When the general public discusses Affirmative Action, they are more likely to make an assumption that the person is not qualified without seeking their actual qualifications. Some may hesitate to provide any reasonable explanation for their opposition because the policy is a controversial topic. The goal of this journal was to search for the possibilities that may actually inspire their opposition and relate it to the stigma theory, which might explain some of these reasoning. By focusing on black recipients in the workforce research on the policy and reactions to Affirmative Action, some researchers appeared to study according to what they think Affirmative Action is supposed to accomplish. There are not enough scholars, with a specialization in human resource, to provide objective facts about the actual intent of the policy. It appears that some managers are not knowledgeable on how to manage the program legal. When certain individuals, who are supposed to have expertise on this policy, are not knowledgeable, then the public cannot be expected to be knowledgeable about the policy. The purpose is to look at Affirmative Action from an objective point of view to differentiate the actual purpose of the policy from the stereotypical purpose of the policy. Recommendations are provided to determine how Affirmative Action can prove to the critics that it is necessary when the program is operated properly.

Since uncertainty and irreversibility are inherent, environmental policy involves the problems of timing of implementation. Environmental policy based on cost-benefit analysis using certainty equivalent presents values can be misleading under the combined effect of irreversibility and uncertainty. Using real options method, the thesis analyzes the timing of early action investment in Canada's Kyoto commitment. Early action investment in emission reductions is irreversible. The thesis uses a simple two-period model, and then lays out a corresponding continuous-time model to show that under technological uncertainty, early action investment should be delayed until more information - the results of R&D - is revealed. In particular, the more uncertain the outcome of research, the more the firm should delay early action investment. The thesis argues that Canada's Kyoto commitment is well intentioned but not wisely implemented: early action investment on emission reductions may not be efficient. The results suggest that a more gradual Kyoto program would be favourable.

Research continues to suggest that young women experience body image concerns; nevertheless, the majority of this body image research has focused on white women, and the experiences of young Aboriginal women have typically been overlooked. When research has included Aboriginal women, it has generally been quantitative in nature (e.g., Gittelsohn et al., 1996; Marchessault, 2004; Story et al., 1995) and has highlighted body dissatisfaction that is equal to and even greater than that experienced by white women. Despite the alarming statistics suggesting that body image concerns are common among Aboriginal women, few researchers have engaged young Aboriginal women in qualitative research projects that seek to highlight their unique experiences. My previous research with young Aboriginal women (i.e., Fleming et al., 2006; McHugh & Kowalski, in press) are some of the first Canadian studies to have an exclusive focus on Aboriginal womens body image experiences. This research suggested that young Aboriginal womens body image experiences may not be as negative as previous quantitative research has suggested, but highlighted the need to work with young women to develop strategies for positively managing body image experiences. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to engage in a collaborative, school-based participatory action research (PAR) project in partnership with a local high school to provide young women, primarily young Aboriginal women, with an opportunity to manage their body image experiences in an effective manner.<p> Students, teachers, and staff of Nutana Collegiate participated in this project, which took place over a 10-month period from September 2006 to June 2007. All Nutana school members were welcomed to participate and many took part in the various action initiatives that were developed. A group of seven young Aboriginal women formed a core group of participants who were primarily responsible for the development and implementation of most action initiatives. A five phase PAR model, which was based on the work of Stringer and Genat (2004), was proposed as the methodological framework for this project. However, given the emergent and dynamic nature of PAR processes, and the unique features of the school community, the manner in which the project actually unfolded was quite different from the original plan. This project ultimately had two phases, the Relationship Building Phase and the Action Phase.<p> In an effort to develop relationships with school community members, during the Relationship Building phase I engaged in the three general processes of: familiarization, making connections, and giving back to the school. My commitment to these processes supported my initial goal to develop trusting relationships with community members, which subsequently formed a strong foundation for the development of effective and successful action initiatives. Eight action initiatives, which were represented by three themes, were developed and implemented as part of the Action phase. The three themes were: (1) Promoting Positive Body Image Experiences, (2) Self-Expression, and (3) Creating Awareness.<p> The development and implementation of action at various levels (i.e., individual, school, provincial, and national) was the most significant outcome of this research. The success and relevance of the various action initiatives was demonstrated by the words of the participants, the overall support of various school members, and the commitment of the core group to the goals of this PAR project. Although there were methodological challenges and considerations that needed to be navigated throughout this PAR project, findings from this research suggest that universities and local high schools can and should work together to develop school-based body image programs for young Aboriginal women. As well, and maybe most importantly, this research highlights the strength of using PAR methodologies when engaging young Aboriginal women in body image research.

Since uncertainty and irreversibility are inherent, environmental policy involves the problems of timing of implementation. Environmental policy based on cost-benefit analysis using certainty equivalent presents values can be misleading under the combined effect of irreversibility and uncertainty. Using real options method, the thesis analyzes the timing of early action investment in Canada's Kyoto commitment. Early action investment in emission reductions is irreversible. The thesis uses a simple two-period model, and then lays out a corresponding continuous-time model to show that under technological uncertainty, early action investment should be delayed until more information - the results of R&D - is revealed. In particular, the more uncertain the outcome of research, the more the firm should delay early action investment. The thesis argues that Canada's Kyoto commitment is well intentioned but not wisely implemented: early action investment on emission reductions may not be efficient. The results suggest that a more gradual Kyoto program would be favourable.

The purpose of this action research study was to examine strategies that lead to effective and efficient band rehearsals at the junior high level. Participants in the study were 28 grade 8 band students, 11 males and 17 females, as well as one music teacher researcher. Of 35 grade 8 band students, 28 or 80% chose to participate in the study. The school is located in a relatively high social-economic suburban junior high school. The research questions addressed were: 1. What proportion of instructional time do I spend on: teaching musical concepts and skills; conducting active music making; classroom management; waiting or wasting time? 2. How can I change my rehearsal practice to spend more time engaging students in active musical learning, and less time on non-musical tasks, thus improving the effectiveness and efficiency of my middle years band rehearsals? 3. How do students perceive and respond to their band rehearsals? During a 10-week block, from January to March, 2006, specific teaching innovations, drawn from the research and pedagogical literatures, were implemented with an aim to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the band class. Music classes were video taped and later analyzed using rehearsal frames. Students responded to the instructional innovations by completing exit slips daily and attitudinal surveys at the beginning and completion of the research project. The teacher tracked her perceptions through daily journal entries and reflecting on the classes videotaped. Qualitative data were unitized and then sorted by thematic codes while quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Pre- and Post-survey mean scores were calculated and compared using T-tests. The following conclusions were drawn: 1) The majority of class time was spent in active music making followed by “waiting” and “instruction” time; 2) The innovations introduced were effective and improved the efficiency of the band classes; 3) Students strongly agreed that they were involved during band rehearsals conducted throughout the project; and 4) The overwhelming majority of students responded positively to all survey items related to band rehearsals. / October 2006

The purpose of this feminist action research project was to produce a practical support volunteer training and manual for the Georgia Reproductive Justice Access Network (GRJAN). Founded in 2011, GRJAN is a grassroots, reproductive justice abortion fund that provides abortion funding and until 2012, practical support (lodging, transportation, and childcare) to low-income individuals seeking abortion services in Atlanta, GA. The resultant thesis is a reflective essay upon the project, documenting and analyzing the successes and failures of the project as well as discussing the limitations of pursuing feminist activist work within the academy.

Parce que les pratiques de changement actuellement mises en œuvre dans les organisations n'atteignent pas les résultats escomptés et contribuent, par le fait même, à la toxicité du milieu du travail, nous avons exploré d'autres avenues en matière de changement organisationnel. Ancrés dans une épistémologie de la complexité et animés par des valeurs humanistes, nous avons accompagné un processus de changement de type non linéaire au sein d'une entreprise de la ville de Québec, dont le design a été réalisé de concert avec les dirigeants et les employés. Guidé par la typologie du changement de Bateson, par la théorie en U de Scharmer et par les concepts de lieu et d'accompagnement, le processus de changement a mis à contribution des pratiques de nature participative de manière à mobiliser les personnes autour des enjeux qui se trouvaient au cœur de l'organisation, d'où ont émergé plusieurs idées novatrices. Réalisé sous le mode de la recherche-intervention, le processus de changement mis en œuvre avait un objectif double: celui de favoriser le changement au sein du milieu, et celui d'enrichir les connaissances en matière de changement organisationnel en cernant les conditions, tant contextuelles, organisationnelles que d'accompagnement, qui favorisent la traversée de la courbe en U de Scharmer. Pour ce faire, durant un peu plus de six mois, nous avons recueilli des données sur le processus de changement grâce à l'observation et à l'utilisation d'un journal de bord, à la distribution d'un questionnaire en ligne et à un outil de mémoire, le 3e œil. En plus de favoriser le changement au sein du milieu, le processus aura permis de cerner seize conditions facilitant l'émergence du changement. Finalement, les pistes de réflexion qui se dégagent de l'étude pointent vers l'importance, dans le cadre de recherches et d'interventions futures, d'explorer plus en profondeur ce qui favoriserait l'incarnation des pratiques de mobilisation dans la gestion quotidienne des organisations. ______________________________________________________________________________ MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : Changement organisationnel, non linéarité, émergence, recherche-intervention, communication, complexité, 3e œil.

名古屋大学博士学位論文 学位の種類 : 博士(医学)(課程) 学位授与年月日:平成10年6月4日 李鍾國氏の博士論文として提出された

While some attempts have been made to model the behaviour of the grand piano action (the mechanism that translates a key press into a hammer striking a string), most researchers have reduced the system to a simple model with little relation to the components of a real action. While such models are useful for certain applications, they are not appropriate as design tools for piano makers, since the model parameters have little physical meaning and must be calibrated from the behaviour of a real action. A new model for a piano action is proposed in this thesis. The model treats each of the five main action components (key, whippen, jack, repetition lever, and hammer) as a rigid body. The action model also incorporates a contact model to determine the normal and friction forces at 13 locations between each of the contacting bodies. All parameters in the model are directly measured from the physical properties of individual action components, allowing the model to be used as a prototyping tool for actions that have not yet been built. To test whether the model can accurately predict the behaviour of a piano action, an experimental apparatus was built. Based around a keyboard from a Boston grand piano, the apparatus uses an electric motor to actuate the key, a load cell to measure applied force, and optical encoders and a high speed video camera to measure the positions of the bodies. The apparatus was found to produce highly repeatable, reliable measurements of the action. The behaviour of the action model was compared to the measurements from the experimental apparatus for several types of key blows from a pianist. A qualitative comparison showed that the model could very accurately reproduce the behaviour of a real action for high force blows. When the forces were lower, the behaviour of the action model was still reasonable, but some discrepancy from the experimental results could be seen. In order to reduce the discrepancy, it was recommended that certain improvements could be made to the action model. Rigid bodies, most importantly the key and hammer, should be replaced with flexible bodies. The normal contact model should be modified to account for the speed-independent behaviour of felt compression. Felt bushings that are modelled as perfect revolute joints should instead be modelled as flexible contact surfaces.

The piano action is the mechanism that transforms the finger force applied to a key into the motion of a hammer that strikes a piano string. This thesis focuses on improving the fidelity of the dynamic model of a grand piano action which has been already developed by Hirschkorn et al. at the University of Waterloo. This model is the state-of-the-art dynamic model of the piano in the literature and is based on the real components of the piano action mechanism (key, whippen, jack, repetition lever, and hammer). Two main areas for improving the fidelity of the dynamic model are the hammer shank and the connection point between the key and the ground. The hammer shank is a long narrow wooden rod and, by observation with a high-speed video camera, the flexibility of this part has been confirmed. In previous work, the piano hammer had been modelled as a rigid body. In this work, a Rayleigh beam model is used to model the flexible behaviour of the hammer shank. By comparing the experimental and analytical results, it turns out that the flexibility of the hammer shank does not significantly affect the rotation of the other parts of the piano mechanism, compared with the case that the hammer shank has been modelled as a rigid part. However, the flexibility of the hammer shank changes the impact velocity of the hammer head, and also causes a greater scuffing motion for the hammer head during the contact with the string. The connection of the piano key to the ground had been simply modelled with a revolute joint, but the physical form of the connection at that point suggests that a revoluteprismatic joint with a contact force underneath better represents this connection. By comparing the experimental and analytical results, it is concluded that incorporating this new model significantly increases the fidelity of the model for the blows. In order to test the accuracy of the dynamic model, an experimental setup, including a servo motor, a load cell, a strain gauge, and three optical encoders, is built. The servo motor is used to actuate the piano key. Since the purpose of the motor is to consistently mimic the finger force of the pianist, the output torque of the motor is controlled. To overcome the problem associated with the motor torque control method used in previous work, a new torque control method is implemented on a real-time PC and a better control of the motor torque output is established. Adding a more realistic model of the piano string to the current piano action model and finding a better contact model for the contacts that happen between the surfaces that are made of felt (or leather), are two main areas that can be worked on in the future research. These two areas will help to further increase the fidelity of the present piano action model.