Roads in many northern climates like Saskatchewan can undergo structural failure caused by frost action and substructure moisture problems. Frost action can be efficiently controlled by eliminating at least one of the following conditions: moisture; freezing temperatures; and frost susceptible soils. However, effective use of shredded tire material could provide an environmentally sustainable solution for waste tires and could relieve pressure on limited quality aggregate resources. The City of Saskatoon has successfully incorporated crushed rock and crushed recycled concrete as a subsurface road drainage layer to mitigate substructure drainage and frost issues. However, the price of crushed high value aggregates can be cost prohibitive and at times these materials are not available in quantities required. Previous research has documented that shredded tires are efficient in controlling frost action by providing thermal insulation and free drainage, but shredded tires performed poorly as a structural support layer with low mechanical stiffness and high compressibility properties. The goal of this research was to provide improved pavement performance with respect to road substructure moisture drainage and frost mitigation. The specific objectives of this research were to: • Quantify the mechanical properties of shredded tires and investigate the mechanical behavior of mixes of shredded tires with and without sand blended into the tire matrix as compared to conventional subbase and base coarse materials; • Determine the permeability of shredded tires and investigate the effect of sand on the permeability of shredded tire/sand mixes as compared to conventional granular base and subbase materials, and; • Compare the structural primary response behavior and capital cost of alternate road structures constructed with shredded tires and mixes of shredded tire and sand as a free draining subbase material compared to conventional drainage layers and road structures. The hypothesis of this research was that the mechanical behavior of shredded tire material, used as a road substructure layer, can be improved by blending it with free draining sand. It was also hypothesized that blending shredded tire with free draining sand will have improved drainage compared to conventional granular subbase and base course materials. Volumetric and mechanistic material properties and structural performance behavior of shredded tires and shredded tire/sand mixes in the mix ratios (by volume) of 1Tire:1Sand, 1Tire:2Sand and 1Tire:3Sand were evaluated and compared to City of Saskatoon subbase materials: crushed rock and granular base; as well as Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure (SMHI) Type 6 subbase. Laboratory characterization showed that 100% shredded tire materials were uniformly graded indicating high amounts of voids. The addition of sand resulted in a reduction of interparticle air voids. Results from strength and stiffness characterization tests indicated that 100% shredded tires exhibited low structural stiffness, but this behavior was improved as the quantity of sand in the shredded tire was increased. The 100% shredded tire material was determined to have a dynamic modulus value of 5MPa, whereas shredded tires/sand blends at the ratios of 1Tire:1Sand, 1Tire:2Sand and 1Tire:3Sand gave dynamic moduli values of 30MPa, 110 MPa and 158MPa, respectively. For comparison, SMHI Type 6 subbase, City of Saskatoon crushed rock and granular base exhibited dynamic moduli values of 94MPa, 174MPa and 471MPa, respectively. Permeability characterization indicated that the 100% shredded tire materials were free draining at 1.42cm/s. Permeability decreased from 1.42cm/s with 100% shredded tire to 0.0026cm/s with 1Tire:3Sand. However, the shredded tire/sand mixes maintained permeability values higher than sand (0.0013cm/s). SMHI Type 6 subbase and granular materials were found to have a permeability of 0.0018cm/s and 0.000025cm/s, respectively, while crushed rock was free draining with a permeability of 1.12cm/s. Structural behavior of 100% shredded tire, shredded tire/sand mixes and City of Saskatoon subbase materials were studied in road models using a 3-D numerical road modeling software that encoded triaxial material constitutive relationships determined in this research. A typical City of Saskatoon road structure was assumed for all road structures considered in this study with varying subbase material so as to directly compare the structural effect of the shredded tire with conventional road materials under primary load limits. Modeled results of the 100% shredded tire and crushed rock roads showed peak surface deflections of 2.19mm and 0.73mm, respectively. Peak surface deflection under primary load limits was found to decrease with an increase in sand quantity within the shredded tire layer. Based on the modeling results, 1Tire:2Sand and 1Tire:3Sand yielded peak surface deflections of 1.01mm and 0.96mm, respectively. For comparative purposes, road structures with SMHI Type 6 subbase deflected at 1.14mm. Field test sections were constructed at Adolph Way in Saskatoon to compare the structural performance of shredded tire to crushed rock (currently specified by City of Saskatoon for drainage layers) in a typical residential road in Saskatoon. Unfortunately, both crushed rock (control) and shredded tire sections were found to deflect above acceptable limits due to high moisture conditions within the deep subgrade. Therefore, deeper excavation was required and the test sections were not constructed. The Adolph Way field experimentation of shredded tire showed that shredded tire road systems can be effectively constructed in the field, but showed the same sensitivity to poor subgrade conditions as crushed rock. Capital cost analysis showed the 100% shredded tire and shredded tire/sand subbase layers to be less expensive than City of Saskatoon specified crushed rock drainage layers. The 100% shredded tire layer was estimated at a total cost of $2.93/m2 while 1Tire:1Sand, 1Tire:2Sand and 1Tire:3Sand were estimated at $4.39/m2, $4.88/m2 and $5.12/m2, respectively. SMHI Type 6 subbase, crushed rock and granular base layers were estimated at a total cost of $5.85/m2, $13.95/m2 and $9.00/m2, respectively for equivalent thickness. From the structural, permeability and economic perspective of this research, the 1Tire:2Sand and 1Tire:3Sand materials proved to be cost efficient as well as technically viable options for mitigating frost action as compared with City of Saskatoon crushed rock materials evaluated. The use of shredded tire/sand mixes of 1Tire:2Sand and 1Tire:3Sand in urban local road structures with low traffic volumes are therefore recommended as a cost effective subbase drainage layer material.

We examined the effects of keeping hand actions in working memory on the speed of naming handled objects. The features of the hand action and objects’ handle matched or mismatched on two dimensions: alignment (left vs. right), orientation (horizontal vs. vertical). For objects presented in their canonical upright position, the speed of naming was only slower when the actions were partially incongruent with the target object. For rotated objects, the effect was reversed. The pattern of results suggests that the identification system is more sensitive to the functional goal (i.e. the end state) of the rotated object in evoking action representations than the actions evoked by the depicted view (i.e. the beginning state). The findings, overall, strongly support the notion that action representations play a functional role in object identification. / Graduate / 0633 / 0623 / tlin23@gmail.com

The aim of the study was to investigate affirmative action as a mechanism for education reform in South Aftica. This investigation was prompted by political changes, which took place after the democratic elections of April 1994, impacting on the provisioning of education in South Africa. The South African education system and its institutions were confronted by many new laws and policies, including affirmative action programmes that had to be implemented. Structural changes like a unified and racially integrated education system came into being. Through literature and empirical studies it was found that race and gender discrimination was observable in all the education institutions in the RSA. Literature study revealed that neither arguments for, nor arguments against affirmative action should be overemphasized at the expense of the other. Both approaches supplemented and enriched each other. Applied correctly and managed well, the disadvantages of affirmative action can be overcome in the main. In this manner most of the injustices of the past can be corrected. It was established through literature study that, like in the USA, affirmative action in the RSA seems to be an option to eradicate the imbalances of the past in terms of race and gender. In the USA success was achieved by affirmative action programmes: The American population became more representative in terms of race and gender. On the other hand it was also established that the previously disadvantaged groups were over-represented. This led to the claim of reverse discrimination. The empirical method, namely using questionnaires, was successful in obtaining information about how education participants, especially at school level, were affected by the implementation of affirmative action policies. It also established how education participants felt and thought about their experiences and perceptions about the affirmative action mechanism for education reform. The study established that factors aimed at the equality of opportunity (also known as the soft approach) enjoyed preference to factors aimed at the equality of result (also known as the hard approach). In order to bring about the smooth education transformation it also established that for observable and radical changes to occur in the education system, factors aimed at the equality of result (the hard approach) should enjoy more attention than factors aimed at the equality of opportunity. Thus it was concluded that both the soft and the hard approaches were necessary to understand the controversial nature of affirmative action. A number of recommendations were made with regard to the research findings for stakeholders and officials to note. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 2003

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.

Peace processes require an opening to self and others — a willingness to confront what is and to vision beyond present challenges to a brighter future. This type of engagement is crucial for the peaceful development of healthy, functioning societies — societies such as Ukraine, a country thrust without preparation from regional Soviet status to independent country searching for democracy. Eighteen years post-Independence the Ukrainian parliament continues to flounder unsupported by citizens. Active participation in civic affairs required for democracy is unfamiliar for most Ukrainian citizens, having internalized centuries of divisive oppression under a series of authoritarian regimes. Democracy-building and peace-building require participant agency and voice; rising out of oppression, people often need support to speak about and transform their lived experiences. This study, cognizant of the centrality of gender analysis in any context, explored the roles women’s shared narrative, dialogue, and group-visioning play in the support of personal empowerment and bridge building between diverse communities. The study invited women from the European Union-focused Western region of Lviv, Ukraine and the more Soviet/Russian-identified Eastern region of Crimea, first to share their personal stories with the researcher and second, to meet in their regional groups to vision for themselves, their families, and Ukraine. The third phase of this study invited these diverse regional groups to meet in a neutral space, reflexively exploring their parallel processes, while in phase four participants reviewed their experiences of the study. Despite initial beliefs that they have little in common, women in both regions said study participation changed them. They found telling their stories “from beginning to end” allowed them to reflect upon their own values and strengths, and having connected with themselves and their roots, they were then able to reach out to others. Rather than looking for differences, participants sought ways to express a shared vision for an inclusive, functional, peace-building future for themselves, their families, and Ukraine as a whole.

The aim of the study was to investigate affirmative action as a mechanism for education reform in South Aftica. This investigation was prompted by political changes, which took place after the democratic elections of April 1994, impacting on the provisioning of education in South Africa. The South African education system and its institutions were confronted by many new laws and policies, including affirmative action programmes that had to be implemented. Structural changes like a unified and racially integrated education system came into being. Through literature and empirical studies it was found that race and gender discrimination was observable in all the education institutions in the RSA. Literature study revealed that neither arguments for, nor arguments against affirmative action should be overemphasized at the expense of the other. Both approaches supplemented and enriched each other. Applied correctly and managed well, the disadvantages of affirmative action can be overcome in the main. In this manner most of the injustices of the past can be corrected. It was established through literature study that, like in the USA, affirmative action in the RSA seems to be an option to eradicate the imbalances of the past in terms of race and gender. In the USA success was achieved by affirmative action programmes: The American population became more representative in terms of race and gender. On the other hand it was also established that the previously disadvantaged groups were over-represented. This led to the claim of reverse discrimination. The empirical method, namely using questionnaires, was successful in obtaining information about how education participants, especially at school level, were affected by the implementation of affirmative action policies. It also established how education participants felt and thought about their experiences and perceptions about the affirmative action mechanism for education reform. The study established that factors aimed at the equality of opportunity (also known as the soft approach) enjoyed preference to factors aimed at the equality of result (also known as the hard approach). In order to bring about the smooth education transformation it also established that for observable and radical changes to occur in the education system, factors aimed at the equality of result (the hard approach) should enjoy more attention than factors aimed at the equality of opportunity. Thus it was concluded that both the soft and the hard approaches were necessary to understand the controversial nature of affirmative action. A number of recommendations were made with regard to the research findings for stakeholders and officials to note. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 2003

We examined the effects of keeping hand actions in working memory on the speed of naming handled objects. The features of the hand action and objects’ handle matched or mismatched on two dimensions: alignment (left vs. right), orientation (horizontal vs. vertical). For objects presented in their canonical upright position, the speed of naming was only slower when the actions were partially incongruent with the target object. For rotated objects, the effect was reversed. The pattern of results suggests that the identification system is more sensitive to the functional goal (i.e. the end state) of the rotated object in evoking action representations than the actions evoked by the depicted view (i.e. the beginning state). The findings, overall, strongly support the notion that action representations play a functional role in object identification. / Graduate / 0633 / 0623 / tlin23@gmail.com

Current concepts of hippocampal circuitry assume a large population of excitatory principal neurones whose activity is largely governed by a network of local-circuit GABAergic interneurones. The diversity of hippocampal local-circuit neurones and their synaptic control over principal cell activity was investigated in vitro, in order to define their synaptic connections and functional roles. Single and dual intracellular recordings were made from local-circuit neurones and pyramidal cells in area CA1 of the rat hippocampal slice. Interneurones were tentatively distinguished from pyramidal cells based on their firing as well as their membrane properties. Intracellular labelling of recorded cells with the marker biocytin revealed a diversity of cell types based on differential dendritic and axonal morphology and synaptic connections. The physiological data revealed that all types of interneurone tested evoked inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) in simultaneously recorded pyramidal cells. The IPSPs had fast rise and decay kinetics and the ones tested pharmacologically, were mediated by GABA_A receptors. Similarly, individual interneurones were also shown to innervate other local-circuit interneurones in addition to pyramidal cells, the evoked effects being qualitatively similar in both types of postsynaptic targets. The postsynaptic effect and functional role of one type of hippocampal interneurone, the basket cell, was investigated in greater detail. Basket cell-evoked IPSPs were reliable, but showed some frequency-dependent attenuation. Moreover, basket cell IPSPs were found to interact with intrinsic pyramidal cell conductances to elicit rebound depolarisations and facilitate action potential generation. More detailed investigation showed that basket and axo-axonic cells were particularly effective in entraining pyramidal cell firing and sub-threshold membrane potential oscillations. Through these powerfully tuned mechanisms, sub-types of local-circuit interneurone provide a powerful mechanism to synchronise the activity of pyramidal cells. These results demonstrate a remarkable diversity of GABAergic local-circuit neurones in the hippocampal CA1 area and suggest that specific subtypes of cell mediate different functions.

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