This thesis deals with the relationship between family and kindergarten. It is mainly focused on communication, through which there is a mutual interaction and relationship builded between teachers and parents. In the communication both actors must strive for the best possible cooperation, since only in this case they can reach their common goal, which is the smooth development and overall development of the child's personality. The theoretical part defines the concept of communication. It analyzes current family and nursery schools as an institution and deals with the relations between them. It also mentions the conflict and some types of barriers that can lead to difficulties in the interaction. The practical part is based on research done through questionnaires which was aimed to teachers and parents. The result presents their subjective evaluation of communication.

Master of Science / Department of Animal Sciences and Industry / Jim L. Nelssen / Eight experiments used 1,712 pigs to determine influences of dietary enzymes or specialty proteins on nursery pig performance. Experiments 1 and 2 evaluated the effects of fish meal, fermented soybean meal, or dried porcine solubles on performance. Experiment 1 showed pigs fed dried porcine solubles had improved (P = 0.01) ADG and G:F compared to pigs fed the control diet, and improved (P = 0.03) G:F compared to pigs fed the combination of fermented soybean meal and fish meal. Experiment 2 showed pigs fed increasing fermented soybean meal had improved (quadratic, P = 0.03) G:F. Experiments 3 and 4 evaluated the effects of commercial enzyme addition to diets containing dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) on performance. In experiment 3, neither DDGS nor enzyme addition influenced (P > 0.10) ADG and G:F. Experiment 4 found there were no (P > 0.32) enzyme × DDGS source interactions. Corn DDGS did not influence pig performance (P > 0.36). Sorghum DDGS reduced (P = 0.003) G:F, with no difference between sorghum DDGS sources. Adding enzymes to 30% DDGS diets did not improve (P > 0.57) performance. Experiments 5 and 6 evaluated the effects of fish meal (SMFM), spray-dried animal plasma (SDAP), or peptone on performance. In Experiment 5, different specialty proteins had similar (P > 0.10) ADG, ADFI, or G:F. Experiment 6 showed pigs fed 4% Peptone 2 during phase 1 and 2% Peptone 2 during phase 2 had improved (P < 0.05) ADG compared to pigs fed SMFM, and improved (P < 0.05) G:F compared to pigs fed all other diets. Experiments 7 and 8 developed an available P release curve for commercial phytase products. In both experiments, pigs fed increasing inorganic P had improved (linear, P < 0.01) G:F and percentage bone ash. Pigs fed increasing OptiPhos 2000-M, Phyzyme XP, or Ronozyme P had improved (P < 0.001) percentage bone ash. Available P release for up to 1,000 FTU/kg of Escherichia coli-derived phytases can be predicted by the equation (y = -0.000000125x[superscript]2 + 0.000236245x + 0.015482), where x is the phytase level in the diet.

Master of Science / Department of Animal Sciences and Industry / Joel DeRouchey / Thirteen experiments using a total of 7,589 nursery and finishing pigs were conducted to evaluate the effects of deoxynivalenol (DON), feed additives and processing conditions on nursery pig growth performance. In addition, feed withdrawal and diet blending were evaluated in finishing pigs. Experiment 1 tested 3 feed additives in DON-contaminated diets with only Defusion Plus improving performance. Experiment 2 evaluated Biofix in both low- and high-DON diets and showed no effects on growth. Experiments 3 and 4 further evaluated levels of Defusion and the effects of pelleting and supplemental nutrients in DON-contaminated diets. Defusion improved growth in low-DON diets, but had variable effects in high DON diets. Pelleting DON-contaminated diets resulted in comparable growth to pigs fed positive control diets in meal form. In Exp. 5 and 6, pilot studies evaluated DON-detoxification using sodium metabisulfite (SMB) with hydrothermal treatment in both an autoclave and a pellet mill. These conditions reduced analyzed DON by as much as 89 and 75% for the autoclave and pellet mill, respectively. In Exp. 7 and 8, pelleting DON-contaminated diets with SMB improved growth. Experiments 9 and 10 evaluated feed-withdrawal time on carcass composition and economic returns. These experiments showed that pre-slaughter fasting for up to 36 h prior can be used to avoid weight discounts in heavyweight pigs without negatively impacting carcass composition and maintaining overall revenue. However, these advantages come with a potential reduction in carcass weight and increased incidence of leaking ingesta, which can result in condemned heads. Experiments 11, 12, and 13 compared phase-feeding to blending diets using an automated feed delivery system. These studies showed that corn-supplement blending is not economical and feeding diets blended to a Lys curve results in lower feed costs compared to phase-feeding, but due to reductions in growth and carcass weight, these savings do not translate into higher income over feed cost. Finally, Exp. 13 showed that over- and under-budgeting situations do not significantly influence overall returns, but pigs fed under-budgeted diets performed more closely to those fed correctly estimated feed budgets.

Master of Science / Department of Animal Sciences and Industry / Jim Nelssen / Seven experiments using a total of 3,251 preweaned pigs, nursery pigs, and sows were used to determine the effects of: 1) supplemental vitamin D[subscript]3 on suckling and nursery pig growth, and maternal performance, and 2) high sulfate water, dietary zeolite and humic substance on nursery pig performance. Also, a web-based survey was developed to question pork producers and advisors of the swine industry on their knowledge of feed efficiency. Experiment 1 tested an oral dose of either; none, 40,000 or 80,000 IU vitamin D[subscript]3 given to pigs 24 to 48 h after farrowing. No differences in growth performance or bone mineralization were observed, but vitamin D[subscript]3 supplementation increased serum 25(OH)D[subscript]3 on d 10, 20, and 30, but returned to control values by d 52. Experiments 2 and 3 evaluated an oral dose of vitamin D[subscript]3 to pigs just before weaning, as well as added D[subscript]3 in nursery diets and in drinking water. There were no effects on growth performance; however, serum 25(OH)D[subscript]3 increased with all sources of vitamin D[subscript]3 supplementation. Experiment 4 evaluated if pigs had a preference to 1 of 3 dietary concentrations of vitamin D[subscript]3. Pigs ate less feed from diets containing very high levels of vitamin D[subscript]3 compared to commonly supplemented levels. Experiment 5 evaluated 3 levels of vitamin D[subscript]3 in sow diets. There were no effects on sow productivity, subsequent pig performance, or piglet bone ash content. However, increasing vitamin D[subscript]3 increased sow serum 25(OH)D[subscript]3, milk vitamin D, and pig serum 25(OH)D[subscript]3. Experiment 6 and 7 evaluated the effects of dietary zeolite and humic substances in nursery pigs drinking high sulfate water. Ultimately, pigs drinking high sulfate water had increased fecal moisture content and decreased growth performance, and feed additives evaluated were ineffective in ameliorating these negative effects. Finally, data collected from the feed efficiency survey suggest that there are knowledge gaps about practices that effect feed efficiency. Results from this survey will help extension educators better target specific industry segments with current information and provide more specific areas of future research where lack of information has been identified.

Master of Science / Department of Animal Sciences and Industry / Joel DeRouchey / Seven experiments using a total of 2,997 nursery and finishing pigs were used to determine the effects of: 1) dietary wheat middlings (midds), dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS), and NE diet formulation on nursery pig growth performance; 2) corn particle size, complete diet grinding, and diet form on finishing pig growth performance, and carcass characteristics, and 3) particle size, complete diet grinding, and diet form on nursery pig growth. Experiments 1-4 evaluated dietary wheat middlings at levels of up to 20% of the diet for 7 to 23 kg pigs. Increasing dietary midds decreased growth performance but mainly when 10% of more was added. Balancing diets containing 10 or 20% midds on a NE basis had no significant effects on performance compared with not adjusting for NE of the diet. In Exp. 5, the effects of decreasing particle size, complete diet grinding, and diet form were evaluated on finishing pig growth performance, and carcass characteristics. Diet form × portion ground interactions existed for ADG, ADFI, and HCW as grinding the complete diet in meal form was detrimental to performance but advantageous to performance when diets were fed in pelleted form. Reducing the particle size of corn improved G:F and caloric efficiencies. Pelleting the diet improved ADG, G:F, caloric efficiencies, HCW, and loin depth. Experiment 6 evaluated varying particle sizes, diet form, and complete diet grinding on nursery pig growth performance. Pigs fed pelleted diets had improved ADG, G:F, and caloric efficiencies. Fine grinding corn or the complete diet with high by-products diet decreased ADG, ADFI, G:F, and final BW. Experiment 7 evaluated varying particle sizes of corn and DDGS, diet form, and complete diet grinding on nursery pig growth performance. Pigs fed finely ground corn had decreased ADFI when the diet was fed in pellet form and more severe reductions in ADFI when diets were fed in meal form resulting in a diet form × corn particle size interaction. Pigs fed pelleted diets had decreased ADG, ADFI, G:F and final BW, but improved caloric efficiencies. Finely grinding corn decreased ADG, and feeding DDGS decreased ADG, ADFI, and NE caloric efficiency.

Master of Science / Department of Agricultural Economics / Hikaru H. Peterson / Aleksan Shanoyan / Nurseries and garden centers face challenges to stay economically viable, particularly in rural areas. Their efforts to advertise horticultural products through traditional methods seem insufficient to increase their sales. Marketing through new media is receiving more attention by businesses across various industries. In order to assess whether this growing interest in new-media is applicable to the green house industry, it is important to determine their impact on business performance and the factors driving its adoption. Few studies report the impact of social media on nurseries and garden centers performance. The literature on technology adoption shows that network and learning effects play a critical role in agricultural technology adoption (Bandiera and Rasul, 2006; Baerenklau, 2005), while perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness have been identified as the major factors of adoption of information technology (Davis, 1989; Lorenzo-Romero et al., 2014). This study builds on the known factors of agricultural and information technology adoption to determine the key variables affecting the extent of use of new-media marketing in the green industry. Using a survey, data were collected from 161 nurseries and garden centers across the United States. Results indicate that the network effect had a robustly, positive effect on the extent of use of new-media marketing in the green industry. The estimated network effect was statistically significant in the models using frequency of online marketing use, frequency of social media use and hours of social media use as the respective dependent variables measuring the use of new media. Other statistically significant factors include the percentage of retail sales, the perceived usefulness, and the city population. The study also found that new-media marketing, measured by the number of hours spent on social media, had a positive impact on sales for nurseries and garden centers making more than $200,000 a year. By providing evidence of new-media marketing effectiveness, these results contradict the belief that sales do not increase immediately after a social media campaign, suggesting a low return on investment. Besides this evidence, the magnitude of the network effect and the differences in critical factors driving adoption across firm size are key information to tailor training programs and make informed policy decisions to support marketing efforts.

Anecdotal evidence suggested that immature lemon sharks (Negaprion brevirostris) occur at the Chandeleur Islands in southeastern Louisiana. From May 2009 to August 2011, the Nekton Research Laboratory at the University of New Orleans regularly sampled habitats at the Chandeleur Islands to confirm the presence of immature individuals of this species. During these efforts, 147 immature lemon sharks (neonates, young-of-the-year, and juveniles) were collected. Each shark was PIT tagged and a tissue sample was taken for genetic analyses. Sizes ranged from 56 – 177 cm total length. Sharks showed a preference for sandy substrate and smaller individuals showed significant preference for shallow waters. Collection data for N. brevirostris were obtained from various locations around the Gulf of Mexico for comparison. Based on a review of current literature, collection data, and microsatellite analysis it was possible to classify the Chandeleur Islands as an elasmobranch nursery ground under the definition presented by Huepel et al. (2007). Current literature and high densities of N. brevirostris suggests that the Chandeleur Islands are the only area in the northern Gulf of Mexico where neonatal and YOY lemon sharks have been recorded. Results from a combination of SPOT 5 satellite tags, PIT tags, and FLOY tags show that immature N. brevirostris at the Chandeleur Islands remain in the vicinity of the islands for several months. The abundance of juvenile sharks across years provides evidence of continuous use of these islands as a pupping area. Genetic analysis supports this information with 7 of 15 mothers returning across years. The combination of this information indicates that the Chandeleur Islands are the northern- and western-most documented nursery ground for this species. Special care should be given to this habitat as CPUE for N. brevirostris decreased significantly during this research following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster and subsequent oil prevention measures. Genetic research indicates a high level of inbreeding and genetic separation between the Chandeleur Islands population and other known populations in Florida, Belize, and the Bahamas.

Syftet med denna undersökning är att undersöka vad elever i förskoleklass har för art kunskaper om växter och hur de har fått den kunskapen. Studien genomfördes genom att intervjua tio elever. De elever som deltog i studien var 6-7 år gamla. Intervjufrågorna illustrerades med hjälp av bilder för eleverna. Resultaten från studien visar att de flesta elever hade bäst kännedom om växterna från sin egen trädgård. Elevernas utsagor visar att art kunskapen erhållits via deras vardag genom att vistas i trädgården. Slutsatsen av undersökningen är således att eleverna har god art kunskap om olika växter, även om flera missuppfattningar existerar. Dessa kunskaper utgår ofta av barnens egna erfarenheter och från den begreppsvärld de växer upp i. En implikation för undervisningen är att genom att undervisa i naturen, och visa på de olika växternas utseende och samtidigt ställa frågor till eleverna om växterna, ges eleverna möjligheter att se sambandet mellan växtens utseende namn, vilket kan förbättra art kunskapen. / The aim of this study is to explore what plant species children in nursery class have knowledge about. A second aim is to investigate from where this species knowledge originate from. Ten pupils at the age of six and seven years old were interviewed, using semi structured methodology, about their understanding of plants. The results show that pupils mostly recognized plants originating from their own garden, which indicates that their understanding of plants has been gained from their everyday experiences. Hence, the main conclusion is that pupils in nursery class know a lot about plants, but also have many inaccurate conceptions, and that the understanding is often based upon experiences from the students’ everyday life. An implication from the study is that teaching by seeing nature would be a good teaching instruction to develop, how the different plants look while asking questions about plants, the connection between the plants appearance and its name can then become clear for the children.

A presente investigação de natureza qualitativa (BOGDAN; BIKLEN,1999) refere-se a um estudo de caso único (YIN, 2005; STAKE, 2011), realizada em uma creche municipal de São Bernardo do Campo, tendo como objeto de estudo o brincar dos bebês no contexto coletivo. A suposição básica orientadora da pesquisa é a definição do brincar como ação primordial dos bebês, que pode ser qualificada no âmbito das interações e de adultos sensíveis defensores da brincadeira como um dos eixos do currículo na educação infantil, nos termos das Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais para a Educação Infantil (BRASIL, 2010). Partiu-se dos questionamentos: Quais teorias e crenças estão presentes nos discursos das gestoras e educadoras referentes ao brincar dos bebês? As ações praticadas nos berçários explicitam os conhecimentos e, portanto, a perspectiva pedagógica que sustenta a forma como se concebem as condições do brincar dos bebês no berçário? Como é possível reconhecer a presença dos conhecimentos convocados pelas educadoras em suas práticas nos processos de formação contínua que ocorrem no interior da creche? A base teórico-argumentativa da pesquisa encontra-se nos conceitos de pedagogias participativas e de pedagogias explícitas de Oliveira-Formosinho e Formosinho (2007, 2016) para discutir homologamente a educação de crianças e de professores da educação infantil e nas formulações relativas ao brincar depreendidas da proposta pedagógica de Elinor Goldschmied e Jackson (2006; MAJEM, ÒDENA, 2011), criadoras do cesto dos tesouros e do jogo heurístico, além da pedagogia do brincar livre amplamente relacionada à Abordagem Pikler (2010, FALK, 2011; SOARES, 2017a, BALOG, 2017), em diálogo com as teorizações de Kishimoto (1993, 2011, 2012) e Rossetti-Ferreira (2004, 2006). Recorreu-se à análise documental; à observação do cotidiano de duas turmas de berçário; ao acompanhamento de momentos formativos da unidade e às entrevistas semiestruturadas, envolvendo três gestoras, quatro professoras e três auxiliares em educação. O estudo empírico estendeu-se de fevereiro a novembro de 2017. As conclusões do estudo sugerem que no planejamento e concretização das brincadeiras dos bebês nos berçários, as professoras e auxiliares em educação convocam conhecimentos implícitos construídos em suas experiências como alunas e no seio familiar, nas interações com seus pares na creche e a partir de práticas difundidas na própria Rede Municipal de Educação, acomodadas sob uma pedagogia transmissiva. Contudo, nos discursos dessas profissionais identificaramse características de pedagogias participativas, primordialmente depreendidas da formação contínua, em serviço realizada na creche coordenada pelas gestoras. / This qualitative research (BOGDAN; BIKLEN, 1999) refers to a single case study (YIN, 2005; STAKE, 2011) made in a municipal nursery in São Bernardo do Campo, taking the babies play in a collective context as its object of study. The basic assumption of the research´s leader is the concept of playing as babies prime action, which can be labeled with in the scope of interactions and sensitive adults who defend play as one of the foundations of the early child education curriculum, in the terms of National Curricular Guidelines of early childhood education (BRASIL, 2010). It started from the questions: which theories and beliefs are present in the managers and educators speeches referring to the babies play? Do the actions practiced in nurseries explicit the knowledge and, therefore, the pedagogic perspective which supports the way how babies ´playing conditions in nurseries are conceived? Is it possible to meet the knowledge called upon by educators when working with the continuous formation process which happens in a nursery? This research´s theorical-argumentative foundations are the concepts of OliveiraFormosinho´s and Formosinho´s (2007; 2016) participative pedagogies and explicit pedagogies proposal made by Elinor Goldschmied and Jackson 2006; MAJEM. ÒDENA, 2011), creators of the treasure basket and heuristic play; the free play pedagogy, widely related to the Pikler Approach (2010; FALK, 2011; SOARES, 2017a; BALOG, 2017), in dialogue with Kishimoto´s (1993, 2010, 2011, 2012) and Rossetti-Ferreira´s (2004,2006) theorizing. The investigation resorted to documental analysis, observation of two nursery classes day-to-day, monitoring of formative moments in the nursery and semi structured interviews involving three nursery managers, four teachers and three education assistants. The empiric study happened between February 2017 and November 2017. The study conclusions suggest that, in babies play planning and substantiation at nurseries, teachers and education assistants call upon implicit knowledge generated in their experience as students and in their families; in the interaction with their partners at the nursery and in the practices spread in the municipal education network, which are based on transmissive pedagogies. Nevertheless, in these professionals´ speeches, some participative pedagogies features were identified, which were primarily learned by them at continuous formation moments coordinated by the nursery managers.

La thèse questionne la place d’interventions artistiques, telle que le spectacle vivant, auprès des professionnel/le/s de la petite enfance, travaillant dans les établissements d’accueil du jeune enfant (EAJE). Elle s’inscrit dans un contexte professionnel à deux niveaux. Le premier considère les dernières réformes juridiques et les contraintes financières, qui ont accru une rationalité instrumentale des institutions, et entraîné une recomposition des identités professionnelles. Le second étudie les caractéristiques du travail près des jeunes enfants, où les actes répétitifs sont nombreux, associés à une implication subjective et émotionnelle, imposant des références aux théories du care. Le cadre épistémologique de la thèse prend appui sur les fondements de l’histoire de l’Ecole de Chicago, les professionnel/le/s de la petite enfance sont alors considéré/e/s dans un rôle d’acteur/rice/s. Différents types de matériaux ont été collectés. Le premier a été la constitution d’un recueil et d’une analyse de la presse spécialisée de la petite enfance. Un deuxième a été la réalisation d’entretien semi-directifs avec des spécialistes de la petite enfance (2), de l’art (2), des institutions politiques (2). Le dernier a été un temps d’immersion, dans une crèche collective, le jour où est accueilli un spectacle de danse contemporaine, avec deux entretiens pour trois salarié/e/s : avant le spectacle et un mois après. La thèse met en lumière dans quelle mesure il/elle/s sont aussi les destinataires du spectacle. La thèse montre la construction de la posture de spectateur/rice, tout en étant professionnel/le, et des éléments de compréhension des relations entre les intervenant/e/s artistiques et les professionnel/le/s. Ces éléments sont pensés en tenant compte des différents paramètres pouvant constituer des freins, tout en considérant une valorisation de la vie quotidienne des jeunes enfants. / This PhD thesis deals with the use, by early childhood professionals working in establishment proving care for young children, of artistic intervention such as performing arts. Its inscription in a professional context is double. The first one takes into account the last legal reforms and financial constraints. Both participate to increase the use of an instrumental rationality inside these institutions leading to a reconfiguration of professionals’ identities. The second one highlights the different characteristics of such a work which requires many repetitive acts with a need of both emotional and subjective implication. References of the theory of care can therefore be useful.The epistemological framework of this research leans on the School of Chicago’s historical background, which mean that early childhood professionals are considered as actors.Different sets of data were collected. The first one was a compilation and analysis of early childhood specialized press. The second one was semi-structured interviews with experts of early childhood, arts and political institutions. The last one was an immersion inside a collaborative crèche, during the day of the performance of a contemporary dance show. Two interviews, one before the performance and another a month after, were conducted with three professionals of the crèche.This PhD thesis highlights that performing arts are also addressed to professionals of crèche. It shows how the posture of being a spectator is built by these professionals. It gives an understanding on the relationship between artists and professionals. It is thought by taking into account different parameters that can constitute brakes in this relationship as well as considering the valorization of the everyday life of young children.