Structural colour from helicoidal cell-wall architecture in fruits of Margaritaria nobilis

The bright and intense blue-green coloration of the fruits of Margaritaria nobilis (Phyllanthaceae) was investigated using polarization-resolved spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Optical measurements of freshly collected fruits revealed a strong circularly polarized reflection of the fruit that originates from a cellulose helicoidal cell wall structure in the pericarp cells. Hyperspectral microscopy was used to capture the iridescent effect at the single-cell level.This work was supported by the Leverhulme Trust (F/09- 741/G) and a BBSRC David Phillips fellowship (BB/K014617/1). P.V. acknowledges support from the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research under award number FA9550-10-1-0020. U.S. acknowledges support from the Adolphe Merkle foundation and the Swiss National Science Foundation through the National Centre of Competence in Research Bio-Inspired Materials

The role of community in the retention/attachment process : a qualitative study of the embeddedness model

x, 126 leaves ; 29 cm.Why do people stay with organizations? This study looked into the role of an individual’s community involvement as a motivator to stay with an organization. It was postulated that the strength of the ties or attachments to a community as a factor that influence their decision to continue in a specific employment relationship. Interviews were conducted with twelve employees from the hotel/resort industry in a major resort area in the Canadian Rockies. Data gathered illustrated that leisure or recreational activities played a major role for the participants in their decision to accept employment with an organization and to stay. The research demonstrated that industry, employment type and location may play a significant role in the strength of the organizational or community attachments formed by employees. The research did demonstrate strong support for the ‘job embeddedness’ model (Lee & Mitchell, 2001); however, these qualitative findings suggest community organizational membership performs a minor role in the attachment/retention process

Restorative justice in elementary schools

vii, 74 leaves ; 29 cm. --A significant challenge facing educators in the 21st century is responding to discipline situations in elementary schools. While variables that contribute to effective discipline measures are many and diverse, the restorative justice approach deserves attention. Schools have the responsibility to teach students how to problem solve and mend the harm caused by wrong-doing, which is a central tenet of restorative justice. This study is a combination of a review of current literature and a narrative of a community conference. The narrative is used to explore specific themes. One theme traces the development of restorative justice in aboriginal, religious and legal communities. Additional themes include the advantages of restorative justice, models of restorative justice and school programs. Three models include victim offender mediation, circle conferences and community conferences. This paper ends by proposing a model of restorative justice for the Peace River South, S.D. #59 in British Columbia, Canada

An examination of the perceptions of nurses regarding the role of the nurse

iv, 123 leaves ; 29 cm. --No abstract

Branded and non-branded tobacco counter-advertisements : an experimental study of reactance and other maladaptive and adaptive coping responses

x, 125 leaves : ill. ; 29 cmAn experiment was done to investigate whether or not there is a need to treat smokers and non-smokers as separate target audiences when creating tobacco counter-advertisements. The Extended Parallel Process Model (Witte, 1992) and Reactance Theory (Brehm, 1966) were used to guide the development of predictions. The study revealed that social marketers need to have different advertising tactics for smokers and non-smokers, since smokers have reported more maladaptive coping responses and fewer adaptive coping responses than non-smokers. Moreover, based on the fact that a smoker’s brand forms an essential part of their self-identity (Goldberg et al., 1995) the experiment was also designed to see if smokers would have differing levels of reactance and other maladaptive coping responses if they saw a counter-advertisement attacking their brand, one attacking a competing brand, and a non-branded one. The study did not reveal any significant differences in reactions among the three conditions

Urban First Nations grandmothers : health promotion roles in family and community

ix, 146 leaves ; 29 cmThe purpose of this participatory action research study was to gain an awareness of the meanings of health for urban First Nations grandmothers, and how they promote it in their families and communities. Active participation of 7 urban First Nations grandmothers in the research process involved 4 group and 1 individual interview. Meanings of health included maintaining balance in all areas of life; physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Control imposed through the residential schools resulted in secrets kept, yet the survival and resiliency of the grandmothers were identified as part of being healthy. Personal health was linked with the health of their families and communities, and an awareness of living in two cultures vital in the intergenerational transmission of knowledge. Relationships with grandchildren were catalysts for change, and the grandmothers described working to “turn it around” throughout their challenges in health and life, as one strategy for health promotion

Psychological stress and lower-back injuries in mental health professionals : an experiential exploration

viii, 86 leaves ; 29 cm. --Psychological stress, lower back injuries (LBI), and lower back pain (LBP) are prevalent problems in society today. Research on the psychological factors involved stress and lower back injuries has been diverse. The proposed project will endeavour to answer to following questions: Do mental health professionals experience symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, or lower-back injuries? What etiological work or non work-related factors do these individuals believe contribute to and/or detract from their difficulties? What interventions do these individuals utilize to alleviate their symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and/or lower-back injuries? These questions were addressed via the use of a semi-structured interview adapted from a formal psychological assessment scale (The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 42 or DASS 42). The interview results will be reported in a case-by-case format and general thematic format. This project will conclude with a review of the author's recommendations for further research, as well as a brief examination of his personal learning statement

Effects of ammonium nitrate upon direct somatic embryogenesis and biolistic transformation of wheat

x, 81 leaves : ill. ; 29 cm.Triticum aestivum is of major importance both nutritionally and economically globally. Traditional breeding mechanisms have been unsuccessful at keeping pace with the increasing demand for better yielding and more resilient wheat varieties. The introduction of foreign genes into systems has provided a new tool for crop improvement, but has been difficult to apply to elite wheat varieties mainly as result of their recalcitrance to prerequisite tissue culture. Investigations here demonstrate that modification of the ammonium nitrate content in direct somatic embryogenesis induction medium can increase the number of primary embryos produced by over two fold in the elite hard red wheat cultivar Superb. The number of primary embryos which were capable of transitioning into shoot development also increased by two fold. Biolistic transformation efficiency was also improved when targeted scutellar tissue was exposed to elevated ammonium nitrate levels

Line identification including off-axis spectra with the Herschel SPIRE spectrometer

The European Space Agency (ESA) Herschel Mission concluded observation of the Far-infrared (FIR) Universe in 2013, providing a wealth of observations of the interstellar medium and distant galaxies. The Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE), one of Herschel's three instruments, consists of an imaging photometer and an imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS). The SPIRE team has developed an automated routine to extract spectral features from all SPIRE FTS observations. This thesis introduces FIR astronomy and instrumentation, and the legacy of FIR space telescopes through to Herschel. The SPIRE instrument and the Feature Finder are introduced. This thesis includes the methods by which the molecular and atomic transitions of the lines extracted from SPIRE FTS observations are identified, and presents these identification results. The application of the feature finder to SPIRE FTS off-axis detectors is also detailed and presented. The thesis concludes with a brief discussion of future FIR instrumentation