An abrupt interface between mountains and prairies in southwestern Alberta means wilderness areas and carnivore populations overlap cattle grazing lands. Consequently, there is concern about the effects of large carnivores, especially wolves, on livestock. I used GPS clusters and scat samples to determine year-round wolf diets in this region. Both methods indicated a significant seasonal shift in wolf diets from wild prey during the non-grazing season to cattle in the grazing season. The GPS cluster method effectively identified wolf kills but this method relies on telemetry with high accuracy and precision. In southwestern Alberta, Argos satellite radicollars have been used extensively by wildlife managers. I compare how differences in precision between GPS and Argos technologies affect the estimation of habitat-selection models. Differences in accuracy and precision can lead to erroneous conclusions about animal selection of habitat. / Ecology

How are homeless individuals, who have no access to private space yet still have the same needs of dwelling as the rest of us, regarded when they exercise their right to dwell? This question guided my research of Edmontons Tent City, which emerged during the summer of 2007. Interviews with twenty-two individuals, including with encampment residents, service providers, and state officials, informed a broader understanding of why the encampment emerged at the time that it did; how Edmontons public spaces accommodate the homeless; and, how Tent City shaped municipal and provincial policy on housing and homelessness. Homeless campers saw Tent City as home, while state management focused on excluding homeless campers from the downtown public space to restore order to the streets of Edmonton, as well as their positive public image. Tent City constituted a claim by homeless campers to occupy public space and be represented as part of the public but hitherto this has been met with increased strategies of dispersement and exclusion rather than with an expansion of citizenship rights. I argue that Tent City illuminates the states preoccupation with regulating the visibility of homeless individuals rather than focusing on the dwelling needs of homeless campers.

This thesis utilizes input-output analysis to calculate the economic impacts from potential prion diseases outbreaks in Alberta and Canada. Both chronic wasting disease and bovine spongiform encephalopathy have the capacity to not only affect the farmed cervid and cattle industries, but to impact all industries with direct and indirect links to these sectors. Cervid sector shocks consistently yield small spillover effects on the economy in all models. In contrast, the cattle sector generates larger multiplier effects. A worst-case scenario that reduces cervid sector output to zero yields total economic losses of $11.5 million in Alberta, and $43.7 million in Canada. A reduction of cattle sector output to zero results in total economic losses of $6.4 billion in Alberta, and $34.9 billion in Canada. / Agricultural and Resource Economics

In many jurisdictions, policies aimed at improving educational processes and outcomes have focused on teacher professional learning. Yet, there is a gap in research concerning teachers’ understandings of their own professional learning as it is influenced by school improvement policies. Using an interpretivist approach, this case study of two schools in Alberta and England explored teachers’ understandings of their professional learning and the ways in which policy context interacted with these understandings. The findings suggested there is significant variability in the ways that teachers construct: 1) the notion of collaboration in working with others; 2) conceptualizations of teacher knowledge; and 3) the relationship of student learning to teacher professional learning. Additionally, findings indicated that teachers actively meditated their understandings of policy in their teaching practice, suggesting that policy context is one factor needing consideration in teacher professional learning research and policy development. / Educational Administration and Leadership

Thesis (M. Ed.) -- University of Alberta, 2010. / "A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education in Theoretical, Cultural and International Studies in Education, Educational Policy Studies, University of Alberta. Title from pdf file main screen (viewed on May 19, 2010) Includes bibliographical references.

Over most of the 20th Century, many educational systems around the world became increasingly secular, notably with lessening involvement of religious institutions. However, what it means to offer secular education to an increasingly diverse student population is emerging as a contemporary international educational issue. The face of immigration, the rights of Aboriginals, and increasingly diverse and individual forms of religiosity and spirituality have implications for secular education today. This qualitative study of Alberta schooling provides an example of a setting that underwent a high degree of secularization in the 1960's-1980's. A litigious but interpretive boundary exists for the extent educationists were to engage students in thinking about religion and spirituality. Yet, teachers operated with a high degree of autonomy. With these contextual factors as a backdrop, this study explored how a hierarchical sample of Alberta policy-makers, administrators, and teachers conceptualized religion and spirituality for secular secondary schools. Results show that Alberta Education conceptualized space for the conservative religious and Aboriginal communities, but not mainstream students. The students operated in a 'leave your faith at the door' secular model, curriculum was rationalized, and the function of schooling was perceived as preparing students for work. Findings show that principals and teachers challenged the lack of space for mainstream students to engage in the concepts of religion and spirituality. They argued the secular model disadvantaged mainstream students in exercising their right to religious freedom and developing religious literacy and sensitivity skills and it also prevented non-religious students from gaining access to religious/spiritual concepts and tools to facilitate wellbeing and resiliency.

Factors affecting the use of research evidence by nurses in long-term care (LTC) settings are largely unknown. In this thesis nurses referred to registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs). A secondary analysis of data (n=756 nurses) from the Translating Research in Elder Care program was performed to construct Generalized Estimating Equation models of the predictors of nurses' self-reported instrumental, conceptual and persuasive research use. Positive attitudes towards research and better access to structural and electronic resources predicted all three kinds of research use. Additional statistically significant predictors suggest that individual variables play a more prominent role than contextual variables in predicting conceptual and persuasive use of research evidence, while instrumental research use is predicted equally by individual and organizational variables.

Introdução: a carência de estudos descrevendo a trajetória motora de crianças brasileiras na primeira infância, assim como, a ausência de instrumentos normatizados para avaliação do desempenho motor nesta idade, dificultam a triagem de atrasos motores. Existe a possibilidade de erros na categorização e interpretação das avaliações sempre que usadas normas de amostras populacionais com características socioculturais diferentes. Objetivos: a) descrever e interpretar a trajetória do desenvolvimento motor e a maestria nas aquisições posturais antigravitacionais de crianças brasileiras de 0 a 18 meses; b) descrever as diferenças existentes no desenvolvimento motor de meninos e meninas brasileiras de 0 a 18 meses de idade; c) comparar as médias dos escores e os percentis de crianças brasileiras com resultados de outras amostras populacionais; d) criar normas para a interpretação dos resultados das avaliações da Alberta Infant Motor Scale no Brasil, com a apresentação da média dos escores e os percentis para cada idade e sexo. Métodos: estudo descritivo e observacional, transversal (cross-seccional), do qual participaram 795 crianças de Instituições, Hospitais, Unidades Básicas de Saúde e Escolas de Educação Infantil. A Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) foi utilizada para avaliar o desenvolvimento motor das crianças brasileiras. Os resultados de pesquisas com as amostras populacionais da Grécia (424 crianças) e do Canadá (2.400 crianças) foram utilizados nos estudos de comparação. Utilizou-se estatística descritiva, teste U Mann Whitney, teste t one-sample e binomial, sendo significante p<0,05. Resultados: os resultados indicaram: a) ocorre aumento alinear das aquisições motoras das crianças brasileiras com o passar da idade e aparecimento de platôs a partir dos 15 meses; b) a primeira posição na qual a criança adquire maestria é em supino e por último na posição sentado; c) a trajetória de desenvolvimento motor de meninos e meninas é semelhante; d) a trajetória motora das crianças brasileiras difere das crianças canadenses e gregas; e) o aparecimento do controle postural antigravitacional é mais tardio nas crianças brasileiras; f) pouca variação nos valores dos percentis até o primeiro mês de vida e após os 15 meses, demonstrando pouca sensibilidade da AIMS para diferenciar o desempenho motor de crianças nestas idades; g) os percentis nacionais descritos para adequada caracterização do desempenho das crianças brasileiras de 0 a 18 meses de idade diferem dos apresentados para a amostra canadense. Discussão: os escores brutos e percentis mais baixos da amostra brasileira reforçam a necessidade do uso de normas nacionais para categorizar adequadamente o desempenho motor da criança. Deve- se ter cautela ao utilizar a AIMS para avaliar crianças nos 2 primeiros meses de vida e após os 15 meses ou aquisição da marcha independente. As diferentes trajetórias do desenvolvimento motor são, possivelmente, decorrentes de diferenças sociais e culturais existentes entre os países. / Introduction: The lack of studies describing the motor trajectory’s brazilian children in early childhood, as well as, the absence of standardized instruments for assessment of motor development at this age, hinder screening of motor delays. There is the possibility of errors in categorization and interpretation of evaluations where the standards are sample with different sociocultural characteristics. Objectives: The purposes of this research were: a) describing and interpreting the trajectory of motor development and skill of antigravity and postural acquisitions of Brazilian children aging from 0 to 18 months; b) describing the existing differences on motor development of Brazilian boys and girls aging from 0 to 18 months; c) comparing scores and percentiles of Brazilian children with results from other population samples; d) creating norms to interpreting results of the evaluations of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale in Brazil, with presentation of scores and percentiles means to each age and gender group. Methods: It was a descriptive and observational, transactional study, in which participated 795 children from Institutions, Hospitals, Health Basic Unities and Schools and Primary Schools. The Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) was used to evaluate motor development of Brazilian children. Results of researches with population samples from Greece (424 children) and from Canada (2.400 children) were used in comparison studies. Descriptive statistic was used, as well as, one sample t test, U Mann Whitney and binomial. Values p≤0,05 were considered statistically significative. Results: The results show that: a) there’s a nonlinear increase of the number of motor acquisitions on Brazilian children during the years and appearance of plateaus since 15 months of life; b) the first position a child acquires skill is supine, ending with sitting position; c) trajectory of motor development of boys and girls is similar; d) motor trajectory of Brazilian children is different from Canadian and Greek children; 3) appearance of antigravity and postural control is late in Brazilian children; f) little variation on numbers of percentiles to the first month of life and after 15 months, showing little sensibility of the AIMS to notice differences on motor performance in children at these ages; and g) national percentiles described to adequate characterization of Brazilian children’s performance aging from 0 to 18 months are different from the ones from Canadian sample. Discussion and conclusions: The lower raw scores and percentiles of the Brazilian sample reinforce the need of the use of national norms to categorize properly motor development. Should be cautious when using AIMS to assess children in the first 2 months of life and after 15 months or acquisition of the independent walking. The different trajectories on motor development are probably due to social and cultural differences between countries.

Introdução: a carência de estudos descrevendo a trajetória motora de crianças brasileiras na primeira infância, assim como, a ausência de instrumentos normatizados para avaliação do desempenho motor nesta idade, dificultam a triagem de atrasos motores. Existe a possibilidade de erros na categorização e interpretação das avaliações sempre que usadas normas de amostras populacionais com características socioculturais diferentes. Objetivos: a) descrever e interpretar a trajetória do desenvolvimento motor e a maestria nas aquisições posturais antigravitacionais de crianças brasileiras de 0 a 18 meses; b) descrever as diferenças existentes no desenvolvimento motor de meninos e meninas brasileiras de 0 a 18 meses de idade; c) comparar as médias dos escores e os percentis de crianças brasileiras com resultados de outras amostras populacionais; d) criar normas para a interpretação dos resultados das avaliações da Alberta Infant Motor Scale no Brasil, com a apresentação da média dos escores e os percentis para cada idade e sexo. Métodos: estudo descritivo e observacional, transversal (cross-seccional), do qual participaram 795 crianças de Instituições, Hospitais, Unidades Básicas de Saúde e Escolas de Educação Infantil. A Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) foi utilizada para avaliar o desenvolvimento motor das crianças brasileiras. Os resultados de pesquisas com as amostras populacionais da Grécia (424 crianças) e do Canadá (2.400 crianças) foram utilizados nos estudos de comparação. Utilizou-se estatística descritiva, teste U Mann Whitney, teste t one-sample e binomial, sendo significante p<0,05. Resultados: os resultados indicaram: a) ocorre aumento alinear das aquisições motoras das crianças brasileiras com o passar da idade e aparecimento de platôs a partir dos 15 meses; b) a primeira posição na qual a criança adquire maestria é em supino e por último na posição sentado; c) a trajetória de desenvolvimento motor de meninos e meninas é semelhante; d) a trajetória motora das crianças brasileiras difere das crianças canadenses e gregas; e) o aparecimento do controle postural antigravitacional é mais tardio nas crianças brasileiras; f) pouca variação nos valores dos percentis até o primeiro mês de vida e após os 15 meses, demonstrando pouca sensibilidade da AIMS para diferenciar o desempenho motor de crianças nestas idades; g) os percentis nacionais descritos para adequada caracterização do desempenho das crianças brasileiras de 0 a 18 meses de idade diferem dos apresentados para a amostra canadense. Discussão: os escores brutos e percentis mais baixos da amostra brasileira reforçam a necessidade do uso de normas nacionais para categorizar adequadamente o desempenho motor da criança. Deve- se ter cautela ao utilizar a AIMS para avaliar crianças nos 2 primeiros meses de vida e após os 15 meses ou aquisição da marcha independente. As diferentes trajetórias do desenvolvimento motor são, possivelmente, decorrentes de diferenças sociais e culturais existentes entre os países. / Introduction: The lack of studies describing the motor trajectory’s brazilian children in early childhood, as well as, the absence of standardized instruments for assessment of motor development at this age, hinder screening of motor delays. There is the possibility of errors in categorization and interpretation of evaluations where the standards are sample with different sociocultural characteristics. Objectives: The purposes of this research were: a) describing and interpreting the trajectory of motor development and skill of antigravity and postural acquisitions of Brazilian children aging from 0 to 18 months; b) describing the existing differences on motor development of Brazilian boys and girls aging from 0 to 18 months; c) comparing scores and percentiles of Brazilian children with results from other population samples; d) creating norms to interpreting results of the evaluations of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale in Brazil, with presentation of scores and percentiles means to each age and gender group. Methods: It was a descriptive and observational, transactional study, in which participated 795 children from Institutions, Hospitals, Health Basic Unities and Schools and Primary Schools. The Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) was used to evaluate motor development of Brazilian children. Results of researches with population samples from Greece (424 children) and from Canada (2.400 children) were used in comparison studies. Descriptive statistic was used, as well as, one sample t test, U Mann Whitney and binomial. Values p≤0,05 were considered statistically significative. Results: The results show that: a) there’s a nonlinear increase of the number of motor acquisitions on Brazilian children during the years and appearance of plateaus since 15 months of life; b) the first position a child acquires skill is supine, ending with sitting position; c) trajectory of motor development of boys and girls is similar; d) motor trajectory of Brazilian children is different from Canadian and Greek children; 3) appearance of antigravity and postural control is late in Brazilian children; f) little variation on numbers of percentiles to the first month of life and after 15 months, showing little sensibility of the AIMS to notice differences on motor performance in children at these ages; and g) national percentiles described to adequate characterization of Brazilian children’s performance aging from 0 to 18 months are different from the ones from Canadian sample. Discussion and conclusions: The lower raw scores and percentiles of the Brazilian sample reinforce the need of the use of national norms to categorize properly motor development. Should be cautious when using AIMS to assess children in the first 2 months of life and after 15 months or acquisition of the independent walking. The different trajectories on motor development are probably due to social and cultural differences between countries.

Introdução: a carência de estudos descrevendo a trajetória motora de crianças brasileiras na primeira infância, assim como, a ausência de instrumentos normatizados para avaliação do desempenho motor nesta idade, dificultam a triagem de atrasos motores. Existe a possibilidade de erros na categorização e interpretação das avaliações sempre que usadas normas de amostras populacionais com características socioculturais diferentes. Objetivos: a) descrever e interpretar a trajetória do desenvolvimento motor e a maestria nas aquisições posturais antigravitacionais de crianças brasileiras de 0 a 18 meses; b) descrever as diferenças existentes no desenvolvimento motor de meninos e meninas brasileiras de 0 a 18 meses de idade; c) comparar as médias dos escores e os percentis de crianças brasileiras com resultados de outras amostras populacionais; d) criar normas para a interpretação dos resultados das avaliações da Alberta Infant Motor Scale no Brasil, com a apresentação da média dos escores e os percentis para cada idade e sexo. Métodos: estudo descritivo e observacional, transversal (cross-seccional), do qual participaram 795 crianças de Instituições, Hospitais, Unidades Básicas de Saúde e Escolas de Educação Infantil. A Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) foi utilizada para avaliar o desenvolvimento motor das crianças brasileiras. Os resultados de pesquisas com as amostras populacionais da Grécia (424 crianças) e do Canadá (2.400 crianças) foram utilizados nos estudos de comparação. Utilizou-se estatística descritiva, teste U Mann Whitney, teste t one-sample e binomial, sendo significante p<0,05. Resultados: os resultados indicaram: a) ocorre aumento alinear das aquisições motoras das crianças brasileiras com o passar da idade e aparecimento de platôs a partir dos 15 meses; b) a primeira posição na qual a criança adquire maestria é em supino e por último na posição sentado; c) a trajetória de desenvolvimento motor de meninos e meninas é semelhante; d) a trajetória motora das crianças brasileiras difere das crianças canadenses e gregas; e) o aparecimento do controle postural antigravitacional é mais tardio nas crianças brasileiras; f) pouca variação nos valores dos percentis até o primeiro mês de vida e após os 15 meses, demonstrando pouca sensibilidade da AIMS para diferenciar o desempenho motor de crianças nestas idades; g) os percentis nacionais descritos para adequada caracterização do desempenho das crianças brasileiras de 0 a 18 meses de idade diferem dos apresentados para a amostra canadense. Discussão: os escores brutos e percentis mais baixos da amostra brasileira reforçam a necessidade do uso de normas nacionais para categorizar adequadamente o desempenho motor da criança. Deve- se ter cautela ao utilizar a AIMS para avaliar crianças nos 2 primeiros meses de vida e após os 15 meses ou aquisição da marcha independente. As diferentes trajetórias do desenvolvimento motor são, possivelmente, decorrentes de diferenças sociais e culturais existentes entre os países. / Introduction: The lack of studies describing the motor trajectory’s brazilian children in early childhood, as well as, the absence of standardized instruments for assessment of motor development at this age, hinder screening of motor delays. There is the possibility of errors in categorization and interpretation of evaluations where the standards are sample with different sociocultural characteristics. Objectives: The purposes of this research were: a) describing and interpreting the trajectory of motor development and skill of antigravity and postural acquisitions of Brazilian children aging from 0 to 18 months; b) describing the existing differences on motor development of Brazilian boys and girls aging from 0 to 18 months; c) comparing scores and percentiles of Brazilian children with results from other population samples; d) creating norms to interpreting results of the evaluations of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale in Brazil, with presentation of scores and percentiles means to each age and gender group. Methods: It was a descriptive and observational, transactional study, in which participated 795 children from Institutions, Hospitals, Health Basic Unities and Schools and Primary Schools. The Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) was used to evaluate motor development of Brazilian children. Results of researches with population samples from Greece (424 children) and from Canada (2.400 children) were used in comparison studies. Descriptive statistic was used, as well as, one sample t test, U Mann Whitney and binomial. Values p≤0,05 were considered statistically significative. Results: The results show that: a) there’s a nonlinear increase of the number of motor acquisitions on Brazilian children during the years and appearance of plateaus since 15 months of life; b) the first position a child acquires skill is supine, ending with sitting position; c) trajectory of motor development of boys and girls is similar; d) motor trajectory of Brazilian children is different from Canadian and Greek children; 3) appearance of antigravity and postural control is late in Brazilian children; f) little variation on numbers of percentiles to the first month of life and after 15 months, showing little sensibility of the AIMS to notice differences on motor performance in children at these ages; and g) national percentiles described to adequate characterization of Brazilian children’s performance aging from 0 to 18 months are different from the ones from Canadian sample. Discussion and conclusions: The lower raw scores and percentiles of the Brazilian sample reinforce the need of the use of national norms to categorize properly motor development. Should be cautious when using AIMS to assess children in the first 2 months of life and after 15 months or acquisition of the independent walking. The different trajectories on motor development are probably due to social and cultural differences between countries.