Substantial numbers of Canadians work shifts. The reasons individuals work shifts are varied and complex. Prior research regarding the relationship between work-family balance, gender, quality of life indicators and health has yielded mixed results. The goal of this research was to examine the association between work-family balance, quality of life indicators and Canadians' overall health status while controlling for socio-economic status, education, family structure and life satisfaction. The two objectives of this study were: 1) to explore how the relationship between work-related characteristics, quality of life and overall health status is different among Canadian male and Canadian female workers, controlling for age, education, socio-economic status, family structure, and life satisfaction and, 2) to examine the relationship between shift configuration and employees' overall health status, controlling for socio-economic status, gender, education, family structure and life satisfaction. This study involved analyses of cross-secional national data from the General Social Survey (GSS) 2006, Cycle 20. The sample for the study included employed men and women who were married or living in common-law relationships, ages 18 through 69. Bivariate and logistic regression analyses were conducted to address the stated research objectives. Appropriate survey weights were applied to estimate population characteristeics. To fully account for the survey's complex sample design, mean bootstrap weights were used for variance estimation and calculation of confidence intervals. Findings indicated that for women and shift workers, both work-to-family spillover and family-to-work spillover were predictve of poor self-rated health. Spillover was not a predictor of poor health for men or day workers. Shift configuration was not found to be significantly correlated with poor self-rated health. Analyses should be repeated to test for interaction between shift work and sleep quality as sleep quality was controlled for in this study.

The aim of the research was to investigate how to stimulate sustainable consumer behaviors that lead to a lowering of the carbon footprint. Because of environmental challenges at the individual and societal levels, researchers agree that behavioral change is necessary. We argue that when already performing a sustainable behavior, this behavior can spill over to other sustainable actions, even to more difficult ones. First, we studied whether a positive behavioral spillover occurs between product categories and whether the spillover effect depends on the ease or difficulty of the sustainable behavior. Second, we investigated whether high awareness of sustainability determines the spillover between categories. We conducted three online experiments in Central Europe, investigating whether spillover takes place between behaviors assigned to the same category (transport or food) or between behaviors assigned to different categories (transport or food). In all three studies participants had to make two independent decisions. In studies 1a (N=281) and 1b (N=195), the effect of the ease/difficulty of the behavior was tested. In study 2 (N=164), awareness of CO2 emission reducing effects was manipulated. Findings revealed a behavioral spillover between sustainable choices.

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the experience of being in a romantic relationship with a couples therapist. Fourteen spouses participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using descriptive phenomenology and themes were identified through meaning units. A majority of spouses experienced ambiguity on whether aspects of their couple relationship were influenced by their therapist partner’s profession or their therapist partner’s personality. Aspects of the therapist partner’s career did spillover into the couple’s relationship, such as limited time spent together, finances, confidentiality, and their therapist partner’s relationship expertise. Spouses talked about the benefits of their therapist partner’s expertise to their couple relationship, such as their therapist partner’s advice and relational skills. At the same time that spouses wanted their therapist partner’s expertise to be present in the couple relationship, spouses also did not want their therapist partner to be their therapist. Nevertheless, spouses felt pride and protectiveness of their therapist partner’s profession. Spouses helped their therapist partner by supporting, listening, and encouraging their partner’s profession. Clinical implications and directions of future research were addressed. / Master of Science

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Dans cette thèse, des matériaux microporeux carbonés et décorés par des nanoparticules métalliques ont été synthétisés afin d’étudier l’effet de la décoration par les nanoparticules métalliques sur leurs propriétés d’adsorption d’hydrogène. L’utilisation de saccharose, de tannins de mimosa ou encore de paille de riz était en parfaite cohérence avec une démarche de respect de l’environnement et de développement durable. Le saccharose ainsi que les tannins permettent, via un prétraitement hydrothermal, d’obtenir des hydrochars qui sont ensuite activés par voie chimique ou physique. Ces synthèses ont donné accès, en fonction de paramètres de synthèse, à des matériaux à la porosité contrôlée dont les propriétés d’adsorption d’hydrogène à température ambiante ont ensuite été évaluées. En outre, l’intérêt majeur de cette thèse était de proposer un couplage entre les propriétés d’adsorption d’hydrogène, des basses pressions jusqu’à des pressions relativement élevées, et les propriétés texturales modélisées à l’aide d’outils théoriques, tels que la DFT, appliquée au fluide inhomogènes (Density Functionnal Theory). L’utilisation de dioxyde de carbone supercritique, de synthèses hydrothermales et des différents précurseurs a permis d’obtenir des matériaux dopés au nickel, au silicium ou à l’azote sans utilisation de solvant organiques préjudiciables pour la santé. Finalement, la décorrélation des différentes contributions de d’adsorption a permis de détecter et de quantifier les fractions d’hydrogène adsorbées et engagées dans divers processus tels que la physisorption, la chimisorption, le spillover et de détecter les phénomènes physisorption polarisée / In this PhD work, microporous carbonaceous materials decorated with metallic nanoparticles were developed in order to study the effect of nanodispersed metals on hydrogen sorption properties. Bio-sourced precursors such as sucrose, mimosa tannins or even rice straw have been used in order to promote eco-friendly, sustainable and innovating ways of synthesis. The use of hydrothermal pretreatment on tannins or sucrose allowed obtaining hydrochars that have been chemically or physically activated. Depending on synthesis parameters, these syntheses allowed to produce materials with controlled porosity. Then, the hydrogen adsorption properties of these materials were evaluated at ambient temperature as well as their textural properties. The main interest of this work was to propose a coupling between hydrogen sorption properties, from low to high pressure, and the textural properties. The textural properties were modelized using theoretical tools such as the DFT (Density Functionnal Theory). The use the different precursors and of decoration steps using supercritical carbon dioxide or hydrothermal synthesis, during which ones metallic or nitrogen containing precursors were used, allowed to obtain nickel, nitrogen or silicon doped materials without using harmful organic solvents. Finally, the decorrelation of the different adsorption contributions gave the possibility to detect and quantify the hydrogen fractions engaged in different processes such as physisorption, chemisorption and spillover. Polarized or enhanced physisorption was also detected using the same methods

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A partir da década de 90, a economia brasileira passou por reformas estruturais e liberalizantes, além de intensa interncaionalização produtiva. Este trabalho explora em que extensão a maior participação de IED ajudou ou inibiu o processo de mudança estrutural na indústria, analisando a existência ou não de transbordamento -spillover- de produtividade a partir da presença de empresas transicionais no período de 1998 a 2003 nas cadeias de produtos elétricos, de produtos eletrônicos, de automóveirs, de produtos farmacêuticos e de óleos vegetais. Para isso, foi realizada uma análise realizada neste trabalho indicou a existência de vantagens competitivas, em termos de produtividade, das ETNs aqui instaladas em relação às empresas domésticas. Esse diferencial de desempenho, no entanto, não se mostrou uma fonte de transferência de conhecimentos tecnológicos que pudesse refletir em ganhos de produtividade para as empresas fornecedoras domésticas. Revelou, além disso, que os efeitos sobres as cadeias produtivas são heterogêneos e que o seu conhecimento pode servir de referência para formulação de instrumentos de política industrial. E apontou que há necessidade de explorar resultados a partir de dados básicos para períodos mais longos e de multiplicação de estudos de caso de setores e firmas. / During the 90s, Brazilian economy has passed through structural and liberalizing reforms, besides an intense productive interntionalization. This study explores to what extent FDI helped or hindered those structural changes in industry, analyzing whether positive (or negative) productivity spillovers arose from the presence of TNCs affiates between 1998 and 2003 in some selected industrial chains, as manufacture of pharmaceuticals and manufacture of vegetable oils. The analyzis, based on firm-level data from industrial firms and panel data tchniques, produces evidences consistent with TNCs affilates having higher productivity levels than domestic firms. However, this ackowledge may serve as instruments for industrial policies. At last, the analysis points for the importance of exploring data for longer period of time and of multiplying specifc studies of sectors and firms.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A partir da década de 90, a economia brasileira passou por reformas estruturais e liberalizantes, além de intensa interncaionalização produtiva. Este trabalho explora em que extensão a maior participação de IED ajudou ou inibiu o processo de mudança estrutural na indústria, analisando a existência ou não de transbordamento -spillover- de produtividade a partir da presença de empresas transicionais no período de 1998 a 2003 nas cadeias de produtos elétricos, de produtos eletrônicos, de automóveirs, de produtos farmacêuticos e de óleos vegetais. Para isso, foi realizada uma análise realizada neste trabalho indicou a existência de vantagens competitivas, em termos de produtividade, das ETNs aqui instaladas em relação às empresas domésticas. Esse diferencial de desempenho, no entanto, não se mostrou uma fonte de transferência de conhecimentos tecnológicos que pudesse refletir em ganhos de produtividade para as empresas fornecedoras domésticas. Revelou, além disso, que os efeitos sobres as cadeias produtivas são heterogêneos e que o seu conhecimento pode servir de referência para formulação de instrumentos de política industrial. E apontou que há necessidade de explorar resultados a partir de dados básicos para períodos mais longos e de multiplicação de estudos de caso de setores e firmas. / During the 90s, Brazilian economy has passed through structural and liberalizing reforms, besides an intense productive interntionalization. This study explores to what extent FDI helped or hindered those structural changes in industry, analyzing whether positive (or negative) productivity spillovers arose from the presence of TNCs affiates between 1998 and 2003 in some selected industrial chains, as manufacture of pharmaceuticals and manufacture of vegetable oils. The analyzis, based on firm-level data from industrial firms and panel data tchniques, produces evidences consistent with TNCs affilates having higher productivity levels than domestic firms. However, this ackowledge may serve as instruments for industrial policies. At last, the analysis points for the importance of exploring data for longer period of time and of multiplying specifc studies of sectors and firms.

Syftet med denna kvalitativa studie var att undersöka om och i så fall hur människor påverkas av sina privata liv på arbetsplatsen och hur de hanterar situationen. Vikten låg på anställdas upplevelser genom att tydliggöra deras känslor och uppfattningar. Urvalet delades in i två grupper, yrken som jobbar med barn i åldern 4-8 år och yrken som jobbar inom produktion och det genomfördes 8 semistrukturerade intervjuer. Datan analyserades med hjälp av en tematisk analys. Resultatet synliggjorde tre teman utifrån deltagarnas upplevelser. För det första, en upplevd förändring av humör, tankar och beteenden, för det andra följder som crossover och förändrad prestation, och för det tredje olika tillvägagångssätt med olika bakomliggande anledningar. Slutsatsen är att majoriteten upplevde FW-spillover och att alla intervjuade påverkades av vissa följder på arbetsplatsen samt hanterade situationen på olika sätt. Det fanns inga stora skillnader mellan grupperna eller kön. / The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate whether, and if so how, people are affected by their private lives in the workplace and how they cope with such situations. The emphasis was on employees' experiences by clarifying their feelings and perceptions. The sample was divided into two groups, professions that work with children aged 4-8 years and professions that work in production and 8 semi-structured interviews were conducted. The data was analyzed using thematic analysis. The results showed three themes based on participants' experiences. First, a perceived change in mood, thoughts and behaviors; second, consequences as crossover and changed performance; and third, various approaches with different underlying reasons. The conclusion was that the majority experienced FW spillover and that all interviewees were affected by certain consequences at the workplace and used special coping strategies. There were no significant differences between the groups or gender.

Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.