identifier: Jiang, Wenjun  (2015) Bridging Risk Measures and Classical Risk Processes.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
The Cramer-Lundberg's risk model has been studied for a long time. It describes the basic risk process of an insurance company. Many interesting practical problems have been solved with this model and under its simplifying assumptions. In particular, the uncertainty of the risk process comes from several elements: the intensity parameter, the claim severity and the premium rate. Establishing an efficient method to measure the risk of such process is meaningful to insurance companies.

Although several methods have been proposed, none of these can fully reflect the influence of each element of the risk process. In this thesis, we try to analyze this risk from different perspectives. First, we analyze the survival probability for an infinitesimal period, we derive a risk measure which only relies on the distribution of the claim severity. A second way is to compare the adjustment coefficient graphically. After that, we extend the method proposed by Loisel and Trufin (2014). And last, inspired by the concept of the shareholders' deficit, we construct a new risk measure based on solvency criteria that include all the above risk elements.

In Chapter 5, we make use of the risk measures derived in this thesis to solve the classical problem of optimal capital allocation. We see that the optimal allocation strategy can be set out by use of the Lagrange method. Some recent findings on such problems are also presented.


identifier: Sabzevari, Seyed Mostafa  (2015) Wall Slip of Polydisperse Linear Polymer Melts.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

type: Thesis NonPeerReviewed

abstract:
Polymeric products are an integrated component of our everyday life and the importance of optimizing manufacturing processes for higher output and lower waste is a necessity. A crucial factor here is our knowledge of the liquid-solid boundary condition in the flow of molten polymers. In contrast to small molecule fluids, polymer melts slip on solid substrates sometimes to significant extents. Polymer slip has been under investigation over the past few decades, however detailed knowledge of the extent of slip of polydisperse polymers typical of industrial applications has not yet been fully achieved. This study brings into focus the effect of molecular weight distribution on polymer slip.
We perform a systematic study of the effect of molecular weight distribution on polymer slip by examining binary and ternary mixtures of monodisperse polymers. Three different experimental techniques are used to cover different aspects of our objective.
Steady state slip of polybutadiene mixtures on a silicon wafer in planar Couette flow is first examined. Using a microfluidic geometry, confocal microscopy and particle image velocimetry are used to measure unidirectional velocities across the flow channel. It is shown that slip dynamics at the onset and within the transition to the strong slip regime are significantly affected by the incorporation of weakly entangled polymer chains. Both size and content of short chains are substantially important in slip dynamics. Among ternary mixtures with a fixed weight average molecular weight (Mw), those with the minimum content of intermediate chains (the lowest number average molecular weight, Mn) exhibit the largest slip lengths. This means that a binary mixture of short and long chains of two distinct separate molar modes are most effective in promoting slip.
Polymer slip has long been related to the surface enrichment of short chains. Enrichment theories include thermodynamic segregation mechanisms as well as the shear induced fractionation mechanism. In line with our previous experiments, we examine the short chain surface enrichment of polybutadiene mixtures after strong slip in simple shear. After strong slip, a hazy debris of polymer remains behind on the steel substrates. Experiments show that the debris from all binary and ternary polybutadiene mixtures undergoing strong slip is enriched with the short chain constituent. We develop a simple disentanglement induced enrichment model in agreement with previous slip theories that predicts our experimental data very well.
We also examine slip of thin polystyrene (PS) films dewetting from fluorinated and silanized silicon wafers. We first show that the sacrificial mica substrate, used very often in a two-step film preparation procedure in thin film studies, significantly affects the polymer slip length after the film is transferred onto a nonwetting substrate. We show that a highly entangled monodisperse PS exhibits different flow dynamics and slip length depending on whether its air or buried interface with mica is placed on the nonwetting substrate, and whether the film has been pre-annealed. We find that the buried interface shows reduced slip length compared to the air interface. The discrepancy between the two interfaces is molecular weight dependent and almost undetectable in unentangled polymers.
We next show that slip of highly entangled PS chains on nonwetting substrates is affected by the incorporation of short chains of molecular weights, M, below the polymer critical molecular weight, Mc. Among PS mixtures of the same Mw those with a higher content of short chains (lower Mn) are likely to exhibit larger slip lengths. We show that such slip enhancement effect in binary mixtures of long and short chains is only effective when the long chain content, ϕL, is dominant (ϕL > 0.5).
While the polymer slip mechanism on different substrates can be different depending on the density of adsorbed chains – disentanglement versus detachment – the consequence of the incorporation of short chains seems to be similar, i.e., slip is promoted when small amounts of short chains are added to a highly entangled polymer. In this aspect, both size and content of short chains matter. This finding has practical implications in polymer processing and is useful for developing new slip models. Furthermore, the disentanglement induced surface enrichment phenomenon is a new approach in the investigation of extrudate surface instabilities and die drool.


identifier: Jamal, Amani  (2015) End-Shape Analysis for Automatic Segmentation of Arabic Handwritten Texts.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Word segmentation is an important task for many methods that are related to document understanding especially word spotting and word recognition. Several approaches of word segmentation have been proposed for Latin-based languages while a few of them have been introduced for Arabic texts. The fact that Arabic writing is cursive by nature and unconstrained with no clear boundaries between the words makes the processing of Arabic handwritten text a more challenging problem.
	In this thesis, the design and implementation of an End-Shape Letter (ESL) based segmentation system for Arabic handwritten text is presented. This incorporates four novel aspects: (i) removal of secondary components, (ii) baseline estimation, (iii) ESL recognition, and (iv) the creation of a new off-line CENPARMI ESL database.
	Arabic texts include small connected components, also called secondary components. Removing these components can improve the performance of several systems such as baseline estimation. Thus, a robust method to remove secondary components that takes into consideration the challenges in the Arabic handwriting is introduced. The methods reconstruct the image based on some criteria. The results of this method were subsequently compared with those of two other methods that used the same database. The results show that the proposed method is effective.
Baseline estimation is a challenging task for Arabic texts since it includes ligature, overlapping, and secondary components. Therefore, we propose a learning-based approach that addresses these challenges. Our method analyzes the image and extracts baseline dependent features. Then, the baseline is estimated using a classifier.
	Algorithms dealing with text segmentation usually analyze the gaps between connected components. These algorithms are based on metric calculation, finding threshold, and/or gap classification. We use two well-known metrics:  bounding box and convex hull to test metric-based method on Arabic handwritten texts, and to include this technique in our approach. To determine the threshold, an unsupervised learning approach, known as the Gaussian Mixture Model, is used. Our ESL-based segmentation approach extracts the final letter of a word using rule-based technique and recognizes these letters using the implemented ESL classifier.
	To demonstrate the benefit of text segmentation, a holistic word spotting system is implemented. For this system, a word recognition system is implemented. A series of experiments with different sets of features are conducted. The system shows promising results.


identifier: Habibzadeh, Mehdi  (2015) Automatic Segmentation and Classification of Red and White Blood cells in Thin Blood Smear Slides.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In this work we develop a system for automatic detection and classification of cytological images which plays an increasing important role in medical diagnosis. A primary aim of this work is the accurate segmentation of cytological images of blood smears and subsequent feature extraction, along with studying related classification problems such as the identification and counting of peripheral blood smear particles, and classification of white blood cell into types five. Our proposed approach benefits from powerful image processing techniques to perform complete blood count (CBC) without human intervention. The general framework in this blood smear analysis research is as follows. Firstly, a digital blood smear image is de-noised using optimized Bayesian non-local means filter to design a dependable cell counting system that may be used under different image capture conditions. Then an edge preservation technique with Kuwahara filter is used to recover degraded and blurred white blood cell boundaries in blood smear images while reducing the residual negative effect of noise in images.  After denoising and edge enhancement, the next step is binarization using combination of Otsu and Niblack to separate the cells and stained background. Cells separation and counting is achieved by granulometry, advanced active contours without edges, and morphological operators with watershed algorithm. Following this is the recognition of different types of white blood cells (WBCs), and also red blood cells (RBCs) segmentation. Using three main types of features: shape, intensity, and texture invariant features in combination with a variety of classifiers is next step. The following features are used in this work: intensity histogram features, invariant moments, the relative area, co-occurrence and run-length matrices, dual tree complex wavelet transform features, Haralick and Tamura features. Next, different statistical approaches involving correlation, distribution and redundancy are used to measure of the dependency between a set of features and to select feature variables on the white blood cell classification. A global sensitivity analysis with random sampling-high dimensional model representation (RS-HDMR) which can deal with independent and dependent input feature variables is used to assess dominate discriminatory power and the reliability of feature which leads to an efficient feature selection. These feature selection results are compared in experiments with branch and bound method and with sequential forward selection (SFS), respectively. This work examines support vector machine (SVM) and Convolutional Neural Networks (LeNet5) in connection with white blood cell classification. Finally, white blood cell classification system is validated in experiments conducted on cytological images of normal poor quality blood smears. These experimental results are also assessed with ground truth manually obtained from medical experts.


identifier: Lobel, Andrea Dawn  (2015) Under a Censored Sky: Astronomy and Rabbinic Authority in the Talmud Bavli and Related Literature.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Until the last few decades of the twentieth century, research on Judaism and astronomy and related celestial sciences tended to emphasize the medieval and Second Temple periods. To date, with the exception of analyses of the Jewish calendar and its development, few studies in the history of science have focused upon the rabbinic period, although a growing number of scholars, including Annette Yoshiko Reed, Noah Efron, and Menachem Fisch, have begun to address this gap.

The emerging sub-field of the history of rabbinic science ca. 70-750 C.E., spans the fields of both Jewish studies and the history of science. This dissertation represents an original contribution to knowledge, demonstrating both the richness of celestial discourse in the Babylonian Talmud and the nuanced play of differing typologies of rabbinic authority articulated by Avi Sagi, Michael S. Berger, and other scholars, particularly epistemic and deontic authority. These are shown to interact strongly with rabbinic discourses addressing the overlapping celestial concerns of astronomy, astrology, astral magic, astrolatry, and cosmogony.
By examining these astronomical topics together in a study of this kind for the first time, I demonstrate a recurrent pattern of tight rabbinic controls over the celestial sciences preserved in the Babylonian Talmud. This is of importance to the trajectory of Jewish scientific thought due to the enduring centrality of the Bavli.

I also underscore an idealized portrayal of rabbinic legal deontic authority over these sciences, and a focus upon shows of honour and prestige associated with the rabbinic station itself in the Bavli. Further, I highlight the ways in which these preserved talmudic portrayals also serve to illuminate the self-presentation of the rabbis as inheritors of the interpretive and legislative powers bequeathed to them by God, the cosmic lawgiver, at the time of creation and at the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai.


identifier: Duan, Siyu  (2015) The impact of public news on return predictability following major one-day price or volume shocks: Evidence for Canada.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
This paper focuses on the stocks that experience large one-day price or volume movements in
Canadian stock market and explores the relationship between the release of public news and the
short-term post-event stock return predictability. First, I find that in general, large one-day price
changes signal the following poor performance, while large volume increases predict good
performance in the near future. Then I divide the samples into informed and uninformed events
base on the presence of contemporary public news. I find that for both price and volume shocks,
informed events tend to experience more price drifts than uninformed events. For stocks with
negative initial price changes, informed events lead to price continuations while uninformed
events are followed by price reversals. The results suggest that stock price patterns become more
predictable after taking account of the availability of public news. Finally, a portfolio strategy
suggests that investors can profit from the information conveyed jointly by the large price
movement, abnormal trading volume and availability of public news, reflecting a violation of
weak-form market efficiency.


identifier: He, Mengdong  (2015) How Does Hedging Affect Firm Value – Evidence from the U.S. Airline Industry.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
ABSTRACT

How Does Hedging Affect Firm Value – Evidence from the U.S. Airline Industry

Mengdong He

This study examines the relation between jet fuel hedging and firm value using a sample of 36 publicly-traded U.S. airlines over the period 1992 to 2013. We find a positive hedging premium which suggests that jet fuel hedging adds value to airlines. We then focus our analyses on the specific ways in which jet fuel hedging by airlines can affect firm value. Specifically, we investigate the effect of jet fuel hedging on firm value based on different hedging levels, different levels of jet fuel exposures, different hedger types, different operating costs spent on jet fuel, and different levels of jet fuel price volatility. Our results suggest that airlines can maximize their firm value by increasing the hedged proportion of next year's jet fuel requirements hedged, particularly when they are at a medium level (between 11% and 36%). Next, we find evidence which suggests that selective hedging strategies can help increase an airline’s firm value. In addition, our results suggest that airlines can increase their firm value significantly by increasing the amount of jet fuel hedged if the amount of their operating costs spent on jet fuel is high (> 27%). Fourthly, our results show that investors appear to value jet fuel hedging more in periods of high jet fuel price volatility. For different levels of jet fuel exposures, we find no evidence that the effect of jet fuel hedging on firm value will show any significant differences based on different levels of jet fuel exposures.


identifier: Metellus, Charles Smith  (2015) Breaking the Shackles of Shame.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: Breaking the Shackles of Shame

abstract: Shame is the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging (Brown, 2012, p.41). It can be classified as toxic shame, which occurs when shame exceeds healthy boundaries to engender self-hatred, despair, and worthlessness (Bradshaw, 2005; Brown, 2012); and healthy shame, which teaches us about our limits (Bradshaw, 2005, p.18). This paper will describe the nuance between the two and provide the historical and psychological depiction of shame at large. A drama therapeutic framework on the matter will also be established.


identifier: Sambath, Alice  (2015) The Relationship between Cosmopolitanism and Brand Origin Recognition Accuracy: The moderating effect of Need for Cognition.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In this thesis, we are interested in investigating whether cosmopolitan individuals have greater knowledge of brand origins as compared to non-cosmopolitans. We also looked at the possible moderating effect of need for cognition on the latter relationship. Additionally, we investigated whether the level of confidence in assigning a country of origin to a brand affects brand attitude. And finally, we decided to look at the different type of industries and see if those influence brand recognition accuracy. Our analysis shows that cosmopolitan individuals have significantly higher brand origin recognition accuracy scores than non-cosmopolitans. Secondly, we found an interaction effect between need for cognition and cosmopolitanism; which means that there is a moderating effect of need for cognition on our main relationship. Thirdly, we found that when individuals are less confident about the origin of a brand, brand attitude decreases and vice versa. Finally, we found that industry type does seem to influence brand origin knowledge. Indeed, the automobile industry has the highest brand origin recognition accuracy scores as compared to other industries such as electronics or apparel.


identifier: Pilgrim, Kamala  (2015) The Impact of Attention Bias Modification Training and Attentional Control on the Salivary Cortisol and Alpha Amylase response to Acute Psychosocial Stress.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
ABSTRACT
The Impact of Attention Bias Modification Training and Attentional Control on the Salivary Cortisol and Alpha Amylase Response to Acute Psychosocial Stress

Kamala Pilgrim, Ph.D.
Concordia university, 2015

	Attention bias modification (ABM) training has demonstrated potential in decreasing symptoms of anxiety, particularly in clinical populations. However, there is a paucity of research examining the impact of this training on physiological adaptation to stress, important for health. The objective of this dissertation was to examine whether ABM training can attenuate the salivary cortisol and alpha amylase (sAA) response to an acute psychosocial stressor. In study 1, university students were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: ABM training with supraliminal stimuli, ABM training with masked stimuli, or a control task with no ABM training. The ABM training was a spatial cueing task where participants were implicitly trained to shift attention towards happy faces and away from angry ones. Following the training intervention, participants underwent the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Unexpectedly, the two ABM training interventions were associated with higher rather than lower salivary cortisol and sAA responses to stress post-intervention. Moderation analyses indicated that participants with high baseline attentional control exhibited elevated cortisol responses to stress following both ABM trainings, relative to those with low attentional control.
	Study 2 aimed to determine whether the heightened stress response to the ABM training could be attributed to the type of ABM paradigm used (spatial cueing) and/or the type of control task used. The spatial cueing ABM training with supraliminal stimuli employed in study 1 was compared to the more frequently used dot probe training, which fosters change by training participants to allocate attention to positive relative to negative stimuli when they are presented simultaneously. Participants also underwent a second TSST approximately two months post-training. Consistent with study 1, spatial cueing ABM training led to elevated cortisol levels during the first TSST relative to a no training control condition. Both ABM interventions however, reduced cortisol reactivity at the follow-up TSST relative to the first one. Importantly, those in the active training groups with lower baseline attentional control showed greater cortisol attenuation during the follow-up TSST compared to those with higher attentional control. Overall, this work suggests that the use of ABM interventions to reduce stress reactivity should be pursued with caution.


identifier: Bastien, Chantal  (2015) Design, Development and Implementation of a Distance Education Training Package for an Obstetrical Telehealth Project within the McGill University Health Network.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Telehealth innovatively incorporates technology into healthcare to improve access of patients to clinical professionals. This research presents the planning and implementation of an obstetric telehealth project. Fetal monitoring is an integral part of maternal follow-up in high risk pregnancies. Sharing of an obstetric information technology platform between a tertiary care urban hospital and regional partner health establishments allows electronic capture of fetal non stress tests and their asynchronous interpretation and reporting to distantly monitor maternal and fetal health. With the launch of this program future mothers will be able to remain in their home communities while receiving optimal prenatal care. Change management strategies are introduced as an integral component of the telehealth team approach to the development of new services. The focus of the paper is the development and delivery of the instructional package to the clinicians adding this service to their practice. The purpose of this thesis equivalence study is to examine the dual roles of telehealth clinical coordinator and instructional designer of the candidate.


identifier: Sedaghati, Sahar  (2015) Formation Control and Fault Accommodation for a Team of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
The purpose of this thesis is the development of efficient formation control and fault accommodation algorithms for a team of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). The team of AUVs are capable of performing a wide range of deep water marine applications such as seabed mapping and surveying, oil and gas exploration and extraction, and oil and gas pipeline inspection. However, communication limitations and the presence of undesirable events such as component faults in any of the team members can prevent the whole team to achieve safe, reliable, and efficient performance while executing underwater mission tasks.
 In this regard, the semi-decentralized control scheme is developed to achieve trajectory tracking and formation keeping while requiring information exchange only among neighboring agents. To this end, model predictive control (MPC) technique
and dynamic game theory are utilized to formulate and solve the formation control problem. Moreover, centralized and decentralized control schemes are developed to assess the performance of the proposed semi-decentralized control scheme in the simulation studies. The simulation results verify that the performance of the proposed semi-decentralized scheme is very close to the centralized scheme with lower control effort cost while it does not impose stringent communication requirements as in the centralized scheme.
 Moreover, the semi-decentralized active fault recovery scheme is developed to maintain a graceful degraded performance and to ensure that the team of autonomous underwater vehicles can satisfy mission objectives when an actuator fault occurs in
any of the team members. In this regard, online fault information provided by fault detection and isolation (FDI) modules of each agent and its neighbors are incorporated to redesign the nominal controllers based on the MPC technique and dynamic game theory. Additionally, FDI imperfections such as fault estimation error and time delay are taken into account, and a performance index is derived to show the impact of FDI imperfections on the performance of team members. Moreover, centralized and decentralized active fault recovery schemes are developed to evaluate the performance of the proposed semi-decentralized recovery scheme through comparative simulation studies with various fault scenarios. The comparative simulation studies justify that the proposed semi-decentralized fault recovery scheme meets the design specifications even if the performance of the FDI module is not ideal.


identifier: Duguay, Hélène  (2015) Starting English early with songs and stories: Are there measurable benefits in oral performance at the end of elementary school?  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
ABSTRACT
Starting English early with songs and stories:
Are there measurable benefits in oral performance at the end of elementary school?
Hélène Duguay
This study investigates the measurable long-term effects of starting to learn English at a young age in a school context. It compares francophone learners, Early Starters (ESs), who began to learn English in grade one (age six), with Late Starters (LSs), who were introduced to English as a second language (ESL) in grade four (age nine). Other differences between the groups besides starting age, include the total amount of instructional time for English in elementary school; the distribution of that instructional time and the pedagogical approach involving songs and stories followed during the first two years of instruction. The study addresses the following broad questions: 1) At the end of grade six, is there a difference in oral fluency between ESs and LSs in two instructional contexts, regular and intensive ESL? 2) At the end of grade six, are there identifiable differences in discourse between ESs and LSs after regular and intensive ESL instruction?
Rating scale scores on two oral tasks from White & Turner (2005) show a clear trend for both regular and intensive ESs to outperform LSs though this finding was stronger in the regular ESL group. The discourse analyses point towards a tendency for ESs to produce more comprehensible ideas, more English words, and use more grammatical categories than LS. Thus the additional hours in elementary school in grades one and two seem to have had a positive impact on students’ oral performance at the end of grade six. Limitations include confound between amount of instructional time and type of pedagogy, and the absence of a control group.


identifier: Li, Adam  (2015) Xylose Metabolism in Candida albicans.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: Xylose Metabolism in Candida albicans

abstract: The ascomycetes S. cerevisiae and C. albicans metabolize the pentose sugar xylose differently. S. cerevisiae cannot grow on xylose as the sole carbon source while C. albicans can. In the xylose-metabolic pathway, xylose is reduced to xylitol by a xylose reductase (GRE3), then oxidized to xylulose by a xylose dehydrogenase (ScSOR1, CaXYL2). These two enzymes are essential for the xylose metabolic pathway. Although S. cerevisiae does not grow in xylose medium, it has been shown that the enzymes have enzymatic potential when used to complement various C. albicans knockouts. C. albicans was used as a model to study the function of various pairings of the reductase and dehydrogenase from the two ascomycetes. Transcription profiling confirmed the presence of GRE3 and XYL2 in growing strains and the absence in non-growing strains. It was found that the CaGRE3 possessed an N-terminal extension that improved the functioning of heterologous GRE3/SOR1 combinations. Metabolite analysis showed increased import of xylose when subject to xylose adaption compared to unadapted strains. C. albicans is able to use glucogenic amino acids as a source of carbon, with or without the presence of xylose enzymes. Overall, this work establishes the enzymatic interactions between the xylose reductase and xylose dehydrogenase in S. cerevisiae and C. albicans, as well as their effects on the cell.


identifier: ÖZDEMİR, CANBERK BERKİN  (2015) ENHANCING SENTIMENT LEXICA WITH NEGATION AND MODALITY FOR SENTIMENT ANALYSIS OF TWEETS.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Sentiment analysis became one of the core tasks in the field of Natural Language Processing especially with the rise of social media. Public opinion is important for many domains such as commerce, politics, sociology, psychology, or finance. As an important player in social media, Twitter is the
most frequently used microblogging platform for public opinion on any topic.
In recent years, sentiment analysis in Twitter turned into a recognized shared task challenge. In this thesis, we propose to enhance sentiment lexica with the linguistic notions negation and modality for this challenge. We test the interoperability between various sentiment lexica with each other and with negation and modality and add some Twitter-specific ad-hoc features. The performance of different combinations of these features is analyzed in comprehensive ablation experiments.
We participated in two challenges of the International Workshop on Semantic Evaluations (SemEval 2015). Our system performed robustly and reliably in the sentiment classification of tweets task, where it ranked 9th among 40 participants. However, it proved to be the state-of-the-art for measuring degree of sentiment of tweets with figurative language, where it ranked 1st among 35 systems.


identifier: Agudelo, Carlos G.  (2015) Electrical Lab-on-a-Chip for Ex Vivo Study on the Influence of Electric Fields on Pollen Cells.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Pollen tubes are polarly growing plant cells that are able to respond to a combination of chemical, mechanical, and electrical cues during their journey through the flower pistil in order to accomplish fertilization. How signals are perceived and processed in the pollen tube is still poorly understood and evidence for electrical guidance, in particular, is vague and highly contradictory. To generate reproducible experimental conditions for ex vivo pollen cell cultures, here we present a low-cost, reusable Electrical Lab-on-a-Chip (ELoC) for investigating the influence of electric fields on growing cells. Viability of pollen growth using a structured microfluidic network is first investigated and validated. Then the integration of microelectrodes into the device is addressed in detail. Characterization of the pollen growth medium conductivity and simulation of the ELoC electrical configuration were carried out to define the experimental conditions. Reusability of the microdevice is achieved by structuring the design into two separate rebondable modules: a microfluidic module and a microelectrode module. Two experimental approaches were realized: a batch design for exposing simultaneously a large number of cells to a global electric field, and a single-cell design in which a localized electric field is applied to individual cells. Extensive batch results indicate that DC fields were inhibitory above 6 V/cm. However, switching to AC fields re-established pollen tube growth at frequencies above 100 mHz, suggesting a significant role of the medium conductivity in controlling the cellular response. Unlike macroscopic open-assay experimental setups, single-cell tests further indicate no reorientation of pollen tube growth, suggesting that previously reported tropic behavior was caused by ion movement in the substrate rather than by a direct effect of the electric field on the cell.


identifier: Jelinski, Jamie  (2015) Kakiniit and Other ‘Strange Blue Speckles’: Self-Representation and Qallunaat Images of Inuit Tattooing.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Tattooing was a widespread form of self-ornamentation amongst the Inuit for millennia before the first Europeans arrived in the Arctic. European visitors to Inuit territories were fascinated by such markings, and after a tattooed woman from northern Labrador (now Nunatsiavut) was captured and brought to Belgium and the Netherlands in 1566, handbills with her image quickly spread throughout Europe the following year. This first Western depiction of a tattooed Inuit woman would soon be followed by many additional images by explorers, anthropologists, and artists created over the next several centuries. By the 19th century, the increasing colonization of the Arctic led to a decline in tattooing, which was paralleled by a decreasing amount of European images representing tattooed Inuit women. Although Inuit tattooing had begun to disappear from Inuit bodies by the late 19th century, it did not vanish altogether. Beginning in the early 20th century, Inuit artists transferred their knowledge of tattooing from skin to paper to create pictorial records of the pre-contact custom. This thesis explores competing representations between European (Qallunaat) and Inuit-made images of Inuit women’s tattooing and will begin by discussing how European images of tattooed Inuit women served as an imperial and later, colonial tool to understand and classify the Inuit “Other.” Following this, counter modes of Inuit self-representation that challenge these images and their attendant ideologies will be considered. It will be argued that the latter were a form of continuity that allowed the knowledge of tattooing to persist pictorially despite the decline of this practice in its bodily form throughout the 20th century, in some ways making it possible for the practice to be revived in the 21st century.


identifier: Bédard, Philippe  (2015) Situating the Camera: Third-Person Images and the Question of Point of View in Narrative Cinema.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Despite being used to great effect in a handful of films, the technique of “third-person images” remains a largely unexplored topic within film studies. This peculiar phenomenon constitutes a particularly interesting and challenging object of research, as its demands a larger, multi-layered understanding of points of view in narrative cinema. The purpose of this thesis is thus divided into two parts: First, to present an expanded definition of the expression “point of view” that more adequately deals with the various technical, aesthetic, and narrative elements of a film; and second, to introduce and examine third-person images in an attempt to discover the fundamental qualities of this peculiar technique. In so doing, the goal of this study is to determine what makes third-person images so unique and what they might contribute to the films that feature them.
Using an approach I term techno-aesthetic, this thesis examines with equal focus the technical, aesthetic, and narrative elements of a film. Specifically, these are discussed in terms of their various interactions, rather than independently of one another. Precise descriptions of the technical apparatus are paired with a rigorous analysis of the camera movements it produces. In turn, this informs an examination of the type of narrative subjectivity that this technique represents on screen. A scene from Requiem for a Dream (Darren Aronofsky, 2000) serves as the object of these analyses, and illustrates both the specificities of third-person images, as well as the complexity of points of view in narrative cinema.


identifier: Maisonneuve, Jonathan  (2015) Osmotic Power for Remote Communities in Quebec.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
This work investigates the process of pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) for salinity gradient energy conversion in power production applications. A mathematical model of the PRO process is developed with consideration for non-ideal effects including internal concentration polarization, external concentration polarization, and spatial variations that are caused by mass transfer and by pressure drop along the length of the membrane. A mathematical model of the osmotic power plant is also developed with consideration for pre-filtration and pick-up head, and for mechanical and electrical equipment efficiencies. A distinction is made between the gross power developed by the PRO process, and the net power available to the grid after parasitic loads are accounted for. This distinction leads to observation of a trade-off that exists between the different non-ideal effects. A method is developed for adjusting operating conditions in order to minimize the overall impact of non-ideal effects and to achieve maximum net power. Important improvements in net power densities are realized as compared to results obtained when general rules of thumb are used for operating conditions. The mathematical model is validated by experimental investigation of PRO at the bench-scale. It is found that test conditions generally used in the literature may not be appropriate for power production applications. Test conditions which strike a balance between pressure drop and other non-ideal effects may provide more realistic results.
An analog electric circuit is developed for a simplified PRO process and osmotic power plant. The analog circuit is used to develop strategies for controlling operating conditions of the system, including by control of the load and by control of a flush valve. Both of these provide satisfactory tracking of the desired operating conditions and can also be used for tracking the maximum power point. The proposed strategies respond quickly to changes in source and load.

The osmotic power potential is evaluated for remote micro-grids in Quebec. The osmotic power potential of selected rivers is calculated and compared against peak power demand of nearby communities. In each case, only a small portion of river flow is needed to satisfy the peak power demand of the micro-grids. This suggests that osmotic power can serve as a reliable source of electricity in such applications. An osmotic power plant prototype is designed for Quebec and its potential for power production in remote communities is evaluated.


identifier: Couto, Erika Ashley  (2015) The Eskimo Rental Housing Program (1965-69): A Case Study in Cold War Authoritarian High Modernism.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
During the Cold War years of 1965-1970, the Canadian Department of Indian and Northern Development implemented the Eskimo Rental Housing Program (ERHP) across parts of the Central and Eastern Arctic. Using the work of Inuit graphic artists alongside archival visual culture materials, this thesis argues against previous claims that the program was instituted as a welfare-improving measure in the Arctic, instead providing evidence that the ERHP was an act of acculturation, meant to sedentarize and drastically alter social patterns of the Inuit for the intended and exclusive benefit of the Canadian state.

To establish the framework for this argument, this thesis begins with an examination of James C. Scott’s discussion of Authoritarian High Modernism, expanding upon it in the context of the Arctic in order to understand the Canadian federal government’s eagerness to protect and harness its resource extraction rights through the progress and ordering of the land and people on it.  Additionally, the government was concerned about invasion and challenges to its Arctic sovereignty from both the Soviet Union and the United States and to this end, the state enacted modernist and authoritarian schemes to assert its ownership over the Arctic.

Through an examination of shifting housing prototypes introduced to the Arctic throughout the 1950s and 1960s, this thesis argues that while the ERHP was purported to have been introduced to aid the Inuit, in reality, the federal government’s sedentary housing initiative was intended, first and foremost, to bolster Canada’s claims to the North. Archival research reveals that while efforts were made during the 1950s to create culturally sensitive architectural forms modeled from Indigenous housing prototypes, within the span of a decade, government-built homes shifted to small, Southern-style housing models. These scarcely equipped houses designed for the ‘nuclear family’ were a poor match for Inuit families and had ongoing impacts on communities. Furthermore, by examining illustrated ‘educational’ booklets that were distributed as part of the Adult Education initiative that accompanied the building of the houses, this thesis demonstrates that the ERHP primarily meant to modify behaviour and control the Inuit population by reforming their way of life.


identifier: Hussain, Dema  (2015) The Effects of Ovarian Hormones and Reproductive Experience on Multiple Memory System Bias in Female Rats and Women.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
The present thesis examined the role of ovarian hormones and reproductive experience on multiple memory system bias in female rats and women. First, the effect of 17β-Estradiol (E2) and parity on learning in a dorsal striatum- (DS) mediated response task and a hippocampus- (HPC) mediated place task was investigated. Ovariectomized (OVX) nulliparous and primiparous female rats receiving low or high E2 replacement were trained on both tasks. Nulliparous rats in the low E2 group learned the response task significantly faster than the place task; this facilitatory effect of low E2 on response learning was not observed in primiparous rats, which suggests that the E2-induced effect on response learning disappears with parity. Dopamine (DA) D1 and D2 type receptor (D1R and D2R, respectively) binding was then investigated in the DS and NAcc core and shell of nulliparous and primiparous OVX rats receiving low or high E2 replacement. Primiparous rats had significantly lower D2R binding in the DS than nulliparous rats. These results hint at a possible DS D2R mechanism in altered response learning in reproductively experienced rats.
	Second, the effects of E2 and parity on memory bias in humans was investigated. Young, naturally cycling women with and without reproductive experience were tested on the 4-on-8 virtual maze (4/8 VM) task, which can be solved by using response or spatial memory, during the follicular phase (first half of the menstrual cycle) or the luteal phase (second half). Menstrual cycle results revealed predominant use of spatial memory in the luteal phase group, whereas response memory was associated with the follicular phase, showing that memory bias shifts with cyclic changes in ovarian hormones. Moreover, this pattern was also observed and found to be more pronounced in reproductively experienced women. However, mothers and non-mothers differed in terms of learning the 4/8 VM task, which indicates that there were parity-induced differences despite similar cycle-dependent memory bias. Finally, the role of E2, progesterone (P), and testosterone (T) on this cycle-dependent shift in strategy in mothers and non-mothers was investigated. Results revealed that the follicular phase was associated with low P levels, whereas the luteal phase was linked to a high P state, suggesting that the shift in strategy across the menstrual cycle could be P-mediated in humans. Though not significant, high E2 levels were associated with response memory. Also, the results revealed that P and T both play a significant role in multiple memory system bias; this effect is reversed with parity. Thus, memory bias changes across the menstrual cycle, P and T could have a larger impact than E2 on this shift in humans, and the hormonal profile that underlies this effect is different in reproductively experienced women.


identifier: Brownridge, Amanda Anne  (2015) How the West was Won: Cartographic Encounters in New France and the Castor Canadensis A New and Exact Iconographic Analysis of The Beaver Maps.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Originally valued as neutral scientific documents, maps have traditionally been studied for the insight they could provide on the definition and transformation of national borders over time. In recent scholarship, maps have come to be understood as constructions. This is especially true of cartographic documents of the “New World” through which European colonial empires were attempting to understand, classify, and ultimately dominate a continent previously unknown to them. Although representative of a colonial perspective of the “New World,” maps also contain evidence of the encounter between Native Peoples and Europeans. These maps can be considered in terms of what Mary Louise Pratt calls contact zones. As such, maps remain important sources to analyze. Exploring the “Beaver Maps” as a case study, this thesis looks at the ways in which postcolonial theory and decolonizing methodologies can be used to deconstruct cartographic documents of New France. Using an approach called cartographic contextualization, this paper aims to reconstruct an image of the New World during the early years of contact to include multiple narratives. By deconstructing “the beaver cartouche” and the stories that informed the animated behaviours of the beavers represented in the image, we may perceive traces of the oral histories and worldviews of the Mi’kmaq Nation. Incorporation of these narratives underscores the encounter between the French and the Mi’kmaq in Acadia, highlighting the active roles played by Native American Nations in the “discovery,” exploration, and settlement of New France as well as the fur trade and transatlantic trade.


identifier: Leisser, Catherine R.K.  (2015) The Cult of Jupiter Dolichenus on the Outer Limits of the Roman Empire: A Comparison Study of Dolichena.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Abstract
The Cult of Jupiter Dolichenus on the Outer Limits of the Roman Empire:
A Comparison Study of Dolichena
Catherine R.K. Leisser

The Cult of Jupiter Dolichenus originated in Doliche, modern Dülük Baba Tepesi, located in southeast Turkey, and spread westward during the 2nd century CE.
The cult’s popularity spread quickly, reaching its zenith in the late 2nd century CE; its demise was equally quick: many temples were destroyed by the mid-3rd century CE. The destruction of the temple in Doliche by King Shapur I of Persia in 253 CE is often considered the final death-blow for this cult: who could have faith in this most powerful god, if his own temple was sacked and destroyed?
While certain aspects of this cult have been extensively studied, such as its epigraphy, less attention has been paid to possible regional differences of the temples in the Roman border provinces, and to differences between temples serving civilian or military cult communities.
This thesis examines a sample group of Dolichenian temples and their archaeological contents from the Roman frontier provinces of Pannonia Superior, Noricum, Raetia, Germania Superior and Britannia, located in modern Austria, Germany and Great Britain.
A comprehensive site catalogue provides an up-to-date artefact catalogue of both published and unpublished artefacts. This data is analyzed in Chapter 3, interpretations of the processes involved in this cult are discussed in Chapter 4.
This study provides a synthesis of evidence by examining, and interpreting a wide range of data covering broad geographical and chronological spans within the sample group. The result points toward a difference in urban versus rural cult communities, rather than regional differences.


identifier: Yang, Mengqian  (2015) The Route Towards The Shawshank Redemption: Mapping Set-jetting with Social Media.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: With the development of the Web 2.0, more and more geospatial data are generated via social media. This segment of what is now called “big data” can be used to further study human spatial behaviors and practices. This project aims to explore different ways of extracting geodata from social media in order to contribute to the growing body of literature dedicated to studying the contribution of the geoweb to human geography. More specifically, this project focuses on the potential of social media to explore a growing tourism phenomenon: set-jetting. Set-jetting refers to the activity whereby people travel to visit shooting locations that appear in movies. The case study presented here focuses on the Mansfield Reformatory (Ohio, USA), which was used as the shooting location for the film The Shawshank Redemption (Dir. Frank Darabont, 1994). Through the analysis of georeferenced data mined from Twitter, Flickr, and Tripadvisor, this project presents and discusses the differences and similarities between the use of these three platforms by set-jetters to share and access geodata associated with an alternative tourist destination. The results demonstrate the complementarity of each of these applications to studying set-jetting at different scales. While Twitter appears more appropriate to study this phenomenon at a global scale, Tripadvisor provides more relevant information at the regional level and Flickr can be mobilized to study the movements of set-jetters at a very local scale. Overall, beyond the methodological and technological issues associated with the use of these social media in studying the geography of set-jetting, these applications offer new perspectives for the tourism industry and open new research areas for academics as well.


identifier: Busque, Marie-Hélène  (2015) Garde-Robes: A Study in Haute Couture Patronage.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
The exhibition Rara Avis: Selections from the Iris Apfel Collection at the Metropolitan Museum’ s Costume Institute in New York in 2005 signalled a shift in curatorial practices with personal collections of haute couture being the subject of museological investigation. While it is tempting to dismiss these types of exhibitions as celebrating material excess, they are culturally, historically and socially significant. There have been numerous exhibitions on fashion designers, but hardly any on the women who wear their creations, because they are often considered quotidian and aspirational. However, they are both the collectors and caretakers of their garments and the custodians of the legacy of haute couture. Moreover, these exhibitions emphasize the social implications of dressing, such as distinction or conformity. This thesis discusses the patterns and networks specific to the acquisition of haute couture, the liminal nature of these garments and the different curatorial strategies used to display them in the museum space. Indeed, couture gowns shift between functional yet luxurious everyday objects and technically virtuosic works of art. The personal collections of haute couture (or garde-robes) that I examine in this
thesis are a source of creativity, material presence, cultural legacy for their owner and help them to construct and perform identities.


identifier: Tsonchev, Tsoncho  (2015) The Christian Realist Perspective: The Political Theology of Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, and Reinhold Niebuhr.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Christian political theology deals with the problems of the ultimate questions: the existence of God and the application of His law in the realm of human relations. Through exploring the political theology of Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, and Reinhold Niebuhr, this study discusses the great issues of war and peace, the character of human nature, the necessity of political responsibility, the importance of moral choices, the functions of authority, and the meaning of history and progress. It argues that Christian realism withstands the serious critiques leveled against it, provided that the complementary strengths and weaknesses of these three figures is taken into account.


identifier: Rodriguez, Sara Ann  (2015) A Rock and a Hard Place: Mythogenesis and Disasters at Sea.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: There has recently been an increase in the number and variety of environmental catastrophes. As the field of disaster studies increases in scope and breadth, North American and Western European mass media continue to depict disastrous events by way of dichotomous representations (good/evil; heroic/villainous). To this ends, media technologies play a vital role in the construction of culturally coherent, albeit formulaic, narratives. This thesis unpacks and explores myth generation over time through the work of semiotic cultural theorists such as Roland Barthes and Jean Baudrillard. The purpose is to better understand the mechanisms through which mass media produce and perpetuate myths. Mythologies relating to shipwrecks are investigated using two case studies (RMS Titanic and CC Costa Concordia). Ancient mythological narratives are found to have been deployed consistently—and persistently--throughout history. In the concluding section, the capacity of mythologies to produce simulacra or simulated versions of reality is briefly explored.


identifier: Wang, Ruoqi  (2015) A Mixed Integer Programming Model for Production Planning in Labor Intensive Manufacturing Systems.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The literature about labor intensive production planning addresses certain problems such as workforce sizing problems, workforce transfer problems and multi skill-level workforce utilization problems. Some of them considered quality related issues or workforce learning effects in modeling and solving these problems. In this thesis, a production planning model is developed for small to medium sized labor intensive production systems. It aims at deciding the optimal production plans for producing different types of products and assigning workers of different skill levels to production stations in the considered system. The main production planning model is formulated with the considerations of learning effect, quality issues, overtime work hours, and possible delays in product delivery. Numerical example problems based on practical cases are presented to illustrate the considered problems and the behavior of the developed model in solving these problems. The strength of the proposed model lies in the integration of some critical issues in a production system. A main advantage of using the approach developed in this thesis is to provide shop managers different options in deciding the number of production lines, overtime work time, on time or late product delivery, when the demand is seasonal and volatile.


identifier: torres saballet, ana raquel  (2015) adquisición de vocabulario en terceras lenguas estrategias de aprendizaje de vocabulario de bilingües simultáneos y bilingües consecutivos en el aprendizaje del español como tercera lengua.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This research intends to investigate L3 vocabulary acquisition by focusing on the correlation between vocabulary learning strategies (VLS) and vocabulary size (VS) in two groups, namely: Simultaneous Bilinguals (SB) and Consecutive Bilinguals (CB), and specifically explore the potential differences between these them in the process of learning Spanish as an third language (L3). The data was collected from 24 French-English/English-French participants, 12 SB and 12 CB, all learners of Spanish as an L3. SB had learned their 2L1 from birth and CB had begun learning their L2 after the age of 4 in a formal context. In order to learn about their linguistic history and the context in which they learned their languages, they were asked to complete a linguistic background questionnaire; a Yes/No test was administered to measure vocabulary size; a Think Aloud test was used to investigate the number and type of strategies adopted; and finally, participants completed a vocabulary-learning strategies survey. To explore the potential correlations between VS and VLS and the differences between SB and CB, a series of correlations and t-tests were run. Analysis of the data reveals that results are not statistically significant, suggesting that there is no significant correlation between VS and the number of VLS use reported by participants nor between VS and the type of VLS elected. Finally, there was not a significant difference between the average scores of the two groups in relation to VS and VLS. This lack of significant correlation and absence of significant differences between the groups suggest these two groups of bilinguals, SB and CB, could be more alike than different with regards to VLS use and its relation to L3 vocabulary size. Nevertheless, the repertory of strategies reported by the participants is a valuable source of first-hand information to be taken into account by teachers in their pedagogical planning as well as for researchers of L3 acquisition. The acquisition of L3 vocabulary remains a very promising field with much to explore in our wired Global Village.


identifier: Baygin, Christophe  (2015) The fundamental antecedents of a brand relationship: An exploration of the effect of consumers' personalities on the strength of brand relationships.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The literature on emotional relationships with brands has been steadily growing for the past decade, however in most cases researchers focus on brand initiated actions in order to test their effects on the strength of those relationships with their customers. The purpose of this research is to explore brand relationships from a generally neglected perspective, that of the consumers with which brands are attempting to build strong emotional bonds. A series of individual difference variables were added to a model incorporating previously known antecedents to strong brand relationships in order to examine the added effect that these might have in encouraging or discouraging consumers to engage in deep emotional relationships with their favorite brands. Although some of the variables showed significant effects, the overall results showed that individual difference variables had very little explanatory power when used in conjunction with the previously established antecedents. Theoretical as well as managerial implications of these results are discussed as well as potential avenues for future research in related lines of questioning.


identifier: Mackenzie, Pamela  (2015) The Fourth Kingdom: Art and Agency in Plastic.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
It is all around us: in the oceans, in the land, in our homes and in our hearts – and now it can even support life. So why is it that this crucial component of modern society is also one of its main antagonists? And, more importantly, what are we going to do with all that plastic?

This thesis will examine the work of artists who deal critically with plastic both as a medium and as a cultural artifact. The proliferation and accumulation of plastic transpires everywhere, even in the realm of art production and in the space of the gallery. I will discuss how artists are using this material to demonstrate significant challenges to common beliefs about the status of the natural in relation to human, particularly within the framework of vitalist and post-human contemporary philosophies.

At the level of cultural discourse, plastic is perceived as nearly antithetical to nature. On the other hand, beyond some basic intuition that there is a nature and that it can be identified, firmly establishing the actual referent for this concept is difficult. With a dominant ideology of ecology positioned in defence of the natural, the shared cultural enemy of the environmentally aware is plastic, a new artificial adversary. However, if we approach these categories critically – the natural, the artificial – the obvious distinction between them becomes less certain.


identifier: Sun, Xiao  (2015) The Impact of Natural Catastrophes on Property/Liability Insurers: A Geographical Proximity Analysis.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: We investigate the impact of hurricanes, as an anticipated natural disaster, on the premium incomes and stock prices of property and casualty insurers in the United States. Our sample consists of forty-seven publicly traded insurance firms in the U.S. and the three most serious hurricanes during the period from 2006 to 2014. The three hurricanes are broken down into 150 state-level hazards, including twenty-seven states that were directly affected by the disasters, twenty-seven states that were close-by, and ninety-six states that were unaffected. Our results show that insurers in all areas have a significant premium increase after hurricanes. Premium changes are significantly different between any two types of areas in an event year. In addition, we observe that the expected benefits from potential premium increases after a catastrophe appear to dominate the costs insurance companies incur as a result of policyholders’ reimbursement claims. However, while there are no obvious distinguishing results among areas, there is some discrimination. These results vary based on a state’s geographical proximity to a disaster. Insurers in close-by states enjoy some advantages from hurricanes. In contrast, insurers in affected states suffer negative consequences. Finally, we observe that the severity of hurricanes causes significant differences in abnormal performance. Big companies suffer negative impacts due to hurricanes. Higher returns on assets are associated with higher abnormal returns.


identifier: Kozak, Stephanie  (2015) Connecting the Dots: Links Between Teacher Knowledge, Print Exposure and Planning for Instruction.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: To deliver high quality English Language Arts Instruction, teachers must possess specific content knowledge in order to develop a well-rounded instructional program. The aim of the present study was two-fold; first, to investigate correlations between pre-service teachers’ print exposure, their knowledge of print exposure, and how they plan for instruction (N = 35); second, to deepen knowledge of print exposure through a two-week intervention and determine if successfully deepening knowledge affects a change in planning for instruction. The first experiment revealed correlations between participants’ print exposure, their knowledge of print exposure and related concepts, and how much time they allocate for student reading. The second experiment employed an experimental design with participants randomly assigned into an experimental group (n = 17) or a control group (n = 18). The investigation showed that knowledge of print exposure can be significantly increased through a two-week intervention, and that this knowledge had a significant effect on how much time participants allocated for student reading when planning for instruction.


identifier: Chowdhury, Md. Rashadul Islam and Mulligan, Catherine N.  (2015) Removal of Arsenic from Contaminated Water by Granular Activated Carbon Embedded with Nano scale Zero-valent Iron.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

creator:
Chowdhury, Md. Rashadul Islam
Mulligan, Catherine N.

abstract:
This study investigated the removal of arsenic from groundwater by granular activated carbon (GAC) supported nano scale zero-valent iron (nZVI). GAC supported nZVI (nZVI/GAC) composite was synthesized by hydrolyzing a Fe(III) salt on GAC, reduced by NaBH4 and dried under vacuum. Synthesized nZVI/GAC was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) along with EDS, BET surface area analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The experimental results were produced through the batch and Rapid Small Scale Column Test (RSSCT). The adsorption depends on pH, initial concentration, and reaction time. Arsenite adsorption capacity varies from 800 to 1400 μg/g over the pH 2-11. Arsenate adsorption was higher (3000-3700 μg/g) over the acidic pH range 2-6.5. Among competitive ions, phosphate and silicate affected the most while sulfate, nitrate, chloride, fluoride, manganese, magnesium and calcium had insignificant impact. The experimental data were evaluated with Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms.  The adsorption capacity for arsenate, calculated from Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms, were 5000 and 6000 µg/g, respectively at pH 4.5. The reaction kinetics followed the pseudo-second order model. The initial sorption rate (h), determined from pseudo-second order kinetic model, was 666 µg/g.min. The dynamic behaviour of the RSSCT was predicted by the HSDM model using the software FAST 2.0. From the RSSCT results, it was found that the number of bed volumes treated depends on the empty bed contact time (EBCT) as well as the initial arsenate concentration.
The regeneration of spent nZVI/GAC using 0.1M NaOH was effective as it desorbed 87% of adsorbed arsenic. The solid waste can be safely disposed of in a sanitary landfill without any treatment as the concentration of leached arsenate determined by TCLP was much lower than the regulatory limit.  The arsenic removal mechanism was due to the combination of electrostatic and the complex formation, either monodentate or bidentate, between As(V) and nZVI corrosion products. The results indicated that nZVI/GAC is a promising adsorbent for arsenic removal.


identifier: Carolina, Celi  (2015) Breaking News on South American Immigration: Investigating Ecuadorian and Colombian Newspaper Coverage.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: Migration in Latin America is a phenomenon that has been depicted in local and global media as a process of poverty, danger, threat, criminality, and environmental problems. These descriptions portray immigrants as ‘newcomers’ looking for better social and economic opportunities (Ureta, 2011, pp. 14


identifier: Xuan, Zichen  (2015) Digital Predistortion for Broadband Radio-over-Fiber Transmission Systems.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Abstract
Digital Predistortion for Broadband Radio-over-Fiber Transmission Systems
Zichen Xuan
Concordia University 2015
      With the increase of the demand of high capacity wireless access, design of cost effective broadband wireless signal distribution system is required, particularly for future massive multi-input and multi-output (MIMO) wireless. Recently, Radio-over-Fiber (RoF) transmission systems have been revisited for broadband wireless signal distribution between central processing unit (CPU) and remote radio unit (RRU) (i.e., antenna towers). RoF, which is based on optical subcarrier modulation and thus an analog transmission system, fully utilize the advantages of broadband and low-loss fiber transmission, and also radio signal transmission.
      Unfortunately, RoF transmission systems are very susceptible to nonlinear distortions, which can be generated by all inline functional components of the RoF systems. However, two typical functions, i.e., optical subcarrier modulation and RF power amplification, are the two key sources of the nonlinear distortions. Various linearization techniques have been investigated for power RF amplifiers. It has been found that digital predistortion (DPD) linearization is one of the best approaches for RF bandwidth of up to 20 MHz.
      In this thesis, DPD linearization is explored for broadband RoF transmission systems. Instead of DPD implemented in baseband previously, a DPD linearization technique implemented in RF domain is investigated and demonstrated experimentally for broadband RoF transmission systems. Memory polynomial (MP) model is used for theoretical modeling of nonlinear RoF transmission systems, in which both nonlinear distortion and memory effect can be included. In order to implement the predistorter of the DPD using the MP model, least square (LS) method is used to extract the coefficients of the predistorter. Using the obtained coefficients, the trained predistorter is implemented and then verified in two experiments of directly modulated RoF transmission systems. In the first experiment, the DPD is verified in WiFi over fiber transmission systems, and more than 8 dB and 5.6 dB improvements of error vector magnitude (EVM) are achieved in back to back (BTB) and after 10 km single mode fiber (SMF) transmission. In the second experiment, both WiFi and ultra wide band (UWB) wireless signals are transmitted in the RoF system, which occupies over 2.4 GHz transmission bandwidth. It is shown that the implemented DPD leads to EVM improvements of 4.5 dB (BTB) and 3.1 dB (10 km SMF) for the WiFi signal, and 4.6 dB (BTB) and 4 dB (10 km SMF) for the UWB signal.


identifier: Shao, Heran  (2015) Online brand community usage: a motivation of consumption approach.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This research explores consumers’ hedonic and utilitarian motivations for using an online brand community and relates them to two types of community usage behavior: browsing and participation. The effects on variables closely linked to business performance (purchase intentions, website revisit intention, brand loyalty) are also examined. Analysis of data collected from 358 members of different online brand communities reveals that utilitarian motivations relate more strongly to participation in the online brand community. Whereas community members with high levels of participation do not show purchase intentions or loyalty toward the brand, community members with higher levels of browsing do. For practitioners, the finding that participation in the brand community does not necessarily result in increased purchase intention and loyalty toward the brand is critical.


identifier: Chen, Yuan  (2015) Perceptions of E-books Among Students and Instructors in Higher Education.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Research Purpose: Electronic books (e-books) have been predicted to have strong impact in higher education. But the adoption rate of e-books adoption in higher education has been slower than anticipated. A study of the perceptions of the perceptions towards e-books among students and instructors in higher education as well as the factors driving those perceptions might provide insights into the slow adoption rate.
Research Questions: 1. What are the perceptions of College (CEGEP) and university students and instructors towards e-books? 2. How do respondents’ perceptions towards e-books differ demographically? 3. How do students and instructors’ perceptions differ among different types of reading materials (general news, professional information, scholarly information)? 4. Which characteristics drive students’ and instructor’s perceptions towards e-books? 5. Are participants aware of the terms and conditions of ownership of e-books?
Literature review: The Technology Acceptance Model, which explains users’ decisions to adopt new technology, underlies this study. Technically, e-books refers to the hardware on which people read digital materials, the software that presents the material on-screen, and the content that users actually read.  Development of e-books was first proposed in 1945, with the first successful commercial e-book hardware appearing in 2007. Previous studies of users’ perceptions of e-books have been mixed; some suggest users like them while others have found resistance. Perceptions vary among different demographic groups such as male and female groups, students and instructors groups, and younger and elderly groups. Specific factors that generate favorable impressions of e-books include their low cost, convenience (store many books on a single, portable, lightweight device) and special features, like searching and annotating functions.  Specific factors that hinder interest include compatibility issues (books bought for one device cannot be used on others), technical glitches, and quality of reading (which is lower in online situations).
Methodology: Online survey distributed to 869 participants distributed to students and faculty at one college and one university in Canada providing descriptive and inferential data. Statistical analyses such as t-test, one-way ANOVA and correlation are implied.
Results: Participants generally have positive attitudes towards e-books, but males, and those with higher levels of education and previous experience with e-books tend to have more positive attitudes. But participants’ still see printed materials as more credible than e-books and online scholarly and professional publication. In addition, participants who were less likely to take notes when reading and who had fewer concerns about plagiarism had higher perceptions of e-books. Participants also lack awareness of the terms and conditions of ownership of e-textbooks.
Implications: This study provides instructors, librarians, and book publishers more detailed knowledge about the factors that could influence adoption of e-books in higher education. It also demonstrates that the Technology Acceptance Model is a useful framework for exploring the adoption of this technology.


identifier: Hines, Sarah A  (2015) Prospective examination of the effect of injunctive drinking norms on the association between social anxiety and coping motivated and problematic drinking.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: While most students “mature out” of normative undergraduate problematic drinking, many do not. Research demonstrates that drinking for coping motives impedes that maturing out process (Littlefield, Sher, & Wood, 2010). Social anxiety (SA) may be a particularly relevant risk factor for problematic drinking during these formative years. Drinking in university often occurs in (anxiety provoking for some) social situations and heavy drinking is often promoted and normalized by peers in these contexts. The goal of this study was to investigate SA as a risk factor for continued problematic drinking during the transition out of university. It was hypothesized that SA would be a positive predictor of drinking for coping motives and problematic drinking during the 9-months post-graduation, but only for those who believed that peers approved of heavy/risky drinking (i.e., high injunctive norms). Graduating students (N = 120 at baseline) completed online surveys pre- and post-graduation (3-, 6-, 9-month follow-ups). SA, injunctive norms, drinking motives, and problematic drinking were assessed. Latent growth curve modeling was used to test injunctive norms (between subject) as a moderator of the effect of SA (between subject) on within person change in coping drinking motives, alcohol use, and alcohol-related problems. Only the interactive effect on alcohol-related problems was supported. Counter to hypotheses, elevated SA was associated with a more rapid decline in alcohol-related problems, if injunctive norms were high. These results suggest that the transition out of university may be somewhat protective in terms of reducing risk for problematic drinking for some high SA individuals.


identifier: Sanchez, Jessica  (2015) She’s throwing her hat in the ring! Gendered mediation and the newspaper coverage of provincial leadership candidates Christy Clark and Alison Redford.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In the past few years Canadians have witnessed a significant increase in the number of women holding premierships. One CBC journalist even dubbed 2011 “The Year of the Woman” in provincial politics, noting that four out of the thirteen provinces and territories were led by women: Alison Redford in Alberta, Christy Clark in British Columbia, Eva Aariak in Nunavut and Kathy Dunderdale in Newfoundland and Labrador (MacKinnon, 2011). Further to this, in 2012 Pauline Marois became the premier of Quebec, Kathleen Wynne was elected premier of Ontario in 2013, and Rachel Notley became the premier of Alberta in 2015. In light of this change in the political arena, and recent questions about whether, for example, media coverage of Christy Clark has been sexist (Hyslop, 2013; Orr, 2013) this thesis explores the key following question: How are Canadian female politicians running to become leaders of their provincial parties being represented in the news? Two case studies serve as the main focus of this research: Christy Clark’s leadership campaign in British Columbia in 2010/2011; and Alison Redford’s leadership campaign in Alberta in 2011. Using gendered mediation, representation theories, discussions of the public and private spheres, and with a focus on textual and framing analysis, this thesis looks at how the media focuses on gender differences, which may lead to explicit or implicit forms of sexism.


identifier: Hummel, Manuela Andrea  (2015) Translating Knowledge into Action: Bridging the Intention-Behaviour Gap with Customizable Information to Improve Personal and Ecological Health.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
This study seeks to determine to what extent increased awareness of the implications of modal
choice directly influences intention, translates into action, and increases the use of active
methods of transportation to sustain or enhance personal and ecological health. The problem
is that the general public awareness about the impacts of sedentary lifestyles on health
and the environment is marginal and the systems that combine visualized information into
meaningful knowledge about said issue do not respond to individuals’ life circumstances.
Previous work has failed to address the problem as no connections between psychological inquiries
of awareness, the intention-behaviour gap, motivation, decision-making, and the impact
of customizable information presentation have been drawn. In this thesis we introduce a
future system that combines mobile media technology with sensed data to generate customizable
information in a way that responds to the user and encourages a behaviour change toward
a more active lifestyle. A research-through-design approach was applied that combined
the development of five different knowledge visualization mock-ups with a presentation of
those options in an online survey examining people’s perception regarding a general interest
in customizable information, a preferred information presentation style, and an estimation
about the likelihood of how such information would affect use of the system and subsequently
modal choice. We expect this approach to help in specific design practice while improving the
quality of knowledge visualizations for systems that produce customizable information, and
personal and ecological health in general.


identifier: Plamadeala, Cristina  (2015) The Life of the Romanian Theologian Antonie Plamadeala as a Runaway from the Secret Police and as a Political Prisoner in Communist Romania.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: The present work discusses the life of the Romanian theologian Antonie Plamadeala (1926-2005) in the1940s-1950s. More specifically, it tells the story of his refuge from Bessarabia to Romania, of his run from Romania’s secret police (Securitate) and of his years of incarceration as a political prisoner for alleged ties to the Legionary Movement, known for its Fascist, paramilitary and anti-Semitic activity and rhetoric.  This work argues that Plamadeala was most likely not a Legionary, as initially accused by Securitate. Instead, his arrest may have been caused by his involvement in the resistance movement against the Communist regime, first through his involvement with the publication of the newspaper The Echo of Bessarabia and, later, via his association with Legionaries and ties with the Vladimiresti monastery, known for its blunt stand against Communism in the 1950s. In regards to his experience in prison, this thesis suggests that Plamadeala’s prison years were determinetal to his inner identity and character.


identifier: Doucerain, Marina M.  (2015) Mainstream Social Participation Mediates the Relation between Mainstream Cultural Orientation and Language Outcomes.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Competence in the mainstream language (L2) plays a critical role in migrants' cultural adaptation to a new society and is closely tied to psychosocial adjustment. A substantial body of work on acculturation and Second Language Acquisition (SLA) has shown that migrants with a more positive outlook on the mainstream cultural group report more favourable language outcomes, broadly conceptualized here as “linguistic adjustment”. However, the mechanisms underlying this outlook-language outcomes link have not been fully explored. Targeting this gap, the present research shows that migrants' social participation in the mainstream society (interpersonal interactions and relationships) mediates the relation between cultural orientation toward the mainstream cultural group and L2 outcomes. Five manuscripts, reporting on six studies of multicultural first-generation immigrant students to Montreal, examine different aspects of this mediation model.
     First, Manuscript 1 discusses in detail the methodological issues facing acculturation research and that informed this dissertation. Second, two manuscripts provide empirical support for both quantitative and qualitative aspects of the relation between mainstream cultural orientation and social participation. Manuscript 2 reports on two longitudinal studies showing that more positive baseline mainstream cultural orientation prospectively predicts greater social participation. Manuscript 3 reports on two studies using a daily diary approach to show that moment-to-moment cultural affiliation during social interactions is related to characteristics of the local context and to mainstream cultural orientation. Third, Manuscript 4 shows that a more interconnected L2 social network, another aspect of mainstream social participation, is associated with lesser communication-related acculturative stress. Finally, Manuscript 5 uses a path analysis and provides evidence supporting the overall mediation model guiding this research. Together, these studies make a strong case for the role of  social participation as a mechanism underlying the relation between mainstream cultural orientation and language outcomes.
     In parallel, this dissertation aims to support two arguments: (1)  methodological issues hinder progress in acculturation research and therefore it is essential to go beyond cross-sectional self-report attitudinal scales, and (2) integrating acculturation research in cross-cultural psychology and research on SLA in applied linguistics – two largely separate  research strands – would greatly benefit our understanding of migrants' cross-cultural adaptation processes.


identifier: Bran Lopez, Maria-Josée  (2015) Sources of Mature Students’ Difficulties in Solving Different Types of Word Problems in Mathematics.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: There are many different types of research done on algebra learning. In particular, word problems have been used to analyze students’ thought process and to identify difficulties in algebraic thinking. In this thesis, we show the importance of quantitative reasoning in problem solving. We gave 14 mature students, who were re-taking an introductory course on algebra, four word problems of different types to solve: a connected problem, a disconnected problem, a problem with contradictory data and a problem where students were asked to assess the correctness of a fictional solution. In selecting these types of problems we have drawn on the research of Sylvine Schmidt and Nadine Bednarz on the difficulties of passing from arithmetic to algebra in mathematical problem solving. We present the students’ solutions and a detailed analysis of these solutions, seeking to identify the sources of the difficulty these students had in producing correct solutions. We sought these sources in the defects of quantitative reasoning, arithmetic mistakes, and algebraic mistakes. The attention to quantitative reasoning was inspired by the research of Pat Thompson and Stacey Brown. Defects of quantitative reasoning appeared to be an important reason why the students massively failed to solve the problems correctly, more important than their lack of technical algebraic skills. Therefore, teaching procedures and algebraic technical skills is not enough for students to develop problem solving skills. There should be a focus on developing students’ quantitative reasoning. Students need to have a good understanding of relations between quantities. Defects of quantitative reasoning create obstacles that prevent mature students from successfully solving any type of word problem.


identifier: Mao, Lei  (2015) Men of Montreal: An Ethnographic Study of the Gay Porn Industry.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: This thesis is an ethnographic study of the newly-established gay male pornography studio Men of Montreal. Through a business research of Men of Montreal, the thesis dissects an online porn business and describes the influence the Internet has had on the gay porn industry as a whole. The three main chapters focus on the three stages of the online gay porn industry: production, distribution and consumption and how all the three stages are deeply affected by the Internet as a medium. In general, the Internet has amalgamated the different production studios into an entertainment network that funnels online distribution into an organization of affiliates, thereby creating a diverse and global scale culture of consumption. As a result, the Internet has transformed the gay porn industry into a highly niched entertainment market and normalized pornography into an everyday commodity. This thesis broadly recommends that gay pornography industry should be treated as an important object of study that merits more academic attention.


identifier: Shahrokhi Tehrani, Shaghayegh  (2015) Fault Detection, Isolation and Identification of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Using Dynamic Neural Networks and Genetic Algorithms.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
The main objective of this thesis is to propose and develop a fault detection, isolation and identification scheme based on dynamic neural networks (DNNs) and genetic algorithm (GA) for thrusters of the autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) which provide the force for performing the formation missions. In order to achieve the fault detection task, in this thesis two level of fault detection are proposed, I) Agent-level fault detection (ALFD) and II) Formation-level fault detection (FLFD). The proposed agent-level fault detection scheme includes a dynamic neural network which is trained
with absolute measurements and states of each thruster in the AUV. The genetic algorithm is used in order to train the DNN. The results from simulations indicate that although the ALFD scheme can detect the high severity faults, for low severity faults the accuracy is not satisfy our expectations. Therefore, a formation-level
fault detection scheme is developed. In the proposed formation-level fault detection scheme, a fault detection unit consist of two dynamic neural networks corresponding to its adjacent neighbors, is employed in each AUV to detect the fault in formation. Each DNN of the fault detection unit is trained with one relative and one absolute
measurements. Similar to ALFD scheme, these two DNNs are trained with GA. The simulation results and confusion matrix analysis indicate that our proposed FLFD can
detect both low severity and high severity faults with high level of accuracy compare to ALFD scheme.
In order to indicate the type and severity of the occurred fault the agent-level and formation-level fault isolation and identification schemes are developed and their performances are compared. In the proposed fault isolation and identification schemes, two neural networks are employed for isolating the type of the fault in the thruster of
the AUV and determining the severity of the occurred fault. In the fist step, a multi layer perceptron (MLP) neural network categorize the type of the fault into thruster blocking, flooded thruster and loss of effectiveness in rotor and in the next step a MLP neural network classify the severity into low, medium and high. The neural networks
in fault isolation and identification schemes are trained based on genetic algorithm with various data sets which are obtained through different faulty operating condition
of the AUV. The simulation results and the confusion matrix analysis indicate that the proposed formation-level fault isolation and identification schemes have a better performance comparing to agent-level schemes and they are capable of isolating and identifying the faults with high level of accuracy and precision.


identifier: Johnston, Isabelle  (2015) The Quest.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

title: The Quest

abstract:
The Quest by Isabelle Johnston is Part I of an Arthurian fantasy novel structured as a frame narrative. This novel explores gender and class dynamics through romantic and chivalric pursuit. The story opens with Merlyn, who has been imprisoned by his lover Nyneve. The reader learns that Nyneve stole Merlyn’s magic and imprisoned him in a tree. Within this frame, Merlyn tells the story of Nyneve’s sister, Vivienne, who falls in love with Sir Pellinore after he rescues her from her violent husband. Pellinore is initially reluctant to enter into a relationship with Vivienne, in part because she is a peasant, but also because he must carry on his family tradition of pursuing the beast Glatisant (a monster who is part deer, part dragon, part leopard, and part lion).

Within this frame, the characters present tales that uncover dark secrets about themselves and their relationships. The tales of Pellinore’s quest and his family line reveal a history of men struggling to adhere to impossible codes of manhood and devoting their lives to a pointless quest. The tales of Merlyn and Nyneve’s relationship likewise complicate the idea that Merlyn is simply a spurned lover. Through these tales, Vivienne gains insight into the people she loves most, and in the end she is forced to make a terrible sacrifice in order to save either her lover or her sister.


identifier: Tzemopoulos, Antonia  (2015) “Only if you were in my shoes, you'd see it the way I do!” Reflecting on Professional Identity and Improving Design Practice: An Autoethnographic Phenomenological Study of Disabled Residents in Second Life.  PhD thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
ABSTRACT

Reflecting on professional identity and improving design practice: An autoethnographic phenomenological study of disabled residents in Second Life

Antonia Tzemopoulos, Ph.D.
Concordia University, 2015

A limited number of studies have examined e-learning environments for people with disabilities. Essentially, these studies place emphasis on descriptions pertaining to the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standards and highlight interface design theory. Much has been said regarding interface design but little has been said regarding the interrelationship between the virtual environment, user emotions and the disabled learner. As spaces of learning are changing, going from the once traditional classroom environment to that of the virtual space, there is a growing need to understand how people with disabilities feel within the “pixelated” environment, thus allowing instructional designers to obtain a better understanding of what is a “good design” for people with disabilities.

Virtual environments allow people with disabilities to participate in activities which would not be possible in real life, exploring regions that are bound by diverse aesthetical experiences, various stimuli and sociality. However, a number of questions still remain unanswered and can equally contribute to the improvement of the instructional design practice while fostering the idea of “doing good” for the disabled user. In this study, which extended over a period of one year, research was conducted on adults with various real life disabilities (visible or non-visible) who are active residents within Second Life, a 3D online environment. The researcher, also a resident of Second Life, had an opportunity to interact with members of Virtual Ability Island, an online environment that enables users with a wide variety of disabilities to obtain support, access to health information and develop mastery of navigation of the online world using different tutorials. Resulting from her multiple visits, friendships emerged prior to commencing the research journey. Reflecting as a researcher, she sheds light on some of the challenges she encountered during the research process and how interacting with people from Virtual Ability Island altered her perception of the meaning “designing for people with disabilities”.

The methodology used is unique: a fusion of autoethnography, phenomenology, and narrative research combined with Tillmann-Healy’s Friendship as a Method. Using reflective journaling, casual conversations, field notes and virtual snapshots, the researcher’s thoughts parallel those of the disabled residents of the Second Life community. The Virtual Ability Island residents took the researcher on a visual, emotional and textual journey, sharing their experiences of Second Life. Although, the purpose of this study was intended to create dialogue, as well as evoke emotions, the underlying purpose was to demonstrate that alternative research methods can be considered as professional tools. These tools highlight active listening, emphasize ethical reasoning, and encourage critical self-reflection, while focusing on empathy, compassion and relationship building with the participant(s). They also aid in the interaction and gathering of data from people with disabilities in virtual environments such as Second Life.


identifier: Mavrin, Borislav  (2015) The search for the compactified Kerr solution.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract:
Due to the complexity of the Einstein equations the general solution to these equations remains unknown. Currently there exist quite a few special solutions, which were obtained by assuming some symmetries of the solution, which allows one to reduce the complexity of these equations. That is one of the reasons why any exact solution is important. It may shed some light on the general problem.
There is also demand from string theories for a special type of solutions - compactified solu- tions. String theories use more than 4 dimensions and in order for these theories to make physical sense the extra dimensions must be compactified. Therefore the search for the compactified analogs of the known solutions became an important task.
The well known and widely used in physics non compactified solutions are the Schwarzschild [15] and Kerr [11] solutions, which are discussed in detail in Chapter 2 of this thesis. Chapter 2 also provides a description of the compactified analog of the Schwarzschild solution obtained independently by Korotkin and Nicolai [12] and by Myers [14]. However the compactified analog of the Kerr solution remains unknown.
In Chapter 3 the asymptotic behaviour of the compactified analog of the Kerr solution is inves- tigated. Two possible ways of solving this problem are discussed.


identifier: Akbarian, Hesam  (2015) Design of a Power Electronics Based Diesel Engine Generator Emulator for Study of Microgrid Related Applications.  Masters thesis, Concordia University.

abstract: In the following thesis, design and implementation of an emulator is provided to emulate the parallel operation of a hybrid diesel engine generator (GENSET) and hydrokinetic energy conversion system (HKECS) in a microgrid with the aim of improvement in overall performance of the genset in terms of fuel consumption, emission and efficiency. The mechanical and electrical parts of a typical genset are modeled mathematically in a digital controller (ds-1103, dSpace) and the model is fed to a current and voltage controlled voltage source inverter (VSI) which is designed for the emulation of the generator output voltage to produce the same output power characteristics as in a real diesel engine generator. Output available power of a second source (only steady state behaviour of a HKECS) is emulated using a current controlled VSI (CCVSI); which is fed by reference signals determined by the available power flow of the water.  In addition, a novel method for combination of the genset and HKECS is proposed to enforce the genset to operate in the least brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC), most efficient or less emission operating points. Since no dedicated physical communication channel is desirable and generally does not exist in real applications, yet there is a demand to communicate between two sources to keep one in a particular operating point, a modified droop control scheme is defined to communicate indirectly. A detailed analysis show that efficiency, emission and fuel consumption are significantly improved in comparison with conventional methods. For experimental validation, the control algorithm is implemented in dSpace using the DS-1103 controller. The experimental results confirm improvements in fuel consumption for a specific BSFC curve to 1 gr in 10 seconds for a load of P=1200 W by engaging the proposed method.