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No description available.

The present study examined the relationship between life event stress, illness and alcohol use as a function of one's social support level and personality, while taking into account the "contamination" of past life event research and the potential differential response to life event stress (i.e., depression, psychosomatic disorders and alcohol use). Three hundred and three university undergraduate students voluntarily completed an extensive questionnaire. In addition to demographics and life event stress, predictor variables measured were: social support, including loneliness; anxiety, rationality, and self concept. Outcome measures included depression, psychosomatic disorders, and alcohol use. According to the study results, life event stress was observed to be associated with mental and physical illness but was found to be unrelated to alcohol use. The "contaminated" events seemed to account for the stress-illness relationship. Uncontaminated life stressors did not interact with social support or personality variables to predict any of the outcome measures. Further, according to canonical correlation analysis, the predictor canonical variables related similarly, not differentially, to the outcome canonical variables. Life event stress did not seem to predict different outcomes among different people. It was concluded that little, if any, relationship exists between life stress and mental or physical illness, nor does this study provide support for a relationship between life event stress and alcohol use. These findings were suggested to be as a result of methodological problems. In the future, there is a need to reconceptualize stress and measure it differently, including utilizing longitudinal designs.

There is no abstract available for this thesis.

In certain rural areas of Manitoba, the character of the rural residential population has changed. People have built or bought houses around land that had been previously used exclusively for agriculture. These rural residents have invested in their property and are very sensitive to any activity that may interfere with their “rural lifestyle” or affect the value of their property. In the past, livestock production, in particular hog production was generally one component of mixed farming operation. Livestock production in Manitoba has undergone significant changes in recent years, both in size of operation and production method. It has now become a specialized industry where operations have become much larger and more capital intensive than farms of thirty years ago. These factors have resulted in situations where land use conflicts have and continue to occur. Typically, regulatory zoning, in conjunction with manual review of land cover overlay and topographic maps have been used to select sites for livestock operations. This approach can be time consuming and expensive. An alternative approach is the development of a geographic information system (GIS) to define optimal locations for livestock operations and non-farm rural residents. The use of such a model has the capability to reduce the number of rural land use conflicts. This study starts by documenting the significant changes in recent years of rural residential development and the size as well as the production method of hog operations in Manitoba. It then draws on a series of interviews to gain insight into the complex land use conflicts within the study area and to inform the creation of a geographic information system (GIS) model. This practicum explores “smart” land use analysis using a combination of GIS and Land Use Conflict Identification Strategy (LUCIS) modeling to represent the spatial consequences of land use decisions. This research has resulted in the development of a GIS model to be used as a decision support tool in developing policy surrounding future development and land use; including appropriate locations of any new or expanding livestock operations and rural non-farm residents within the Rural Municipality (RM) of St. Andrews, MB.

The prevalence of smoking among individuals living with mental illness is high. The purpose of this study was to describe the knowledge, confidence, attitudes, training, nursing practice, perceived overall ability, interest and demographics of psychiatric/mental health nurses regarding tobacco use among psychiatric inpatients. A non-experimental descriptive correlational cross-sectional design was used. Sixty surveys were returned with an overall response rate of 39%. A minority of nurses were knowledgeable about the “5As” of smoking cessation, (Ask about smoking, Advise to quit, Assess readiness to quit, Assist with quitting, Arrange follow-up), a well known intervention framework. Most psychiatric/mental health nurses were confident about assisting patients with tobacco use and attitudes toward intervention were more positive than reported in the literature. However, actual tobacco-related nursing practice was sub-optimal. Minimal tobacco-related training during entry level into nursing practice may be one reason for this situation. Nurses require systemic support to enhance tobacco-related nursing practice.

Temporary uses generally have a low profile in urban planning; there is not much research on them at this time and they are not a conventional tool within planners’ “tool kits.” The purpose of this practicum is to explore the effectiveness of temporary uses as tools for reanimating underutilized spaces and supporting strong urban design, especially in a slow growth city like Winnipeg. The argument put forward is that a better understanding of temporary uses and how they can be encouraged will make planning and design in downtown Winnipeg more flexible and adaptable to changing urban conditions while making better use of available space. The objectives of this research are to provide an overview of contemporary theory and practices regarding the temporary use of urban spaces; to develop recommendations for encouraging effective temporary use in Winnipeg; and to highlight gaps in the literature and to suggest directions for further research. Specific questions are asked regarding the claimed benefits and drawbacks to temporary uses of space, regarding the applicability of experiences in other cities to Winnipeg’s planning context, and regarding changes that could be make to Winnipeg’s policies practice in order to support and encourage a wider range temporary use projects. Several research methods, including a literature review, precedent studies, context analysis and policy document review, and stakeholder consultations, provide information to help develop eight recommendations suggesting improvements that could be made to the way in which temporary use projects are currently handled in Winnipeg.

Understanding habitat requirements of species is fundamental for their conservation. Comparing habitat variables measured at locations where animals are found to random locations is one method of understanding how a species uses its habitat non-randomly. Northwestern gartersnakes (Thamnophis ordinoides) are common in parks in Victoria, but their specific habitat requirements are poorly understood. Victoria’s parks vary in habitat composition from mature Douglas-fir forest to Garry Oak meadow, with open grassy areas, to parking lots and patches of dense invasive shrubs. Based on previous studies and thermoregulatory needs of snakes, I predicted that substrate temperature and distance to edge would be of greatest importance in determining where snakes would be found. From May to September, 2012 I captured 124 northwestern gartersnakes by hand on random transects and habitat edge surveys. At capture locations and randomly chosen points nearby I measured the composition and structure of vegetation, as well as abiotic factors such as substrate temperature, aspect and slope. Also, I used air photos and GIS to determine proportional use of broad habitat types at home range scale. I found differential use of habitat between the sexes in relation to the proportion of herbaceous vegetation and organic litter. Northwestern gartersnakes generally use locations that are warmer than random locations, though individuals that have fed recently have a greater thermophilic response than snakes that have not. Overall, at small scale, distance to edge was the most important variable measured. At large scale, estimated home ranges contained more open ground as northwestern gartersnake snout-vent-length (SVL) increased (presumably because they had fewer potential predators and could more afford to use open habitats). These results support my hypothesis that warm locations that are close to habitat edges are important habitat for northwestern gartersnakes. The parks at which I conducted surveys appear to have large populations of northwestern gartersnakes with abundant habitat. However, the fact that habitat is used does not necessarily indicate that it is of high quality, and further research is required to determine if these populations are stable, increasing, or decreasing. / Graduate / 0329 / grahamdm@uvic.ca

No description available.

No description available.