The addition of renewable energy in a previously diesel-powered off-grid micro-grid results in what is known in the field as a Stand-Alone Hybrid Renewable Energy System (HRES). Such initiative is a near-term target of both federal and provincial governments in Canada. Not only does it reduce environmental hazards like leaks, spills and air pollution, but the combination of renewable energy and fossil fuel generators can increase stability and lower the cost of electricity. It is deemed a crucial step towards a clean energy future, but also a necessity in the reconciliation process with Indigenous Peoples of Canada - many of who inhabit off-grid communities. The addition of renewable energy can greatly increase the independence of a community by reducing reliability on external diesel suppliers and creating job opportunities. To be successful, HRES need to be carefully planned; the variable and uncertain behaviour of natural resources add a level of complexity to the preliminary design stage. Energy systems are therefore simulated and optimized to estimate the lifecycle cost by determining the nature and capacity of their components and their operational strategy. Chapter 2 goes over the preliminary design stage of two HRES in British Columbian communities. Many modelling tools are available, ranging from full-factorial and linear optimization techniques that can solve single-objective problems, to meta-heuristic algorithms. One of the distinctions between different HRES modelling tools is the foresight horizon being used. Linear programming tools commonly have a perfect foresight over the typical year analysed, for both demand and natural resources. This can lead to an overly optimistic prediction of the lifecycle cost of a system when the reality of implementations comes with uncertainties. On the other hand, tools that use myopic foresight, or no knowledge of future parameters, can lead to pessimistic lifecycle cost estimates since the demand and power output of certain renewable energy technologies, like solar panels, can be known within a few hours. The purpose of Chapter 3 of this thesis is to guide readers towards the right tool in the context of energy system modelling for the preliminary design of HRES. It was found that the degree of importance of choosing the appropriate foresight approach is a function of renewable energy penetration, autocorrelation, and storage capacity. A system with a high renewable energy share, a low short-term (few hours) autocorrelation, and an optimal storage size will result in the highest NPC difference between the two methods. When planning for long-term HRES design, the choice of the foresight horizon can either be representative of a lower/upper cost boundary (perfect and myopic foresight respectively) or of the real-time predictability of the power output of the chosen renewable energy power source. The use of energy system modelling tools is often reserved for highly qualified personnel and is therefore costly for prospective communities. To improve community readiness with minimal investment, a simple alternative to energy system modelling is proposed in Chapter 4 for the integration of tidal stream turbines in British Columbia. A series of three logical conditions was demonstrated to inform on the viability of a project in terms of cost reduction in comparison to the business as usual scenario. These conditions were found to also be useful for determining the minimum scale, or the economic break-in scale, for a tidal stream turbine given a remote community. In this context, communities are found to be best described by the local price of diesel fuel as an easily accessible metric to represent the current cost of electricity, their electrical load scale, and the local tidal current resource. Ten British Columbian communities were selected to validate the results by comparing the set of conditions to a complete energy system modelling approach and four were found to reach savings of 10 % or more as compared to the business as usual scenario. The long-term objective of this work is to provide remote communities with an integrated, affordable, and turnkey solution for the displacement of diesel in their energy systems. The next steps in achieving this include augmented optimization tools to quantify and capture non-monetary value so that the modelling and multi-criteria decision-making steps of the design process can be bridged together. / Graduate

The present study focussed on the information needs of the academic staff of Batchelor College.* It examined their access to and the provision of adequate and appropriate resources for the implementation of the Diploma and Associate Diploma level courses offered through the College. Batchelor College, an institute of tertiary education, is situated 100 kilometres south of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. The content and the modes of delivery of Batchelor College courses are specifically designed to be culturally and socially appropriate to Aboriginal people, particularly those from traditionally oriented and 'remote' communities. It can only be within this framework that informed and sensitive research can be conducted. The main purpose of the current study was to investigate the information needs of staff delivering higher education courses to 'remote' Aboriginal students of Northern Australia. Six distinct areas of study emerged: 1, to identify the information needs; 2, to analyse the information-seeking behaviour; 3, to assess the level of satisfaction with current information sources; 4, to identify inadequacies in the existing information seeking processes; 5, to identify constraints experienced; and 6, to explore how future information needs may be catered for. A mailed survey instrument was specifically designed and implemented, and it attracted a response rate of eighty-seven percent. The population under investigation was the academic staff of Batchelor College, and the variables of: 1, location; 2, sex; 3, academic school; 4, designation; 5, tenure; 6, length of service; and 7, educational background were studied in relation to the questions asked. Results of the survey were analysed using 'Mystat: Statistical Applications', (1990). Frequency distributions were computed to determine the number of respondents who selected each option. A number of questions that elicited a written response were analysed, as were the many extra comments staff members made throughout the survey. The study found that the academic staff of Batchelor College are most affected by the location variable. It appears that how staff members use, regard and value the information sources used to inform their academic practice is affected by where a staff member is located. That is, the more isolated a staff member was, both geographically and professionally, the more significant were the findings of use of information sources. The study concludes with considerations of future planning strategies that could improve the access to and use of information. The study also identifies areas for further research. * Batchelor College, an institute of tertiary education, is situated 100 kilometres south of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia (see Appendix 3).

No description available.

Les différents acteurs impliqués dans la formation pratique en milieu scolaire doivent composer avec les réalités culturelles et territoriales des régions du Québec. Les étudiants issus des régions éloignées des universités souhaitent retourner dans leur milieu d’origine afin d’y réaliser un de leur stage. L’omniprésence des technologies de l’information et des communications (TIC) dans les milieux scolaires et universitaires et l’exigence du Ministère de l’Éducation du Québec (MEQ) (2001) à développer une compétence professionnelle qui vise à intégrer les TIC aux fins de préparation, de pilotage et de gestion de l’enseignement concourent à mettre en place un modèle de supervision qui puisse répondre aux exigences liées au domaine de la formation pratique. Les enjeux sont de taille et méritent que l’on s’y attarde. Prenant en considération le fait que l’observation et la communication entre les différents partenaires de la supervision du stagiaire sont à la base d’une formation efficiente qui puisse répondre aux besoins des étudiants, la présente étude propose un modèle de supervision pouvant accroître la présence des universités dans les milieux plus éloignés et ainsi assurer un accompagnement optimal des stagiaires sur l’ensemble du territoire québécois. Cette recherche a pour objectif de mieux comprendre les avantages et les limites d’un modèle de supervision en distanciel faisant appel aux TIC lors des stages réalisés dans les milieux scolaires éloignés de leur université. Plus précisément, l’étude répond à trois objectifs en identifiant (1) les avantages et (2) les limites liés à la supervision des stages lorsqu’ils se déroulent par l’entremise des TIC et en contribuant à (3) comprendre l’efficience d’un modèle de supervision en distanciel appuyé par les TIC sur l’accompagnement des stagiaires dans le développement de leurs compétences professionnelles de l’acte d’enseigner et de l’identité professionnelle. Afin de saisir les enjeux d’un tel modèle, une étude qualitative descriptive s’avère être le choix qui s’impose. Une rigoureuse collecte de données menée auprès de quatre stagiaires, leur enseignant associé respectif et leur superviseur à l’aide de grilles d’observation, d’enregistrements vidéo, de journaux de bord et d’entrevues semi-dirigées permet de répondre à quatre questions de recherche. Ces dernières s’interrogent sur l’efficience d’un modèle de supervision en distanciel au plan de l’encadrement du stagiaire avant, pendant et après sa prestation, au plan du développement des compétences professionnelles de l’acte d’enseigner et de l’identité professionnelle et au plan de la communication entre les partenaires de la supervision. Les données recueillies à partir des différents outils permettent la présentation d’une description de chaque étape et des avantages et des limites de chacune d’elles : l’accueil, l’observation, les échanges-partenaires et la rétroaction. L’étude permet également de mieux comprendre les avantages et les limites d’une supervision en distanciel appuyé par les TIC lors des stages se déroulant dans les milieux scolaires éloignés de leur université. Ainsi, l’étude fait ressortir que chaque étape du modèle de supervision en distanciel proposé contribue, à différents égards, à rendre la supervision efficiente sur le plan de l’accompagnement au développement des compétences professionnelles. Des recommandations et des pistes de recherches sont proposées afin de maximiser le potentiel du modèle. / The different actors involved in the provision of practical training must take the cultural and territorial realities of the regions of Quebec into account. Students from remote areas distant from universities want to return to their home community in order to complete one of their practicum. The omnipresence of information and communications technologies (ICT) in school and university settings, and the Ministère de l’Éducation du Québec, MEQ’s requirement to develop professional competencies, which integrate ICT, contribute to set up a supervision model, which can meet requirements linked to practical training. There are major challenges and they deserve to be studied at length. Taking into consideration the fact that observation and communication between the practicum student’s different supervisory partners is essential to effective training that meets the student’s needs, this study proposes an approach to supervision which may increase the university’s presence in remote communities and, in doing so, ensure optimal support of practicum students throughout the province of Quebec. The goal of this research is to describe the contributions made by ICT to the practicum supervision process when they occur in remote school settings, away from universities. More precisely, the study meets three objectives by (1) identifying the advantages and (2) the limits linked to supervision of practicums when it is conducted using ICT, and by contributing (3) to understanding the contribution ICT makes to supporting practicum students in the development of their professional competencies with respect to the teaching act, and to the development of their professional identity. In order to grasp the challenges of such an approach, it is required to select a descriptive qualitative study to carry out the research. A rigorous data collection process was conducted with four practicum students, their associate teachers and their supervisors as subjects, using observation forms, video recordings, practicum journals, and semi-directed interviews, which made it possible for the four research questions to be answered. These questions deal with the efficiency of a distance supervision model to the practicum student’s supervision before, during and after the completion of their practicum, with the efficiency of a distance supervision model to communication between the supervisory partners and to the support of the development of professional competencies with respect to the teaching act and to the development of their professional identity. Data gathered using different tools permited the presentation of a description of each step of the proposed approached and the strengths and limits of each step: introduction, observation, partner-exchanges and feedback. The study also allows an understanding of how the model can contribute to supporting the development of practicum students’ professional competencies. In this way, the study highlights that each step of the proposed online supervision approach contributes, in different ways, to making supervision effective in terms of supporting the development of professional competencies. Recommendations and avenues for research are suggested so as to maximize the potential of the model.

No description available.

No description available.

Submitted by Valquíria Barbieri (kikibarbi@hotmail.com) on 2017-09-01T21:33:19Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DISS_2014_Jackelyne de Souza Pontes.pdf: 11674355 bytes, checksum: 4416113ef3f9e25af02a42fc100413a5 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Jordan (jordanbiblio@gmail.com) on 2017-09-12T13:14:45Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DISS_2014_Jackelyne de Souza Pontes.pdf: 11674355 bytes, checksum: 4416113ef3f9e25af02a42fc100413a5 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-09-12T13:14:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DISS_2014_Jackelyne de Souza Pontes.pdf: 11674355 bytes, checksum: 4416113ef3f9e25af02a42fc100413a5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-08-29 / Este trabalho tem como objetivo difundir conhecimento sobre as condições de saúde bucal através de um estudo epidemiológico da cárie dental entre o povo do DSEI Xavante/MT, buscando melhor compreender a configuração do padrão bucal do referido povo. Objetivo: Analisar os fatores associados à prevalência da doença cárie da população do DSEI Xavante/MT Polo Base Água Boa, residente em Mato Grosso, em 2012. Método: Trata-se de estudo transversal da população Xavante atendida de janeiro à junho de 2012 na Fase I do Projeto Brasil Sorridente Indígena. As variáveis dependentes foram: o índice CPO-D (dente cariado, perdido e obturado) e o ceo-d (dente cariado, extraído e obturado) do tipo contínua (que permite mensuração) e as variáveis independentes: sexo, faixa etária, aspectos culturais (uso de tabaco, hábitos alimentares, práticas de autocuidado, adorno ou modificação na cavidade bucal), acesso à área urbana (distância da aldeia em relação à cidade, meios de locomoção). Os dados serão analisados por estatística descritiva, análise bivariada e regressão múltipla de Poisson, sendo considerado um nível de significância de 5%. Resultados: A prevalência da cárie dentária na população Xavante estudada foi de 99,38%, enquanto a média do índice de CPO-D encontrado foi de 11,59(±8,11). O componente obturado constituiu apenas 1,72% do índice, ao passo que os componentes cariado e perdido constituíram, respectivamente, 69,83% e 28,45%. Houve associação bruta significativa entre desigualdade na distribuição da doença e o tipo de dentição sendo que ambas se mantiveram associadas significativamente no modelo ajustado. A severidade da doença cárie também associou-se significativamente com a faixa-etária e o tipo de dentição. / This paper aims to disseminate knowledge about oral health conditions through an epidemiological study of dental caries among the people of DSEI Xavante / MT, seeking to better understand the configuration of oral patterns referred people. Objective: To analyze factors associated with the prevalence of caries of the DSEI Xavante / MT Base Good Water Polo, residing in Mato Grosso, in 2012 population factors. Method: This cross-sectional study of the Xavante population served from January to June 2012 in phase I of the Project Smiling Brazil Indigenous. The dependent variables were the CPO-D index (decayed tooth, missing and filled teeth) and the ceo-d (decayed tooth extracted and filled teeth) of the continuous type (which allows measurement) and the independent variables: gender, age, aspects cultural (tobacco use, dietary habits, self-care practices, adornment or modification in the oral cavity), access to the urban area (away from the village to the city, means of locomotion). Data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis and multiple Poisson regression, and the level of significance of 5%. Results: The prevalence of dental caries in Xavante population studied was 99.38%, while the average of the CPO-D index was found to be 10.40. The fillings constituted only 1.72% of the index, whereas decayed and lost parts formed, respectively, 69.83% and 28.45%. There was a significant association between gross inequality in the distribution of the disease and the type of dentition and both remained significantly associated in the adjusted model. The caries severity was also significantly associated with age group and type of dentition.