Due to medical advances in burn care, the survival rate of individuals with serious burns has significantly increased. This has lead to a great need to focus on psychological aspects of burn injury recovery, particularly how people adapt to their changed bodies. The literature indicates that burn size and severity is not directly associated with the degree of distress and that for women, dissatisfaction with their bodies increases in the year after injury. In this study, women’s experiences of their bodies were investigated by asking them about pain, social relationships, mental health, and appearance. In-depth interviews were conducted with female burn survivors in the first year after injury and the transcripts were analyzed using a narrative-discursive analytic methodology. On the surface, the women told narratives which emphasized how well they were doing, however, further analysis revealed subordinate narratives which indicated body dissatisfaction and difficulties with adjustment. In order to suppress narratives of distress, the women engaged in “self-silencing,” of which three forms are outlined. The self-silencing functioned to help the women resist the cultural devaluing associated with “disfigurement” and more personally, to maintain close relationships. As self-silencing has been linked to depression and anxiety, encouraging women to discuss their difficulties may prove to be pertinent in psychological adjustment following burn injury.

The in-depth case study of an alliance termination over a five-year period surrounding the termination of a critical infrastructure industry alliance represents a contribution to organizational scholars’ understanding of alliance termination and the political process under which the set of relationships and competition amongst the firms change. The study develops a process theory to explain the termination and the events that unfold following the termination. Termination is suggested to be an important aspect of the change process. By including termination as an antecedent to firm action, both the social movement and institutional entrepreneurship and the literature on alliance processes can benefit from understanding how termination may shape firm routines and relationship formation.

Community economic development (CED) appeals to both the left and right wing of the political spectrum for different reasons. While some might find this to be a strength of the movement, it will be argued in this thesis that this may not be the case. CED can be all things to all people. Without some form of ideological analysis, the CED movement risks being co-opted by the right wing status quo forces of our society and fails to be a progressive source of change to address structural issues of inequality and oppression. This thesis develops a CED ideological model that can be used as a lens to inform both CED theory and practice. Case studies of SEED Winnipeg, the Assiniboine Credit Union and the People’s Cooperative will be used to illustrate the potential application of the CED ideological model. A discussion of the definition of CED is initially presented followed by an outline of the analytical tools that are used to develop the CED ideological model and to guide the case studies. This includes an examination of the extent to which a CED approach embraces gap filling or transformative objectives. The construction of the proposed CED ideological model based on class, market and state theory perspectives is reviewed. A modified version of the George and Wilding (1996) ideological framework is utilized including the perspectives of anti-collectivists, reluctant collectivists and collectivists. Feminist, anti-racist and anti-colonial perspectives of the CED ideological model are presented as other key elements that need to be examined within the ideological analysis model. The theory, strategies and impact measurements of CED that informs the proposed ideological analysis is further examined with respect to each of the respective CED organizations involved in the case studies. The thesis concludes with a discussion about the importance for the CED movement to have concrete tools to better analyze the role and impact of ideology on CED theory and practice.

A study was conducted to examine the impact of diet and cold weather on the excretion of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from beef cows, and the potential for these nutrients to be lost to waterways or as greenhouse gases (GHG). Feces and urine were collected from mature cows fed low-quality forage supplemented with DDGS to 0%, 10%, and 20% ww-1 in the fall of 2008 and winter of 2009. A detailed nutrient analysis was performed to determine forms of N and fractions of P in excreta. Feces, urine, and a simulated bedding pack were then applied to grassland to determine soil GHG emission. Cattle receiving DDGS supplementation excreted greater proportions of labile P in feces and greater concentrations of P in urine. The 20% DDGS diets had greater nitrous oxide emission from urine patches and greater proportions of available N in urine and feces.

Acidified dairy products are one of the oldest types of food products. Unfortunately all of them are low in dietary fibre. Thus, to improve health benefit of these products the idea of fortifying them with dietary fibre seems attractive. However dairy products enriched with Glucagel (a commercial product that is high in barley β-glucan) were found to suffer from textural defects. When the Glucagel concentration exceeded a certain value (5 g/L), dramatic phase separation was observed in set yogurt and yogurt drink with volume fraction of casein micelles greater then 0.108. To investigate interactions of β-glucan polymers and casein micelles in the milk prior to setting of yogurt, mixtures of yogurt milk and Glucagel were systematically studied. Depending on the volume fraction of casein micelles and the Glucagel concentration, a stable phase or a gel or a sedimented material could exist. The driving force for phase separation was depletion flocculation of casein micelles in the presence of β-glucan. The phase separation responsible for textural defects in yogurt systems supplemented with high amounts of Glucagel can be avoided by the reduction of β-glucan molecular weight, a process that limits the range of attraction between micelles. Incubation of Glucagel with lichenase for 90 min resulted in homogeneous (stable) yogurt systems with Glucagel concentrations as high as 10 g/L.

This dissertation examines two main research questions: Why do firms deviate from their predicted level of toxic emissions, and how do these differences relate to financial performance? The objective is threefold: (1) to understand deviation in corporate environmental performance by looking at both industry and firm level variables, (2) to see how this deviation relates to both profitability and fluctuations in financial performance, and (3) to see if, and how, corporate environmental legitimacy affects the relationship between corporate environmental deviation and corporate financial performance. To achieve this objective the construct “corporate environmental performance deviation” is developed. It is defined as the extent to which a firm’s environmental performance deviates from its predicted performance, and is used to capture within-firm strategic choices in environmental management. Predicted environmental performance is calculated based on certain firm characteristics such as size and industry. Actual environmental performance is calculated using a weighted score of air emissions obtained from the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) database. The difference between these two values represents a corporation’s environmental performance deviation. Corporate environmental performance deviation focuses on strategic choices related to environmental management, while recognizing that environmental management is the result of both institutional pressures and within-firm strategic decisions. Aligned with this focus, variables 2 related to this strategic choice are used to explain deviation in environmental management, including an environmental integration capability, firm strategy, and industry munificence and dynamism. Associated with the internal and external organizational analysis, institutional theory and the resource-based view (RBV) are used to explore the tension between deviation to increase competitiveness versus isomorphism to attain legitimacy. The sample is composed of 311 U.S. firms who have reported their toxic air releases to the TRI from 1998-2007. The sample is broken down into two subsets, those that exceed (positive deviation) or fail to meet (negative deviation) predicted environmental performance. Results of a longitudinal analysis show that positive environmental deviation is related to a greater capacity to strategically integrate environmental issues into a firm’s existing business approach, less munificence and dynamism in the task environment, and reduced financial fluctuations. Negative environmental deviation is decreased through a demonstrated capacity to strategically integrate environmental issues into a firm’s existing strategic approach, and related to greater munificence and dynamism in the task environment, reduced profitability and increased financial fluctuations. Lastly, although there are no significant main effects for corporate environmental legitimacy, the paradoxical combination of negative deviation and environmental legitimacy can reduce the severity of the negative financial results to negative deviation, both in terms of profitability and financial fluctuations.

Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused mainly by Fusarium graminearum, is one of the most destructive global diseases of small cereal grains worldwide. The most devastating effect of this disease is the deposition of mycotoxins in the grain. Deoxynivalenol (DON) and its analogs 3-ADON, 15-ADON and NIV are the major mycotoxins produced by the fungus. The chemotype, 15-ADON is more prevalent in North America, but recently a chemotypic shift has been observed. The rapid emergence of the 3-ADON chemotype over the traditional 15-ADON chemotype is a major concern in North America. The studies in this thesis were focused on understanding the behaviour of the 3-ADON and 15-ADON chemotypes and the possible reasons for the rapid chemotypic shift.

An understanding of the adaptability of belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) to changing ice-conditions is required to interpret and predict possible changes in habitat selection in response to projected loss of sea ice throughout the circumpolar Arctic. Beluga spring distribution in the eastern Beaufort Sea was described by analyzing observations from aerial surveys conducted from 1975 to 1979. Repeated surveys along the Franklin Bay fast-ice edge in June 2008 were used to study the distribution and behaviour of belugas and bowheads. Despite inter-annual variability in ice extent, belugas consistently selected areas with water depths of 200-500 m, heavy ice concentrations (8/10 to 10/10) and seafloor slope ≥0.5 degrees in spring 1975 to 1979. While predator avoidance may partially explain the observed distribution, foraging success likely has more influence on beluga habitat selection in the spring. In ice-covered offshore regions, belugas may be engaged in under-ice and deep water foraging on Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida). In lighter ice years, belugas may expand their distribution and shift shoreward to take advantage of high prey densities along fast-ice edges. Both belugas and bowheads appeared to be feeding along the Franklin Bay ice edge in June 2008. More research is required to examine and compare possible changes in distribution since the late 1970s and to investigate the factors driving the patterns described.

Mothers with cancer are required to make medical and social decisions while attempting to balance their own physical, psychological and social needs with the needs of their children. To explore the decision-making process, in-depth interviews were conducted with 7 mothers with a cancer diagnosis and children aged birth to 6 years. They were asked to describe: 1) types of decisions; 2) process they used to make decisions; 3) conditions of their lives; 4) meanings assigned to their decisions. The grounded theory method was used. The driving force behind decision-making was the mothers’ desire to maintain the mother-child bond, influenced by the context of their lives. Making decisions to maintain the mother-child bond involved managing: 1) distance; 2) physical changes; 3) the information shared; and 4) the ongoing chain of decisions. The findings have implications for improving the quality and usefulness of psychosocial supports for mothers with cancer and their families.

Otoliths are calcified structures located in the inner ear of teleost fish. They are formed by the crystallisation of calcium carbonate in the form of aragonite onto a protein matrix. Otoliths grow continuously during the lifespan of the fish by the deposition of concentric layers of aragonite and protein. During the formation of otoliths, trace elements are potentially incorporated into the otolith either by substitution for Ca or through co-precipitation with other carbonates. Since it has been suggested that otolith composition is reflective of the external environment (i.e. food and/or water) otoliths have been used as a temporal record to address many fisheries questions. Generally, toxicological studies focus on soft tissues (e.g. liver, kidneys, muscle) to determine metal exposure in fish. However, interpretation of the metal concentrations can be challenging due to the labile nature of metals in these tissues. A more recent approach to investigate temporal trends of metal exposure involves the use of otoliths. Otoliths are metabolically inert so that, once metals are incorporated they are not subject to remobilization. Red Lake, located in the Canadian Shield in Northwestern Ontario is recognized as a popular fishing area. However, over the last decade lake trout have experienced a drastic decline, with concurrent increase in the age distribution. One hypothesis for the recruitment failure has focused on the metals present in the water as a result of past mining activities. A retrospective analysis of the elemental signatures in the lake trout otoliths was performed to determine whether trace element concentrations have changed in Red Lake over the past three decades. Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) was used to determine trace elements in otoliths recovered from lake trout from 1960 to 2008. Mn was incorporated into the otoliths and there was a suggestion that concentrations peaked between 1980 and 1989 in Red Lake. Concentrations of Mn in lake trout otoliths ranged from 0 mg/g to 10.1 mg/g. Potential contributors to the elevated concentrations could have been associated to the local geology. In addition to geology further uncertainties concerning the water and diet to otolith relationships could also contributed to the Mn concentrations. Augmented diets failed to increase metal concentrations in otoliths. Further research is required to further investigate the relationship between Mn in the environment and the incorporation into the otolith.