulation results showed that high-frequency wheel-rail impacts excite bending deformation modes of the wheelset axle shaft and the track at speeds exceeding 210 km/h.
A long-term wear iteration scheme integrating the coupled vehicle/track dynamic model and an Archard wear model, was subsequently formulated to identify main contributors of formation of wheel polygonalization. The simulation results were analyzed to establish a better understanding of evolution of wheel polygonalization over a relatively long period.  The three half wavelength rail bending vibration mode within the wheelbase length (near 650 Hz) was identified as the primary contributor to high magnitude wheel/rail contact forces in the 500 ~ 700 Hz frequency range, and the high order wheel polygonalization. The wheelset flexibility was judged as the likely contributor to the lower order wheel polygonalization. Increasing rail pad support stiffness intensified the wheel/rail coupled vibration leading to lower order wheel polygonalization. The results further showed that a higher rail pad damping could suppress the formation of high order wheel polygonalization. In addition, eliminating the initial wheel irregularities and frequent variations in the operating speed could mitigate the formation of wheel polygonalization.


identifier: Arabzadeh, Mohammadhashem  (2018) Effect of Wall-Soil Interface Parameters on Seismic Response of Retaining Walls.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Reinforced soil retaining walls are important public structures. Typically there are two kinds of reinforced soil retaining walls: cantilever retaining walls and Geosynthetic reinforced soil retaining walls. While seismic performance of retaining walls is very important for public safety in the event of an earthquake, there are very limited studies on that. The main objectives of the present thesis are to (i) examine the behavior of the interface between structure and soil under various loading and boundary conditions for RC cantilever retaining walls; (ii) conduct sensitivity study on the seismic response of such walls considering the key parameters such as the cohesion (C), friction angle (φ), shear stiffness (Ks), normal stiffness (Kn) and dilation (ψ); and (iii) study the size (height) effect of the relating walls on the seismic performance of such walls.
In order to achieve the above objectives, a baseline model of an RC cantilever retaining wall has been constructed for static and dynamic analysis using the Finite Difference Method (FDM). The data for the baseline model are obtained from a published work on seismic response such a wall subjected to an earthquake in India (1991 Uttarkashi earthquake, 20th October), which used the Finite Element Method (FEM) for analysis. The validated baseline model is then used for an extensive parametric study on the static and dynamic behavior of the system which is not available in the literature.
 Based on the results of numerical modeling, in the static condition, wall deformation was decreased by increasing the cohesion (C), friction angle (φ), shear stiffness (Ks), normal stiffness (Kn) and dilation (ψ) values. The dynamic behavior of the wall was quite different from the static behavior. With increasing the values of shear strength parameters (Cohesion and friction angle) and also shear stiffness (Ks), the wall displacements increased whereas with increasing normal stiffness (Kn) value, the wall deformation decreased.
A sensitivity analysis of wall-soil interface parameters on seismic response of the retaining wall was carried out using the ground motion records from Canada earthquake motion database (6th March, Quebec, 2005) and the results were compared to the Uttarkashi earthquake in India. The results of this comparison showed that the response parameters in terms of the retaining wall deformation are similar for both earthquakes.
Moreover, parametric studies on the behavior of the soil retaining walls under Montreal earthquake with three different heights (3 m, 6 m and 9 m), and two different types of soil (clay and sand) and eight input earthquakes motions were performed. Results show that the behavior of wall facing in terms of displacement in both horizontal and vertical direction is different, and the type of soil has a main role in the wall deformation.
Finally, a statistical estimation of parameters between soil and retaining wall structure was done. According to this statistical study, cumulative percentage distribution of cohesion (C) and stiffness parameters (shear and normal) against wall deformation were calculated. Then, lower and upper boundary ranges of wall-soil parameters were established for both static and dynamic condition.


identifier: Messitidis, Ludmila  (2018) Designing Learning Environments for Cultural Inclusivity: Case Studies with three Instructional Designers and a Teacher Exploring Their Practises.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
ABSTRACT
Designing Learning Environments for Cultural Inclusivity:
Case Studies with three Instructional Designers and a Teacher Exploring Their Practises
Ludmila Messitidis
There has been a limited amount of research concerning designing learning environments for cultural inclusivity. Even though students enter educational systems with cultural designations, the teaching workforce in this system does not reﬂect their cultural composition. There is a need for bridging the cross-cultural teaching gap. The purpose of this study was to explore whether three instructional designers (i.e. current graduate students enrolled in a Master’s program of Educational Technology in the Department of Education) from Concordia University are in the process of designing learning environments for cultural inclusivity. In order to successfully accomplish data enrichment one more participant/teacher with experience in Nunavik was added to this case study. This study addresses how participants are proceeding in order to design learning environments for cultural inclusivity. The three participants were chosen through a purposeful sampling method and one participant was chosen through a snowball sampling method, and case studies were constructed mainly through in-depth interviews. Results show that all of the participants are prepared to take extra steps to maximize their knowledge and skills to design for diverse learners. Results reveal how these instructional designers, Linda, Eduard and Francine, as well as a teacher Sydney are developing appropriate strategies and techniques for their culturally diverse learners while developing an effective program or training materials. The key strategies for instructional design that demonstrate respect for multicultural diversity include: (1) researching the target audience in-depth, (2) integrating a diverse perspective across cultures, (3) incorporating the characteristics and learning styles of diverse cultures, (4) including both individual and cooperative learning, (5) tailoring the design to students’ different strengths and needs, (6) implementing ongoing effective communications throughout the lesson in order to monitor students’ understanding, (7) being flexible and adaptable to make adjustments if necessary, (8) using educational technology tools, (9) providing flexibility by offering students multiple options, and (10) making learning more effective by asking a lot of questions, which will allow students to actively participate during their learning, rather than passively consuming the information. These prescriptions are discussed in the context of creating a more effective school experience for students and teachers.

Keywords: culture, sociocultural consciousness, culturally sensitive instructional designer,
collectivism versus individualism, instructional design, multicultural competence, cultural inclusivity.


identifier: Liczner, Christopher  (2018) Exploring Methodologies to Prepare Selenium Modified Oligonucleotides.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
X-ray crystallography has been central in determining structure-function relationships for biomacromolecules, such as nucleic acids and proteins, leading to a greater understanding of biochemical processes. The major barriers to nucleic acid structure determination by X-ray crystallography are the processes of crystallization and phasing. One strategy to overcome the latter challenge involves replacement of oxygen with selenium in a nucleotide. In the past two decades, selenium has been incorporated into oligonucleotides at many different sites, each with their specific advantages and limitations. Preparation of selenium modified nucleic acids often requires the multi-step synthesis of specialized phosphoramidites incorporated into oligonucleotides by solid-phase synthesis.  It would be desirable to simplify the synthetic process to prepare these selenium containing oligonucleotides, which may result in their greater accessibility for crystallographers engaged in the determination of high resolution structural studies of nucleic acid structures.
In one approach, a simplified, greener and more versatile methodology to incorporate selenium into a solid support-bound oligonucleotide at the O-4 position of thymidine was explored. A range of reaction and deprotection conditions were evaluated, with promise of this approach demonstrated when selenium incorporation was attempted at a 5’-end residue of an oligonucleotide, followed by deprotection using a sterically hindered base. Another approach investigated the preparation of an oligonucleotide with 2’-deoxy-6-selenoinosine, a derivative of interest which was inspired by the base pairing properties of 2’-deoxyinsoine towards other nucleobases. In the isolation and purification of this oligonucleotide, it was observed that the major product obtained was a non-complementary homodimer oligonucleotide connected by an interstrand diselenide bridge. Conditions to remove this cross-link were evaluated and expand the potential of selenium modified nucleic acids beyond X-ray crystallography for applications as a responsive nanomaterial.


identifier: Mahmoud, Moustafa ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4756-5856 <https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4756-5856>  (2018) An Experimental Evaluation of Smart Toys’ Security and Privacy Practices.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Smart toys have captured an increasing share of the toy market, and are growing ubiquitous in households with children. These toys can be considered as a subset of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, often containing sensors and artificial intelligence capabilities. They may collect personal information, and frequently have Internet connectivity directly or indirectly through companion apps. Recent studies have found security flaws in many smart toys that have led to serious privacy leaks or allowed tracking a child’s physical location. Some well-publicized discoveries of this nature have led governments around the world to ban some of these toys. To complement recent efforts in analyzing and quantifying security and privacy issues of smart toys, we set out to create two thorough analysis frameworks that are specifically crafted for smart toys. The first framework is designed to analyze legally-binding privacy policies and terms-of-use documentation of smart toys. It is based on a set of privacy-sensitive criteria that we carefully define to systematically evaluate selected privacy aspects of smart toys. We augment our work with a static analysis for the companion Android apps, which are, in most cases, essential for intended functioning of the toys. We use our framework  to evaluate a representative set of 11 smart toys, along with 11 companion apps. Our analysis highlights several instances of unnecessary collection of privacy-sensitive information, the use of over-privileged apps, incomplete/lack of information about data storage practices and legal compliance. The proposed framework is a step towards enabling a comparison of smart toys from a privacy perspective, which can be useful to parents, regulatory bodies, and law-makers.
The second framework is used to investigate security and privacy practices - based on experimental analysis - of those specific kinds of IoT devices. In particular, we inspect the real practice of smart toys to determine the personal information they collect and security measures used to protect them. We also investigate potential security and privacy flaws in smart toys that can lead to leakage of private information, or allow an adversary to control the toy to lure, harm, or distress a child. Smart toys pose risks unique to this category of devices, and our work is intended to define these risks and assess a subset of toys against them. We perform a thorough experimental analysis of five smart toys and their companion apps. Our systematic analysis has uncovered that several of these toys may expose children to multiple threats through physical, nearby, or remote access to the toy.
The presented frameworks unite and complement several existing adhoc analyses, and help comprehensive evaluation of other smart toys.


identifier: Quirion, Josue  (2018) Ashes of AULD.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: Ashes of AULD

abstract: Ashes of Auld is a novella that examines the implications of belonging to, and having belonged to, a university fraternity. The work investigates agency of the individual, and agency of the individual within a collective; how it can be enhanced by affiliation, but also how it can be effaced by it. The intersection of college buffoonery, accountability, and redemption is deconstructed as members of The Brotherhood contend, five years after, with the residual culpability of a tragic incident.


identifier: Hosseininasabnajar, Fatemeh  (2017) The Longitudinal Effect of Structural Brain Measurements on Cognitive Abilities.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Loss of brain tissues and cognitive abilities are natural processes of aging, and they are related to each other. These changes in cognition and brain structure are different among the cognitively normal elderly and those with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Despite the great development in the longitudinal study of decline in brain volume and cognitive abilities, previous studies are limited by their small number of data collection waves and inadequate adjustments for important factors (such as a genetic factor). These limitations diminish the power to detect changes in brain tissues and cognitive abilities over a longer period of time. In this study, firstly, we aimed to explore the longitudinal association between cognitive abilities and global and regional structural brain variables among individuals with normal cognitive status, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and AD using mixed effects models. Secondly, we investigated the effect of education on the relationship between cognition and brain structure. Lastly, we utilized latent class growth analysis in order to study the change in cognition between different MCI sub-classes based on their functional abilities. The data in this study were obtained from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI)which contained 6 time points over three years (n=686). The results showed that cognitive abilities decreased over time across different groups, and the rate of decline in cognition depended on the whole brain volume. Importantly, the effect of brain volume on the rate of decline in cognitive abilities was greater among MCI subjects who progressed to AD (pMCI) and participants with AD. Ventricle enlargement in the pMCI group also showed a significant influence on the rate of cognitive decline .Lastly, based on an assessment of functional abilities at baseline, this study demonstrated an efficient methodology to identify MCI subjects who are most at-risk for cognitive impairment progression.


identifier: Bourdeau-Brien, Michael  (2017) Natural Disasters and Financial Markets.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

title: Natural Disasters and Financial Markets

abstract:
The first essay (chapter 2) examines the impact of major U.S. natural disasters on the stock returns and volatilities of firms based in disaster areas. We find that a small proportion of catastrophes (between six and eight percent) have a significant impact on returns, after controlling for false discoveries. The meaningful shocks are distributed over a relatively long period of time with the uttermost effects being felt in the two or three months following disasters. Furthermore, we observe that the second moments of returns of affected firms more than double when hurricanes, floods, winter storms and episodes of extreme temperature occur.

The second essay (chapter 3) studies the effect of major floods on new municipal bond issues marketed by U.S. counties. The results show that bonds sold in the midst of floods exhibit yields about seven percent higher than bonds sold at other times, which is a net loss of almost $100,000 in terms of proceeds on a $10 million debt issue. Consistent with a behavioral explanation based on the availability bias, the abnormal yields rapidly decay over time and are limited to first-time disaster counties. The evidence for an increase in credit risk is mixed and the results do not support lower market liquidity stories. Selection bias, underpricing activities and issuance costs are examined and are unlikely to materially affect the conclusions.

The final essay (chapter 4) focuses on the consequences of disasters on investor risk preferences. We infer the impact of major catastrophes on the risk-taking behavior of investors from a database of U.S. municipal bond transactions. As the effect of disasters is mostly regional, we exploit the geographic segmentation of the municipal bond market to estimate a measure of regional risk aversion using a conventional consumption capital asset pricing model. The findings strongly support the assumption that natural disasters cause a statistically and economically significant increase in financial risk aversion at the local level.


identifier: D'Auteuil-Gauthier, Valérie  (2018) Parcours de lecture pluriels dans Bruges-la-Morte.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis is about Georges Rodenbach's photographic novel Bruges-la-Morte. Examining the type of use that the novel makes of textual and iconic media, it proposes an analysis of the effects of its hybrid form using an approach based on the theories of reading. The first chapter deals with the elements of the work that distance it from the standard novel of the late nineteenth century with respect to the generic positioning, typography and use of photography in a literary work. The second chapter leads a double analysis of the textual and iconic reading effects in the novel and shows how its fragmentary form makes the reader interact actively with text and images and renews all conventional reading pragmatics.


identifier: Xin, Yue  (2018) Common Attack Surface Detection.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: Common Attack Surface Detection

abstract:
In the current software development market, many software is being developed using a copy-paste mechanism with little to no change made to the reused code. Such a practice has the potential of causing severe security issues since one fragment of code containing a vulnerability may cause the same vulnerability to appear in many other software with the same cloned fragment. The concept of relying on software diversity for security may also be compromised by such a trend, since seemingly different software may in fact share vulnerable code fragments. Although there exist efforts on detecting cloned code fragments, there lack solutions for formally characterizing the specific impact on security.

In this thesis, we revisit the concept of software diversity from a security viewpoint. Specifically, we define the novel concept of common attack surface to model the relative degree to which a pair of software may be sharing potentially vulnerable code fragments. To implement the concept, we develop an automated tool, Dupsec, in order to efficiently identify common attack surface between any given pair of software applications with minimum human intervention. Finally, we conduct experiments by applying our tool to a large number of open source software. Our results demonstrate many seemingly unrelated real-world software indeed share significant
common attack surface.


identifier: Zanescu, Andrei  (2018) Counter-Balkanism in The Witcher & Gwent: A Historical Reinvention Beyond the Balkan Paradigm.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The rediscovery and classification of the Balkans has been the subject of literary fiction and philosophical writing since the late 18th century. Though the Balkan states, and their myriad cultural groups, had occupied that geographic locale since the 5th century BCE. The theoretical body of work produced by the global West and its perception of the Balkans then was, and is, mired in stereotypes drawn from sociopolitical events of the 18th century and beyond, rather than the complex history of those peoples. In fact, the reality of the Balkans and how those peoples conceived of themselves is diametrically opposed to the body of work produced by Western scholars and artists. That Western body of work is referred to as Balkanism, a term coined by Maria Todorova in Imagining the Balkans (1997). This concept is a local application and modulation of Edward Said’s Orientalism (1978). In this, the Western games industry has conformed to accepted standards of discussing the Balkans explained in Balkanism. What I argue is that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and its spin-off card game, Gwent, reimagine a Europe beyond Balkanism, which subverts, and critiques stereotypes attached to Balkan countries. I discuss the theoretical body of work focused on cultural theory and game studies to explore the intersection between these two fields. This theory is then applied to analyze Gwent as an introduction to the more complex world of the Witcher 3, and how both games read together posit a different conception of the Balkans.


identifier: Segal, Aviva  (2018) Parents’ Reading-related Knowledge, Literacy Feedback, and Children’s Reading and Writing Performances Across Three Contexts.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The role played by children’s social relationships in their development is unequivocal (e.g., Bandura, 1993; Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006; Vygotsky, 1978). Often, parents take on the role of children’s first literacy teachers (Hiebert & Adams, 1987) and literacy competence is critical for academic success and beyond. Research supports the significant association between parents’ underlying knowledge of English language (reading-related knowledge [RRK]; e.g., Ladd, Martin-Chang, Levesque, 2011) and children’s reading. However, the means through which this knowledge is conveyed (i.e., parental practices), has yet to be examined. Moreover, whether the same association holds between parental RRK and children’s writing is unknown. Thus, the primary goal of the present research was to fill these important gaps in the literature. To this end, the three manuscripts that comprise the dissertation focus on the relations between (1) parental RRK, parental feedback, and children’s reading; (2) parental RRK and parental feedback on a writing sample; and (3) parental RRK, parental feedback, and children’s writing. The sample consisted of 75 parents. All parents completed Study 2 tasks and their feedback was coded based on pre-established criteria. Seventy of their children participated in the parent-child studies. Therefore, Studies 1 and 3 consisted of 70 parent-child dyads. Dyadic exchanges were videotaped; all verbal and nonverbal exchanges were transcribed and coded for the presence of pre-established criteria specific to each study. Parental RRK was measured by parents’ performances on a series of activities and children’s literacy skills were assessed using reading and spelling subtests of the Wide Range Achievement Test-Fourth Edition (Wilkinson & Robertson, 2006). Results are presented within the framework of the extant teacher and parent RRK literature, with a focus on the novel findings of each investigation. Overall, this corpus of research allows for an understanding of the relations between parental RRK and practice across three different contexts; the data indicate similarities in evaluative feedback and differences in miscue feedback across the three studies. Specifically, in Study 1, RRK was positively associated with praise and letter-sound (graphophonemic) feedback parents provided when listening to their children read. In Study 2, parental RRK was positively associated with the amounts of praise and modeling they provided on a writing sample. In Study 3, parental RRK was positively associated with the amount of praise parents provided their children in the course of writing a thank you note together; RRK was additionally negatively associated with dictation. The implications of these findings are discussed more elaborately in each study section in terms of future research employing different methodologies to gain further insight into parental RRK and literacy practices that can enhance children’s learning.


identifier: Tian, Huaining  (2017) Optimization of Locomotive Management and Fuel Consumption in Rail Freight Transport.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
For the enormous capital investment and high operation expense of locomotives, the locomotive management/assignment and fuel consumption are two of the most important areas for railway industry, especially in freight train transportation.
Several algorithms have been developed for the Locomotive Assignment Problem (LAP), including exact mathematics models, approximate dynamic programming and heuristics. These previously published optimization algorithms suffer from scalability or solution accuracy issues. In addition, each of the optimization models lacks part of the constraints that are necessary in real-world train/locomotive operation, e.g., maintenance/shop constraints or consist busting avoidance. Furthermore, there are rarely research works for the reduction of total train energy consumption on the locomotive assignment level.
The thesis is organized around our three main contributions. Firstly we propose a “consist travel plan” based LAP optimization model, which covers all the required meaningful constraints and which can efficiently be solved using large scale optimization techniques, namely column generation (CG) decomposition. Our key contribution is that our LAP model can evaluate the occurrence of consist busting using the number of consist travel plans, and allows locomotive status transformation in flow conservation constraints.
In addition, a new column generation acceleration architecture is developed, that allows the subproblem, i.e., column generator to create multiple columns in each iteration, that each is an optimal solution for a reduced sub-network. This new CG architecture reduces computational time greatly comparing to our original LAP model.
For train fuel consumption, we derive, linearize and integrate a train fuel consumption model into our LAP model. In addition, we establish a conflict-free pre-process for time windows for train rescheduling without touching train-meet time and position. The new LAP-fuel consumption model works fine for the optimization of the train energy exhaustion on the locomotive assignment level.
For the optimization models above, the numerical results are conducted on the railway network infrastructure of Canada Pacific Railway (CPR), with up to 1,750 trains and 9 types of locomotives over a two-week time period in the entire CPR railway network.


identifier: Bevan-Baker, Kate ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4247-5891 <https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4247-5891>  (2018) Archipelago Soundscape: Irish Music History and Vernacular Fiddle Cultures on Prince Edward Island.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Part of an archipelago that stretches along the seaways from Newfoundland to Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Prince Edward Island is Canada’s smallest province. It lies “cradled in the waves,” (as its Mi’kmaq name indicates), off the east coast of New Brunswick in the shallow waters of the Northumberland Strait. Its moderate climate and rich red soil have allowed fishing and agriculture to prosper there over the centuries. The Island has been a landing-point for Europeans ever since Jacques Cartier arrived there from France in 1534. The subsequent influx of Acadian, Scottish and Irish settlers during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries laid the foundations of European settlement on the Island. Two centuries later, the cultural traits of these original settlers continue to distinguish community life on PEI. Music plays a pivotal role in the maintenance of these lifeworlds—especially, traditional fiddle music.

This thesis investigates Irish traditional fiddle music on Prince Edward Island. Drawing on field interviews, transcription analyses, archive recordings, and participant-observation at various music festivals and session venues on PEI, it focuses on the performance histories of past and present fiddlers, many of whom are carriers of dual, or “bi-musical” traditions from Ireland and Scotland. Beginning with the diasporic history of Irish settlers on PEI, the thesis maps Irish “sonic” territories across the Island, and explores the cultural memory and collective sense of place that give them musical meaning. This “deep mapping” creates a textured portrait of Irish fiddle dialects on the Island; in particular, regional and individual nuances, repertoire development, bowing patterns and ornamentation techniques. Contrasting the process of Irish ethnic fade on the Island with a recent surge of musical hybridity and transculturation, the thesis argues that the Irish soundscape on Prince Edward Island is experiencing many of the same creative challenges and transformations that impact Irish traditional soundscapes in other parts of the world.


identifier: Kubishyn, Nataliya  (2018) Understanding Friendship Formation in a Community Center: Children of Immigrant Background.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Previous research has shown that friendship during childhood and adolescence plays a significant role in shaping the course of a child’s social, emotional, and cognitive development (Bukowski, Hoza & Boivic, 1994; Vandell & Hembree, 1994; Ladd, Kochenderfer & Coleman, 1996; Bukowski & Mesa, 2007). However, the vast majority of past research has focused on children and adolescents of nonimmigrant background (i.e., Western and White youth). In general, there is a limited focus on how children of immigrant background themselves view and perceive their friendship experiences (Rubin, Fredstrom & Bowker, 2008). Shedding light on how these children perceive their friendships may help to facilitate the development of effective prevention and intervention programs that seek to promote the psychosocial adjustment of children in immigrant families.
The present qualitative study used a photo-elicitation technique to capture the immigrant children’s experiences of friendship formation in an urban community in Montreal, Canada. Four children (ages 10-12) of immigrant background took photographs of what was important to them about their friendships and were invited to share personal stories and experiences. Each child was interviewed between three to five times for a total of 30 to 45 minutes. The findings from this study revealed that most children experienced an easy time with establishing and maintaining friendships, particularly with those friendships that were immediately available in their family and community networks. The case summaries also highlight some of the strengths and challenges that some children encountered, as well as how each child engaged with photography as a tool to express their values around social support.


identifier: Jegou, Aude  (2018) Electroencephalogram spindle detection from simultaneous Electroencephalogram (EEG) / functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data for a sleep deprivation study.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Sleep deprivation is an important and common problem with many consequences for mental and physical health. A sleep deprivation study was conducted to better understand the effects of insufficient sleep on cognitive functions and recovery. Studying specific spontaneous sleep waves occurring during the recovery sleep after sleep deprivation allows us to better understand the brain mechanism during sleep and its importance. The focus of my Master project is the detection of these sleep waves on scalp Electro-EncephaloGraphy (EEG) data, especially spindles, using different automatic detection algorithms and comparing them to a visual detection. Automated detection of these typical EEG discharges is challenging because many artifacts occur when EEG data are recorded within the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner, so in presence of a large magnetic field. EEG data should be carefully processed from MRI related artifacts before considering detection of sleep specific discharges. In the second section of the thesis, we investigated within the whole brain the Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) responses, measured with functional MRI, to identify brain areas involved in the generation of sleep spindles detected from scalp EEG. Preliminary results showed that automated detection was not accurate enough, because of residual artifact and other consequences of preprocessing. Moreover, visual detection is limited by the complexity of the EEG data. Therefore, there are expected improvements in post-review of the automated detection or investigating the optimal parameters for automated methods. The first BOLD response maps showed similarity between automated and visual detection and also with a study conducted by (Manuel Schabus et al. 2007). To conclude, further investigation on automated methods must be performed to find the best compromise between visual detection, automated detection, and post-review of automated detection.


identifier: Sharifi, Navid  (2018) Developing Superhydrophobic Coatings for Mitigating Aircraft Icing using Plasma Spray Processes.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
In-flight icing due to the presence of super-cooled water droplets is a major problem for aircraft operators. Accumulation of ice on the surface of wings, control parts and sensors can result in a range of problems including navigation issues, decreased efficiency, increasing fuel consumption, forced flight delays and cancelation and, if neglected or mismanaged, even fatal flight incidents. A significant potential solution for mitigating the icing problem is the use of superhydrophobic coatings i.e. coating that are extremely water repelling. Superhydrophobic coatings, by repelling the water droplets, can delay and in some cases prevent ice accumulation. Additionally, superhydrophobic coatings can facilitate ice removal by heating or vibration due to their non-stick properties. The superhydrophobicity of a surface is a result of the combination of the surface micro-texture and its surface energy which is determined by the chemistry of the surface. The major challenge facing the use of superhydrophobic coatings is the fact that low surface energy materials are mainly organic, polymeric compounds that suffer from poor durability, and in addition, micro-textured coatings are typically made by complex and expensive techniques. In this work atmospheric plasma spray (APS) and suspension plasma spray (SPS) which are flexible, scalable and efficient surface engineering techniques, are employed to develop micro-textured superhydrophobic coatings for anti-icing applications.
In this research, APS and SPS TiO2 micro-textured coatings are developed. After treatment by a stearic acid solution in order to lower their surface energy, these coatings demonstrate hydrophobicity and superhydrophobicity to different extents. APS coatings that are produced using 10-80 micron-sized particle feedstock, although highly hydrophobic, lack the extreme water repellency known as water mobility, due to their relatively coarse micro-texture. In the SPS process, submicron-sized TiO2 particles in the form of a suspension are used as feedstock. The SPS coatings typically show superhydrophobicity with water contact angles higher than 150°. The coatings produced using an ethanol-based suspension demonstrated extreme hydrophobicity and a water droplet impacting on their surface bounces back and detaches from them easily. The parameters influencing the SPS process are further studied and optimized to achieve coatings with hierarchical surface micro-texture i.e. a surface with a primary micron-sized and a secondary submicron-sized micro-texture. After optimization of the process, the SPS TiO2 coatings show extreme superhydrophobicity with water contact angles as high as 170°, water sliding angles as small as 1.3° and a contact angle hysteresis as small as 4°. These superhydrophobic SPS TiO2 coatings demonstrate promising results in terms icing performance and durability.


identifier: Zok, Duha  (2018) A case study of blogging as a web-based learning tool: The experience of six graduate students in a traditional educational setting.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
This study explored the narratives of six graduate students who experienced blogging as a learning tool in a graduate seminar on adult education at an English language university in Montreal.  The main research question was:  What are the experiences of blogging as a learning tool by graduate students in a traditional education setting?  All six participants volunteered to be interviewed a few months after the end of the course.  They were all female, white between 25 and 59 years of age, four married and two single.  Five of the interviews took place face to face in person and one interview was conducted on Skype.  Six major themes were identified and summarized under the following headings: Challenges of the course blog experience, running the blog experience, the impact of blogging on learning, Moodle versus Blogger, the impact of blogging on the traditional educational system, and the participants’ evaluation of the experience. The results, summarized in a table at the end of Chapter 3, resonate well in relation to the existing body of the literature on the topic and point towards further research projects.
  This case study adds rich data about the experience of learners with educational blogging to the existing literature with regard to implementing blogs in traditional classrooms in higher education. This thesis may also be of use for educators interested in integrating technology in traditional classrooms in order to promote an active and useful learning experience for students.


identifier: Gentry, Ryan  (2018) Letting “Mad Dogs” Lie: Anglo-American Journalism and the First Moscow Trial, 1936.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: There have been many scholarly efforts covering the period in the Soviet Union known as the Great Terror; most often these writings tried to contextualize and understand the inner working of the regime or its people. The present work shifts this lens, since it seeks to uncover how Anglo-American audiences grappled with one significant event from that era: the 1936 Trial of the Sixteen, the first of Stalin’s major show trials. As the Old Bolsheviks were led to the slaughter, people in the West received a myriad of information concerning this very public spectacle. A lack of functional newspaper scrutiny as the event took place, combined with the charged rhetoric of politicized post-trial publications, ultimately ensured that no outlet offered information about the trial beyond the apparent legitimacy that it gave to their specific causes. The trial itself therefore became more than the prosecution of sixteen individuals, as the entire affair allowed interested parties to manipulate the overall meaning to suit causes or ideologies that were either in favor of or completely against the current Soviet regime. Such an undertaking necessarily includes close readings of both works on the Terror and journalistic approaches to the period in order to demonstrate the conclusions of this thesis. In focusing on a single event, there is hope that some light can be shed on the larger problems associated with the spread of information across the globe during this significant period.


identifier: Goodyear, Laura  (2018) When Not Having Enough Prompts Consumers to Show Off: Reminders of Resource Scarcity Prompt Narcissism.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Consumers often think and talk about “not having enough” resources (e.g., money, time, food, etc.). They are also often reminded of their lack of resources by their surroundings, such as when seeing their empty refrigerator, the low gas gauge in their car, an ad about whether they have saved enough money for retirement, or a magazine article about an impending resource shortage. This research examines the effect that reminders of resource scarcity have on consumers’ personality state and resulting product preferences.
Resource scarcity has been shown to prompt consumers to become more selfish and less likely to share resources with others. Past research on narcissism has also demonstrated that this personality trait tends to be related to a selfish orientation. Bridging the gap between these two lines of work, this thesis proposes that reminders of resource scarcity will prompt consumers to become more narcissistic. Further, narcissists tend to prefer high-prestige and conspicuous products, as they help signal higher status to their peers. Consequently, this thesis further proposes that reminders of resource scarcity will shift consumers’ preferences toward more conspicuous products.
Across three experiments, this thesis demonstrates that reminders of resource scarcity increase consumers’ narcissistic tendencies, and that narcissism mediates the effect of reminder of resource scarcity on selfishness. Further, this thesis shows that reminders of resource scarcity prompt consumers to prefer luxury products with more prominent brand logos as a result.


identifier: Krobath, Helena  (2017) I Dreamt This Was My Home: Construction of Forest and Rural Settler Identity in Mission, British Columbia.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

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abstract: As places for rich sensorial and symbolic experiences, forestry recreation sites provide contact not only with biosphere ecology, but with tropes and values expressed through managed ‘nature space’. Articulating these tropes and values reveals that ‘nature’ itself has been socially constructed and conceptually intersects with power, including rights of access and production of capital. By bringing multimodal research-creation practices into contact with my own production of place-based knowledge in the forests of my hometown in Mission, British Columbia, I assemble a situated account of spatial narratives and ideological work taking place in managed, recreational forests of the Fraser Valley. In so doing, I also demonstrate ways of provoking reflexive interplay between sensory impressions, poetic meanings, dominant narratives, and knowledge. After forming analyses through documentary research, situated encounters, creative process, and critical theory, I present the two overarching arguments of this project: 1) ideological work around jurisdiction and enclosure takes place in rural communities through managed nature reserves and ossified narratives in ‘natural zones’ and 2) multimodal creative research can be used to notice ways that sensory and poetic meanings of a site are entangled with knowledge and power structures and to illuminate occupations and construction of space, place, and imagination.


identifier: Bramwell, Helene  (2018) Developing L2 students’ motivation and task engagement: Enhancing ideal L2 self through imagery training.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The present study explores whether visualization and goal-setting training impacts EFL participants’ trait-based motivation (ideal L2 self) and situation-specific motivation (task engagement). Spanish-speaking English learners at an Ecuadorian university participated in a three-week visualization training workshop (n = 29), an experience-sharing workshop (n = 29), or followed the regular curriculum (n = 21). Participants completed pretest and posttest ideal L2 self questionnaires and story-sequencing tasks, and a subset of learners participated in focus group interviews. Performance between groups and over time was analyzed to identify the effect of visualization training on the participants’ ideal L2 self and task engagement. The quantitative results indicated visualization training did not affect the learners’ ideal L2 self or task engagement. However, qualitative analysis of the focus group interviews revealed that only learners in the visualization group formed future self-guides. Implications are discussed in terms of the nature of visualization and goal-setting training and the role of communicative tasks in raising learners’ awareness about the gap between their current and future L2 selves.


identifier: Marek, Andrea  (2018) Animating Adulthood: Emotional Resonance, Affective Quality, and the Human Condition in Adult Animated Television An Examination in Theory, Viewership, and Practice.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

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abstract: At its core, adult animation is animated content specifically created for an adult audience. Adult animation represents the intersection of childhood with its colorful package, and the often crippling reality of adulthood, with its content. What may initially appear as sweet and benign entertainment is in actuality an environment for self-reflexivity, where individuals are confronted with their own personal issues, and the reality of adulthood through the struggles of the characters and the narratives explored, both good and bad. The programming offers an escape from one’s own problems, while engaging with the characters provides a surrogate experience. This recent shift in adult animated television is emotionally driven, ranging in theme from simply making it through the everyday, to having an existential crisis. Programs discussed include BoJack Horseman, Rick and Morty, F is for Family, and animals.. This paper reflects a multi-perspective approach to research, which is particularly lacking in animation studies, and where there is often a stringent divide between theory and practice. Accordingly the three sections of this paper correspond to three approaches to adult animation: theoretical, content or viewer based, and production or maker based, which includes a discussion of the accompanying creation component.


identifier: Vanden Berghe, Lisa  (2018) The Needles Excellency: John Taylor in Perspective.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The Needles Excellency is one of the few books widely considered to have been published specifically for British women during the seventeenth century. As such, it is regularly referred to by historians of topics such as women’s history, textile history, art history, and book history. This thesis takes on the task of filling out the history of and around The Needles Excellency, including exploring the context of its author John Taylor’s sexism, the popularity of needlework pattern books, and his intended audience(s). England was a deeply patriarchal society and that influenced everything from the formation of Taylor’s views, to his approach to his audience, and their reception of his writing. As one of the first English authors to make his living by his pen, he intentionally wrote to reach a wide audience, but also to target those he thought might become new patrons. Success in these strategies allowed him to rise from his life as a labourer to move in circles with aristocracy.


identifier: Hunt, Robert  (2018) The Heart's Content: Media and Marketing after the Attention Economy.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Capturing user attention and selling it to advertisers has long served as the basic economic model for online media. In this thesis, I investigate these companies’ growing desire to go deeper—to plumb their users’ hearts and minds, to transform their emotions into quantifiable data, and to sell those feelings to marketers. To shed light on the recent history of this trend, I take up the website Upworthy as a key case study in online publishers’ efforts to negotiate an attention economy in flux. By analyzing the evolving methods Upworthy used to capture, measure, and sell reader attention to clients, I trace their audience engagement and revenue generation strategies along a trajectory from attention to emotion to empathy. As the attention economy becomes more complex, the perceived need to monitor and measure the psychological, emotional, and affective dimensions of user engagement grows. Biometric emotion-detection technology provides a means to examine the ramifications of these proliferating forms of psychological surveillance and datafication, including their potential to reinforce hegemonic emotional norms. Finally, with the possibility of what I call the “empathy economy” on the horizon, I consider empathy’s political implications, the intimate data and sensitive technology that such an economy would require, and the forms of emotional commodification, standardization, and optimization it could engender.


identifier: Bussières, Nancy  (2018) Light, Vitality, and Dynamism: An Introduction Of Time And Movement Into Theatre Lighting.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis explores the dynamic possibilities of composing with light in the theatre as an autonomous medium. Through an archaeology of concept, it identifies the non-dynamic elements inherent to traditional theatre lighting such as the need for illumination, the linearity, the emphasis on spacial thinking over temporal thinking and the focus on visual images over in-depth experience.   These elements shaped lighting practice as a predefined technical tool activating other mediums - culminating in a non-dynamic and rigid practice- instead of considering it as a performative and active element in itself. A comparison with Light Art, complemented with insight from psychology, unveils that time and movement are missing to the feeling of vitality triggered by a dynamic light. The thesis thus speculates on how to conceptually and technically reintroduce these fundamental elements of dynamism into stage lighting design,  promoting a polyphonic and polyrhythmic temporal model over a linear and spacial one, as well as a performative approach over a predefined one.  In this view, the creative process, the creation tools and the performance model are revised.