The Ontario Nutrient Management Act (2002) recommends agricultural Beneficial Management Practices (BMPs) that involve reductions in nutrient applications of nitrogen (N) to fields to improve underlying groundwater quality, but little is known regarding how to best evaluate their success, and how quickly and to what extent groundwater quality will be improved. This study focuses on a 54 ha hog farm located on the southern flank of the Oak Ridges Moraine near Port Hope, Ontario, where, beginning in 1997, the farm operator reduced nutrient application of N by 46% (from 286 kg-N/ha to 153 kg-N/ha). This site provided a unique opportunity to study the long-term effects of reducing nutrient loading of N because of the availability of historical groundwater quality data and records of yearly, field-by-field applications of N (as liquid swine manure and commercial fertilizers such as urea and ammonium sulphate), crop types (corn and soybeans), and crop yields. The objective of this study was to determine how the reduction in nutrients has altered the nitrate loading to the subsurface and its effect on groundwater quality. It was hypothesized that analysis of unsaturated zone soil and the shallow groundwater following 10 years of nutrient reductions should provide insight into the long-term effects of BMPs. A multifaceted characterization of the site was undertaken that included yearly N-budget calculations for four individual fields on the farm to determine the potentially leachable N and the hydrogeological characterization of flow and transport of N through the unsaturated zone and underlying groundwater. Field investigations included: installation of new monitoring wells (9); datalogging of water levels (12 wells); water quality monitoring (32 wells); multiple soil coring events; analysis of nitrate isotopes for characterization of N sources in soil and groundwater using 15N and 18O isotopic ratios; bromide tracer tests (3 sites); soil moisture profiles measured in 5 neutron access tubes; and installation of a meteorological station. Investigations focused on a surficial aquitard unit, which was a ~10 m thick, stony, sandy, silty, till (Newmarket Till), and an underlying aquifer unit, which was a ~7m thick, semi-confined sand and gravel aquifer. These two units make up the local flow system at the site and are underlain by another aquitard and a deeper aquifer. The study concentrated on Field B where the 1997 change in nutrient application coincided with a change from swine manure to commercial fertilizer, and the area upgradient of it. This change meant that the isotopic signature of the nitrate could be used as an additional “tracer” to distinguish “BMP applied N” from previous or upgradient applications. A comparison between 1997 and present groundwater nitrate concentrations in the shallow aquifer and aquitard show that farm wide concentrations have decreased by an average of 35% from an average of ~32 mg/L to and average of ~21 mg/L. The most significant improvements were observed in wells screened at or near the watertable, where concentrations below 10 mg/L were observed. The recharge rate was estimated from bromide tracer tests and water balance calculations to be 160 mm/yr, which suggests that water infiltrating in 1997 should have reached the watertable (~6 m deep) prior to the start of this study in 2005. Isotopic values 15N and 18O in NO3- further confirm this result. Estimations of the groundwater nitrate concentrations from N-budget calculations provided reasonable estimates of changes in groundwater quality over time, but were very sensitive to site-specific groundwater recharge rates. Nitrate loading beneath the site were estimated to have decreased by 43% since 1997. This decrease in nitrate loading has significantly decreased the concentration of nitrate exiting the farm property. These results suggest that historical applications of N likely exceeded crop nutrient requirements and therefore a reduction in N applications to the land surface have the capacity to reduce nitrate loading to the groundwater. To date, crop yields have not been significantly altered from the changes in land-use practices. If N application rates at the Allin Farm are maintained, it is likely that further improvements will be observed in the groundwater, although the full extent of these improvements may not be observed for many years. The fact that the improvements in groundwater nitrate concentrations can be achieved at a local scale within a larger flow system may provide encouragement for more widespread adoption of agricultural BMPs.

The purpose of this study was to explore preservice teachers’ lived experiences in a lesson study focused on teaching and learning nature of science (NOS). The body of knowledge about shifting pre- and in-service novice NOS understandings is substantial. The focus of science education research is now exploring ways to move these informed NOS understandings into classroom practice (Abd-El-Khalick & Lederman, 2000b). The research questions guiding the study were (a) how do preservice teachers’ understandings of NOS shift as a result of the lesson study experience?, and (b) how does the reflective practice that occurs in lesson study influence preservice teachers’ transition of NOS tenets into classroom practice? The participants in this study represented a sample of graduate preservice teachers, who were part of a middle and secondary science teaching alternative certification program in a southeastern university. In the first summer semester of this certification program, the participants were immersed in reform based science instruction; a section of which included NOS teachings (INTASC, 2002). In the following semester, participants were placed in a practicum setting; where the exploration of the preservice teachers’ teaching of NOS was supported through the modified lesson study framework. Data sources included the Views on Nature of Science – Form B (VNOS-b), interviews, and lesson study portfolios. Analysis of NOS understandings was guided by instruments found in literature associated with the VNOS-b (Lederman et al., 2002) and reflection (Ward & McCotter, 2004). Results showed successful transfer of NOS into classroom practice using the modified lesson study framework, with less success in the deepening of participants’ NOS understandings. Of particular significance was that results indicated a deepening of NOS pedagogical content knowledge for those participants functioning at higher levels of reflection. The study’s results’ contributes to two knowledge bases. First it provides insight to how lesson study can be used in the United States in alterative teacher preparation programs. Second, it contributes to what is understood about how to support the transition of NOS understandings into classroom practice.

The monitoring of nitrate mass load through the unsaturated zone below agricultural land was proposed as a novel technique to assess the effect of agricultural best management practices (BMPs). The objectives of the study were to: develop field techniques and apply computational models for the quantification of unsaturated zone nitrate mass flux; scale the point mass flux results to a nitrate mass load across an agricultural parcel; and assess the resulting nitrate mass load measurements as indicators to evaluate the effect of a BMP. At several locations across the study site, groundwater quality and profiles of soil water content and temperature were regularly monitored, and several rounds of geologic cores were collected for analysis of bulk soil nitrate and an applied bromide tracer. The field data were applied in several analytical techniques for estimating recharge, and in two unsaturated zone numerical models used to refine the recharge estimates. The recharge rate at each measurement location was then combined with unsaturated zone nitrate data to quantify nitrate mass flux. Upscaling of the flux values to field-scale mass load was based mainly on topography, geology and field observations. The calculation of stored nitrate mass in the shallow subsurface showed some correlation to changes in surface nitrogen application, with the greatest decreases in stored mass observed at locations underlain by sand where there was a switch to a grass crop. In contrast, the calculation of nitrate mass load suggested that the post-BMP value (4.1 t NO3-N/yr) was greater than the pre-BMP value (2.2 t NO3-N/yr). However, the calculation of nitrate mass load was limited by several factors, including a lack of nitrate concentration data from the deep unsaturated zone and an above-average annual precipitation rate; as a result, the findings suggesting an increase in nitrate mass load in response to decreasing nutrient inputs should be interpreted with caution. Continued monitoring of nitrate mass load and stored nitrate mass in the unsaturated zone is recommended to determine whether further benefits from the BMPs are observed as the measurement period lengthens and the unsaturated zone is progressively flushed.

The Ontario Nutrient Management Act (2002) recommends agricultural Beneficial Management Practices (BMPs) that involve reductions in nutrient applications of nitrogen (N) to fields to improve underlying groundwater quality, but little is known regarding how to best evaluate their success, and how quickly and to what extent groundwater quality will be improved. This study focuses on a 54 ha hog farm located on the southern flank of the Oak Ridges Moraine near Port Hope, Ontario, where, beginning in 1997, the farm operator reduced nutrient application of N by 46% (from 286 kg-N/ha to 153 kg-N/ha). This site provided a unique opportunity to study the long-term effects of reducing nutrient loading of N because of the availability of historical groundwater quality data and records of yearly, field-by-field applications of N (as liquid swine manure and commercial fertilizers such as urea and ammonium sulphate), crop types (corn and soybeans), and crop yields. The objective of this study was to determine how the reduction in nutrients has altered the nitrate loading to the subsurface and its effect on groundwater quality. It was hypothesized that analysis of unsaturated zone soil and the shallow groundwater following 10 years of nutrient reductions should provide insight into the long-term effects of BMPs. A multifaceted characterization of the site was undertaken that included yearly N-budget calculations for four individual fields on the farm to determine the potentially leachable N and the hydrogeological characterization of flow and transport of N through the unsaturated zone and underlying groundwater. Field investigations included: installation of new monitoring wells (9); datalogging of water levels (12 wells); water quality monitoring (32 wells); multiple soil coring events; analysis of nitrate isotopes for characterization of N sources in soil and groundwater using 15N and 18O isotopic ratios; bromide tracer tests (3 sites); soil moisture profiles measured in 5 neutron access tubes; and installation of a meteorological station. Investigations focused on a surficial aquitard unit, which was a ~10 m thick, stony, sandy, silty, till (Newmarket Till), and an underlying aquifer unit, which was a ~7m thick, semi-confined sand and gravel aquifer. These two units make up the local flow system at the site and are underlain by another aquitard and a deeper aquifer. The study concentrated on Field B where the 1997 change in nutrient application coincided with a change from swine manure to commercial fertilizer, and the area upgradient of it. This change meant that the isotopic signature of the nitrate could be used as an additional “tracer” to distinguish “BMP applied N” from previous or upgradient applications. A comparison between 1997 and present groundwater nitrate concentrations in the shallow aquifer and aquitard show that farm wide concentrations have decreased by an average of 35% from an average of ~32 mg/L to and average of ~21 mg/L. The most significant improvements were observed in wells screened at or near the watertable, where concentrations below 10 mg/L were observed. The recharge rate was estimated from bromide tracer tests and water balance calculations to be 160 mm/yr, which suggests that water infiltrating in 1997 should have reached the watertable (~6 m deep) prior to the start of this study in 2005. Isotopic values 15N and 18O in NO3- further confirm this result. Estimations of the groundwater nitrate concentrations from N-budget calculations provided reasonable estimates of changes in groundwater quality over time, but were very sensitive to site-specific groundwater recharge rates. Nitrate loading beneath the site were estimated to have decreased by 43% since 1997. This decrease in nitrate loading has significantly decreased the concentration of nitrate exiting the farm property. These results suggest that historical applications of N likely exceeded crop nutrient requirements and therefore a reduction in N applications to the land surface have the capacity to reduce nitrate loading to the groundwater. To date, crop yields have not been significantly altered from the changes in land-use practices. If N application rates at the Allin Farm are maintained, it is likely that further improvements will be observed in the groundwater, although the full extent of these improvements may not be observed for many years. The fact that the improvements in groundwater nitrate concentrations can be achieved at a local scale within a larger flow system may provide encouragement for more widespread adoption of agricultural BMPs.

Increasing evidence of the positive correlation between sustainability performance and financial performance of companies has motivated the proliferation of tools that seek to assess corporate sustainability performance and provide guidance to companies on sustainable business practices and sustainability reporting. Despite the growing number of tools for evaluating, rating and ranking the sustainability performance of companies, the assessment methodologies and frameworks of these tools have not been fully disclosed, leaving both (socially) responsible investors and companies with little publicly available information and understanding of the sustainability issues that are relevant to business practices. This research is an exploratory study seeking to gain greater insight into corporate sustainability assessment as it is practiced within the capital markets. The research specifically examines the extent to which three prominent stock market sustainability indexes, the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes, the FTSE4Good Index Series and the Jantzi Social Index, represent the sustainability performance of companies. The study involves a comparative analysis of sustainability criteria, and an examination of the extent to which the concept of sustainable development and the theoretical perspectives on sustainability assessment are reflected in the assessment frameworks of the indexes. Furthermore, a secondary question addressed in this study is the extent to which the Global Reporting Initiative’s G3 Guidelines and the ISO 26000 standard influence the sustainability criteria used in the indexes’ assessment frameworks. The significance of this secondary question is to understand the extent of alignment between tools which provide guidance on sustainable business practices and tools which assess corporate sustainability performance. A significant finding of this research is the lack of standardization amongst the assessment and guidance tools on the core sustainability issues that are relevant to businesses across all industry sectors. While all of the tools generally follow the same model of organizing sustainability criteria according to environmental, social and economic themes, within each of those themes, a wide spectrum of issues are covered, with poor consensus amongst the tools on the core indicators that are relevant to business practices. An additional finding is that while the theoretical perspectives on sustainable development and sustainability assessment are evident in the indexes, there is significant margin for improvement in terms of developing indicators which are future-oriented and focus on a long-term perspective, as well as incorporating the notion of context in performance metrics.

This thesis examines the retention of best practices by clinicians after the implementation of an integrated care pathway for patients with congestive heart failure. While the literature suggests there are many reasons why the implementation of best practices is difficult, there is little information on the sustainability of best practices once implemented.<p>Using a qualitative research design guided by Rogers theory of Diffusion of Innovations the researcher interviewed seven clinicians who participated in the implementation of the pathway. A thematic analysis revealed several themes that ran throughout participants responses. <p>While the participants indicated they see value in best practices, they also identified barriers to getting that knowledge into practice and keeping it there. A spectrum of factors, including individual autonomy, time, resources, organizational support and the organization of the system all played a role.<p>In the end, participants revealed that although small pieces of the pathway remain in practice, the pathway itself is no longer used by clinicians to manage patients with congestive heart failure.

In the dominant North American imagination, the asylum has always been a place of the other in society. Stories of Saskatchewan asylums and their reincarnations as mental hospitals are filled with early twentieth century horror narratives and redemptive tales of mid-century scientific progress: the monstrousness of the labyrinthine asylum structures and its arcane treatments, the modern marvels of the experimental therapies and the lives saved by the scientific authorities. Still some of the most infamous buildings to haunt provincial imagination, mental hospitals became more than buildings designed to treat disease in Saskatchewan: they were a cultural phenomenon. The hospitals themselves became social objects invested with meanings which shaped social relations.<p> This thesis investigates how the built structure of the asylum and in particular the North Battleford and Weyburn Mental Hospitals were perceived, experienced and theorized in early twentieth century and post-war Saskatchewan society. In analyzing architectural drawings, floor plans, television documentaries, photographs and patients' personal stories, this dissertation takes a critical look at how patients and staff were situated within the built structure at certain points and in particular during the Weyburn Mental Hospitals extensive earlier twentieth century history and its mid-century re-birth as a modern psychiatric research centre. Feminist and post-colonial debates about the history of medicine and eugenics, spatial and socio-practices of power within built structure and the representation of patients and health professionals in colonial and modern society are also examined as a means to situate the discussion of the mental hospital within the broader context of the discussion on spatial discourses.

¡@¡@While an organization facing a dynamic environment, the only way to survive is to learn as soon as possible. Therefore, organizational learning becomes more and more important. Age of knowledge economy is coming, human resource becomes the key of the competitive advantages. Does learning-oriented human resource have positive influences in organizational performances? In this thesis, the study will discuss this topic from the aspect of learning-oriented human resource and try to find the relationship between learning-oriented human resource and organizational performances and as well as the relationship between the system of learning-oriented human resource and organizational performances. Moreover, the indirect impact of human resource practices intertwined with human resource and competitive strategy as a moderator is also under scrutiny. ¡@¡@This thesis is conduct through opinion survey, relied by the directors of human resource and core department in each company, the findings of the thesis can be summarized as follows: 1. ¡§ Control ¡¨ and ¡§ performance appraisal ¡¨ of the learning-oriented human resource practices impact the organizational performances positively. 2. There is no evidence to show that the system of learning-oriented human resource impacts organizational performances either positively or negatively. 3. The relationship between ¡§cooperation¡¨ ¡§cooperation within departments¡¨ and ¡§training¡¨ of learning-oriented human resource practices and organizational performance will be contingent on an organization¡¦s competitive strategy.

The announcement made by the Financial Supervisory Commission, Executive Yuan, R.O.C. for roadmap of the adopting International Financial Reporting Standards (hereafter ¡§IFRS¡¨) on May 14, 2009 was a major earthquake to all companies in Taiwan. The first wave of IFRS adoption will hit all listed companies and those companies in the financial services industry in 2013; and the second wave will hit the rest of the public companies in 2015. To most Taiwanese business entities, IFRS is a brand new accounting principle. They don¡¦t have too many ideas on what IFRSs are, how different are IFRSs from Taiwan GAAP, how IFRS can be adopted, or the size of impact IFRSs will have once it is adopted? When facing all these unknown, the public companies in Taiwan, other than to follow the announcements from the regulatory authorities, can resort to no one but their independent auditors for further assistances. Over the past decade, the Big-4 accounting firms have devoted tremendous efforts in research and development activities on the adoption of IFRSs in accordance with the instructions of their global headquarters. Therefore, at the time when Taiwanese public companies are required to adopt IFRS in accordance with the roadmap, the service opportunities in Taiwan are monopolized by the Big-4 firms, leaving the medium and small practices in Taiwan a competitive disadvantage for entering the market because their resources are very limited. Therefore, it is the goal of this thesis to research and explore the strategies smaller firms may adopt, with limited resources on hand, to expand the service opportunities in the upcoming IFRS era.

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceived leadership practices of chief student affairs officers in the United States in order to establish an understanding of current leadership practices and to assist chief student affairs officers in empowering their organizations to higher levels of excellence and in achieving greater influence in their institutions. Additionally, the researcher examined the relationship between the leadership practices of chief student affairs officers and the leaders in Kouzes and Posner‘s database in order to offer a comparison with a cross-section of this leadership population. Information on the chief student affairs officers‘ leadership practices was obtained from the self-assessments of 338 chief student affairs officers (using the Leadership Practices Inventory-Self) and from the assessments of 168 observers of the chief student affairs officers (using the Leadership Practices Inventory-Observer) in five key areas: (1) Challenging the Process; (2) Inspiring a Shared Vision; (3) Enabling Others to Act; (4) Modeling the Way; and (5) Encouraging the Heart. Participants rated each of the 30 statements on the Leadership Practices Inventory from one through ten to indicate how frequently the chief student affairs officers engaged in the described behavior. By using the Leadership Practices Inventory, the researcher provides empirical data concerning the perceived leadership behavior of chief student affairs officers in the United States. An analysis of the data revealed that chief student affairs officers perceive themselves as strong and effective leaders. The observers of the chief student affairs officers confirm this finding. A statistical analysis of the data demonstrated the existence of significant predictors related to level of education and type of institution for each of the five leadership practices as identified by Kouzes and Posner and confirmed in this study. However, the practical significance was found to be minimal. Additionally, the constructs for leadership practice differed somewhat from those of Kouzes and Posner. Also, the chief student affairs officers‘ self-described leadership ratings, when compared to those in the Leadership Practices Inventory database, tended to be in the high range (ranging from the 63rd percentile to the 77th percentile).