Professional development includes the planned and unplanned activities that teachers engage in throughout their career to enhance the quality of instruction in their classrooms (Day, 1997). The attentive processes of engagement are described as being physically, emotionally, and cognitively present (Kahn, 1992). Engagement in professional development is strongly related to the level of commitment teachers have to their teaching profession (Rothwell & Herbert, 2007). Being engaged in professional development is necessary because it requires that teachers take responsibility for their learning, and believe that professional development practices will positively contribute to their career (McDonald, 2009). The purpose of this research was to understand the role of colleagues in teachers’ engagement in professional development. This study is situated within the conceptual framework of school culture. School cultures are sustaining patterns built over time through rituals, traditions, and accomplishments that enforce actions, feelings, and thought patterns of members (Deal & Peterson, 2009). One cannot have strong and effective professional development without a thick culture (Hopkins, 1994; Little, 1982). Thickness in culture is often forgotten but foundational for engagement in professional development activities (Glover & Coleman, 2005). This study is an examination of teachers’ perceptions in two schools: one school that showed exemplary collaboration among its staff and one school that was becoming a more collaborative school. Collaboration is understood as working in cohesion to achieve a common goal (Deal & Peterson, 2009; Fullan & Hargreaves, 1996; Little, 1982; Schlechty, 2009). One focus group with teachers at each school, with follow-up individual interviews, provided the data explaining colleagues’ influences on engagement in professional development. The findings of this study suggest that colleagues have an important effect on teachers’ engagement in professional development. Participants indicated that colleagues were a factor of engagement because they increased engagement through fulfilling their desire for face-to-face instruction, through their appreciation of being worked with, rather than worked on (Morewood & Bean, 2009), and through networking. As teacher participants worked together in professional development, they increased their school’s organizational capacity (Mitchell & Sackney, 2001). / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2012-05-25 18:03:15.505

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No description available.

Co-management of fisheries in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR) began with the establishment of the Fisheries Joint Management Committee (FJMC) in 1986, one of the provisions of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement (IFA) signed in 1984. The agreement between the Inuvialuit and the Canadian Government with regards to renewable resource management was arranged as a collaborative management process that included knowledge and insight from both sides. This thesis uses the case of beluga entrapment in the Husky Lakes, NWT, to explore how co-management between the Tuktoyaktuk Hunter and Trapper Committee (HTC) and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has changed through time in structure and process, and to determine what impacts co-management has had on Inuvialuit involvement in management. Additionally, the linkage between co-management and adaptive capacity at the local level is analyzed in order to better understand how Inuvialuit involvement in fisheries management can have beneficial impacts on cultural preservation, youth education, and employment. This study employed the use of mixed qualitative and quantitative methods within a participatory approach, which aimed at including the community of Tuktoyaktuk in every step of the research process. Qualitative methods included informal discussions, semi-directed interviews, participant observation, and document analysis. Community research partners were also essential in accessing information and interviews. The quantitative method used in this study was the use of questionnaires for Social Network Analysis (SNA) in attempting to describe the changes in the management network over time.

With the rapid adoption and development of new standards, Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology is becoming a necessity in current wireless systems. One problem posed by using multiple antennas at a transmitter or receiver is the undesirable effect of signal correlation between closely-spaced radiating elements. This thesis presents the concept, design, and evaluation of a hemispherical lens antenna for use in MIMO systems. A high-permittivity dielectric material allows radiating elements to be placed in close proximity with reduced spatial correlation effects. An intermediate matching layer and a hemispherical lens design facilitate the preservation of the pattern characteristics in the transition between the dielectric and free-space. The antenna was simulated against benchmark antenna arrays in free-space and showed a 35%-70% improvement in channel capacity in multipath-rich environments, showing strength as a candidate for further development in MIMO applications.

Many interesting theoretical problems arise from computer networks. In this thesis we will consider three of them: algorithms and data structures for problems involving distances in networks (in particular compact routing schemes, distance labels, and distance oracles), algorithms for wireless capacity and scheduling problems, and algorithms for optimizing iBGP overlays in autonomous systems on the Internet. While at first glance these problems may seem extremely different, they are similar in that they all attempt to look at a previously studied networking problem in new, more realistic frameworks. In other words, they are all as much about new models for old problems as they are about new algorithms. In this thesis we will define these models, design algorithms for them, and prove hardness and impossibility results for these three types of problems.

Rosa roxburghii, also known as "Burr Rose" or "Chestnut Rose", originated in southwest China and was introduced to the botanic garden in Calcutta around 1824. It was named after William Roxburgh who was the superintendent. The extract of fruit of the Rosa roxburghii plant is the base ingredient of a range of products that is commercially sold under the Cili Bao label. The extract is composed of a wide range of substances of nutritional value, in particular a relatively high amount of antioxidants such as ascorbate and plant phenols. It has been reported before that supplementation with the fruit extract resulted in increased red blood cell superoxide dismutase, catalase and the reduced form of glutathione. An enhancement of the antioxidant status could contribute to the protection against several diseases where oxidative stress is a major factor in the pathology, such as atherosclerosis, cancer and immunity stress. Several anecdotal reports with little (published) scientific support claim that human supplementation of the Rosa roxburghii extract to the diet has a protective effect against several diseases, including the above mentioned. Medicinal and herbal plants are used in large sections in developing countries for primary care and there is now also an increase in the use of natural therapies in developed countries. However, plant extracts can also consist of anti-nutritional and possible toxic components, such as oxalic acid and nitrates, which could express cytotoxic and genotoxic activities. Therefore, understanding the health benefits but also the potential toxicity of these plants is important. The objective of this study was to investigate the beneficial properties of Rosa roxburghii extract from an antioxidant potential perspective and in particular to investigate the safety of the product for human consumption. For this purpose in vitro evaluation of the cellular toxicity, mutagenicity and genotoxicity was performed. In addition, specific biochemical parameters relating to the antioxidant status of the product, i.e. antioxidant capacity, oxidative stress prevention and glutathione redox state profiles were investigated in vitro as well as in vivo. The results indicated that Rosa Roxburghii fruit extract was not mutagenic when tested with Salmonella typhimurium strains TA 98, TA 100 and TA 102 in the Ames test. The results, however, pointed towards an antimutagenic effect of the extract in these strains against metabolic activated mutagens 2- acetylaminoflurorene (2-AAF) and aflatoxin B1, and the direct-acting mutagen, methanesulfonate (MMS). In primary rat hepatocyte, Rosa roxbughii extract did not elicit double or single strand DNA damage and cell viability loss using the single cell gel electrophoresis (Comet assay), lactate dehydrogenase leakage test or the mitochondria1 conversion test of MTT to formazan (MTT test). Again the opposite effect was observed: pre-treatment of hepatocytes with Rosa roxbughii extract significantly reduced the effect of oxidative stress-induced cellular- and genotoxicity. These results point to a protective effect against oxidative stress which is reflected in an increase of the antioxidant capacity and glutathione redox state (GSH/GSSG) in vitro (lymphoblasts) and in vivo (humans) reported in this study. This study underlines the previously suggested potential of this plant extract as a natural and safe antioxidant supplement. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Biochemistry))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

Co-management of fisheries in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR) began with the establishment of the Fisheries Joint Management Committee (FJMC) in 1986, one of the provisions of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement (IFA) signed in 1984. The agreement between the Inuvialuit and the Canadian Government with regards to renewable resource management was arranged as a collaborative management process that included knowledge and insight from both sides. This thesis uses the case of beluga entrapment in the Husky Lakes, NWT, to explore how co-management between the Tuktoyaktuk Hunter and Trapper Committee (HTC) and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has changed through time in structure and process, and to determine what impacts co-management has had on Inuvialuit involvement in management. Additionally, the linkage between co-management and adaptive capacity at the local level is analyzed in order to better understand how Inuvialuit involvement in fisheries management can have beneficial impacts on cultural preservation, youth education, and employment. This study employed the use of mixed qualitative and quantitative methods within a participatory approach, which aimed at including the community of Tuktoyaktuk in every step of the research process. Qualitative methods included informal discussions, semi-directed interviews, participant observation, and document analysis. Community research partners were also essential in accessing information and interviews. The quantitative method used in this study was the use of questionnaires for Social Network Analysis (SNA) in attempting to describe the changes in the management network over time.

No description available.

No description available.