This thesis investigates issues and challenges surrounding the use of teacher study groups as a means of addressing the gap that must be closed between design principles and classroom practices in order to effectively implement an educational innovation. A multiple-case design was used to examine how teachers’ perceived understanding of the Knowledge Building Communities principles changed over time and affected their implementation of the Knowledge Building Communities model—a model that requires student engagement in the collaborative production of ideas that are continually improved by all participants. Knowledge Forum® is an on-line environment designed to support Knowledge Building. Data sources for this study include teacher interviews, transcripts of study group meetings, teachers’ ratings of their perceived understanding of Knowledge Building principles, teacher and student activity in Knowledge Forum, and student interviews. In total this study involved seven teachers and eleven study group meetings across three school sites. Based on work at a site already engaged in Knowledge Building a tentative proposition was developed: discussing Knowledge Building principles increases teachers’ perceived understanding of these principles and contributes to increasingly effective designs for implementing them. This proposition was tested and refined at two additional elementary public schools. Taken together the findings suggest the importance of and difficulties surrounding study groups focused on principle-based approaches to pedagogical change. In particular, the findings point to discussion and active engagement with the principles as a catalyst for change. A data analysis technique was developed to examine the discourse patterns of select episodes of study group meetings. The resulting pattern suggests the principles can frame a study groups’ work and set the groundwork for change through discussion of goals underlying the principles, stories relevant to their implementation, and commitment to ongoing experimentation to address obstacles. Detailed accounts of teacher difficulties and change form the basis of a descriptive model developed to convey how teachers address contextual concerns in their study groups, with elaboration of the types of interactions that help them move to deeper understanding of principles and to more successful implementations of the Knowledge Building Communities model.

A concentric pneumatic nebulizer (CPN) and a custom designed flow focusing nebulizer (FFN) are characterized. As will be shown, the classical Nukiyama-Tanasawa and Rizk-Lefebvre models lead to erroneous size prediction for the concentric nebulizer under typical operating conditions due to its specific design, geometry, dimension and different flow regimes. The models are then modified to improve the agreement with the experimental results. The size prediction of the modified models together with the spray velocity characterization are used to determine the overall nebulizer efficiency and also employed as input to a new Maximum Entropy Principle (MEP) based model to predict joint size-velocity distribution analytically. The new MEP model is exploited to study the local variation of size-velocity distribution in contrast to the classical models where MEP is applied globally to the entire spray cross section. As will be demonstrated, the velocity distribution of the classical MEP models shows poor agreement with experiments for the cases under study. Modifications to the original MEP modeling are proposed to overcome this deficiency. In addition, the new joint size-velocity distribution agrees better with our general understanding of the drag law and yields realistic results. / PhD

Abstract: Pharmaceuticals and their metabolites, collectively known as pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs), have been detected in surface water, groundwater, and drinking water, in a number of countries, since the mid-1990s. Pharmaceuticals can be used in human or veterinary medicine; human pharmaceuticals in the environment are the subject of this dissertation. Human pharmaceuticals enter the environment via wastewater treatment plants, after being consumed and excreted by humans, and through improper disposal, to toilets and garbage, among other routes of entry. Some PhACs have been found to have detrimental effects on aquatic organisms at low concentrations, such as the feminization of fish after exposure to low levels of 17-ethinylestradiol, the active ingredient in the birth control pill. Others are suspected of having effects on non-target species, but the impacts of long-term exposure to mixtures of PhACs generally remain poorly understood. Nevertheless, the precautionary principle suggests that management action to mitigate the environmental impacts of PhACs should be considered and possibly implemented. The purpose of this dissertation is to provide an analysis of precautionary management strategies to mitigate the environment impacts of human PhACs. Four underlying objectives are set. The first is to review the extant scientific understanding of human PhACs in the environment, so that this knowledge can be applied to the analysis of management strategies. The sources, transport, fate, and occurrence of PhACs are discussed, and several classes of PhACs of particular concern are highlighted. The effects of PhACs on humans and aquatic organisms are explored, in addition to the gaps in scientific understanding of PhACs in aquatic environments. Finally, a rough ranking of priority PhACs is conducted; the PhACs of greatest concern are found to be carbamazepine, clofibric acid, ifosfamid, 17a-ethinylestradiol, oxytetracycline, ciprofloxacin, and diclofenac. The second objective is to investigate how planning and management principles and theories can be applied to the problem of PhACs in the environment. The precautionary principle and the theory of adaptive planning are identified as essential tools in this regard. The application of the precautionary principle and adaptive planning to pharmaceuticals in the environment are discussed, and a management framework is developed. The third objective is to determine how human PhACs in the environment can be managed at a local scale, using a case study in the Region of Waterloo. Pharmaceuticals released from two wastewater treatment plans are found entering the local environment at concentrations similar to those in other cities internationally. Social surveys indicate that residents desire management action to prevent environmental contamination by pharmaceuticals, but at a limited cost. The surveys also indicate that many residents dispose of pharmaceuticals improperly; education to encourage proper drug disposal is therefore recommended as one of several management strategies. The other two recommended management strategies target the wastewater treatment plants. In Foxboro, where the wastewater treatment plant is functioning less than optimally, optimization without technological upgrades is suggested. In Kitchener, where the plant is functioning within ministerial guidelines, ozonation is suggested as a means of improving pharmaceutical removal without exceeding residents’ willingness to pay. The fourth and final objective is to assess how human pharmaceuticals can be managed at a broad scale, such as at the national scale. Stakeholder interviews are conducted with the purpose of gaining a deeper understanding of possible management strategies. A policy analysis is conducted to determine which combinations of management strategies are likely to optimally address the problem of PhACs in the environment, and some policy packages are recommended for implementation by governments – in particular, multiple levels of government in Canada. This dissertation is among the first research efforts to investigate the management of pharmaceuticals in the environment. Few efforts to date have combined natural scientific research, social scientific research, and an understanding of planning and management theories, to explore policy and management options for this issue. It is hoped that this research will provide assistance to various governments grappling with pharmaceuticals in the environment. Furthermore, the research provides insight into how environmental problems surrounded by high levels of scientific uncertainty can be managed. The framework for precautionary decision making developed in this study can provide guidance to planners, managers and policy makers faced with the problem of uncertain environmental risk.

In this paper, I will try to answer the question how the aesthetic idea in Kant’s aesthetic theory accounts for the universal validity of the subjective judgment of taste, and what the nature of the aesthetic idea is that makes such account possible. This claim about universal validity of the subjective judgment of taste in Kant’s philosophy is regarded to be problematic because of the seeming contradiction between the subjectivity of a judgment and its universality. What can solve this contradiction, from my point of view, is the role of the aesthetic idea that it plays in the judgment of taste and the subjective principle that puts cognitive powers of mind in a harmonious free relationship. The main feature that makes the aesthetic idea the source of the universal validity is its universal communicability expressed in the universally pleasurable feeling of the judgment of taste.

WORD READING STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT OF DEAF AND HARD-OF-HEARING PRESCHOOLERS by Victoria Burke Siegler’s (1996) overlapping waves model of strategy development applied to reading posits that children use multiple strategies to read words from the earliest stage of reading development, that these strategies coexist over a long period of time, and that experience results in gradual change in the strategies children use and the effectiveness with which they are executed. Phonological recoding is one of the most effective early developing reading strategies and is predictive of future reading success for hearing children (Ehri, 2005; Juel & Mindencupp, 2000; Share & Gur, 1999). However, less is known regarding the extent to which young children who are deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) develop and use phonological strategies to read words. Due to technological advances such as cochlear implants and digital hearing aids, many DHH children have sufficient functional hearing to be able to perceive and represent spoken language. For these children, beginning reading strategies may resemble those of hearing children (Geers, Tobey, Moog, & Brenner, 2008; Lederberg, Schick, & Spencer, in press). The purpose of this study was to describe changes in the word reading strategies of 15 DHH preschoolers with functional hearing. These children received explicit instruction in alphabetic knowledge, phonological awareness, and early reading strategies in a year-long intervention. Instruction was videotaped and children’s overt behavior while independently reading words was coded for reading strategy and accuracy. The preschoolers used multiple reading strategies at all times including two phonological recoding strategies (segmenting phonemes only, segmenting and blending phonemes) and retrieval. Gradual change was observed in strategy choice, execution, and accuracy. Children’s use of segmenting only decreased while segmenting and blending phonemes increased between the beginning and middle of the year. Retrieval use increased between the middle and end of the year. Execution of phonological strategies gradually improved over the year. These results suggest young DHH children who have functional hearing develop and use strategies in a manner similar to hearing children and benefit from explicit instruction in the alphabetic principle.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 states that all people are entitled to freedom and equality. Providing freedom is an important part of democracy and development yet the process is not always simple and it faces many obstacles. Freedom is identified in many forms but one of the most contentious forms is freedom of religion and conscience; it is currently the subject of heated debate as some prioritise it above all other freedoms whilst others argue that religion is too often the cause of conflict and should not exist at all. Providing freedom of religion means defending a person’s right to practise their religious beliefs, though some can hinder the freedom of others. One of the obstacles facing the provision of various freedoms might be the defence of religious freedom. In order to make more people more free, it may be necessary to limit religious freedom to a certain extent. By employing an abductive approach, this qualitative desk study infers from the observation of occurrences where religious freedom has detrimentally affected or been affected by another form of freedom that an inverse relationship might exist and furthermore that conflict could result. The cases, each one an incident taking place in a highly developed and democratic country, were collected from online newspapers, primarily the BBC, and were analysed using Mill’s Harm Principle as a framework. It was found that, rather than threatening other forms of freedom, defending the religious freedom of one group is more likely to threaten the religious freedom of another group. Small-scale, recurring conflict is a common occurrence, most often resolved judicially and in favour of the majority. It was concluded that freedom in all its forms is not possible for all people simultaneously and that limiting freedom to avoid harming others it also likely to cause harm.

Parkinson’s disease is a clinical syndrome manifesting with slowness and instability. As it is a progressive disease with varying symptoms, repeated assessments are necessary to determine the outcome of treatment changes in the patient. In the recent past, a computer-based method was developed to rate impairment in spiral drawings. The downside of this method is that it cannot separate the bradykinetic and dyskinetic spiral drawings. This work intends to construct the computer method which can overcome this weakness by using the Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT) of tangential velocity. The work is done under supervised learning, so a target class is used which is acquired from a neurologist using a web interface. After reducing the dimension of HHT features by using PCA, classification is performed. C4.5 classifier is used to perform the classification. Results of the classification are close to random guessing which shows that the computer method is unsuccessful in assessing the cause of drawing impairment in spirals when evaluated against human ratings. One promising reason is that there is no difference between the two classes of spiral drawings. Displaying patients self ratings along with the spirals in the web application is another possible reason for this, as the neurologist may have relied too much on this in his own ratings.

Traditionally, it has been argued that companies are only responsible towards their shareholders, to maximize the profits. But lately it has changed into another way of responsibilty. It has become of great importance to demonstrate sustainable long-term values for stakeholders to identify with. This thesis aims to clarify the banks’ definition of responsible investment and what criteria they assume when talking about such kind of investments. Furthermore, the thesis intends to examine how the banks in their role as an agent can contribute so their customers can achieve responsible investments. The issues dealt with are: What criterias must a responsible investment meet according to the Swedish banks? and How can the Swedish banks contribute so their clients' investments falls under what is defined as responsible investment?The conclusions of this study show that to conduct a dialogue with companies that violate norms and principles is considered more responsible, than to exclude companies and divest holding. A responsible investment is thus an investment on which banks are active owners and influence companies through dialogues. / Traditionellt sett har det hävdats att företag endast har ett ansvar gentemot aktieägarna. I takt med globaliseringen och en ökad medvetenhet om hur företag påverkar omvärlden, blir trycket allt större på att organisationer och företag ska ta ett ansvar bortom årets resultat. Påtryckningarna kommer främst från företagens intressenter och utgörs av deras krav på företagets verksamhet. För att ett företag ska kunna överleva i en föränderlig omvärld är det av stor vikt att företaget kan uppvisa hållbara värderingar som intressenterna långsiktigt kan identifiera sig med. Företagsledningen måste därför acceptera att det finns andra mål än vinstmaximering och vara redo att arbeta med flera parallella målsättningar av olika slag. Det är genom detta arbete som företaget måste hitta vägar att möta dessa krav och på så vis axla sitt ansvar gentemot omvärlden. SRI, Socially Responsible Investment, går i linje med att företagen ska förmå att ta sitt ansvar. SRI medför att aktieägarna genom sina investeringar ges en möjlighet att utöva påtryckningar på företagen, att integrera CSR-arbetet i sin verksamhet, samtidigt som de får ekonomisk avkastning. På en internationell nivå är FN:s principer för ansvarsfulla investeringar, UN’s Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), kanske det mest betydelsefulla initiativet för att kombinera ett ansvarsfullt agerande med ekonomisk avkastning. Principerna förser investerare med ett ramverk för att ställa krav på företagen att implementera ett arbete avseende miljö- och socialt ansvar, samt frågor som rör bolagsstyrning i företagens verksamheter. Denna uppsats syftar till att bringa klarhet i vad som, enligt de ledande bankerna i Sverige, avses med ansvarsfulla investeringar och vilka kriterier bankerna utgår från när de talar om den här typen av investering. Vidare studeras hur bankerna i sin roll som agenter kan verka för att kundernas placeringar blir ansvarsfulla investeringar. Frågeställningarna som uppsatsen behandlar lyder: Vilka kriterier utgår Sveriges ledande banker från när de definierar en ansvarsfull investering? samt Hur kan Sveriges ledande banker verka för att deras kunders placeringar faller inom ramen för ansvarsfulla investeringar? Studien visar att de ledande bankerna i Sverige följer Principles for Responsible Investments när de talas om ansvarsfulla investeringar. Respondenterna och bankerna har genomgående definierat en ansvarsfull investering som en investering där ägaren är aktiv i sin roll och påverkar bolagen att leva upp till ESG-kriterierna. Bankerna är i sin roll som agenter av stor betydelse för dialogen med bolagen för att kundernas placeringar faller inom ramen för ansvarsfulla investeringar. Att föra en dialog med bolag som bryter mot normer och principer anses mer ansvarsfullt än att exkludera bolagen och avyttra innehavet.

The public sector is a major purchaser of goods and services. By setting requirements for environmental and social considerations in public procurement, an authority has the possibility to use consumer power to influence the actors in a market. The purpose of this paper is to investigate public procurement of textile products in a municipality, in order to gain knowledge about factors that may be important for the use of environmental and social criteria. Håkan Hydén´s (professor in sociology of law) norm model was used as the basis of the analysis, where the conduct was investigated along three dimensions of the norm – willingness, knowledge and system conditions – in order to identify underlying factors that can influence the process. The results – analyzed by using interviews and documents – show that the procurer's willingness, motivation and knowledge are important factors in this context, as well as the political priority of the municipality. Procurers gain knowledge in this area to a large extent through networking with other actors. The possibilities to be able to verify the criteria are important. Verification of requirements is problematic because the municipality, as a public actor, is far from the production in the textile production chain. Lack of knowledge, in the form of mapping the textile production, prevents the development of criteria for best available technique. However, demands on manufacturing can be set indirectly by asking for some eco-labels (or equivalent) as verification. Furthermore, system conditions in terms of rules in the public procurement legislation set the framework for the procurement process. / Chemicals in textiles: Managing environmental and health risks from products with complex product chains

This essay attempts to examine whether it is possible to find a mutual understanding of the concept of drive between Spinoza’s philosophy and Freud’s psychoanalytical theory. Former texts on this subject have given a variety of conclusions: from a radical separation between the two authors to a complete identification between the two. The drive, or the desire which is the term Spinoza uses, has in Spinoza’s philosophy its foundation in the concept of conatus. Conatus is every thing’s strive to persevere in its being and is the expression of God’s, or the only substance’s, force and action in a here and a now. In the Freudian theory the term trieb, drive, is defined by it’s variation regarding object, source and aim. The late Freudian theory of drives separates the life drive, also called Eros, from the death drive. Eros is the strive of every being to maintain life but also to procreate and create stronger unities of life. It is, as the strive of conatus, a persevering strive. However, in examining the strive of conatus to persevere in its being, which could be said to strive by the guidance of a principle of joy, the distinction between the concept of conatus and the Freudian Eros is made visible through the comparison to the Freudian pleasure principle.