A Study of Cyclists in Hamilton, Ontario: Perceived Availability of Cycling Facilities and Cyclists Motivations for Cycling

Despite the many individual and community benefits to cycling, commuter cycling rates across Canada are relatively low. This research seeks to understand how this can be changed by examining the motivations and cycling behaviour of cyclists residing in Hamilton, Ontario, a mid-sized Canadian city with below average levels of commuter cycling. This thesis is divided into two separate studies of commuter cycling behaviour. The first study employs a multiple logistic regression model to explore how the perceived availability of cycling facilities influences commuter cycling. The second study uses cluster analysis to classify respondents into groups based on the factors that motivate them to cycle. This research highlights the importance of bicycle-friendly workplaces and the need for municipalities to focus on creating areas of high density, mixed-use development in order to encourage cycling. This research also discusses the potential to promote cycling by targeting specific people with positive messages about cycling that are relevant to them. The researcher argues that, in addition to encouraging non-cyclists to start cycling, municipalities need to focus on getting recreational cyclists to start commuting by bicycle and encouraging existing cyclists to cycle continuously throughout their lives. The data for this study was obtained through a revealed preference survey that was designed and administered by the researcher.Master of Arts (MA

Developing 5GL Concepts from User Interactions

In the fulfilling of the contracts generated in Test Driven Development, a developer could be said to act as a constraint solver, similar to those used by a 5th Generation Language(5GL). This thesis presents the hypothesis that 5GL linguistic mechanics, such as facts, rules and goals, will be emergent in the communications of developer pairs performing Test Driven Development, validating that 5GL syntax is congruent with the ways that practitioners communicate. Along the way, nomenclatures and linguistic patterns may be observed that could inform the design of future 5GL languages

Defining forgiveness: Christian clergy and general population perspectives.

The lack of any consensual definition of forgiveness is a serious weakness in the research literature (McCullough, Pargament &amp; Thoresen, 2000). As forgiveness is at the core of Christianity, this study returns to the Christian source of the concept to explore the meaning of forgiveness for practicing Christian clergy. Comparisons are made with a general population sample and social science definitions of forgiveness to ensure that a shared meaning of forgiveness is articulated. Anglican and Roman Catholic clergy (N = 209) and a general population sample (N = 159) completed a postal questionnaire about forgiveness. There is agreement on the existence of individual differences in forgiveness. Clergy and the general population perceive reconciliation as necessary for forgiveness while there is no consensus within psychology. The clergy suggests that forgiveness is limitless and that repentance is unnecessary while the general population suggests that there are limits and that repentance is necessary. Psychological definitions do not conceptualize repentance as necessary for forgiveness and the question of limits has not been addressed although within therapy the implicit assumption is that forgiveness is limitless.</p

Eating disorder risk in postsecondary students: assessing perceptions of health as a function of social support

Eating disorders (EDs) are complex mental illnesses characterized by disturbances in eating behaviours, involving damaging associations with food, eating, exercise, body image, and weight. In Canada, the estimated prevalence rate is between 2% to 3% of the general population, with more than 1.7 million Canadians suffering an ED. The prevalence of EDs is greater among university students, which occurs at a time when they typically face a variety of other unique life challenges, and mental health issues that may compromise positive mental health (PMH). Among a variety of factors, social support holds much promise for scientific inquiry with respect to the degree that it might predict such things as ED risk, symptoms, behaviors, and recovery. Data associated with a sample of 2,293 Canadian university students collected in the National College Health Assessment survey were analyzed. Overall, 4.9% of the sample were diagnosed with an ED while approximately 25% of the entire sample were deemed at ED risk. Two-factor chi-square tests revealed that those in ED risk sample were more likely to report poorer academic performance, problems with family and peer relationships, and significantly less likely to report a sense of connection to community compared to the non-risk sample. A hierarchical regression revealed that the Social Provision Scale subscales of social integration and reassurance accounted for 26.2% of additional variance in PMH after controlling for age, GPA, family income, international student status, and sex. These results are discussed in terms of their clinical relevance in the psychological treatment and understanding of EDs

Foraging strategies and species interactions of four deep-sea invertebrates from the Northwest Atlantic

This study explored diets, foraging strategies, locomotor behaviours, and competitive dynamics in four abundant bathyal species from the Northwest Atlantic (the sea stars Ceramaster granularis, Hippasteria phrygiana, and Henricia lisa, and the gastropod Buccinum scalariforme). A combination of singleton trials, multi-animal trials, and simulated food fall experiments were conducted under cold, darkened laboratory conditions, using infrared-capable time-lapse recording. Feeding trials showed that scavenging is prevalent in all species studied. Frame-by-frame analysis of locomotor patterns revealed pulsing movement speeds in all species, an unreported but possibly widespread locomotor style for mobile benthic taxa. Multi-animal trials revealed a variety of cooperative and competitive behaviours in the focal species, altered by the number, size, and species identity of competitors. By combining singleton and multi-animal trials, this work provided data about how these species detect and assess potential food sources, and whether they can modify their foraging strategies or behaviour in competitive settings

Крымскотатарские народные игры в аспекте физической культуры

Feelings of revenge are a common human response to being hurt by others. Among crime victims of severe sexual or physical violence, significant correlations have been reported between revenge and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Homicide is one of the most severe forms of interpersonal violence. It is therefore likely that individuals bereaved by homicide experience high levels of revenge, which may hamper efforts to cope with traumatic loss. The relationship between revenge and psychological adjustment following homicidal loss has not yet been empirically examined. In the current cross-sectional study, we used self-report data from 331 spouses, family members and friends of homicide victims to examine the relationships between dispositional revenge and situational revenge on the one hand and symptom-levels of PTSD and complicated grief, as well as indices of positive functioning, on the other hand. Furthermore, the association between revenge and socio-demographic and offense-related factors was examined. Participants were recruited from a governmental support organization, a website with information for homicidally bereaved individuals, and members of support groups. Levels of both dispositional and situational revenge were positively associated with symptoms of PTSD and complicated grief, and negatively with positive functioning. Participants reported significantly less situational revenge in cases where the perpetrator was a direct family member than cases where the perpetrator was an indirect family member, friend, or someone unknown. Homicidally bereaved individuals reported more situational revenge, but not more dispositional revenge than a sample of students who had experienced relatively mild interpersonal transgressions. Aggr. Behav. 40:504-511, 2014. (c) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Radiation Oncology Workforce Recruitment Survey of 2000-2010 Graduates: Is There Need for Better Physician Resource Planning?

Purpose of the Study: To survey employment and training characteristics of Canadian radiation oncology training program graduates and foreign medical graduates with Canadian radiation oncology post-graduate education or specialist certification. Methods: A 38-question, web-based survey was distributed to radiation oncologists who completed specialty training between 2000-2010. Results: Out of 256 radiation oncologists contacted, 148 completed the survey (58% response rate). Thirty-two respondents (22%) were foreign MD graduates. One-hundred and fifteen respondents (78%) undertook fellowship training after residency. Many Canadian MD graduates (77%) and foreign MD graduates (34%) had staff positions in Canada, while 11% of all respondents had staff positions outside Canada, and 21% did not have a commitment for staff employment. Of the 31 respondents without a staff position, 22 graduated from Canadian residency training in 2009 or 2010, and 21 had completed medical school training in Canada. Conclusions: The majority of respondents were successful in securing staff positions in Canada. A sizeable proportion extended training with fellowships. New graduates may have more difficulty in finding Canadian staff positions in radiation oncology in the near future. Implications for specialty training programs and for an improved national strategy for physician resource planning are discussed