Irrigation is a well established procedure on many farms in western Canada and is practiced on various levels around the world. It allows diversification of crops, while increasing crop yields. However, typical irrigation systems consume a great amount of conventional energy through the use of electric motors and generators powered by fuel. / The overall objective of this research was to determine the feasibility of using photovoltaic (PV) modules to power a water pump for a small-scale drip irrigation system in Montreal (Quebec, Canada). The study involved field observations, as well as computer simulations of global solar radiation and PV electrical output. / Field observations involved a summer and winter installation of two amorphous silicon 42 W PV modules, directly connected to a 12 V surface water pump. The parameters monitored were voltage, current, back-of-panel temperature, pressure, and flow. These observed parameters were used to determine PV electrical output and volume of water pumped. Site latitude, elevation, and panel tilt were applied to the solar radiation and PV electrical output models, along with the following meteorological data: daily average, maximum, and minimum temperatures, and global solar radiation. / Daily solar radiation prediction showed a linear correlation of 0.69 with the observed daily values, over the years 2000 to 2005. The correlation coefficient was improved to 0.91, when 7 day moving averages of both the observed and predicted solar radiation data were used. PV electrical output and volume of water pumped were monitored between August 2005 and May 2006. Both the power and water output observations were less than expected. However, the predicted daily PV electrical output ranged from 1.0 MJ d-1 in the summer to approximately 0.6 MJ d-1 in the winter. As expected, an increase in power caused an increase in the volume of water pumped.

Filipino youth in Montreal have one of the highest rates of not being in school. Reports of behavioural problems, difficulties integrating, school failure and parent-child relationship difficulties have been reported among Filipino Youth who came to Canada after their mothers came to work in Canada under the Live-In Caregiver Program and its predecessor, the Foreign Domestic Movement. Using a sociocultural framework, I interviewed seven Filipino youth to examine the factors that interact to influence their educational outcomes. I discovered that several of their problems were related to long periods of family separation. The inability to develop a close relationship with their mother, along with economic struggles was a source of difficulty and directly affected educational outcomes. The focus of learning French in order to do well in the Quebec High School system is another factor affecting the ability of Filipino youth to succeed in school.

Due to a rising interest in natural fibres for textiles as well as environmental concerns, the demand for fibre flax has increased in recent decades. It was, therefore, with great enthusiasm that Canadian farmers welcomed, in 1997, the opening of a flaxprocessing unit in the region of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec. The purpose of this study was to investigate the economic viability of fibre flax contracting as an alternative activity for field-crop producers in Quebec. A risk-programming model called minimization of total absolute deviation (MOTAD) was developed to better approach this issue. The MOTAD takes into account the variability in income that stems from uncertainty in commodity-market prices and yields. In addition, five different marketing strategies for pricing grain corn and soybeans were included in the model. These pricing techniques combined the use of futures and options markets. / In a global agricultural system, where international commitments force governments to cut subsidies, reducing income variability for risk-averse farmers becomes a critical challenge. This study offered to assess the contribution of both contracting and futures markets as alternative market instruments for risk management. Five portfolio farm plans were identified for 200- and 300-hectare farm sizes. The results showed that gains through fibre flax contracting, in terms of risk reduction, exist only for the farm plans with lower levels of income and risk. Moreover, simulations demonstrated that the use of futures and options markets can help maximize overall net farm return.

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Guided by a feminist intersectionality framework and conducted within an action research paradigm, this dissertation reports on how social workers in community health care respond to concerns of intimate partner abuse in the lives of older women. The study was undertaken in 18 publicly-funded community health and social services agencies (CLSCs) in Quebec, Canada. Interviews were carried out with 30 social workers and three focus groups were held with some of the same social workers. / In this dissertation, I argue that social workers in community health care might benefit from using certain theoretical frameworks, as they tend to see older women as a homogeneous group, view older women's agency as problematic, and lack a cohesive understanding of the problem of intimate partner abuse -- all of which leaves them less than optimally equipped for intervention. Furthermore, certain features of intimate partner abuse at the intersection of gender, age, and disability can make intervention very complex. As a result, social workers tend to view intimate partner abuse in the lives of older women as an intractable problem, rife with double-binds, contradictions, and tensions, which can leave them feeling powerless. / In the first three chapters of this dissertation I present the study's theoretical framework, its location within the empirical scholarship on intimate partner abuse, and the methods used. I also provide background information on the Quebec context of practice. Chapters 4 and 5 are empirical chapters reporting the findings as they relate to social workers' understandings and their responses. Chapter 6 is the concluding chapter and discusses the three principal findings. The first key finding was that the practice setting shapes social workers' understandings of and responses to the problem. The second key finding was that social workers could benefit from certain theoretical frameworks that would greatly enhance their practice. The third finding is that social workers view intimate partner abuse as both enduring and changing in form, frequency, and intensity over time. The implications for theory, practice, and research are offered for each key finding.

This study examines the application of the Project Research in Nursing (PRN) patient classification/workload measurement system in a teaching hospital in Quebec. It also compares the workload estimates of direct and indirect care activities determined from patients' total PRN point scores and from corresponding PRN levels of care (classes 1-15). This study examines the allocation and the rankings of patients' needs for nursing care in relation to the categories of the classification instrument. Two documentary sources, audit records of 1988-1989 to 1992-1993 and audit data collection forms of 1992-1993 were used to conduct the study and to provide a comparison of the results. Audit findings were relatively consistent over the five-year period. Comparison of pre-audit and post-audit workload estimates provided detailed information on the measurement sensitivity between total PRN point scores and PRN levels of care; the direction and magnitude of differences between classification ratings; and the distinctive nature of patients' needs for nursing care within and across clinical departments. This study discusses the implications of these findings for nursing resource management decisions, staffing and workload and makes recommendations for practice and further research.

Juvenile prostitution is a social issue of major concern and controversy in our society. Research documenting high rates of violence, substance abuse, HIV risk-behaviour, and other such risks and problems have reinforced arguments to protect and prohibit youth from prostitution activity. However, presenting youths' experiences in prostitution as unidimensionally negative and deficiency-based potentially creates other important problems for youth, perhaps explaining criticisms of social services for being generally ineffective and, at times, aggravating youths' situations. Left out in these debates are often the voices of those who matter most, the youth. The present study has sought to hear and articulate youths' voices, suggesting that prostitution is a diverse and complex reality and that effective intervention begins with hearing voices and respecting choices. In-depth and semi-structured interviews were conducted for this study with ten street youth with experiences in prostitution as a minor and three key informants in youth protection.

The purpose of this thesis is to design a computer model which compares three sprinkler irrigation systems---portable pipe with volume gun, traveller with volume gun and towable/non-towable centre pivot---for potato production. The model user is required to enter a set of basic data: crop and field conditions, irrigation technical parameters and basic economic data, following which the model establishes the preliminary irrigation system and a comparative investment analysis. The model was applied and tested on a potato farm situated in Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix (southwestern Quebec). Based on a 14-year climatic analysis, supplemental irrigation for a normal rainfall growing period (368 mm) was estimated at 250 mm. The application of the model indicates that for a normal rainfall period with an assumed yield increase of 25% over non-irrigated production, all three systems provide net profits (increases of 11% to 50%). However, when determining the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) on a 10-year period, the maximum rate attained by the more profitable systems---portable pipe and non-towable centre pivot (both with an electric pump)---was 14%, a rate inferior to the IRR for non-irrigated production (17%). The Net Present Value (NPV) analysis for the two most profitable irrigation systems provided a slightly higher NPV value for irrigated than for non-irrigated production ($10,942---irrigated vs $10,522---non-irrigated production). The payback period for those two irrigation systems was 7 years. Greater gains of irrigated over non-irrigated yields would be expected for a dry period because of low and unpredictable yields in non-irrigated conditions. A farmer planning to invest in an irrigation system must carefully investigate all technical and socio-economic aspects. The model presented gives the farmer a useful tool with which to do this.

No description available.

No description available.