Grain corn (Zea mays L.) production occupies more farmland than any other annual crop in Quebec and is expanding demand from the livestock sector and the emerging bioethanol industry. Corn production requires high nutrient inputs and intensive tillage (IT). Many producers have thus switched to conservation tillage systems like ridge-tillage (RT) to overcome soil compaction and erosion problems that are common in IT systems. However, fertilizer guidelines developed for IT soils are used in RT although RT adoption greatly modifies phosphorus (P) dynamics. Lower fertilizer P requirements are expected because arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis known to enhance plant P nutrition are minimally disrupted under RT, compared to IT systems. A two-year study was conducted on a commercial farm in the Monteregie region (Quebec, Canada) to investigate the effects of P fertilizer rates and soil P-saturation status on corn early growth, nutrition and yield. Surface soil plant-available P was monitored in situ with anionic exchange membranes (P AEM) from seeding to the end of July. The effects of indigenous AM fungi on corn parameters and rhizosphere soil P pools were also investigated in untreated (AMNI) or AM-inhibited fungicide-treated (AMI) soils. Quebec's P fertilizer guidelines underestimated the soil P fertility in studied soils. Adding inorganic P (Pi) did not improve the early corn P nutrition, growth or yield, and had little impact soil PAEM. Variations in PAEM were better explained by climatic variables. AMNI corn had similar early development and high yield, regardless of whether P fertilizer was applied, whereas AMI plants needed P fertilizer to produce optimal yield. AMNI corn had reduced dependence on Pi inputs due to more efficient uptake of soil solution P i in surface and rhizosphere soils during the first 22 days after seeding (DAS), In the rhizosphere, available-Pi pool appeared to be used first to replenish the resin-P pool, but over the longer term, AM symbiosis also enhanced NaHCO3-Po mobilization through a mechanism that remains unclear. Deeper understanding of the mechanisms by which AM fungi alter soil P dynamics will contribute to the development of more sustainable P fertilizer programs for RT systems.

The relative contributions of bedrock geology, radiometric uranium, till permeability and surficial geology were assessed as predictors of radon in indoor air in the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), NS, Canada. Bedrock geology and radiometric uranium were statistically significant predictors (14.4%) of indoor radon, based on available indoor radon data. Permeability was not among the predictors, which was surprising given its importance in past studies. In a follow up field analogue study done in laboratory columns, the permeability and diffusivity, as gas transport mechanisms, were found, as suspected, to be important drivers on the concentrations of radon-222 detected. Given the variable thickness of till in the HRM (< 0.5 m to > 3 m), these experiments highlighted the significance of till thickness, composition, and permeability in predicting the radioactive radon-222 potential.

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Organic corn (Zea mays L.) producers generally use intensive tillage for weed control. No-till methods reduce soil erosion, conserve water, maintain soil structure and reduce CO2 emissions. The objective of this study was test different cover crops, tillage systems, N sources and N rates for organic corn production. Two tillage systems (no-till and moldboard plow), two cover crops [hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) and rye (Secale cereale)] and two organic N sources [Louisville Green (LG) and Nature Safe (NF)] at four N rates (45, 90, 135, 180 kg N ha-1) were evaluated during 2008 and 2009 at three sites. A roller crimper device was used for the no-till operations. A long term aerobic incubation was conducted. Hairy vetch improved yield, ear leaf N and grain N content compared with rye in all sites. Nature Safe increased ear leaf N more than LG in all three sites and yield in two out of three sites. Both sources stopped mineralizing at 28 days after application. Inorganic N production was about 50 kg N ha-1 for LG and 60 kg N ha-1 for NF. The combination moldboard plow and hairy vetch resulted in the highest yields at all experimental sites.

A field study evaluating the sustainability of four organic vegetable production systems was conducted in Lexington, Kentucky in 2006 and 2007. The four systems included no-till, raised beds covered with biodegradable black mulch, bare ground with shallow cultivation, and bare ground with shallow cultivation and wood chip mulch. The two-year study compared yield, weed control, labor, and costs associated with each system, as well as physical, chemical, and microbiological soil characteristics. In 2006, tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) were grown in the four systems, with no significant difference in yield. Summer squash (Cucurbita pepo L.) was grown in the four systems in 2007. The no-till system had significantly lower yields than other systems. The bare ground with cultivation and mulch system had the best weed control in both years.

Studien är en deltagande observation av kommunikativa mönster i matematikundervisning på gymnasiet. Studien har det sociokulturella perspektivet på lärandet som teoretisk utgångspunkt. Materialet som samlades in består av fyra direkt efterföljande matematiklektioner i matematik 1b i en klass som observerats genom deltagande observation. Dessutom har materialet spelats in med videokamera och kompletterats med ljudinspelning, fältanteckningar och en lärarintervju. Studien fokuserar på att synliggöra kommunikativa mönster och deras påverkan på möjligheten för eleverna att kommunicera ett matematiskt innehåll. Analysen utgår från transkriberat material av samtal mellan lärare och elever i plenarundervisning. Vidare analyseras elevernas bänkarbete med hjälp av fältanteckningar och en del videomaterial. Till sist står klassrummens olika form och bänkuppställning i fokus. Där analyseras lärarens rörelser i klassrummet och dess påverkan på kommunikation. Det framkommer i studien att det finns möjligheter till fördjupad kommunikation i matematik i bänkarbetet som inte utnyttjas av alla elever. Plenarundervisningen är präglad av olika variationer av IRE-mönster som ger läraren en tydlig dominans i dialogen. Dock fanns en del observationer där mönstret bryts och eleven får mer delaktighet i kommunikationen. Här kommer studien fram till att det finns en outnyttjad potential för mer reflekterande dialog i matematikundervisningen i den klassen vi observerade.

Inom en industri visade det sig i den årliga medarbetamätningen att i påståendet ”Jag är motiverad i mitt arbete” var det en avdelning som hade en stor andel som instämde i påståendet medan på en annan avdelning var det ytterst få som instämde i påståendet. Därför ville företaget få det närmare undersökt vad denna skillnad i motivation kunde bero på. Syftet med studien var att genom en totalundersökning av två arbetsgrupper, ta reda på hur de anställdas inställning till arbete generellt, vilka förväntningar de hade på arbete och hur de såg på det arbete som de har idag för att undersöka om detta kunde förklara skillnader i motivation mellan de två arbetsgrupperna. Data samlades in genom en enkät. Det visade sig att skillnaden i motivation troligen kunde förklaras av uppfyllda förväntningar på arbete och av vilken pliktkänsla de anställda hade. Det fanns ett samband mellan upplevda förväntningar och pliktkänsla där, utifrån teorier, upplevda förväntningar påverkar pliktkänslan.

Den här studien är en kunskapsöversikt där vi undersöker vadforskningen säger om vilka problem som kan uppstå kring införandetoch användandet av ”Att skriva sig till läsning” (ASL) med datornsom hjälpmedel. Vi ser det som ett problem att det finns många skoloroch pedagoger som tar sig an ASL utan att känna till vad forskningensäger om för- och nackdelar med metoden. Vårt syfte med dennastudie är därför att undersöka vilka återkommande brister somforskningen beskriver för att pedagoger ska kunna jobba förebyggandeoch undvika dem. Vi har systematiskt samlat in forskning med hjälpav sökord kring datorer, digital literacy och ASL och dokumenteratsökningarna i en tabell (bilaga 1). I vår studie har vi funnit att detfrämst finns positiv forskning kring ASL på dator, men vi har ävenfunnit en del dokumenterade problem som kan uppstå.Den här studien kan vara en kunskapsgrund till framtida empiriskforskning kring användandet av ASL med datorer som hjälpmedel.

This Master´s thesis aims to aquire knowledge about volunteers attitude toward work. It emphasis is on the differences between volunteers and non volunteers. There are four research questions used in order to fulfill the aim in a scientific manner. The essay aims to get in depth knowledge regarding whether or not the respondents feel that they have gained advantages in work life due to the fact that they are involved in volunteer work. One of the pivotal questions is if there is a possibility to see a pattern that binds together the reasons for volunteer work and the attitude toward work.     In order to gain new knowledge in the researched field a quantitative method has been used. The research centers on answers from 159 respondents from one organization in central Sweden. The organization has approximately 300 employees, which gives a reply rate of about 50 percent. The theoretical framework revolves around nonprofit and volunteer work, but focuses mainly on the different attitudes that an employee can have regarding work. The main source of theory for the essay has been Goldthorpe et.al. (1971) work on attitude towards work. The main focus has been on the instrumental-, solidarical, and bureaucratic attitude.   There are differences between the volunteers and the non volunteers. Among the non volunteers there is a leaning toward the instrumental attitude. The volunteers are more commonly categorized as having a solidaric point or even a bureaucratic of view. The volunteer work mainly derives from a personal interest, a personal satisfaction, as well as that the individuals perceive it as sheer fun. The group that are volunteers are, according to both previous research and this study, able to gain advantages by their engagement in volunteer work. There are not any evidence towards the fact that volunteer work is weighting in negatively on work, on the contrary the volunteers are having a more positive look on work.   Keywords: Volunteer work, nonprofit work, Volunteers, non volunteers, attitude towards work, instrumental attitude, solidaric attitude, bureaucratic attitude.