Coinciding with the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, this research describes short and long term memories of participants who attended past and present Earth Day Celebrations in Surrey, BC, Canada. Particular interest was placed on discovering the most memorable aspects of their Earth Day experiences as well as determining motivations to attend. Research was conducted using online and face-to-face surveys administered prior to and during the April 2010 event. The study revealed that not only that hands-on stewardship activities of releasing salmon and planting trees proved the most popular among research subjects but also illuminated the importance of social and familial interactions at the event. The results of the study may serve to guide the efforts of event organizers in order to capitalize on the public’s interests in environmental special events and serve to meet both the environmental and social needs of the community.

Tyrimo tikslas – nustatyti 9-10 klasių mokinių emocinių ir elgesio sunkumų sąsajas su jų mokytojų profesiniu pervargimu. Tyrime dalyvavo 100 keturių Kauno miesto ir rajono vidurinių mokyklų mokytojų (13 vyrų ir 87 moterys) ir 245 tų pačių mokyklų 9-10 klasių mokiniai (146 vaikinai ir 99 merginos). Tyrimo metu buvo naudoti metodai: Kopenhagos profesinio pervargimo klausimynas (CBI), Mokinių elgesio modelių skalė (PBP), Stresogeninių įvykių skalė, 11-18 metų jaunuolio savęs vertinimo klausimynas (ASEBA – YRS 11/18), Mokytojų elgesio vertinimo skalė ir socialiniai – demografiniai klausimai. Tyrimo rezultatai parodė, kad mokyklų, kurių mokytojai patiria didesnį profesinį pervargimą, 9-10 klasių vaikinai turi daugiau su emocine būsena susijusių somatinių nusiskundimų, o merginos – didesnį nerimastingumą/depresiškumą nei mokyklų, kurių mokytojai patiria mažesnį profesinį pervargimą, mokiniai. Taip pat nustatyta, kad didesnį profesinį pervargimą patiriantys mokytojai patiria daugiau stresogeninių įvykių, susijusių su santykiais su kolegomis ir su mokiniais, jų tėvais ir mokyklos administracija, nei mažesnį profesinį pervargimą patiriantys mokytojai. Tyrimo rezultatai atskleidė, kad didesnis mokytojų profesinis pervargimas yra susijęs su didesniais mokinių emociniais ir elgesio sunkumais mokytojų vertinimu: mokinių nepagarbumas yra susijęs su mokytojo darbine veikla susijusiu pervargimu; mokinių nedėmesingumas susijęs su mokytojų asmeniniu pervargimu; mokinių asocialumas atvirkščiai... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The aim of the study is to identify the relations between 9th – 10th grade students’ emotional and behavioral problems and their teachers’ burnout. The subjects of the study are 100 teachers and 245 9th-10th grade students from four secondary schools located in the city of Kaunas and its district. The survey employs such methods as Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), Pupil Behavior Patterns Scale (PBP), Stressogenic Events Scale, Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment – Youth Self-Report (ASEBA – YRS 11/18), Teachers‘ Behavior Assessment Scale and demographic characteristics. The results of the study show that the schools where teachers have a higher burnout level, 9th -10th grade boys have more somatic complains related with their emotional state, and girls are more anxious/depressed than the ones in schools with less teacher burnout. Also, the survey reveals that the teachers with a higher burnout level experience more stressogenic situations while dealing with colleagues and students, parents and school administration than the teachers with less burnout. The results clearly demonstrate that higher teacher burnout is related with more emotional and behavioral problems in students when it’s evaluated on teachers: students’ disrespect is related with teachers’ client-related burnout; students’ inobservance is related with teachers’ personal burnout; and students’ unsociable behavior is inversely related with teachers’ personal burnout. Person who experience... [to full text]

Disertacijoje aprašoma ekstremalių įvykių vertinimo kartografinės informacinės sistemos kūrimo metodologija. Analizuojamos pasaulyje egzistuojančios kompleksinės rizikos vertinimo sistemos išryškinami jų trūkumai ir privalumai. Atliktos analizės pagrindu sukuriama originali daugeliu duomenų šaltinių pagrįsta kompleksinio rizikos vertinimo metodologija ir aprašoma autoriaus suprojektuota informacinė sistema leidžianti vertinti ekstremalių įvykių grėsmes ir riziką. Sukurta metodologija apima kartografinės informacinės sistemos sudedamųjų dalių kūrimo ir diegimo metodiką. Aprašomi sistemos veikimui reikiamų duomenų tipai, jų surinkimas, ekstremalių įvykių duomenų bazės kaupimo principai, sukuriamas ekstremalių įvykių grėsmių skaičiavimo ir kelių grėsmių apjungimo į vieną sintetinę grėsmę modelis. Aprašomas rizikos ir grėsmės santykis ir rizikos vertinimo metodologija. Disertacijoje taip pat pateikiama visos sistemos, veikiančios Lietuvos geografinės informacijos infrastruktūroje, ir integruotos Lietuvos erdvinės informacijos portale projektas. Sistema išbandyta su Lietuvoje pasiekiamais ir realiai egzistuojančiais erdvinių duomenų rinkiniais. Pateikiami eksperimento metu gauti rezultatai, rodantys padidintų geologinių ir meteorologinių rizikos rajonus Lietuvoje. Darbo pabaigoje pateikiamos metodologinės ir praktinės išvados apie metodų ir sistemos pritaikymą, patikimumą ir atitikimą standartams. / The thesis describes the methodology of evaluation of extreme events and development of cartographic information system for this purpose. Existing complex risk assessment systems in the world are analysed highlighting their advantages and disadvantages. Author proposes original integrated risk assessment methodology based on integration of information from different geographic data sources. A cartographic information system designed by the author allows for the assessment of extreme events threats and risks. The developed methodology includes methodology of cartographic information system component development and deployment. The work describes necessary extreme events data, methods of their collection and database design principles. The created model enables the user to collect the data on extreme hazard events and to aggregate several threats into a single synthetic threat. The concepts of risks and threats and risk assessment methodology are explained. The author introduces project of an information system operating in the Lithuanian Geographic Information Infrastructure and integrated in the Lithuania spatial information portal. The system is tested with several consistent spatial data sets for Lithuania. The thesis presents experimental results that show increased geological and meteorological risk areas in Lithuania. Finally, methodological and practical conclusions about the methods and system customization, reliability and compliance with standards are presented.

Recurrent data are widely encountered in many applications. This thesis work focuses on how the recurrent hospital admissions relate to the air pollutants. In particular, we consider the data for two major cities in Saskatchewan. The study period ranges from January 1, 2005 to December 30, 2011 and involves 20,284 patients aged 40 years and older. The hospital admission data is from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). The air pollutants data is from the National Air Pollution Surveillance Program (NAPS) from Environment Canada. The data set has been approved by the Biomedical Research Ethics Board, University of Saskatchewan. The gaseous pollutants included in this study are carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), ozone (O3), as well as particulate matter PM2:5 (tiny particles in the air that are 2:5 microns in width). In the data analysis, we applied three different existing models to all respiratory diseases and asthma, respectively. The three models are the Poisson process model (also called Andersen-Gill model), the Poisson process model with the number of previous events as a covariate and the Poisson process model with shared gamma distributed frailties (random effects). For all respiratory diseases, the Poisson process model with random effects provides the best t in comparison to the other two models. The model output suggests that the increased risk of hospital readmission is significantly associated with increased CO and O3. For asthma, the Poisson process model provides the best t in comparison to the other two models. We found that only CO and O3 have significant effects on recurrent hospital admissions due to asthma. We concluded this thesis with the discussion on the current and potential future work.

This thesis explores two distinctive ways in which sport is deployed as a development strategy in South Africa, and specifically considers how sport may play a role in the configuration of the nation’s cities. First, a case study of the sporting mega-event, the 2010 FIFA World Cup, is presented. It is posited that this tournament was a speculative world-making strategy aimed at elevating host cities and the nation to world-class status. Second, a discourse analysis of South African policy documents regarding the reintroduction of physical education is performed. It is argued that despite the fundamental neoliberal elements of physical education, there is a possibility that if the government maximizes certain opportunities, it could be a way of forging ordinary cities that are based upon equitable access to sport for South African children. These assessments suggest that sport can play a role in both the spatial and symbolic development of cities.

Unconventional reservoirs are typically characterized by very low permeabilities, and thus, the pressure depletion from a producing well may not propagate far from the well during the life of a development. Currently, two approaches are widely utilized to perform unconventional reservoir analysis: analytical techniques, including the decline curve analysis and the pressure/rate transient analysis, and numerical simulation. The numerical simulation can rigorously account for complex well geometry and reservoir heterogeneity but also is time consuming. In this thesis, we propose and apply an efficient technique, fast marching method (FMM), to analyze the shale gas reservoirs. Our proposed approach stands midway between analytic techniques and numerical simulation. In contrast to analytical techniques, it takes into account complex well geometry and reservoir heterogeneity, and it is less time consuming compared to numerical simulation. The fast marching method can efficiently provide us with the solution of the pressure front propagation equation, which can be expressed as an Eikonal equation. Our approach is based on the generalization of the concept of depth of investigation. Its application to unconventional reservoirs can provide the understanding necessary to describe and optimize the interaction between complex multi-stage fractured wells, reservoir heterogeneity, drainage volumes, pressure depletion, and well rates. The proposed method allows rapid approximation of reservoir simulation results without resorting to detailed flow simulation, and also provides the time-evolution of the well drainage volume for visualization. Calibration of reservoir models to match historical dynamic data is necessary to increase confidence in simulation models and also minimize risks in decision making. In this thesis, we propose an integrated workflow: applying the genetic algorithm (GA) to calibrate the model parameters, and utilizing the fast marching based approach for forward simulation. This workflow takes advantages of both the derivative free characteristics of GA and the speed of FMM. In addition, we also provide a novel approach to incorporate the micro-seismic events (if available) into our history matching workflow so as to further constrain and better calibrate our models.

This thesis concerns individuals’ behaviors with Information Systems (IS) once an application has been applied by users in accomplishing their work activity. Despite research on IS acceptance and continuance, little is known about individuals’ cognitive, affective, and behavioral processes and their associated outcomes after the initial adoption of a system. My research aims to address this shortcoming. In doing so, this dissertation combines novel theories – the ecological perspective based on ecological psychology and the emotional perspective based on neuroscience, physiological, and psychological research – with the current IS post-adoption literature – the deliberative perspective – to the study of IS use as an ongoing behavioral process that unfolds over time. Two studies were conducted to investigate these processes and outcomes. The first study used an experience sampling method. Employees of different organizations who used IS for their work were asked to carry a booklet and a pager for two weeks. Every time they were paged, they were asked to fill out both open-ended and close-ended questions about their feelings, thoughts and performance at the moment in the booklet. The second study followed an experimental design in order to investigate the phenomena of interest in a more controlled environment. The experiment combined multiple sources of data: such as protocol analysis, heart rate data, and analysis of behaviors through video coding. The overall results from both studies suggest that users do not think about the IS nor experience feelings related to the IS unless they are facing a difficulty with it (e.g., an error). Furthermore, the results indicate affective and physiological changes following difficulties with an IS as well as changes in cognitive and behavioral processes. Finally, the results show a relation between these affective processes and self-reported performance, and a relation between some of the cognitive and behavioral processes and both objective and self-reported performance. Overall, this thesis provides a refreshing theoretical and empirical examination of the various events, processes and associated outcomes involved during actual IS use. The two empirical studies provide support for the theory of post-adoption IS use developed in this thesis. Finally, this thesis suggests exciting opportunities for future research. / Thesis (Ph.D, Management) -- Queen's University, 2008-08-27 09:00:57.168

Background: Exemestane is a drug of great interest for breast cancer prevention, because it inhibits estrogen production. Estrogen may operate by increasing breast density, a well-established biomarker for increased breast cancer risk. The NCIC CTG MAP.2 trial examined the efficacy of exemestane in decreasing breast density. Menopausal health-related quality of life (HRQL) and adverse events were also carefully monitored during the study. Purpose: To elucidate the impact of exemestane on menopausal HRQL and to examine the relationship between clinician and participant methods of reporting side effects. Methods: 98 postmenopausal women with increased breast density were randomized to exemestane or placebo daily for one year. HRQL was measured with the MENQOL questionnaire, which has four domains. Mean changes in MENQOL domain scores from baseline were compared between treatment groups using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. The difference between groups in the proportion of women with a clinically meaningful decline was compared by domain with the Chi-square test; change scores were considered worsened if increased by ≥ 0.5 points. The association between time-to-decline in menopausal HRQL and treatment was evaluated using Cox PH regression. The kappa statistic quantified the level of agreement between participant-reported and clinician-reported symptoms. Kaplan-Meier estimates of time-to-decline as communicated by clinicians and participants were compared, using three thresholds to define meaningful change. Results: No significant differences in mean change scores were detected, however, a significantly greater proportion of women on exemestane experienced a clinically meaningful decline in physical menopausal HRQL at three months (absolute difference=19%, p= 0.03), while the absolute difference approached significance for vasomotor menopausal HRQL at six months (21%, p= 0.05), and at nine months (21%, p=0.06). The rate of decline in physical menopausal HRQL was 2.08 times greater (95% CI 1.10-3.94) in the exemestane group compared to the placebo group. Agreement between raters was low for all symptoms except hot flashes; in general participants detected symptoms more rapidly than clinicians, regardless of the defined cut-off for meaningful change on the MENQOL. Conclusions: A subset of women on exemestane experienced significant declines in physical and vasomotor symptoms. Generally, participants reported symptoms more frequently and faster than clinicians. / Thesis (Master, Community Health & Epidemiology) -- Queen's University, 2012-06-06 23:55:24.011

Kvalifikacijos tobulinimas - tai nenutrūkstantis viso gyvenimo mokymasis įvairiomis formomis ir būdais, orientuotas į profesinių žinių ir gebėjimų įgijimą ir tobulinimą. Auklėtojos kompetencijos ir profesinių įgūdžių formavimas trunka visą profesinę karjerą. Svarbu, kaip po įvairių kvalifikacinių renginių ikimokyklinio ugdymo pedagogas reflektuoja savo kvalifikacijos tobulinimą, kaip pagerėja ugdomojo proceso kokybė. Labai svarbu, kokias kvalifikacinių tobulinimo programų esmines idėjas ikimokyklinio ugdymo auklėtoja įsisavino, reflektavo, kaip tai atsispindi ugdymo procese ir kas jame pakito. / Professional development is a continuous life-long learning in different ways and forms, focusing on the professional knowledge and skill acquisition, and development. The development of educator competencies and professional skills lasts the whole career. It is important, how does the pre-school teacher reflect on their professional development after various qualifying events, how does the quality of the educational process improve. It is very important what essential ideas of qualification improvement programs pre-school teacher mastered, what conclusions the teacher drew on how this is reflected in the educational process and what did it change. The situation nowadays makes us think about the meaning of teacher development, its effect on the quality of education in the schools. Based on that, the issues were raised: - Is pre-school teacher, which is open to innovation, creative, with communication skills, committed to continuously improve his or her skills and update your knowledge? - Does the teachers' participation in the training / learning events have an impact on the quality of the curriculum? - Do training events echoe the views of teachers and the quality?

This study examined the influence of activated and chronic interpersonal expectations on primary and secondary appraisal of a stressful life event. Fifty-one female undergraduates were asked to imagine themselves facing an unplanned pregnancy, after which affective state and coping strategies were assessed. A subliminal priming technique was used during the experimental session to activate either positive, negative or neutral interpersonal expectations. Chronic interpersonal expectations were assessed in a telephone interview, using the Collins and Read (1990) attachment scale. Activated negative interpersonal expectations reduced positive affect; chronic interpersonal anxiety heightened overall negative affect, while chronic comfort with closeness and feeling one can depend on others were associated with less feelings of depression. Both activated and chronically accessible positive interpersonal expectations increased intentions to seek emotional support. Chronic anxiety in relationships was related to hostile coping, while a lack of comfort with closeness and depending on others were conducive to self-blaming. Implications of these findings for close relationships and stressful life events and for future priming research are discussed.