identifier: Fong, Gisela Chan Man  (1998) The times and life of Rose Smith in Britain and China, 1891-1985 : an interplay between community, class and gender.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This case study reconstructs and analyses the development and experiences of Rosina (Rose) Smith from her birth in 1891 in Putney, England to her death in 1985 in Beijing, China. Over the span of her lifetime, she was among other things, a communist local strike leader of women, a functionary in the Executive Committee of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB), and a propagandist journalist working for the Daily Worker in London and Xinhua in Beijing. The factors that might have influenced her in her choice of activities are discussed. The socio-political environments in which she operated are described.  The approach adopted in the thesis has been proposed by Peter Leonard. Instead of presenting Rose Smith as a separate and atomised entity, she is comprehended as an individual whose social identity was constructed by her gender, her working-class background, and her membership of the CPGB and the communist community with its distinct social and cultural norms.  The sources consulted for this study are Rose Smith's writings, her interviews given to Roland Berger, archival materials of the Communist Party, various British and Chinese newspapers. Several interviews with family members, friends and former colleagues of Rose Smith were also conducted.


identifier: Saad, Nasser  (1998) Geometrical approximation methods for the discrete spectra of Schrödinger operators.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

type: Thesis NonPeerReviewed

abstract: We study a concrete class of eigenvalue problems in mathematical physics, which arise from non-relativistic quantum mechanics and the Sturm-Liouville theory. We develop practical techniques to obtain reliable bounds for the eigenvalues of the Schrödinger operator [Special characters omitted.] .  We introduce a three-parameter variational function, to determine an upper bound to the ground-state energy, of the supersingular spiked harmonic oscillator potentials [Special characters omitted.] . The entire parameter range n > 0 and [Special characters omitted.] is treated by a single formulation. We employ the method of potential envelopes to derive a simple energy lower bound formula, valid for all parameter ranges n > 0 and [Special characters omitted.] , and for all the discrete eigenvalues.  The standard method of envelope potentials is extended and applied to analyse the discrete spectrum of the generalized singular potentials [Special characters omitted.] , where [Special characters omitted.] , Ì and Ý > 0 are arbitrary positive parameters. We analyse also the discrete spectrum of the generalized Kratzer's potentials [Special characters omitted.] . We obtain lower and upper bound expressions to the eigenvalues which are valid for all dimensions [Special characters omitted.] .  We introduce the h-method to study smooth transformations [Special characters omitted.] , of the potentials [Special characters omitted.] , for which exact bound-state solutions of the Schrödinger equation are known for certain values of the positive parameter Ý. Eigenvalue approximation formulae thereby obtained provide lower or upper energy bounds, depending on whether the transformation function g is convex or concave. This enables us to give lower and upper bound expressions to the perturbed Coulomb potential [Special characters omitted.] , with arbitrary coefficients [Special characters omitted.] .  Several new comparison theorems for the eigenvalues of a pair of Schrödinger equations [Special characters omitted.] , i = 1, 2, are introduced. These theorems allow the comparison function [Special characters omitted.] to intersect at a finite number of points within [- l, l ], while maintaining the eigenvalue comparisons. The extension to more general Sturm-Louvile problems is also discussed.


identifier: Macot, Luc  (1998) New algorithm for neural network data discrimination applied to Markarian 421 high energy gamma rays.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: A new neural network learning algorithm, called the Umbrella Algorithm, is developed and analysed. Its generalization, which does not exhibit over-specialisation, is observed in the EXOR problem and in an artificial data discrimination (Toy Data) problem. The learning time is found to be about 1/15 of backpropagation learning time for the parity problem. The algorithm is applied to cosmic high energy gamma ray detection and is further used for determining the spectral index of the Markarian 421 source.


identifier: Petkov, Vesselin  (1997) Fundamental issues in general relativity : inertia, gravitation and electromagnetic mass.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: An opportunity for revealing the nature of inertia and gravitation in terms of both general relativity and the electromagnetic mass theory may have been missed in the first quarter of this century. If the entire mass of an elementary charged particle is regarded as electromagnetic in origin, a hypothesis providing a consistent explanation of inertial and gravitational phenomena emerges. Due to the anisotropy in the propagation of electromagnetic interaction in the vicinity of all (massive) objects the electric field of an electron at rest on the Earth's surface is distorted which gives rise to an electric self-force trying to force the electron to move downwards (hence the passive gravitational mass turns out to be electromagnetic); the anisotropy is compensated if the electron is falling with an acceleration g --in this case its electric field is the Coulomb field and the electron's motion is geodesic (non-resistant) in accordance with general relativity. The behaviour of an electron in an accelerated reference frame is identical (the anisotropy in the speed of light in this case is caused by the frame's accelerated motion). This hypothesis can be experimentally tested and opens up the possibility of (at least partly) controlling inertia and gravitation.  Even if one insists on the present understanding that only part of the electron mass is electromagnetic it still follows that the possibility for (partly) controlling inertia and gravitation and for an experimental test has been present since the beginning of this century when the electromagnetic mass theory was proposed. It has not been realized up to now that it immediately follows from this theory that part of the electron's active gravitational mass is electromagnetic in origin too which means that part of its gravity being caused by its charge (since part of its active gravitational mass itself is electromagnetic) is also electromagnetic in nature. And if we can control other electromagnetic phenomena nothing in principle prevents us from doing so to inertia and gravitation as well


identifier: Ramirez, Alejandro  (1998) Assessing the cognitive fit of hypertext-based learning aids for advanced learning in complex and ill-structured domains.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Leidner and Jarvenpaa's (95) theoretical views on the use of Information Technology (IT) to enhance Management School Education indicate that Hypermedia and the Internet have a "primary match" with both the Constructivist and the Cognitive Information Processing theories of learning, mainly because these technologies allow learners to create their own knowledge structures. This situation makes them compatible with Schein's (92) and Zuboff's (88) "visions" of IT in organizations when these visions are extended to include the impact of IT on electronic classrooms.  Literature regarding the use of hypermedia for training and education has been inconsistent when it comes to assessing its benefits. Some researchers indicate that there are advantages, others indicate that there are none. A similar situation in the Graphs versus Tables literature was settled by Vessey's (91) Cognitive Fit Theory. Within this theory, Vessey (91) indicated that when the tool provided matches the task at hand, performance increases in both accuracy and speed. If hypertext is considered as a tool to help in problem-solving, it is possible to use the Cognitive Fit Theory as an evaluation construct.  We empirically investigated the cognitive fit of hypertext-based learning aids for advanced learning in complex and ill-structured domains. This research was motivated by the following factors: (1) existing results regarding the benefits of hypertext-based learning aids are inconclusive; (2) hypertext has the potential to enhance the usefulness and usability of learning and training tools; (3) it is often argued that hypertext is useful in facilitating knowledge dissemination; and (4) there is no general agreement in how to evaluate hypertext as a learning and training tool.  Under the proposition that problem-solving with cognitive fit results in increased problem-solving efficiency and effectiveness, a theoretical framework is needed to provide answers to the research questions: (1) do hypertext-based learning aids enhance the acquisition of advanced knowledge? (2) will the advantages (speed and accuracy) of using hypertext-based learning aids increase when we increase the complexity of the material?  Two learning aids, a hypertext-based and a computer-based linear version were compared in an experiment. The learning material was the Lucas, Ginzberg and Schultz' (90) Information Systems Implementation Model. Speed and accuracy of subjects' performance were assessed quantitatively and qualitatively using verbal protocol analysis. Data were collected using a set of validated tools that include a test, two cases, a questionnaire, a tracing device, and verbal protocols.  The data analysis shows, as expected, a significant difference in efficiency and effectiveness between the groups at the highest level of complexity tested, and no differences at the lowest level. Verbal protocols show that subjects using the hypertext module had a deeper understanding of the relationships among the variables of the model.


identifier: Ebadi, Taghi  (1998) Investigation and modeling of unsaturated flow through swelling soils.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Although the theory of water movement through an unsaturated, swelling soil has been developing for a number of years, the efficiency of the results has been limited, and the developed models have suffered from a lack of a mechanism to reliably define water flow and experimental techniques for measuring the unsaturated soil hydraulic properties. The intent of the present research is to elucidate and to investigate the theory of flow through unsaturated, swelling soil, to develop a three dimensional theoretical model based on a reliable soil swelling and unsaturated flow mechanism and, furthermore, to characterize the relationships between different soil hydraulic and swelling properties. In the first part, based on the water adsorption mechanism by the soil particles and the use of continuum theory principles, a theoretical model of unsaturated flow through swelling soil has been developed. Some new techniques were established to measure the different soil swelling and hydraulic properties and to analyze the effect of the soil's initial conditions. The reliability of the different existing empirical models, to be applied to the results obtained from hydraulics, shrinkage and swelling experiments, were investigated and modified where necessary.  A static neural network model was developed to mathematically characterize the experimental results being used in the proposed numerical solution of the mathematical model. The neural network model works based on the back-propagation error method with adaptive learning rules by means of the neural network tool box of MATLAB software. A finite difference numerical model, based on a fully implicit method, was proposed to numerically solve the one dimensional governing equation (simplified form of 3D governing equation). For this part of the study, a computer program in C++ language was developed.  Finally, the results of the numerical method were verified using the results obtained from infiltration tests. The tests were conducted for the semi-infinite soil columns having three different confinement conditions: completely confined, semi-confined and free swelling. The results show a clear agreement between the output of the developed numerical model and the experimental data.  As one of the conclusions, the results of the numerical analysis of the developed mathematical model agreed reasonably well with those of the experiments. The study also indicated that the static neural network model, as one of the most promising models, can precisely characterize any experimental function related to the soil properties and cooperates with other numerical approaches such as finite difference method to solve a highly nonlinear partial differential equation such as unsaturated flow equation


identifier: Nikpour, Behrouz  (1998) A micromachined silicon vibrating-beam angular rate sensor : a design and implementation study.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Design and Implementation of a Silicon-Beam Angular Rate Sensor is studied. The sensing device is designed based on a micromachined single crystal silicon beam. Electromagnetic actuation supplies the reference vibration, and the Coriolis-induced vibration is sensed by a capacitor plate in close proximity to the vibrating beam. Beams with precise dimensions, and vertical side walls are fabricated using wet anisotropic etching of Si100 wafers in TMAH 25%. Several issues essential for a successful design are discussed. The required circuitry for actuation of the beam and detection of the Coriolis induced vibrations are discussed. A complete model for the mechanical and electrical components of the sensor is built in HSPICE and used to simulate the basic operation of the sensor. To improve the mismatch between beam resonant frequencies, a scheme of novel Concave Corner Compensation Patterns is devised to substantially reduce the size of the residual 111 flanges at both ends of the beams. The design principles are explained in detail and a numerical simulation program is developed to track the etch progress of the corner compensation patterns. The etch progress in patterns is simulated using a graphical simulation tool and tested experimentally. Experimental results are matched with simulation results. Several test beam structures have been fabricated and tested. Some critical mechanical characteristics of the beam structures are measured and satisfactorily compared with the results from theory and Finite Element Model simulation. Functional sensor structures are fabricated and characterized. The effect of concave corner compensation on mismatch is shown both using the Finite Element Model simulation and experiment.


identifier: Feng, Wei  (1998) Development of partial hybrid finite elements for 3-D global/local analysis of laminated composite structures.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The purpose of this work is to develop global/local finite element models using partial hybrid stress finite elements for stress analysis of laminated composite structures. Based on the composite variational principle, the general formulations of partial hybrid single-layer finite element and multilayer finite element are presented. These formulations can be used to develop a series of partial hybrid finite elements. A 4-node degenerated plate element, an 8-node degenerated plate element, a 3-D, 8-node solid element, a 3-D, 20-node solid element, a 6-node transition element, a 15-node transition element, a multilayer solid element, and a multilayer transition element are presented. The elements developed in this thesis are examined by the, eigenvalue test to detect zero-energy deformation modes and the absence of rigid-body motion capability. The results show that the elements do not have any kinematic deformation modes, and they have a desired capability for rigid-body displacement. In addition, the non-zero eigenvalues of the element stiffness matrices are real and positive.  In order to determine the optimal partial stress fields for the partial hybrid elements, a classification method of stress modes is presented. The method can be used to classify stress modes, select optimal stress modes, and set up an assumed stress matrix for a hybrid element. Also, the necessary and sufficient condition for avoiding spurious kinematic deformation mode is proposed and the optimal condition of an assumed stress field is presented.  A computer program COMSA is developed to implement the partial hybrid finite element method. The Global/Local finite element models are established using plate element, solid element, and transition element. In the thesis, a few numerical examples are presented to verify the accuracy and efficiency of the finite element models. It has been shown that the global/local models using partial hybrid element are efficient and accurate for stress analysis of laminated composites due to the fact that they take advantage of the capacity of both 3-D elements and 2-D elements.


identifier: Tam, Anna  (1998) An anisotropic adaptive method for the solution of 3-D inviscid and viscous compressible flows.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The solution of complex three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) problems in general necessitates the use of a large number of mesh points to approximate directional flow features such as shocks, boundary layers, vortices and wakes. Such large grid sizes have motivated researchers to investigate methods of introducing very high aspect ratio elements to capture these features. In this Thesis, an anisotropic adaptive grid method has been developed for the solution of three-dimensional inviscid and viscous flows by the finite element method. An edge-based error estimate drives a mesh movement strategy that allows directional stretching and re-orientation of the grid with more mesh points introduced along those directions with rapidly changing gradients. The error estimate is built from a modified positive-definite form of the Hessian tensor of a selected solution variable or combination of variables. The resulting metric tensor controls the magnitude as well as, the direction of the grid stretching. The desired directionally adapted anisotropic mesh is constructed in physical space by a coordinate transformation based on this tensor. This research thus seeks a near-isotropic mesh in the transformed metric space and an equidistribution of the error over the mesh edges. The adaptive strategy can be considered to be the first 3-D implementation of an improved spring analogy-based algorithm originally applied on quadrilateral meshes.  The adaptive methodology has been validated on various benchmark cases on both hexahedral and tetrahedral meshes. The numerical results obtained span inviscid and viscous flows, as well as internal and external aerodynamics. The effectiveness of the adaptive scheme to equidistribute the interpolation error over the edges of tetrahedral and hexahedral meshes has been gauged on analytical test cases where near-Gaussian distributions of the error were obtained. It was further demonstrated that the error estimate closely follows the true solution error.  In analyzing the solution error of different sized non-adapted and adapted grids, one could not only achieve the same level of solution error by adapting and solving on a much coarser grid, but a significant reduction in solution time as well. All test cases revealed that the flow solver required lower amounts of artificial dissipation for solution on the final adapted grids.  The current work should convincingly pave the way for its logical extension to unstructured grids, taking further advantage of refinement, coarsening and edge-swapping operations. It is strongly anticipated that this approach will shortly result in "optimal" grids.


identifier: Ma, Ka Leung  (1998) In solving the dominating set problem : group theory approach.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis presents a new way to find the dominating set of a graph by introducing the concept of an orbit graph and a weighted dominating set. We showed that the Blokhuis-Lam method for the football pool problem is a special case of assuming that the solution has a non-trivial automorphism group. A general purpose algorithm for solving the dominating set problem is developed by using a coverage test, a wastage test, and the orbit and block structure of the graph's symmetry group to prune the search. The algorithm has been implemented and the program can be used to find all the dominating sets of any undirected, loopless, and labeled graph or all the weighted dominating sets of an orbit graph.  The program analyzed grid graphs and football pool graphs, and was able to find the minimum dominating sets of any m x n grid graph for m X 10 and n X 11. For the football pool problem, we have determined that the automorphism group of n matches is S 3 [Special characters omitted.] S n and the automorphism group of a rook domain graph w n,q is S q [Special characters omitted.] S n . We also applied the orbit graph transformation to the football pool problem of 5, 6 and 7 matches. By considering only cyclic subgroups up to conjugacy, we generated 107 orbit graphs for the case of 5 matches, 220 orbit graphs for 6 matches and 428 orbit graphs for 7 matches. Using our program, we found dominating sets for 5 matches with size 27. For more matches, we found no better bounds within the limitations of our implementation. However, by using the mixed integer optimizer in the linear programming package CPLEX, we found weighted dominating sets, and hence, dominating sets matching the best known upper bounds. They also have more symmetry than the known solutions. There is hope that some of the unsolved orbit graphs can lead to smaller dominating sets.


identifier: Said, Joseph Nassif  (1997) Automatic processing of documents and bank cheques.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Automatic processing of documents with the purpose to scan different documents, recognize them, extract, and process different data items obtained from them could be achieved by top-down and bottom-up approaches. The former processes documents starting from the document class and ends with the pixel representation of the different items that should be extracted. The latter, however, processes documents in a reversed manner. In this thesis, a top-down formal approach for automatic processing of documents and bank cheques is proposed. This approach will view a document as a hierarchy of related items: (a) the background which contains simple or complex scenes that should be eliminated, and (b) the foreground which contains (i) base lines that must be removed and (ii) handwritten data, such as the date, the legal amount, and the courtesy amount, that should be extracted with minimum distortion.  The novelty of this new approach is to eliminate the background, first, by introducing a new recursive dynamic thresholding technique that could be used globally or locally on a given cheque image. As a second step, base lines that intersect the handwritten data are recognized and removed with the challenge of minimizing the distortion on the extracted items. Two methods are proposed to tackle this difficulty. The first method detects the handwritten data that intersects with the base lines that should be eliminated and uses morphological and topological processing to identify and fill the gaps resulting from the elimination of the detected base lines. The second method proposed a new dynamic morphological processing technique which acts as a detector and a preserver of the handwritten data that intersect, with the base lines. The second method highly increased the efficiency of item extraction by more than 80% and enhanced the quality of the extracted items when combined with local processing techniques.  In a step to study the reliability of the proposed top-down automatic item extraction system, a quantitative analysis technique is investigated and an experimental study is performed comparing the top-down formal approach with another newly developed bottom-up approach using the same training set of 500 real-life bank cheques and two testing sets of 200 bank cheques obtained from the CENPARMI database. The purpose of the quantitative performance analysis technique is to subject the extracted items of the top-down and the bottom-up approaches to the same item processing system that is able to recognize these corresponding items and provide quantitative results to indicate the reliability of both approaches. The experimental results showed that the reliability of the top-down approach on the training set. first testing set, and second testing set are 89.20%, 87.91%, and 90.10% respectively while those on the bottom-up approach are 91.35%, 91.30%, and 93.10%, respectively.  Finally, in a step towards the construction of a highly reliable system, a feasibility study has been conducted by combining both approaches. The result is quite encouraging and a reliability of 97.09% has been achieved when these two systems are combined


identifier: Leonard, Judith  (1998) How to integrate negative youth subcultures into secondary classroom practice using critical pedagogy.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study examines negative youth subcultures from the point of view of various theories developed to explain the formation. The emphasis is placed on resistance theory to explain the forming of negative youth subcultures and how critical pedagogy can address some of the issues concerning the integration of these students in schools. An alternative school in the Montreal area is presented as an illustration of how resistance theory can explain the negative youth subcultures in this school and how critical pedagogy helps students to cope with formal education. Conclusions are formulated in terms of further work to be done in order to better understand the negative youth subcultures in schools and develop more effective educational practices.


identifier: McLellan, Evelyn Louise  (1998) Women, men and sports : planning for change.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study addresses gender inequity in college sports and in sports in general. An account of women's history in sport and research literature from the 1960's to the present, indicate that resistance to the male control of sport, have occurred. As well, there have been changes in many areas of sport. However, sport is still very much a male dominated institution.  An exploratory study of female athletes at a private college in Montreal is presented with the intention of discovering whether college sports are as inequitable as sports in general; if the research reflects the situation of female college athletes; and if these athletes have any suggestions for changes. Finally, it is argued that a strategy to generate change at the college level would be to develop a sports feminist course based on critical and feminist pedagogy.


identifier: Webster, Patterson  (1997) Creating Virginia.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: Creating Virginia

abstract: Creating Virginia is a novel which explores questions of family relationships and memory, and the connections which bind the present to the past. The title character, Virginia Dare Paige, is soon to turn fifty. Her children are grown and life with her husband has become a stale routine. Feeling alone, she begins to question her life as a wife and a mother.  She travels from her home in Quebec to Virginia, the place where she grew up. She and her sister Barbra spend a week touring the state with their parents, a trip which Martha and Victor Dare have planned as a sort of summary of their lives--not only the faces of it but the emotional details, the particulars which make them who they are. Although Ginny may go unwillingly, the voyage takes her through history into her past: metaphorically she travels deeper into herself


identifier: Hasan, Pipip Ahmad Rifai  (1998) The political thought of Muhammad Asad.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: The political thought of Muhammad Asad

abstract: This study is an analysis of the political thought of a prominent Pakistani scholar, namely, Muhammad Asad (1900-1992). The emphasis of the study is placed on how Asad's proposal of a contemporary model of the Shari'ah state in the context of Pakistan deals with constitutional questions pertaining to the nature and power of the various organs of the state, the question of modern Islamic legislation, the status of non-Muslims and women, and the relationship of the Islamic state with non-Muslim states.  Asad is a distinguished Islamic scholar, and a fully and strongly committed Muslim whose life goal is the cultural, intellectual and spiritual renaissance of Muslims. In order to achieve these ideals, Islam should become a program of life, he urges, adding that the establishment of a truly Islamic polity is imperative if Muslims truly want a vehicle through which they can translate the tenets of Islam into action. In addition, he believes that the freedom and prosperity of Muslims would not be achieved unless its adherents whole-heartedly adhere to its tenets and strive for their implementation.  This thesis is an historical study that analyzes the religio-political ideas of Asad, as can be gleaned from his writings: books, articles, and reports of interviews. The thesis also takes cognizance of a number of analytical and scholarly works on Asad's political thought. Lastly, certain conclusions are preferred in terms of the reliability and applicability of his model of the Shari'ah, and the suggestions he offers to a number of crucial issues plaguing many Muslim political thinkers.


identifier: Philippoussis, Anthony  (1998) Necessary and sufficient conditions so that a commutative ring can be embedded into a strongly pi-regular ring.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: If R is commutative ring then R can be embedded into a strongly $\pi$-regular ring if and only if there exists a set of prime ideals Y = $\{$P$\sb\alpha\}\alpha\in\Lambda$ and for each P$\sb\alpha$, a P$\sb\alpha$-primary ideal Q$\sb\alpha$ such that: (I) Y is closed in the patch topology on Spec R. (II) $\rm\cap\sb{\alpha\in\Lambda}Q\sb\alpha=\{0\}$. (III) for each a $\in$ R there is n(a) $\in$ N such that for n $\ge$ n(a), $\rm\{P\sb\alpha\mid P\sb\alpha\in Y$ and $\rm a\sp{n}\in Q\sb\alpha\}$ is patch open in Y.


identifier: Young, Sarah Anne  (1998) The Olympic/Media Complex : the development and relationships of Olympic marketing.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study is a critical analysis of the development of Olympic marketing. The emphasis is placed on the marketing practice of sponsorship and its relation to the mass media and the International Olympic Committee. This thesis seeks to assess the significance of sponsorship at the Olympics from a media event perspective. The study conducts the critique through a textual analysis of marketing and Olympic literature, and Olympic advertising campaigns. The information is framed within Raymond William's advertising theoretical framework and Sut Jhally's 'sports/media complex' model. Sponsorship is explored by reference to the actual operation of the industry within the context of marketing, the historical relationship the mass media have had to the development of sponsorship, and the specific permutations which this development has undergone. This analysis shall study the development and lead to the assessment of the 1996 Atlanta Games, specifically through Nike Inc.'s Atlanta Olympic campaign that is used as a case study. There is no other event like the Olympics which have become a media and marketing event. A theory of an 'Olympic/media complex' is developed between the Games and organizers, the marketers, and the mass media. The relationships between these components of the Olympics are explored and found to be inherent, interdependent, and influential in the commercialization of the Gaines. This study of the 1996 Atlanta Games concludes that the IOC should take the leadership role in developing a proactive marketing strategy for future Olympiads.


identifier: Paré, Jean  (1997) Religion, myth, and rationality : some of Habermas' views on religion.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The topic of this thesis is Jurgen Habermas' views on religion, especially in his two volumes The Theory of Communicative Action.  The introduction presents the sociological and the philosophical contexts in which Habermas' views may be understood. Part I is a reading of the main sections of The Theory of Communicative Action where different aspects of the human religious experience are considered by the German philosopher, and similar reading and comments of some extracts of a Conference held at Chicago in October 1988 on the contribution of Habermas' philosophy for theology. Part II proposes critiques and comments of Habermas' assumptions on religion and a renewed framework (lifeworld) into which the religious description finds a better place and role among the other human experiences.  The main hypotheses of this thesis are the following: (1) Habermas' thesis on communicative action is not influenced by his views on religion, (2) but his understanding of religion acts upon his theory of modernity.  Therefore, we will concentrate on the way Habermas' views on religion influence his thesis of modernity


identifier: Zrihen, Yorel  (1998) Beyond bad faith : vindicating the quest for being.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: By equating the "quest for Being" with "bad faith" Sartre has over-simplified and misrepresented human reality. In this thesis I examine Sartre's description of "the human condition," as well as his concepts of "bad faith", "good faith", "authenticity", and "the ego"--for evidence of the consistent devalorization of human reality's "natural quest for being." I will argue that the desire to self-coincide must be distinguished from the attempt to evade freedom. The quest for Being must be vindicated in order to restore a vital and valid dimension which is flagrantly excluded in Sartre's depiction of human reality.


identifier: O'Hayon, Gregory L  (1998) The Post-Westphalian State in transition : a case study : transnational organized crime and Russia's Mafiya.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: With the collapse of the Cold War, and the subsequent end of the bipolar international system, new security threats have arisen. One of the most important ones is that presented by transnational organized crime, which has increased both in wealth and power as a result of these geopolitical shifts, and with the intensification of the globalization process. We posit that transnational criminal organizations are the perverse effect of both globalization and of weak of central states.  In this study we trace the evolution of the Russian Mafiya, which has become a pivotal actor in this new international society of thieves. Moreover, we attempt to gauge the threat posed by the Mafiya on the nascent Russian state, and its transition to a democratic polity and free market economy. This transition has been hampered by its failure to create new state structures necessary to dislodge a resistant nomenklatura. Consequently, we posit that transitions can only be successful when guided, and protected by strong states.  We conclude that the Mafiya does represent a strong threat to the current Russian state for it is plundering the country's natural and cultural wealth, undermining the state's authority and legitimacy through corruption and intimidation, co-opting civil society's institutions, and fuelling the forces of disintegration. As in Italy and Columbia, the Mafiya is grafting itself upon the body politic of newborn Russia.


identifier: Offen, Robert  (1998) The mystic 'it' and the centre of culture : an ethnographic experience with a women's drumming circle.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study is an ethnographic exploration of a women's drumming circle in Southwestern Ontario. The focus of the paper is to act as a conduit to open up a communication link between the women and their conceptions and perceptions of the multicultural construction of their ritual group; and a detailed reading of a few academic texts that are representative of the dominant discourse in their respective branches of the study of anthropology. The emphasis of the paper is on points of convergence and difference between academic theory and the ritual practice of the drumming group with the goal of opening avenues of research in the concrete reality of the imagination. Some of the issues that are to be developed are a working definition of the spiritual essence--the mystic 'it'--of culture; the structuring of the women's ritual around a feminine energy spirit and the organizing principle of consensus; as well as an examination of individuality and the process of group formation.


identifier: Dubé, Lise M  (1998) The typologies of cognitive dissonance and the self-guided adult visitor : assessing interpretive aids in a fine arts museum.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Cognitive dissonances can occur when self-guided visitors confront art works in museums which do not agree with their previously held cognitions. As a result, visitors can experience frustration and anxiety because they are unable to find immediate sources through which they can resolve their dissonances. Recently, there has been increased interest by museum educators to develop and place multi-media interpretive aids directly in gallery spaces to better assist the high percentage of visitors who circulate through museums unsupported by planned programs and tours. After reviewing the Typologies of Dissonance and the interpretive aids currently in place in a Fine Arts Museum, this study examines whether or not these aids are able to assist in the resolution of visitors dissonances and thereby promote learning through the acquisition of new experiences and/or knowledge.


identifier: Duhamel, Marc  (1998) The problem of the sacred in postmodern museum practice : some thoughts on the Rideau Street Convent Chapel in the National Gallery of Canada.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The Rideau Street Chapel in Ottawa was saved from destruction in 1972 when it was declared a heritage site by the Canadian government. The interior of the building was dismantled and placed in storage until it was reconstructed within the walls of Moshe Safdie's National Gallery of Canada in 1988. It is now part of the permanent collection on display in this Museum.  This study enquires into the detrimental effects of the institutionalization of objects which form the material base for spiritual belief systems. I argue that the National Gallery denies the original liturgical function of the Chapel by presenting it in a synchronic manner, placing the spiritual potency of the work in suspended animation. I investigate how high art museums, which can be considered modern temples of the dominant culture's secular cult of beauty, appropriate the 'spiritual capital' of such works for their own purposes. Such architectural installations become analogous to relics placed in churches of Medieval Pilgrimage Roads, lending their spiritual/aesthetic aura to pilgrims of our era, namely, cultural tourists.


identifier: Kopac, Andrej Peter  (1998) The Dominion Express Building : a cultural investigation.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The Dominion Express Building, situated in the heart of Old Montreal's business district, was commissioned by the Dominion Express Company and designed by the architects Edward and William Sutherland Maxwell in 1912. The building was, in its conservative styling and modest size, a fine example of what has been called the Edwardian Commercial Style. Though traditional architectural history would minimize the importance of the Dominion Express Building, this study intends to reassert, through method developed by Cultural Studies, the building's significance in Canadian history. By extending the focus of architectural historical method to include a variety of cultural readings a rich understanding of the role that commercial architecture played in Canadian history during this period can be achieved. Additionally, this study broadens understanding of the culture of the "Square Mile" in the first decades of this century.


identifier: Gentile, Gina  (1998) Daily patterns of oviposition mediate sexual conflict in a polygynandrous mating system.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Conflicts of interest between the sexes are considered strong forces in shaping mating systems. Thus an understanding of the behaviour of both sexes is essential. The waterstrider Aquarius remigis has been used in several studies investigating sexual conflict. However, little is known about oviposition behaviour or how it affects male/female interactions. In this study, I observed and quantified oviposition behaviour, tested whether the absence of males affected the temporal pattern of oviposition, and looked for relationships between oviposition behaviour and male/female interactions. Females oviposited under water in a manner not previously described for waterstriders. A daily rhythm in oviposition occurred in the absence of temperature cues. Oviposition rates were below average in the early morning, peaked in the evening just prior to 'lights out' or dusk and continued above average for the first few hours of darkness. The absence of males affected the temporal pattern of oviposition, but not the overall daily rate of oviposition. In the absence of males, oviposition rates were above average in the early morning, increased slightly at dusk, and were below average during darkness. Delayed oviposition in the presence of males was not due to prolonged copulation since females initiated oviposition around the same time regardless of their copulation history. Females were much more reluctant to mate before oviposition than after oviposition. The daily rhythm of oviposition and the effect of oviposition on female reluctance alter the intensity of sexual conflict and sexual selection over the course of the day.


identifier: Gisser, Jonathan M  (1997) Interactions among a group of related proteins in the cellular slime mold 'Dictyostelium discoideum'.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In previous work, the Dictyostelium discoideum gene encoding the cAMP-binding protein CABP1 was isolated and cloned. Subsequent studies revealed that certain polypeptides are related in their amino acid sequence to CABP1. Each of these polypeptides possesses a region of high glycine, tyrosine, proline, glutamine, and alanine (GYPAQ) content which forms the basis for their similarity. In the present study, the genes encoding seven of these related D. discoideum polypeptides were cloned into the two-hybrid system vectors and subjected to the yeast two-hybrid assay.  The p34, p31, CABP1A, CABP1B, and 6C proteins each homodimerized in the assay. Furthermore, interactions were observed between the following pairs of proteins: p34 and p31, CABP1A and CABP1B, CABP1A and 6C, CABP1B and 6C, p34 and 6C, p31 and 6C, and p24 and 6C. Some of the interactions were also verified using a blot overlay assay. Dictyostelium annexin did not interact with any of the other related proteins, nor did it homodimerize.  To determine whether the GYPAQ-rich regions are mediating the interactions, portions of the gene encoding the 6C protein were isolated and cloned into the two-hybrid vectors and the assay was performed again. Genetically deleting the GYPAQ-rich region of 6C had the effect of abolishing or diminishing all the interactions that were observed with the intact 6C. Conversely, the GYPAQ-rich region behaved like the intact 6C. The GYPAQ-rich region therefore appears to be playing a role in the mediation of interactions with 6C


identifier: Piercey, David  (1998) Factors influencing the induction of diapausing egg production in the calanoid copepod Diaptomus leptopus.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The objective of this study was to determine the relative importance of photoperiod and temperature upon the induction of diapausing egg production in a single species of copepod found in habitats that differ in permanence.  Field studies of four populations of Diaptomus leptopus carried out from 1995 to 1997 reveal quite different seasonal patterns in the production of subitaneous and diapausing eggs; these distinct patterns are similar between years for three of the four ponds studied. To determine the possible roles of temperature and photoperiod on the induction of diapausing eggs, I performed a common-garden experiment in which mating pairs from each of the four populations were exposed to different temperature and photoperiod regimes: long-day (16:8h L/D) 25$\sp\circ$C, long-day 10$\sp\circ$C, short-day (8:16 L/D) 25$\sp\circ$C and short-day 10$\sp\circ$C to determine if there are differences in the onset of diapausing egg production between and within the populations in each treatment.  The populations of the occasionally temporary environments Hill and Stoneycroft exhibited a decrease in the onset of diapause under cold conditions and the overall timing of onset of diapause egg production in the experimental populations differed from that of the field populations giving indirect evidence that each population are responding to the available cues as predictors of environmental change in different ways.


identifier: Praw, Jason Cary  (1998) Optimal territory size in the convict cichlid (Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum).  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Simple models of optimal territory size have most commonly been tested qualitatively by demonstrating that an increase in food abundance or intruder pressure causes a decrease in territory size. However, the most fundamental predictions of the theory have rarely been tested: i.e. the fitness of the defender changes with territory size and the optimum occurs at a territory of intermediate size. I tested these predictions by measuring the growth rate of convict cichlids (Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum) defending food patches that differed in area by more than an order of magnitude. Groups of five fish competed for a food patch of a given size over a 10-day period. I assumed one large fish would defend the food patch and that the four smaller fish would act as intruders. As predicted, the growth rate of the defender first increased and then decreased with increasing patch size and was highest on an intermediate patch size. Cost of defence (chase rate, intruder pressure) increased linearly with patch size, whereas the benefits of defence (number of pellets eaten by the defender) increased in a decelerating way with increasing patch size. The best predictors of the defender's foraging success were patch size, chase radius, and chase rate; the most successful foragers fed on large patches, defended large territories, and chased few intruders. The growth rate of defenders increased with the number of pellets eaten and decreased as the number of intruders on their patch increased. Taken together, these results provide strong support for the assumptions and predictions of the optimal territory size model.


identifier: Peroutka, Alena Kolarikova  (1998) The preparation and characterization of stannous fluoride materials containing strontium.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The reaction of aqueous solutions of strontium nitrate and stannous fluoride results in the formation of a precipitate which is SrSn$\sb2$F$\sb{6\cdot}$H$\sb2$O, or Sr$\sb2$Sn$\sb2$NO$\sb3$F$\sb{7\cdot}$2H$\sb2$O, or a mixture of both, depending on the conditions. The reaction has been studied as a function of various reaction parameters, such as molar ratio, order of addition of reagents, mixing speed, time and temperature. The preparation of these materials is described here.  The nature of the products was investigated by various analytical techniques, such as atomic absorption spectrophotometry, fluoride ion electrode analysis, infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermal analyses and Mossbauer spectroscopy.  Recrystallization of SrSn$\sb2$F$\sb{6\cdot}$H$\sb2$O and Sr$\sb2$Sn$\sb2$NO$\sb3$F$\sb{7\cdot}$2H$\sb2$O from nitric acid was performed in primarily an effort to obtain single crystals that could be used for crystal structure determination by X-ray single crystal diffraction. In addition, it was also used to investigate if any new materials are formed by this method, since it is known to happen if PbSnF$\sb4$ is recrystallized in nitric acid. Furthermore, highly oriented samples and higher purity of both materials are obtained by recrystallization.  Reactions between strontium chloride and stannous fluoride in aqueous solutions were also investigated under similar conditions.


identifier: Dalpé, Denis  (1998) Schwarz's surface and the theory of minimal surfaces.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: We explore some general properties of minimal surfaces, and their historical origins. I am particularly interested in the Schwarz surface, which is spanned by a regular tetrahedral skew quadrilateral. We use the Weierstrass-Enneper representation formulas to derive the analytic function $R(\omega)$ obtained by Schwarz and use a representation in terms of elliptic integrals to investigate the relation to the hyperbolic paraboloid.


identifier: Obeid, Nabil  (1998) Absolutely continuous invariant measures for a class of meromorphic functions.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: We are going to consider a meromorphic function g: $\Re \to \Re,$ which has a constant sign in the upper half plan. We will show that it has a special form$${\rm g(z) = A} + \varepsilon\left\lbrack Bz- \sum\sb{s} p\sb{s} ({1\over{z-c\sb{s}}}{+}{1\over {c\sb{s}}})\right\rbrack$$where the poles are real and simples. Subsequently, we will demonstrate that it has an absolutely continuous invariant measure. Finally, we will present an example to emphasise the use of this transformation.


identifier: Rabih, Joyce  (1998) TQM implementation in health care : a proposed framework.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: TQM has been a prevalent business research issue since the mid to late 1980s. Available research regarding this type of organizational change has been conducted mostly in the private manufacturing sector. However, public institutions such as Canadian hospitals have also been jumping on the TQM bandwagon to battle organizational inefficiencies and shrinking government budgets.  The purpose of this research is to advance research already conducted in the Canadian health care industry with regard to TQM implementation, by identifying the similarities and differences between TQM literature and TQM implementation in hospitals. This objective was achieved by adapting the models of TQM implementation proposed by Kaltsounakis (1995) and Radnay (1997) into a proposed TQM implementation framework. The variables within this proposed model were examined for their applicability in three Canadian hospitals undergoing a quality initiative. Additionally, the differences between TQM theory used for the private manufacturing sector and its application in the context of public hospitals is discussed.  A multiple case design was used for the purposes of this study, as little research has been conducted on the issue of TQM in health care so far. Three hospitals served as research case sites--two were located in the province of Quebec, and one in Ontario.  Findings showed that TQM variables identified in the theoretical literature can be applied to a hospital environment in which TQM initiatives are undertaken. Specifically, 11 critical variables were identified in the final framework for TQM implementation in a Canadian health care context. These variables included leadership, quality planning and structure, supplier relationships, organizational commitment to TQM, organizational culture, quality activities, evaluation and follow-up of the initiative, and TQM success. Inhibitors of successful TQM implementation were also discovered. Implications for future research and practical applications of the findings were subsequently discussed.


identifier: Cosmulescu, Cristina  (1997) Experimental procedure to evaluate air leakage through different building materials.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This work deals with the evaluation of air flow rate through different building materials used in the construction of building envelope. Experimental measurements of the air flow through and static pressure difference across building walls were carried out. For this purpose a new test configuration consisting of pressurization chambers was designed and developed.  In order to validate the new-experimental setup developed, the leakage parameters of some common building materials such as gypsum board and plywood sheathing were evaluated and compared with literature values with satisfactory results.  The experimental approach developed in this study was then used to evaluate the air leakage characteristics (resistance, permeance, equivalent leakage area) of brick, impregnated brick and composite walls. Different building envelope configurations were compared in order to assess the airtightness performance and recommend appropriate improvements.  This study confirmed that under pressure differentials of 10 to 150 Pa, the air flow regime through rigid building materials is mainly laminar. The research also dealt with the evaluation of the air flow characteristics through a composite system in order to estimate the general envelope performance, by considering the air flow rate through each component layer.  The building component airtightness measurements using the proposed experimental configuration were performed under controlled laboratory conditions. This system has the advantage that a large number of rigid specimens can be examined under similar conditions. However, results obtained under laboratory conditions may be significantly different from those of similar components on site evaluation. This is attributed to the effect of workmanship on the airtightness performance of the building envelope


identifier: Sharif, Ali  (1998) Negative skin friction on single piles in clay subjected to direct and indirect loading.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: A numerical model employing the finite element technique is developed to analyze the negative skin friction induced in single floating piles subjected to direct and indirect loading. The pile is embedded in saturated clay. The clay is subjected to surcharge pressure for generating indirect loading on the pile. The soil is assumed to behave as a linearly elastic perfectly plastic material with a yield function defined by the Mohr-Coulomb equation. The results of the numerical model compared well with the field data. A parametric study is presented to show the influence of various parameters on the location of neutral plane. It has been found that the level of direct loading introduced in terms of factor of safety has a major effect in locating the neutral plane. Based on the results of the present investigation, a design formula together with design charts are given for determining the allowable bearing capacity of coated and uncoated single piles.


identifier: Jain, Manu  (1998) Bi-directional DC-DC converter for low power applications.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Applications that require exchange of power from the source to the load and vice-versa have conventionally been implemented with two uni-directional converters; each processing the power in one direction. With growing emphasis on compact, smaller and efficient power systems there is increasing interest in the possibility of using bi-directional converters, especially in DC power based applications like space, telecommunication and computer systems. A bi-directional dc-dc converter, capable of bilateral power flow, provides the functionality of two uni-directional converters in a single converter unit. This thesis proposes a topology for a bi-directional dc-dc converter for use in low power applications. The implementation of this converter topology for a battery charger/discharger circuit, with applications in DC UPS systems, demonstrates its feasibility and advantages when compared to the conventionally used circuits. The topology is based on a half-bridge on the primary and a current fed push-pull on the secondary side of a high frequency isolation transformer. The small signal and steady state analyses of the proposed topology are presented. Characteristic curves generated from the analysis aid the design of a laboratory prototype as demonstrated by a detailed design example. Experimental results from the prototype, under different operating conditions, validate and evaluate the topology. Achieving bi-directional flow of power using the same power components provides a simple, efficient and galvanically isolated topology for a low power bi-directional dc-dc converter.


identifier: Lawn, Peter  (1998) The enhancement of a flight simulator system with teaching and research applications.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Modern computers, offering high performance at a low cost have created the opportunity to upgrade the computer hardware of Concordia's flight simulator and to develop/implement a more sophisticated and versatile simulation software. The widely used 80 x 86 family of personal computers was chosen lending the new simulation software a high degree of portability, so that it can be used in the laboratory, in the class room or in the student's home. The simulation program was developed to be applicable as a research and teaching tool in the area of aircraft stability, control, systems, and human factors. This was achieved by designing a large flexibility in definition of the simulated aircraft's dimensions and coefficients, and by providing different options to monitor and store real time data. To offer insight into aircraft characteristics, a second program was developed to estimate the longitudinal stability of an aircraft using the USAF DATCOM method as a basis. This program demonstrates all the steps in the solution including the use of all necessary graphical data. Following an introduction outlining the history and objectives of this work, chapter two details the development of the dynamic flight model and the hybrid dynamic and kinematic ground model. Chapter three describes the implementation of the models into a working simulation program. Chapter four and five describe in detail the operation and simulation of the flight and navigational equipment typically found on a general aviation aircraft. The upgraded hardware is presented in chapter six, including custom built analog interface devices. Lastly chapter seven outlines the DATCOM method and its implementation into a computer program.


identifier: Šverko, Davor  (1997) Torsional-axial coupling in the line shafting vibrations in merchant ocean going ships.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Mutual interaction of the two major vibration modes, i.e. torsional and axial, resulting from propeller action in the solid elastic shaft of the merchant ocean going ships is analyzed in this thesis. This type of vibration interaction can be described as torsionally-induced propeller thrust fluctuation. Generated longitudinal vibrations due to the thrust variation, can be the cause of excessive ship hull vibrations in modern merchant ocean going ships. The aim of this study is twofold; i.e. to show how the design of the propulsion line shafting affects the coupling phenomenon between torsional and axial vibrations, and to correlate line shafting design with potential structural problems of the hull.  The line shafting design is first addressed using conventional approach which yields information about torsional and axial eigenvalues and stresses. It provides no details regarding propeller coupling. The method used in the analysis is transfer matrix method, which suits well the rotor systems on modern ocean going ships. Vibration coupling computation is then performed using finite element method to demonstrate the importance of obtaining torsionally induced axial force. It is shown that dynamic response of the ship hull will be greatly affected by longitudinal force generated by propeller coupling of torsional and axial vibrations.


identifier: Yin, Qiang  (1997) An analytical investigation of a Panhard rod restraint for beam-axle vehicle suspensions.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The contributions of the kinematic and dynamic properties of a Panhard rod constraint to the ride and handling performance of road vehicles with beam-axle suspensions are analyzed through study of the roll plane dynamics of a modern high-decker highway bus. A nonlinear kineto-static model of the candidate vehicle is first developed and analyzed to investigate the variations in the coordinates of the suspension roll center and the sprung mass gravity center, the effective roll stiffness as a function of the magnitude of centrifugal force excitation, roll input, vehicle load and the Panhard rod design parameters. Two roll plane dynamic models of the candidate vehicle with nine-DOF and five-DOF are then formulated and analyzed under excitations due to directional maneuvers and road irregularities, as characterized by a harmonic centrifugal acceleration, out-of-phase harmonic displacements, and random unevenness with randomly distributed phase between the right and left tracks. The simulation results show that the Panhard rod inertia and bushings represented in nine-DOF model contribute only to high frequency dynamics of the vehicle. The ride and handling performance of the candidate vehicle under transverse Panhard rod constraint, which relates to the low frequency dynamics of the vehicle is thus evaluated with the simplified five-DOF model by assessing the roll and lateral displacements and accelerations of the sprung mass. The effect of the variations in the suspension and Panhard rod properties, and the vehicle operation conditions are investigated.


identifier: Lazar, Iustin  (1998) A multi-level nearest-neighbour algorithm for predicting protein secondary structure.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: A thesis on machine learning and prediction of protein secondary structure.  We develop a variation of the nearest-neighbour algorithm that adopts a multi-level strategy together with a variable window size. The algorithm is applied to the problem of predicting the secondary structure of a protein given its primary structure: that is, given a sequence of amino-acids, output a sequence of secondary structures (helix, sheet, or coil).  A new training set is developed that is orthogonal, and covers the known classes of proteins.  Overall accuracy is 65.0%, with 68.7% accuracy for helices, 66.3% accuracy for sheets, and 61.4% for coils. This compares well with existing methods, in that the best results for a single nearest-neighbour classifier is 65.1% by Salzberg and Cost in 1992. Our accuracy rate for sheets is better than known methods, but our accuracy rate for coils is much lower than existing methods.


identifier: Pham, Minh Hang  (1997) An interpreter for object comprehension query language.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Object Comprehensions are a new query notation introduced in 1994 by Chan and Trinder to provide a declarative query language for object-oriented databases. Object Comprehensions allow queries to be expressed clearly, concisely, and processed efficiently, while incorporating many features that are missing from or inadequate in existing object-oriented query languages such as support of object-orientation, computational power and support of collection. However there is no object-oriented database (OOD) so far which incorporates Object Comprehension Language (OCL) as a query interface. This paper introduces an interpreter that evaluates the OCL query language against an in-memory database.


identifier: Halbwidl, Dieter Anton  (1973) Revolution and its bureaucracy ; an analysis of the similarities and differences of revolution and its bureaucracy of Ignazio Silone and Milovan Djilas.  Masters thesis, Sir George Williams University.

abstract: This thesis is simple in intent. It analyzes some of the major, political ideas of Ignazio Silone and Milovan Djilas, and endeavours to account reasonably for their personal rebellions and commitment to revolution. It traces their subsequent metamorphoses from Marxists to democratic Socialists. The work is divided into two sections, the first, dealing with Silone, the second with Djilas. Chapter One presents the reader with a general introduction to nineteenth and twentieth century Italy. Chapter Two, centers on Silone’s personal background, his political work and the problems faced by his Abruzzi cafoni. Chapter Three deals with Silone’s descriptions of the many social and psychological difficulties involved in the encounter between an intellectual and the peasantry. Chapter Four describes the peasants’ traditional opposition to government and church. Part Two presents the ideas of Milovan Djilas. Chapter Five is an introduction to nineteenth and twentieth century Yugoslavia and its development as a state. A short account of the history of the Yugoslav Communist party (League) concludes the chapter. Chapter Six, presents the reader with some important facts in Djilas’ life. Chapter Seven studies Djilas’ lucid treatise on the Soviet and Yugoslav Revolutions, and their differences from the 1789 French Revolution. Chapter Eight examines the author’s arguments of the contradiction of Marxism in the Soviet and Yugoslav Revolutions. Industrialization led to the party bureaucracy’s socio-political stranglehold over the state and its people. The Conclusion seeks to highlight the similarities and differences in the lives and views of these two men.


identifier: Farkas, Mary Anne  (1997) Navigating a course between Scylla and Charybdis : Quebec Voluntary Hospitals, the market and the State, 1940 to 1960.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This dissertation examines the development of hospitalization insurance in Canada and Quebec in the period from 1940 to 1960, focusing on the debate over health policy that began during the Second World War--when broad government-funded social programmes were being proposed--to 1960, when Quebec became the last province to join the national hospitalization insurance programme. It considers policy development on both the federal and provincial levels, as well as the response of two Montreal-area hospitals and their professional organizations to the perennial budget deficits and to the solutions proposed by government.  It also examines the ideologies behind the choices that were made, both on the political level and in the hospital sector. Of particular interest is ongoing debate between two forms of liberalism: laissez-faire and state-interventionist. The dominant tendency for much of this period was the laissez-faire approach, that is, the belief that, overall, the market could proffer the best solutions to the problems of access to and financing of hospitals. This approach dominated both levels of government and, in the form of the liberal voluntary ethic, the hospitals as well. The other approach, which believed the state had a significant role to play in social welfare, was subordinate through much of the period, but eventually came to dominate.  The hospitals themselves are an important focus of this study, particularly the contradiction between the desire of the voluntary hospital boards to keep their institutions autonomous from the state, and their incapacity to find adequate and durable solutions in the marketplace


identifier: Andrews, Alanoly Joseph  (1997) Towards an implementation of SchemaLog : a database programming language.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The efficient implementation of advanced database programming languages calls for investigating novel architectures and algorithms. In this thesis, we discuss our implementation of SchemaLog, a logic-based database programming language, capable of offering a powerful platform for a variety of database applications involving data/meta-data querying and restructuring. Our architecture for the implementation is based on compiling SchemaLog constructs into an extended version of relational algebra called Schema Algebra (${\cal {SA}}$). We modify the new operators in this algebra to suit our implementation, and we illustrate how a SchemaLog program can be evaluated by conversion into an expression in ${\cal {SA}}$. Based on this algebra, we develop a top-down algorithm, using the Rule/Goal Tree method, for evaluating SchemaLog programs. We then discuss three alternative storage structures for the implementation and study their effect on the efficiency of implementation. For each storage structure, we propose strategies for implementing our algebraic operators. We have implemented all these algorithms, using MicroSoft Access DBMS running on Windows 3.1, and have run an extensive set of experiments for evaluating the efficiency of alternative strategies under a varied mix of querying and restructuring operations and varying parameters on the type and size of data. We discuss the results of our experiments and make recommendations on the type of storage structures to be used.


identifier: McNamara, Josephte Isabel  (1998) Fact or fiction : L'Histoire du Canada and its influence on French Canadian novels.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In 1845, Francois-Xavier Garneau published L'Histoire du Canada depuis sa decouverte jusqu'a nos jours. Garneau' s history, focusing on the development of New France from 1534 until 1841, was undertaken in response to Lord Durham's Report (1839) in which Durham stated that French Canadians were a people without a history or a literature. The popularity and success of Garneau's narrative led to his being coined "historien national" and to the emergence of nationalist literature in French Canada. His text provided novelists with an abundance of recognizable images which are found in novels written from 1846 to 1981. Drawing on Hayden White's study of the writing of history and the narrative structures used by historians, this thesis will analyze the presentation of Garneau's data, the ideology found in his text, and the influence it has had on French Canadian fiction. Specifically, three types of novels will be studied: "le roman de la terre", "le roman historique" and "le roman contemporain"


identifier: Bhattacharya, Sutanuka  (1997) A comparative study of different methods of predicting time series.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis work presents a comparative study of different methods for predicting future values of time series data and implement them to predict the currency exchange rates. The current thesis focuses mainly on two approaches in predicting a time series. One of them is the traditional statistical approach which involves building models based on certain assumptions and then applying them to do the predictions. The models considered in this thesis are multiple regression, exponential smoothing, double exponential smoothing, Box-Jenkins method, and Winter's method. The second approach is using the concept of training neural nets and pattern recognition. This involves in designing a neural network and training it using different learning methods. The learning algorithms used in the current work involves the backpropagation method, recurrent nets learning method, adaptively trained neural nets, and fuzzy learning methods. In addition to these, some methods for forecasting a chaotic time series and fractional differencing are also mentioned in the thesis. In order to compare the performances of different techniques of forecasting the future values of a time series, experiments were conducted using the exchange rates of different currencies with respect to the US dollar. These exchange rates exhibit a lot of randomness in their behaviour and hence it was very challenging to predict their future values. Different prediction zones were selected to conduct the experiments and analysis of the results have been presented towards the end of the thesis.


identifier: Lacelle-Lavallée, Johanne  (1998) Street-kids : a pedagogical journey into alternative art education.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study investigates the teaching of art to street-kids, its effect on their sense of self-esteem or self-worth, their belief in their own creative potential and the process by which all this takes place. A method of action research has been used, relying chiefly on observation and behavioral data as well as sociological inquiry in the form of both conversational and standardized interviews. It was found that the alternative art-educator needs to rescue the idealism of street-kids, enticing them to return to main-stream society, to become independent. This is made possible by the application of a carefully structured art program, based on literacy, such as the one being run by Projeto Axe of Brazil.


identifier: Gunning, Pamela  (1997) The learning strategies of beginning ESL learners at the primary level.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study investigates the language learning strategies used by beginning level ESL learners at the primary level. Scholars in the field have suggested that successful language learners employ certain strategies to aid their learning of a second language and that unsuccessful language learners could be taught these language learning strategies. Much research has been done to identify these strategies among adolescent and adult learners but very little research has been conducted in this area with children. In this study, 120 Francophone learners at four primary schools in Quebec were asked to report on their language learning strategies through two studies: Study 1 (N = 100) and Study 2 (N = 20). In Study 1 students were surveyed about their language learning strategies, using Oxford's (1990) Strategy Inventory of Language Learning (SILL) adapted for use with children. In Study 2 children from the same general population as those surveyed in Study 1 were questioned about their use of specific strategies in an in-depth interview. It was hypothesized that the strategies children use would be similar to or different from those of adults depending on the category of strategies. Similarities were expected at the level of the more concrete cognitive strategies such as practice and repetition, and differences were expected at the level of the more abstract learning strategies for developing cognitive processes, such as those related to grammar. Successful learners were expected to demonstrate different patterns of strategy use from unsuccessful learners, and they were expected to be more adroit at selecting strategies which were more effective and appropriate for them than unsuccessful language learners. This study presents evidence confirming these hypotheses.


identifier: Tsingotjidis, Periklis  (1997) A feasibility study for a proactive congestion control for broadband networks.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The feasibility of a proactive congestion control approach for broadband networks, especially involving large propagation delays is examined. The method is based on network overload prediction from a current underload state, by exploitation of the traffic correlations that services being transported exhibit, and subsequent shaping of input traffic through a tunable leaky bucket technique. First passage time analysis for Markov processes and Markov drift processes is used to give a measure of congestion imminence, through the probability distribution for the time to overload. Applications both to real time services and delay tolerant services are discussed. The method is predicated on knowledge of the current source state and a method of estimating it from network measurements is also presented.


identifier: Ammar, Ahlem  (1996) Is implicational generalisation unidirectional and applicable in foreign contexts? : evidence from relativization instruction in a foreign language.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: A growing body of Second Language acquisition studies has revealed that the acquisition of some grammatical structures can be accelerated when taught. Doughty (1991), Eckman, Bell and Nelson (1988), Hamilton (1994) and Gass (1982) showed that the acquisition of relative clauses is accelerated if learners are taught the most marked relativization types first. The present study targeted relativization and examined the Markedness Generalisation Hypothesis (MGH) that was generated from the studies mentioned above. The first research question addressed was: Do the students who get instructed on relative clauses perform better than those who do not get any of that instruction? Previous research about relative clause acquisition suggested that the generalisation accruing from the instructed marked relativization is "unidirectional", towards the less marked and implicated contexts only. However, many exceptional achievements were found. Some subjects showed some instances of generalisation to the unimplicated contexts. This motivated the second and third research questions which sought to find whether the generalisation is unidirectional or bidirectional. The final part of the present study dealt with the applicability of the MGH in the Tunisian context. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)


identifier: Christendat, Dinesh Singh  (1998) Mechanistic studies on chorismate mutase-prephenate dehydrogenase from E. coli.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Chorismate mutase-prephenate dehydrogenase is a bifunctional enzyme that catalyzes two sequential reactions in the biosynthesis of tyrosine in E. coli and other enteric bacteria. Chorismate mutase catalyzes the pericyclic rearrangement of chorismate to prephenate which is subsequently converted to (4-hydroxyphenyl)pyruvate through an oxidative decarboxylation reaction catalyzed by prephenate dehydrogenase. Through chemical modification and site-directed mutagenesis we have identified residues that are critical in both the mutase and dehydrogenase mechanisms and have provided evidence that these two reactions occur at separate active sites on the enzyme. We have identified Lys37 as a residue that is important in the mutase reaction by differential peptide mapping. This result was confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis. The crystal structures of other chorismate mutases indicate that Lys37 may provide important hydrogen bonds in the transition state of the mutase reaction.  We chemically modified mutase-dehydrogenase to show that a histidine is important for dehydrogenase activity. The pH rate profile for the dehydrogenase reaction indicates that a protonated residue is important for catalysis. By comparing the pH profile for wild-type and mutant mutase-dehydrogenase we have identified His197 as this catalytic group. Sequence alignments with other prephenate dehydrogenase enzymes show that this histidine is highly conserved. We propose that His197 may be the catalytic base involved in the hydride transfer from prephenate to NAD + .  We have identified three positively charged residues, Lys178, Arg286 and Arg294, that are conserved amongst prephenate dehydrogenases from different organisms. We conducted site-directed mutagenesis on these residues and compared the wild-type enzyme and selected mutants with respect to their stability, pH rate profiles and ability to bind prephenate and a series of inhibitory substrate analogues. Our results indicate that Arg294 plays an important role in prephenate binding by interacting electrostatically with the ring carboxylate of the substrate. Our studies also show that a group with a p K of 8.8 interacts with the pyruvyl side chain carboxylate of prephenate. Further characterization of mutant proteins is being conducted to determine if this binding group is either Lys178 or Arg286


identifier: Al-Suhaibani, Mohammad  (1998) Three essays on the market microstructure of the Saudi stock market.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Using data sets on orders, order packages, quotes, trades and market-limit orders, we investigate several aspects of the microstructure of the Saudi Stock Market (SSM) under the computerized trading system, ESIS (Electronic Securities Information System). We study the interaction between the order book and order flow, limit order execution, trading by limit versus market orders, order performance, and the information content of newly submitted orders. Our findings provide new evidence for several issues, and have important implications for the design of the trading mechanism on the SSM.  Although the SSM has a distinct structure, the intraday patterns in its order book and flow are surprisingly similar to those found in other markets with different structures. The average relative inside spread is large compared to other markets, mainly due to a relatively high tick size. Tick size is an important determinant of the inside spreads for low priced stocks. While immediacy is available nearly all the time, market liquidity, as commonly measured by width and depth, is relatively low on the SSM. Limit orders that are priced reasonably, on average, have a short duration before being executed, and have a high probability of subsequent execution.  The analysis of market versus limit order trading on the SSM significantly supports the spread effect predicted by order driven market models. The probability of placing a market order increases as the spread decreases. When the order imbalance increases in favor of the other side of the market, traders are more likely to submit market orders. The performance of orders predicts limit orders placed at the quote, or when the spread is wide, perform best, and that limit orders are subject to a winner's curse.  The assessment of the information content of orders implies the presence of a very large quantity of asymmetric information on the SSM. As predicted by the asymmetric information models, we find that larger and more aggressive orders are more informative. Like many previous empirical studies, information-based trading is higher for less active stocks.  Generally, our findings indicate that liquidity on the SSM, which is sustained by limit order trading, is at risk because of a high level of information trading. Thus, we propose several measures that are expected to increase the level of participation by limit order traders in this market


identifier: Cai, Jun  (1998) A unified study of bounds and asymptotic estimates for renewal equations and compound distributions with applications to insurance risk analysis.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis consists of a unified study of bounds and asymptotic estimates for renewal equations and compound distributions and gives applications to aggregate claim distributions, stop-loss premium and ruin probabilities with general claim sizes and especially with heavy-tailed distributions.  Chapter 1 presents the probability models of compound distributions and renewal equations in insurance risk analysis and gives the summary of the results of this thesis.  In Chapter 2, we develop a general method to construct analytical bounds for solutions of renewal equations. Two-sided exponential and linear estimates for the solutions are derived by this method. A generalized Cramér-Lundberg condition is proposed and used to obtain bounds and asymptotic formulae with NWU distributions for the solutions.  Chapter 3 discusses tails of a class of compound distributions introduced by Willmot (1994) and gives uniformly sharper bounds, both with the results obtained in Chapter 2 and renewal theory. The technique of stochastic ordering is employed to get simplified bounds for the tails and to correct the errors of the proofs of some previous results.  In Chapter 4, we derive two-sided estimates for tails of a class of aggregate claim distributions, and especially give upper and lower bounds for compound negative binomial distributions both with adjustment coefficients and with heavy-tailed distributions. For the latter case, Dickson's (1994) condition plays the same role as the Cramér-Lundberg condition.  Chapter 5 is devoted to the aging property of compound geometric distributions and its applications to stop-loss premiums and ruin probabilities. By the aging property, general upper and lower bounds for the stop-loss premium of the class of compound distributions discussed in Chapter 3 are derived, which apply to any claim size distribution. Also, two-sided estimates for the stop-loss premium of negative binomial sums are obtained both under the Cramér-Lundberg condition and under Dickson's condition. General upper and lower bounds for ruin probabilities are also considered in this chapter.  Chapter 6 gives a detailed discussion of the asymptotic estimates of tails of convolutions of compound geometric distributions. Asymptotic estimates for these tails are given under light, medium and heavy-tailed distributions, respectively. Applications of these results are given to the ruin probability in the diffusion risk model. Also, two-sided bounds for the ruin probability are derived by a generalized Dickson condition, which applies to any positive claim size distribution. Finally, we give some examples and consider numerical comparisons of bounds with asymptotic estimates.


identifier: Bauco, Pasqualino  (1998) Characterization of the synergistic effects of cocaine with lateral hypothalamic brain stimulation reward.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Cocaine is powerfully rewarding in humans and lower animals. The brain stimulation reward paradigm offers an interesting tool with which to study the reward-relevant actions of cocaine. Cocaine potentiates the rewarding impact of brain stimulation; the stimulation is thought to exert its reward-relevant effects on neural circuitry that subsumes the rewarding effects of cocaine and natural rewards such as food.  In the present experiments the curve-shift rate-frequency variant of the brain stimulation reward paradigm was used to characterize the reward-potentiating actions of cocaine in rats lever-pressing for lateral hypothalamic brain stimulation. In Experiment 1 a dose-response curve of cocaine's potentiation of brain stimulation reward was determined and served as a reference for the dosages tested in subsequent experiments. In Experiment 2 repeated intermittent injections of cocaine failed to sensitize cocaine's ability to potentiate brain stimulation reward as would be predicted from the drug self-administration and conditioned place-preference literature. In Experiment 3, the widely held notion that tolerance to the rewarding effects of cocaine contributes significantly to the cocaine habit was tested in the brain stimulation reward paradigm. The reward-potentiating effects of cocaine failed, however, to undergo tolerance with repeated high-dose drug administration. In Experiment 4 a dose of cocaine or amphetamine that causes a 0.3-log unit shift of the rate-frequency curve to the left canceled the effects of a dose of the dopamine antagonist pimozide that causes a 0.3-log unit shift to the right. These findings further suggest that cocaine and amphetamine act as synergists of brain stimulation reward and provide additional evidence of the importance of dopaminergic function in mediating the reward-relevant actions of cocaine and amphetamine. Fischer 344 and Lewis rat strains have been hypothesized to be differentially sensitive to the reward-relevant effects of cocaine. In Experiment 5, however, cocaine produced an equipotent potentiation of brain stimulation reward in the two rat strains. These results suggest that factors other than the reward-relevant effects of cocaine may account for previously reported differences between these two rat strains.


identifier: Bortolussi, Lina S  (1998) The correlates and consequences of alcohol consumption in elderly social drinkers.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This study focused on the correlates and consequences of alcohol consumption in elderly social drinkers. The research examined the effects of moderate levels of alcohol consumption on cognitive and psychological functioning. Specifically, this study examined the applicability of the continuity and specificity hypotheses of alcohol-related cognitive effects to moderate drinking and also tested the effects of alcohol consumption on subjective well-being. The continuity hypothesis espouses a dose-response relationship between high levels of alcohol consumption and cognitive functioning. The specificity hypothesis states that alcohol-related cognitive declines are specific to frontal functions. Theoretically relevant sociodemographic, intellectual and psychosocial variables were also included in the study as control variables and to replicate previous findings. The sample consisted of 124 male and female elderly social drinkers between the ages of 61 and 90. They completed questionnaires on health, extraversion, neuroticism, locus of control, social support, activities, well-being, intelligence and alcohol consumption. Tests of frontal and temporal neuropsychological functions were also completed during two separate sessions. The results from regression analyses indicated the importance of education and gender in predicting lifetime alcohol consumption for elderly social drinkers. No support was found for the continuity and specificity hypotheses of alcohol consumption. As expected, age-related declines were observed for cognitive functioning. Intelligence and good physical health emerged as positive predictors of frontal functioning. Education played a more important role in temporal cognitive functioning. There were no effects of alcohol on subjective well-being for this sample. In line with previous research, well-being was associated with good self-reported physical health, internal locus of control, low neuroticism, and involvement in socially oriented activities. The results also suggested that some demographic variables (age, education, health) and intelligence are of greater importance than personality and other psychosocial variables, in accounting for alcohol consumption levels and cognitive functioning in elderly social drinkers. Limitations of this study including a small sample size and the low levels of alcohol consumption may have influenced the present findings.


identifier: Day, Duncan J.A  (1998) Psychological correlates of the UFO abduction experience : the role of beliefs and indirect suggestions on abduction accounts obtained during hypnosis.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Reports of UFO abductions continue to increase in number in North America, the details of which are most commonly obtained in a quasi-therapeutic context, often involving hypnosis. In a series of studies at Concordia, we examined the phenomenology of these reports, the people who report them, and the roles which hypnosis and belief systems may play in such reports. Part 1 examined UFO abductees, and their experiences in the context of their hypnotizability, beliefs, and cognitive style. Our findings supplemented those of earlier studies (i.e., Spanos, 1987; Lawson, 1977) which indicated that, although abductees did not differ from the general population in terms of psychopathology, they did display different personality traits and cognitive styles prone to fantasy, conspiratorial thinking, and a higher degree of pre-existing beliefs in UFO-related phenomena. Part 2 examined the extent to which pre-hypnotic suggestions would be incorporated into hypnotic narratives of UFO abductions in a group of non-abductee volunteers. Suggestions resembling popular cultural aspects of abductions were incorporated into the hypnotic narratives of participants when they were asked to describe an imagined abduction experience. Part 3 examined the extent to which such simulated reports can be distinguished from the claims of bona fide abductees. Transcribed portions of both imaginary and putative actual abduction accounts were rated as being real or imagined by trained clinicians, and educated non-clinicians. The mean accuracy of the raters at distinguishing actual accounts from imagined was 51%, or chance level. The results are discussed in the context of memory distortion and confabulatory processes, and the potential role hypnosis plays in exacerbating these processes.


identifier: Edelstein, Kim  (1998) The role of the intergeniculate leaflet in the circadian response to light.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Mammalian circadian rhythms are generated and regulated by a pacemaker located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the hypothalamus. Transmission of photic information to the SCN occurs via a direct projection from the retina, the retinohypothalamic tract, and an indirect projection from the retinorecipient intergeniculate leaflet (IGL), the geniculohypothalamic tract. The retinohypothalamic tract is necessary for synchronization of rhythms to environmental light-dark cycles. In contrast, although the IGL is strategically located to convey light information to the SCN, a role for the IGL in photic entrainment has not been established. IGL-lesioned hamsters have been shown to entrain normally to light-dark cycles; effects of the lesion have been manifested in slower rates of re-entrainment to shifts in the light-dark cycle and small changes in the size of light-induced phase shifts.  In the present thesis, the relationship between the IGL and the circadian response to light is explored in two sets of experiments. The first three experiments evaluated activation of IGL neurons by light using immunohistochemical expression of Fos protein as a marker of cellular activation. In rodents, light-induced Fos in SCN neurons is phase dependent and is correlated with the effectiveness of such light to phase shift circadian rhythms. Furthermore, because the IGL has been implicated in the effects of nonphotic stimuli on circadian rhythms, the induction of Fos in the SCN and IGL in response to nonphotic manipulations was assessed. Results demonstrate that, in contrast to light-induced Fos in the SCN, light induces Fos protein in the IGL regardless of circadian time, and continues to do so as long as the animal is exposed to light. Moreover, nonphotic manipulations induce Fos in both SCN and IGL. However, in the IGL, Fos expression in response to such treatments was enhanced during the light phase of the light-dark cycle. Pharmacological manipulations that attenuate both light-induced phase shift and Fos expression in the SCN are without effect on light-induced Fos expression in the IGL.  The effects of electrolytic lesions of the IGL on circadian temperature rhythms were examined under different lighting schedules in the final two experiments using a telemetry system. Rhythms in these animals were compared to those of intact controls as well as to rhythms of rats with neurotoxic damage to the visual system resulting from neonatal monosodium. glutamate (MSG) treatment. IGL-lesioned rats entrained normally to light-dark cycles consisting of 12 hours of light followed by 12 hours of darkness, and showed the disruption of rhythmicity after prolonged constant light housing seen in intact animals. However, in contrast to intact and MSG-treated rats, IGL-lesioned animals exhibited free-running temperature rhythms under a skeleton photoperiod consisting of one-hour of light exposure at times corresponding to dusk and dawn. Because nocturnal animals normally experience light only around dusk and dawn, the inability to entrain to this ecologically relevant lighting schedule suggests that the IGL plays a critical role in photic entrainment.


identifier: Kurzman, David  (1998) Older adults and computer technology : the role of conventional manuals, multimedia, and the effects of practice.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: With the continuing absorption of computers into everyday life, it becomes important to determine the most effective methods for teaching older adults to use computers as well as the extent to which their ease of learning is affected by individual differences in ability and aptitude. In this study 48 older computer-naive women aged 51 to 78 years (M = 65.8, SD = 6.0) were trained in word processing using either a written, self-paced manual only (Text; N = 24) or the manual plus multimedia demonstrations (Multimedia; N = 24). In both conditions participants learned how to perform a task and then executed it on the computer. Individuals in the Text condition received two learning trials on the computer per command learned. Individuals in the Multimedia condition viewed and heard a demonstration of the steps required to complete the command and then received one learning trial. Following training the participants completed a quiz, and then repeated each command 10 times during the practice phase of each day's session. Half the individuals in each training condition were assigned to the Variable Practice condition in which they alternated between two methods to complete the practice items, while the other half were assigned to the Consistent Practice condition and used only a single method throughout the practice phase. On the final study day, participants completed exercises which integrated all they had learned, and additional exercises that measured the extent to which training on this word processing program could be transferred to a similar (near-transfer) program.  Neither type of training nor the type of practice had any effect on performance on any measure of word processing acquisition. As individuals practiced, their accuracy increased, while the number of errors, time required to complete the commands, and requests for help decreased. Path analyses examined the effects on performance of exogenous variables including age, education, factors based on cognitive abilities (memory, language, speed, visuospatial, and manual control), and attitudes towards computers. The discussion focuses on the implications of the findings for training older adults learning to use a word processor.