This case study described how a simple, low cost survey of library users was conducted at the Engineering Library of the University of Saskatchewan in order to better understand user needs and prepare for the service and space planning. The results show that students wanted more computers, more group and individual study space, and longer library hours. Based on the results, quick actions have been taken. The results also provided valuable information for the planning of the rejuvenation of the Engineering Library. Allowing each member of the team to showcase their talents, this project was a great team building exercise, and resulted a stronger , more cohesive working environment.

Purpose: The prevalence of age-related visual impairment is projected to increase as the Canadian population ages. As a result, the demand for low vision service is also projected to increase. However, there is a lack of healthcare planning regarding vision rehabilitation in Canada. The current study is the first study that describes optometric low vision services across Canada. The primary purposes of this study were to determine the provision of low vision services by optometrists in Canada, the barriers to providing low vision services and the pattern and perception of referrals to specialised low vision services. The secondary purposes of this study were to examine regional differences in low vision practice and referral patterns, and to identify predictive factors associated with the extent of optometric low vision care. Methods: Practising optometrists across Canada (n=1839 or 40.5% of the Canadian optometric population) were randomly sampled so as to obtain approximately equal responses from the Western Provinces, Ontario, Quebec and the Eastern provinces. Between October 2010 to January 2011, optometrists were invited to participate in a 30-item questionnaire that included questions on personal profile, primary practice profile, types of patients seen, levels of low vision services offered, patterns of referral and barriers to provision of low vision care. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the current landscape of optometric low vision care. Chi-square analyses were used to identify any regional differences in pattern of low vision provision and/or referrals. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the predictive factors associated with the extent of optometric low vision care. Written comments on low vision education and provision of low vision services were first coded to represent relevant categories of information emerging from the written data. Then the patterns of coding were grouped into common themes. Results: A total of 459 optometrists responded (24.8%). Optometrists estimated that 1% (range 0-100%) of their patients were patients with low vision, yet also estimated that 10% of their patients had a best corrected visual acuity of ???6/12. Almost three-quarters of respondents would manage a hypothetical patient with minimal visual disabilities and simple visual goals with high-powered additions and lighting; however, the proportion of those who would manage with the same patient with magnifiers and filter lenses dropped to 43%. The most frequently cited barriers to providing more extensive low vision services were found to be related to financial non-viability, lack of affordability by the patient and the time-consuming nature of conducting a low vision assessment. The percentage of respondents who cited no interest in low vision was 33.5%. Many respondents would like to see more continuing education on low vision, preferably through a hands-on approach. The most frequent site of referral was CNIB (81.9%), although most of the respondents (57.1%) rarely (0-5% of the time) or almost never (0-25% of the time) received a written report from the low vision service providers. Chi-square analyses revealed that optometrists in Quebec tended to refer eligible patients to government-sponsored vision rehabilitation centres, while optometrists in Eastern provinces tended to manage patients on their own. The predictive factors associated with the extent of optometric low vision care were advanced years of practice (16+ years), having local low vision optometrists/ophthalmologists within one-day???s travel, working in a practice within a population of less than 50,000 and working in a non-solo practice. Conclusions: This study documents that optometrists may be undertaking more low vision (LV) in patients with relatively good vision than they tend to label as LV. Vision rehabilitation is of interest to a large portion of optometrists across Canada. To translate the interest into practice, barriers identified by the current study must be addressed.

How mobile people are affects the accessibility which can lead to several benefits like better match in the labour market and economical gain in the labour market. How mobile people are and their accessibility are effected by several factors. The purpose with this study is to see what individual characteristics that influences the choice of mode of transport when commuting and the travelled distance. This was done with a quantitative method that analyzed the Travel Survey of Southern Sweden. The result was carried out from descriptive result and regressions that was analysed. Findings from the result shows that gender, income and origin of birth are the individual characteristic that affects the choice of mode and travelled distance the most. The result can indicate that the commuting is also effected by structures as well as the economical incitement. The most used mode for transport and the probability to go by car increases with the economical gain does as well.

The objective of this paper is to examine factors affecting the risk management behavior of Western Canadian grain producers. The first part analyzes factors affecting perceptions of crop insurance. Data for the study is generated from a survey of agricultural producers in Western Canada, and a probit model is used for estimation. Results show that if farmers receive fair crop insurance assessments, quick payments, and have a high knowledge level of crop insurance, they are more likely to have a more positive perception of crop insurance. The second part examines factors that could be influencing the frequency by which agricultural producers hedge their price risk with futures. The same data and estimation method are used. Results show that if farmers use forward contracts and options to hedge price risk, speculate with futures, place a high importance on low brokerage fees, or have larger farms, that are more likely to hedge.

The purpose of this study was to document the occurrence, habitat, and diet of sandhill cranes that breed in coastal British Columbia, a population believed to belong to the subspecies rowani. Specific objectives were to: 1) locate cranes and their nests in selected coastal areas of the central and north coasts (5138’N, 12805’W - 5400’N, 13037’W) and foster observer expertise in conducting aerial crane surveys; 2) describe sandhill crane nest habitat using a range of stand- and site-level characteristics; and, 3) identify diet content of breeding cranes from faecal samples. Helicopter surveys were conducted within 1.5 km of the coastline during May 2007 and 2008. Twenty nest sites were visited in 2008 to collect data on nest habitat characteristics. Satellite imagery was used to measure stand-level and landscape features for 29 nests. Faecal samples were collected at 6 nest and roost sites. During the 2008 survey, 104 cranes and 19 nests were counted over a 430 km2 area (average survey effort = 2.0 km2/min.). Crane nests were located in bog habitat, while cranes frequented bogs, shorelines, and marshes. Nests were in bog pools under 0.5 ha in size with the exception of one that occured in a 1.2 ha beaver-dammed pond (median = 0.10 ha, inter-quartile range (IQR) = 0.037 – 0.17 ha, n = 29), and had median water depth of 56 cm around nest islets (IQR = 49 – 77 cm, n = 21). Bog pools were in forest or woodland bog openings with median distance from the pool edge to the nearest treeline of 46 m (IQR – 24 – 160 m, n = 25) and median forest buffer width of 150 m (IQR = 93 – 260 m, n = 25). Forested habitat may serve as a corridor for cranes with pre-fledged young connecting bog nest and roost sites with shoreline foraging areas. Median distance from nest to shoreline was 400 m (IQR = 200 – 500 m, n = 28). Food items characteristic of faecal samples (n = 138) included mussel (Mytilus edulis), periwinkle (Littorina littorea) and limpet shells, insects, sedge (Carex spp.) and crowberry (Empetrum nigrum), plant remains, and crab remains. Changes in the probability of observing periwinkle and limpet in samples were observed between sites, while the frequency of occurrence of insects differed between time periods and that of sedge, crowberry, and mussels differed between time periods and sites. Sandhill cranes were sparsely distributed on inner and outer coastal islands with bog nesting habitat and sheltered intertidal foraging habitat. / Graduate

Data from a new, wide field, coincident optical and X-ray survey, the X-ray Dark Cluster Survey (XDCS) are presented. The aim was to conduct simultaneous and independent searches for clusters of galaxies in the optical and X-ray passbands. Optical cluster detection algorithms implemented on the data are detailed. This resulted in catalogues of 185 I-band selected, 290 colour selected and 15 X-ray selected systems, residing in of optical + X-ray imaging. The relationship between optical (L(_E)) and X-ray luminosity (L(_x) ) was examined and found to exhibit significant scatter. This study highlights the higher efficiency and resolution of optical colour selection compared with other cluster detection methods. Spectroscopic redshifts confirmed the reality of a subsample of systems which were found with the optical algorithms, but required to have no detectable X-ray emission. These systems show comparable optical luminosity to the most X-ray luminous clusters, but orders of magnitude lower X-ray emission. This is consistent with the large scatter seen in the L(_x)-L(_e) relation. A near-infrared multicolour technique was explored and extended to search for high redshift (z>l) clusters. Finally, application of such techniques to forthcoming wide field near-infrared surveys was discussed and predictions for cluster finding in such surveys made.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. / MBA Professional Report / The purpose of this MBA project is to determine how best to collect empirical data regarding the current state of services acquisition management of the installation level within the Department of Defense and conduct an initial analysis of collected data. The project designed a web-based, self-administered, cross-sectional survey using SurveyMonkey, a web-based survey engine. The survey's pilot test was conducted between mid-October and early November 2007 and obtained a 50 percent response rate. Of the respondents, 60 percent was Army, 20 percent was Marine Corps, and 20 percent Air Force. The pilot test captured valuable data which was analyzed; however improvements to the core survey maay generate a higher response rate and provide a clearer picture of the current state of services acquisition management at the installation level within the Department of Defense. The results of this project will support on-going research in the area of services acquisition management.

No description available.

In recent years Japanese has become an increasingly popular language choice among students in senior high school in Sweden, but very little research has been conducted as to why this trend has emerged. This study aims to investigate the variables affecting senior high school students’ choice to study Japanese and to proceed with it in institutions of higher education, as well as to delineate any gender-specific and socioeconomic discrepancies amongst them based on Bourdieu’s sociology of education. In addition, it strives to shed light on the students’ attitudes toward Japan and the Japanese culture. The empirical data of the study consists of a survey collection of 112 respondents from 4 senior high schools in Stockholm, Uppsala and Västerås. The results indicate that interest in Japanese popular culture, mainly anime and manga, is the main incentive for learning Japanese and that this interest is commenced many years prior to the instruction. The prospect of traveling, studying and working in Japan, as well as to engage further in their interest in the Japanese culture, appears to be what motivates further and higher education in Japanese. The attitudes toward Japan and the Japanese culture are generally positive and the negative opinions expressed mainly derive from cultural difference. The students in the study are predominantly female who carry a strong cultural capital that stems from a middle class family and household of higher education. Hopefully, this study will contribute to the research field of Japanese language learning and inspire others to broaden the discipline.

Developed on the boundary between medicine and sociology, this thesis develops a critique of the perspectives of these disciplines through analysis of a study of women's perspectives on hormone replacement therapy. Women's perspectives are explored through a postal questionnaire survey and a study using individual interviews and focus groups. The survey results provide a measure of women’s attitudes towards, and knowledge of, hormone replacement therapy. The individual interviews detail the way women move towards a decision about the therapy and identifies common themes, particularly women's fears and what influences their fears. The focus groups explore contrasting themes including women's control and choice in decisions about therapy, contrary themes in women’s attitudes and the different ways of thinking used by the women. The results of the studies are assessed for their implications for clinical general practice. The thesis also takes a sociological perspective on women and HRT and on the research process, in particular exploring two themes. Firstly, the interaction between the social context, the research subject and the research process. This includes the social factors influencing the development of the research and choice of research methods, and the influence of the research methods on the results obtained. The second theme is the perspectives and levels of analysis used by the main disciplines contributing to the thesis; biomedicine, biostatistics, general practice and sociology. The thesis explores how the different perspectives and levels of analysis influence research and how they are used to manage the social context. These explorations are used to suggest future directions for research on hormone replacement therapy and for general practice.