Background: While the physical and mental health benefits of regular participation in physical activity (PA) are well-known, accelerometer data indicates up to 68% of adult Canadians are not meeting PA guidelines. Thus promoting PA is a priority. Clearly, regular exercise is an important means to acquire PA for many of the population. Much of the exercise promotion research in this area is conducted under the guide of a social cognitive framework, and does not take into consideration reflexive, sub-conscious processes of behaviour change such as identity. Exercise identity has been linked to increased frequency, duration, and intensity of PA participation. However, there is limited work exploring the antecedents of developing an exercise identity, or ways in which an intervention could target antecedent themes in order to aid in the development of an exercise identity. Objective: The purpose of this research was two-fold. Firstly, in Study 1, I explored the lived PA experience and how experiences in youth relate to exercise identity in adulthood. Secondly, in Study 2, I explored the feasibility of an identity-based intervention, using theory and emergent themes from Study 1 to guide my intervention targets. iv Methods: In Study 1 and Study 2, I recruited male and female participants from the undergraduate population at the University of Victoria. I used mixed methods throughout. Study 1 – I conducted semi-structured interviews to collect data on participants’ PA experiences, using a pragmatic qualitative framework to guide my research process. I was interested in both past and present experiences which may have contributed to the development of participants’ current exercise identities. I used thematic analysis and open coding to determine core themes. Study 2 – I conducted a six week, randomized feasibility trial in order to explore the feasibility of an intervention designed to increase a person’s exercise identity. Participants were randomly assigned to a standard social cognitive intervention group (education materials, goal-setting skills) or an augmented identity formation group (receiving the same information as the standard group in addition to educational and applied strategies for increasing identity). At the conclusion of the study, I conducted exit interviews with members of both groups to get more detailed information about the acceptability and enjoyment of the interventions. Results: Study 1 – I recruited 10 participants with varying exercise identity strengths (4 high, 3 medium, 3 low). Five themes emerged as related to the development of an exercise identity, including skill, enjoyment, variety, extracurricular activity participation, and sport ownership. Passion also emerged as a theme in high and medium identifiers, but not low identifiers. Study 2 – I recruited 20 participants and randomized them to either the standard or augmented intervention group with a 1:1 ratio. The recruitment rate was 26%, retention was 90%, and the mean satisfaction score for the standard intervention group was 2.69 (SD = 0.62), and the augmented intervention group was 2.83 (SD = 0.40). Both the augmented intervention and v standard intervention groups increased their PA levels (η2 = 0.25), and exercise identity levels (η2 = 0.43), however interaction effect sizes were small (η2 ~ 0.02), indicating no greater change in the augmented intervention group compared to standard intervention group. Discussion: Study 1 – The emergent themes both reflect existing literature (social cognitive models, self-definition model, and multi-process action control) in terms of relationship to PA and antecedents to identity development. Recommended future intervention targets include emphasizing enjoyment, focusing on feelings of skill/competence, and increased exposure to a variety of PAs. Additionally, passion as an indicator for an exercise identity may be a goal of future identity-based research. Study 2 – Both control and intervention group participants ranked the study highly in terms of feasibility and acceptability. Intervention group participants felt more connected to the researcher and engaged more with materials, indicating satisfaction with the content covered over and above that of the control group. Both intervention and control groups saw increases in PA levels and exercise identity scores, however the effect sizes for between group differences were low. Based on strong feasibility ratings, a full-scale randomized controlled trial is recommended. / Graduate

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Dysarthria describes the impaired speech intelligibility caused by weakness of muscles involved in speech following stroke. This is a common consequence of stroke and can have a detrimental impact on self-confidence leading to social isolation for many. There is limited evidence for dysarthria intervention but we know that research into speech difficulties after stroke is a priority for stroke survivors. An online speech rehabilitation programme was developed, ReaDySpeech, with the potential to offer improved quality of independent practice, increased intensity of practice and the ability to record interaction. The research presented in this thesis aimed to systematically examine the existing evidence base, to carry out some preliminary acceptability work on ReaDySpeech, and implement a feasibility trial. The initial study was a Cochrane systematic review of the effectiveness of interventions for people with non-progressive dysarthria after stroke or other adult-acquired brain injury. This found insufficient evidence to know whether dysarthria intervention is effective or not. This led to a study of early acceptability work for ReaDySpeech and whether there were any technical barriers to use. This found no significant technical barriers other than lack of Wi-Fi and it was acceptable to participants and therapists. This enabled a progression to a feasibility trial following amendments and improvements to the protocol and ReaDySpeech itself. The feasibility trial found recruitment, retention and the intervention were all feasible to carry out during a trial. Further in-depth consideration of the findings indicates more work is needed to widen recruitment and to develop the intervention, comparator and methodology of a future trial for this to be a success with valid clinical implications. This thesis reports this body of work and discusses potential future directions for dysarthria research.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Allen M. Featherstone / For more than 70 years, the Iowa State University Ag 450 Farm has been in operation south of the Iowa State University (ISU) campus located in Ames, Iowa. The Ag 450 farm is currently the only student managed farm at a land grant university in the United States. The idea for the Ag 450 Farm was developed by Dr. William Murray in 1938 and in 1943, the Ag 450 class was first offered by Dr. Murray. At the farm, the core principals of agribusiness and farm management have been taught while adapting to an ever-changing agriculture. The Ag 450 Farm is considered the capstone course for the Iowa State University Agricultural Studies major. ISU Ag 450 is currently under the supervision of farm manager Greg Vogel and the Iowa State University Agriculture and Studies Department. Today, the Iowa State University Ag 450 students manage approximately 275 acres of owned ground, 700 acres of cash rented ground, 80 acres of crop share ground, and 800 acres of custom farmed ground depending on the year. Ag 450 represents a commercial farming enterprise of corn and soybean production as well as housing nursery piglets and custom finishing over 1000 head of feeder pigs. In its current condition, the ISU Ag 450 is looking to expand its operations to meet the demands Agricultural Studies majors at Iowa State University. A focus of the expansion is to increase the amount of custom finished feeder pigs by building another finishing facility. That type of expansion requires the need for another full-time farm manager. This research examines the feasibility of expansion of the swine and management to determine the impact this may have on the future viability of the farm.

The objectives of this thesis are to develop an analytical method for economic risk quantification during feasibility analysis for large engineering projects and to computerize the method to explore its behavior, to validate it and to test its practicality for the measurement of uncertainty of decision variables such as project duration, cost, revenue, net present value and internal rate of return. Based on the probability of project success the method can be utilized to assist on strategic feasibility analysis issues such as contingency provision, "go-no go" decisions and adopting phased or fast track construction. The method is developed by applying a risk measurement framework to the project economic structure. The risk measurement framework is developed for any function Y = g(X), between a derived variable and its correlated primary variables. Using a variable transformation, it transforms the correlated primary variables and the function to the uncorrelated space. Then utilizing the truncated Taylor series expansion of the transformed function and the first four moments of the transformed uncorrelated variables it approximates the first four moments of the derived variable. Using these first four moments and the Pearson family of distributions the uncertainty of the derived variable is quantified as a cumulative distribution function. The first four moments for the primary variables are evaluated from the Pearson family of distributions using accurate, calibrated and coherent subjective percentile estimates elicited from experts. The correlations between the primary variables are elicited as positive definite correlation matrices. The project economic structure describes an engineering project in three hierarchical levels, namely, work package/revenue stream, project performance and project decision. Each of these levels can be described by Y = g(X), with the derived variables of the lower levels as the primary variables for the upper level. Therefore, the input as expert judgements is only at the work package/revenue stream level. Project duration is estimated by combining the generalized PNET algorithm to the project economic structure. This permits the evaluation of the multiple paths in the project network. Also, the limiting values of the PNET transitional correlation (0,1) permits the estimation of bounds on all of the derived variables. Project cost and revenue are evaluated in terms of current, total and discounted dollars, thereby emphasizing the economic effects of time, inflation and interest on net present value and internal rate of return. The internal rate of return is evaluated from a variation of Hillier's method. The analytical method is validated using Monte Carlo simulation. The validations show that the analytical method is a comprehensive and extremely economical alternative to Monte Carlo simulation for economic risk quantification of large engineering projects. In addition, they highlight the ability of the analytical method to go beyond the capabilities of simulation in the treatment of correlation, which are seen to be significant in the application problems. From these applications a technique to provide contingencies based on the probability of project success and to distribute the contingency to individual work packages is developed. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Civil Engineering, Department of / Graduate

The objective of this thesis is to assess the overall feasibility of a biomass production project in the current business environment in Slovakia. The project is analyzed primarily in terms of market conditions, technical and technological details and economic feasibility. An important part of the study is also the risk analysis including various scenarios and an assessment of the influence of risk factors. The thesis concludes that the project is essentially feasible and has a potential of being successful although it bears a certain level of riskiness which has to be considered and managed.

This study aimed to provide more general knowledge about the mechanisms which link natural resources with civil war outbreaks. The theoretical point of departure was the feasibility hypothesis hypothesis of Collier et al. (2009) in which the authors state that the paramount interest of researchers of civil wars should be directed at the structural conditions within a country. One of their assertions pertained to the role of natural resources. Those provide a potential revenue source for insurgents to finance their rebellion. Hence, the higher the dependence of a state on natural resource exports, the higher should be the probability of civil war outbreak. However, this account was heavily criticized by other researchers. Some claimed that the conceptualization of the Primary Commodity Exports (PCE) variable does not cover relevant natural resources (Fearon 2005), others pointed at the problem of reversed causality and endogeneity (Gleditsch 1998) and also others stressed to differentiate between different natural resources according to their proneness to be looted by rebels (Ross 2003). In order to address these problems, a new variable was conceptualized. The "extraction feasibility" variable measures the degree of extractability of a particular resource. It is composed of two notions, namely...

Background. A reliable and valid instrument printed in English that measures self-management for adults with vascular diseases receiving hemodialysis therapy was not found in the literature. The Vascular Disease Self-Management Instrument (VSMI) was developed to support the measurement and assessment of self-management. Objectives. The primary objective was to assess the feasibility of the study methods to develop and explore the psychometric properties of the Vascular Disease Self-Management Instrument (VSMI) for adults receiving hemodialysis therapy. Feasibility outcomes included recruitment, consent and completion rates. The secondary objective was to begin to explore the reliability (internal consistency and test-retest), and construct validity using exploratory factor analysis and criterion-related validity. Method. This feasibility study used seminal work (Thabane et al., 2010) and clinical expertise to determine feasibility outcomes. Examination of psychometric properties was based on Streiner & Norman (2008). Results. Of the 267 eligible patients, a total of 136 patients were recruited into the study. The consent rate was 51% and completion rate was 32% for the test-retest analysis. Study participants were primarily male (61%), diagnosed with chronic kidney disease for 12 years and receiving hemodialysis therapy for 6 years. Half (50%) the participants were at moderate risk for psychological distress and used avoidant-oriented coping. Preliminary psychometric analysis suggested good reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.945) and stability (Intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.927, p <0.0001). The results of the exploratory factor analysis indicated four main factors comprised the self-management instrument including collaborative partnerships, self-advocacy, self-monitoring and normalcy. Preliminary evidence of criterion-related validity demonstrated a significant positive relationship between task-orientated coping and self-management. Conclusion. Feasibility outcomes were successfully met. Preliminary evidence suggests that the VSMI has the potential to become a reliable and valid instrument. A full-scale psychometric evaluation with a sample that includes adults receiving peritoneal dialysis is needed to support utilization of the VSMI in research and clinical practice. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Background: Adults receiving dialysis therapy must engage in self-management of their illnesses. A questionnaire on self-management activities based on the individuals’ experiences would help health care providers to identify areas where people struggle. This information could be used to develop programs that support self-management. What Did We Learn: A total of 136 people took part in the study. The development and testing of a self-management questionnaire for adults undergoing hemodialysis is a worthwhile and reasonable goal. The questionnaire provided people with the opportunity to describe their self-management activities. Half the people that participated in the study were at risk for experiencing anxiety and depression and tried to avoid stress. Conclusions: The questionnaire would assist health care providers to engage in future research projects and develop programs and resources that help people more independently manages their illnesses.

Yes / Obesity is a global public health concern. Interventions rely predominantly on managing dietary intake and increasing physical activity; however, sustained adherence to behavioral regimens is often poor. The lack of sustained motivation, self-efficacy, and poor adherence to behavioral regimens are recognized barriers to successful weight loss. Avatar-based interventions achieve better patient outcomes in the management of chronic conditions by promoting more active engagement. Virtual representations of self can affect real-world behavior, acting as a catalyst for sustained weight loss behavior. We evaluated whether a personalized avatar, offered as an adjunct to an established weight loss program, can increase participant motivation, sustain engagement, optimize service delivery, and improve participant health outcomes. A feasibility randomized design was used to determine the case for future development and evaluation of avatar-based technology in a randomized controlled trial. Participants were recruited from general practitioner referrals to a 12-week National Health Service weight improvement program. The main outcome measure was weight loss. Secondary outcome measures were quality-of-life and self-efficacy. Quantitative data were subjected to descriptive statistical tests and exploratory comparison between intervention and control arms. Feasibility and acceptability were assessed through interviews and analyzed using framework approach. Health Research Authority ethics approval was granted. Overall, 10 men (n=7, 70% for routine care and avatar and n=3, 30% for routine care) and 33 women (n=23, 70% for intervention and n=10, 30% for routine care) were recruited. Participants' initial mean weight was greater in the intervention arm than in the routine care arm (126.3 kg vs 122.9 kg); pattern of weight loss was similar across both arms of the study in T0 to T1 period but accelerated in T1 to T2 period for intervention participants, suggesting that access to the self-resembling avatar may promote greater engagement with weight loss initiatives in the short-to-medium term. Mean change in participants' weight from T0 to T2 was 4.5 kg (95% CI 2.7-6.3) in the routine care arm and 5.3 kg (95% CI 3.9-6.8) in the intervention arm. Quality-of-life and self-efficacy measures demonstrated greater improvement in the intervention arm at both T1 (105.5 for routine care arm and 99.7 for intervention arm) and T2 (100.1 for routine care arm and 81.2 for intervention arm). Overall, 13 participants (n=11, 85% women and n=2, 15% men) and two health care professionals were interviewed about their experience of using the avatar program. Participants found using the personalized avatar acceptable, and feedback reiterated that seeing a future self helped to reinforce motivation to change behavior. This feasibility study demonstrated that avatar-based technology may successfully promote engagement and motivation in weight loss programs, enabling participants to achieve greater weight loss gains and build self-confidence. ISRCTN Registry 17953876; https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN17953876. / This study was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (Research for Patient Benefit program [project reference PB-PG-1215-20016]).