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- ItemVernalization and gibberellin physiology of winter canola(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Arts and Science, 1993, 1993) Zanewich, Karen P.; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Rood, Stewart B.Winter canola (Brassica napus cv. Crystal) requires vernalization, exposure to chilling, to induce bolting and flowering. Since gibberellins (GAs) have been implicated in the regulation of stem elongation and reproductive development in numerous plants, the role of GAs in events induced by vernalization was investigated. Three classical approaches for studying GA physiology were taken. Plant growth regulators were applied and showed that: (i) GA application induced stem elongation but not flowering in nonvernalized plants and (ii) plant growth retardants that block GA biosynthesis prevented elongation and flowering in vernalized plants. Endogenous GAs were extracted from vernalized and nonvernalized shoot tips, chromatographically purified and quantified by gas chromatography-selected ion monitoring. GA1,3,8,19 and 20 concentrations were higher in the vernalized shoots following vernalization. Feeds of [3H]GA20 to vernalized and nonvernalized plants demonstrated higher rates of [3H]GA1 formation after vernalization, suggesting increased metabolism to the biologically active form. Collectively, these studies indicate a regulatory role of GAs in the control of stem elongation in winter canola, but the role of GAs in flowering was less clear. Vernalization apparently induces stem elongation by increasing GA synthesis and particularly the biosynthesis of GA1.
- ItemCognitive behavior of rats with thalamic lesions(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Arts and Science, 1994, 1994) Tomie, Jo-Anne B.; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and ScienceThe objective of this thesis was to test the idea that medial thalamic nuclei are part of a "memory circuit" in the brain. Rats received lesions of the anterior (ANT) or medial dorsal (MD) thalamic nuclei and were tested on two spatial tasks, a nonspatial configural task, and spontaneous and amphetamine-induced acitivity. The thalamic rats were impaired on the spatial and conifural tasks, ans some of the thalamic groups were slightly hyperactive after administration of amphertamine. The deficits were not large and could not be unequivocally attributed to the ANT or MD damage. The results question the role of the ANT or MD in the behaviors studied. It is suggested that the deficits obtained after thalamic damage may be nonspecific and it is concluded that the results do not support the notion that thalamic structures have a primary role in memory.
- ItemThe eighth day : a novel with critical commentary(Lethbridge, Alta : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Arts and Science, 1994, 1994) Galbraith, Evelyn Van; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Oordt, MartinThis thesis contains two parts: a novel, The Eighth Day and its critical commentary. The novel sets the story of Olivia, a contemporary protagonist, into the Sumerian myth of Inanna: Queen of Heaven and Earth. Like Inanna, Olivia descends, removing her immortal vestments or metaphors of belief, in seven stages or gates that lead to the underworld where she will arrive naked and bowing low before her sister-self, Rahab. Because Olivia's ideology is rigidly bound by ethics framed in the Old Testament, both of these myths play a large part in the unfolding of her story. Livia's beliefs must be closely identified before she can dicard or amend them. The Inanna myth illuminates the spiral nature of life's journey from the blind innocence of a child descending down to a conscious innocence born of choice. The critical commentary that precedes the novel discusses the art and technique that plays part in all fiction and in the novel. The Eighth Day.
- ItemJohn Clark : transformation and the void : with a catalogue raisonné(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Arts and Science, 1994, 1994) Preuss, Rosemary J.; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Spalding, JeffreyThe intent of the thesis is twofold: interpretive and documentary. Volume 1 focuses on the work John Clark considered to be his mature oeuvre. The general structure is chronological, with the first three chapters devoted to formative influences, and a further chapter to what Clark had to say about meaning in his own work and that of others. The remaining four chapters offer an interpretation of the mature paintings in terms of two concepts: trasformation and the void. Annotated bibliographies and exhibition lists are included. The catalogue raisonne, volume 2, is an ongoing project to provide as complete a chronological record of Clark's known works as is possible: paintings, drawings (including working studies), prints, and reporduction histories are included. Appendices record missing and destroyed works, a bibliography of Clark's personal library, transcripts of three interviews and a lecture.
- ItemThe importance of individual differences in developing computer training programs for end users(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Arts and Science, 1994, 1994) Kelley, Helen; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Gattiker, UrsResearch emphasises that effective and efficient end-user training is a vital component of the successful utilization of computer technology and that individual differences (e.g., learning styles, cognitive reasoning schemata) may effect the outcomes of end-user training. This study investigates the relationships between end users' Motivational Intent to use computer technology and individual differences. End users' Motivational Intent to use computer technology is significantly different for between-subjects grouped according to their level of anxiety (i.e., positive, neutral, negative). The empirical results indicate that end users' scholastic ability is an important predictor of the incremental change over time to end users' Motivational Intent to use computer technology. End users' learning styles impact the incremental change over time to end users' Motivational Intent to use computer technology. The results suggest that the tailoring of end-user training methods, techniques and materials to accomodate individual differences may be beneficial and worthwhile.
- ItemCharacteristics of phosphatidate phosphatase from developing seeds and microspore-derived cultures of oilseed rape(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Arts and Science, 1994, 1994) Kocsis, Michael G.; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Weselake, RandallPhosphatidate phosphatase (PAP. EC 3.1.3.4) was charaterized from developing seeds and microspore-derived (MD) cultures of oilseed rape. In studies with homogenate from developing seeds (Brassica napus L. cv Westar) the time course for release of inorganic phosphate from phosphatidate was linear for at least 60 min and the enzyme was stable to at least three cycles of freezing and thawing. Differential centrifugation studies were conducted with homogenate prepared from developing seeds (B. napus L. cv Westar), MD embryos (B. napus L. cv Reston), and an embryogenic MD cell suspension culture (B. napus L. cv Jet Neuf). Among the three tissue types, the level of microsomal PAP ranged from 11% to 17% of the total recovered PAP activity whereas soluble PAP ranged from 25% to 61% of the total activity recovered. Microsomal PAP displayed optimal activity in the pH range of 6 to 7 whereas soluble PAP had a pH optimum of 5. Microsomal and soluble PAP exhibited temperature reaction optima of 40 degrees celsius and 50 degrees celsius, respectively, with activation energies of 15.6 kcal/mol and 9.4 kcal/mol. Assays with p-nitrophenyl phosphate as a substrate at pH 6.75 and pH 5 indicated that the overal character of phosphatase activity in the microsomal fraction was different from the enzyme in the soluble microsomal PAP from MD embryos of B. napus L. cv Topas. Tween 20 solubilized PAP effectively with concomitant maintenance of enzyme in the soluble fraction. A number of detergents were screened for their ability to solubilize microsomal PAP from MD embryos of B. napus L. cv Topas. Tween 20 solubilized PAP effectively with concomitant maintenance of enzyme activity. The most effective solubilization of enzyme occurred at a concentration of 0.4% (w/v) Tween 20 at a detergent to protein ratio of 1:1 (w/w). The pH optimum (pH 6-7) of solubilized PAP was similar to that of the particulate enzyme and the assay of the solubilized enzyme was free from interference by phospholipase action. Solubilized microsomal PAP had an apparent Mr of about 300,000 based on gel filtration chromatography on a column of Superose 6. Polyclonal antibodies raised in mice against a crude extract from microsomes of MD embryos inhibited microsomal PAP activity.
- ItemThe strategic planning process of agricultural niche marketers : a case study approach(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Arts and Science, 1995, 1995) Cuthbert, Ronald Hugh; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Johnston, ThomasThis study is based on the premise that it is important to understand how niche marketers manage the process of farm level adaptive change. A review of the relevent literature revealed the limitations of research on the strategic planning process pertaining to small business. A normative model of the strategic planning process was synthesised and used as an anyalystical framework to assess the planning behaviour of agricultural niche marketers in the study. On completion of a review of research methodologies for the social sciences, the multiple-case holistic design was selected. Data was collected and analyzed. The principal analytical method used was pattern matching. The technique of explanation building was applied in order to draw conclusions about the correspondence between the normative model and the actual planning practices of agricultural niche marketers. A revise model of the planning process is then proposed.
- ItemContested heritage : an analysis of the discourse on The spirit sings(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Arts and Science , 1995, 1995) Archibald, Samantha L.; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Hall, Anthony; Buchignani, NormanThis thesis contributes to the knowledge of museology, anthropology and Native American studies. It is an analysis of the discourse that surrounded The Spirit Sings: Artistic Traditions of Canada's First Peoples, an exhibition prepared by the Glenbow in Calgary as the 'flagship' of the Olympic Arts Festival in 1988. After the Lubicon Indians of Northern Alberta called for a boycott of The Spirit Sings, in attempt to draw critical attention to their long outstanding lands claim, a large and heated debate ensued involving several disciplines, particularly anthropology and museology. Much of this debate took place in the print media, therefore a large body of material remains to be reviewed and studied. The intent of this thesis is to illustrate that the issue of museological representation of First Nations was one of the most central themes discussed in the discourse, but to argue that the major players dealt with this issue on only the most concrete level and therefore largely neglected to recognize that the issue of First Nation's representation was not just a concern over museum interpretation but more importantly an issue of the contested authenticity of national and cultural claims.
- ItemAdolescent religious disposition in Canada : an exploratory sociological analysis(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Arts and Science, 1995, 1995) Penner, James Allan; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Bibby, ReginaldTaking as a given the general decline of organized religion in Canada, this thesis attempts to document the present lack of commitment towards organized religion among adolescents. Four questions are explored: (1) how committed are Canada's adolescents toward organized religion relative to other social options? (2) to what degree has religious commitment amond Canadian adolescents shifted over time? (3) in what ways does adolescent religious commitment vary according to religious group? and (4) do adolescent religiosity patterns follows those of adults? The major finding of this study, based on national Project Teen Canada and Project Canada data, is that organized religion is seldom experienced or valued by the vast majority of Canadian youth. Furthermore, adolescent religious commitment decreased from 1984 to 1992. Conservative Protestants reported higher religious commitment than did other youth and adolescent religiosity generally reflected adult levels. Lastly, tentative evidence suggest that Canada may experience future social consequences if adolescent religious disinterest continues. Despite being tentative and exploratory in nature, it is believed that the thesis gives social scientists their first national, in depth, sociological analysis of Canadian youth and organized religion. As such the findings provide a solid launching pad for further research. The thesis concludes with a plea for innovative study of Canadian adolescent religiosity and offers a list of potential projects.
- ItemBasic fibroblast growth factor in the injured brain(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Arts and Science, 1995, 1995) Rowntree, Sharon R.; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Kolb, BryanBasic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) has been implicated in the brain's trophic response to injury. This thesis examined the effects of endogenous bFGF on brain plasticity and recovery of behavioral function following cortical injury in adult rats. The first experiment investigated the post-lesion time course of the astrocytic expression of bFGF. Subsequent experiments examined the effects of injury-induced bFGF on neuroonal morphology, cortical morphology, and post-lesion behavioral deficits. Following motor cortex injury, endogenous bFGF prevented neuritic degeneration in layer V pyramidal neurons in Zilles' area Fr2 and promoted recovery of function in the Whishaw Reaching Task. Housing rats in an enriched environment prior to cortical injury enhanced the expression of bFGF but did not increase cortical thickness nor reduce post-lesion behavioral deficits (relative to laboratroy-housed rats). Collectively, these experiments indicate that injury-induced bFGF plays a role in potentiating recovery from brain damage. This implies that bFGF may be beneficial as a treatment following brain injury.
- ItemA software size estimation tool: Hellerman's complexity measure(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Arts and Science, 1995, 1995) Lermer, Toby; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and ScienceNo abstract available
- ItemCharacterization of the 16S/23S ribosomal RNA intergenic spacer regions of Listeria(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Arts and Science, 1995, 1995) Graham, Thomas A.; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Thomas, James E.The 16S/23S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) intergenic space (IGS) regions from pathogenic and non-pathogenic species (spp.) of Listeria were characterized by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing. DNA sequencing data for the small rRNA IGS region showed that this IGS was approximately 244 bp in length and was highly homologous (95 to 99 %) in five of the six Listeria spp examined; ie., L. monocytogenes, L. innocua, L. seeligeri, L. welshimeri, and L. ivanovii. A lower degree of homology (91 to 94 %) was detected in the large rRNA IGS region (ca. 494 bp) of these species. The DNA sequence data was used to develop two sets of oligonucleotide primers for PCR-based detection of the members of the genus Listeria. The first set of primers were Listeria genus-specific and, the second set of primers were L. monocytogenes-specific.
- ItemGender and Discourse on an Academic Internet Community(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Arts and Science, 1995, 1995) Beaulieu, Hendrika H.; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Indra, DoreenDo men and women write differently and if so, do these stylistic differences represent differing world \iews and/or do they indicate divergent decisions that are made by the gendered individual with respect to the positioning inherent in the interactive communicative process? In this thesis I consider how men and women write and interact, as well as the topics of their conversations, by examining the postings that characterize a specific semiotic Internet site: Anthro- L@ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu. Created solely by and through language, a net community is the ideal environment in which to conduct a field study which examines the use of gendered language. In cyber 'public' space, where social interaction in largely stripped of bodily cues, net participants rely on the power of discourse to convey the 'self. I shall show that men and women make different choices as to how they will represent themselves in net public space, and that these choices are conveyed through the preference of specific styles of writing. Although conceptualizations of public space, academic praxis, and individual socialization all contribute to stylistic differentials, I illustrate through my methodology that Gender is the master status that primarily informs communicative decisions. 'Legitimate' language in our culture is constructed on the rational paradigm which characterizes public institutions; this paradigm is the fundamental principle which informs our system of [male] Langue. Posting acts on Anthro-L offer evidence that those who do not 'speak', or choose not to speak within the framework of this model, are conceived as 'other1, and are silenced through desertion, by - play and trivialization.
- ItemNeural changes in forelimb cortex and behavioural development(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Arts and Science, 1996, 1996) Coles, Brenda Louise Kay; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Whishaw, Ian Q.Neural changes in the forelimb cortex were studied at Postnatal (P) 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 100 days. Six biological markers of brain development, cortical thickness, Layer III pyramidal cell morphology, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), myelination, c-fos activity and Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) were correlated with the behavioural development of reaching, bimanual coordination, postural adjustment, and defensive feeding behaviours. The behaviours were filmed from P15 until P30 and then also in adulthood. For the behaviours there was a gradual development of the skilled patterns of paw and digit use seen in adults as well as in the patterns of movements in postural adjustment, carry behaviours and dodging and robbing type behaviours. The development of the adult patterns of movement were correlated to the morphological and biochemical changes in the cortex. The results suggest that the maturation of skilled movements depends upon anatomical and neurochemical maturation of the neocortex as well as upon learning.
- ItemThe discrimination of cottonwood clones in a mature population along the Oldman River, Alberta(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Arts and Science, 1996, 1996) Gom, Lori A.; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Rood, Stewart B.In the northwestern prairies, the cottonwoods Populus deltoides Batr., P. balsamifera L., P. angustifolia James, and inerspecific hybrids, form the foundation of the riparian forest ecosystem. The present project characterized the phenotype and 391henology of each tree in a mature cottonwood grove (N=391) for the purposes of clone-delineation. In order of their utility, tree sex, general leaf-shape, six leaf dimensions, and phenology of flowering, leaf-flushing, senescence,and leaf-abscission were utilized. The population's 391 trunks represented only 115 individuals, 67 of which were clones which ranged from 2 to 58 trunks each. Thus, 88% of all trunks belonged to clones which ranged from 2 to 58 trunks each. Thus, 88% of all trunks belonged to clones, and this high clonal content reflects the senior age of the population. Clone structure explained the population's apparent spatial-clumping, female-skewed sex ratio, differential spatial distributions of the sexes and species, and complexity in trunk-size classes. Trends suggest that P. balsamifera and P. angustifolia are more strongly clonal than P. deltoides, partially explaining their differences in environmental preferences. The observed extent of asexual regeneration has implications for riparian resource management and analyses of cottonwood reproductive ecology.
- ItemSex differences in movement organization : a kinematic analysis of evasive dodging movements used during food protection in the rat : influence of partner's sex, neonatal and pubertal exposure to androgens(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Arts and Science, 1996, 1996) Field, Evelyn F.; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Pellis, Sergio M.The role of sex in the organization of movement is not commonly addressed in the literature. The objective of this thesis was to determine whether differences exist between males and females in the way they organize their movements during dodging to protect a food item. Detailed kinematic analysis of these movements in adult rats shows that females move their snout through a greater spatial curvature, relative to the pelvis, than males. The sex of the robbing animal did not alter the sex-typical movement paterns exhibited. Manipulation of neonatal androgens altered the sex-typical dodge patterns of both males and females. Removal of androgens at weaning however, did not affect the male-typical pattern. The existence of sex differences in the organization of movement provides a new level of analysis for the study of sexual dimorphism in behavior.
- ItemCharacterization of triacylglycerol biosynthetic enzymes from microspore-derived cultures of oilseed rape(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Arts and Science, 1996, 1996) Furukawa-Stoffer, Tara L.; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Weselake, RandallParticulate and solubilized preparations of phosphatidate (PA) phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.4) and dia-cylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT, EC 2.3.1.20) from microspore-derived (MD) cultures of Brassica napus L. cv Topas were characterized. The activity of solubilized PA phosphatase decreased by about 50% following storage for 24 h at 4 degrees celsius, whereas the activity of DGAT decreased by 30%. Bovine serum albumin increased the stability of both enzymes. Both preparations were enriched in the target enzyme and thus, may be useful in studies of regulation with limited influence by the other Kennedy pathway enzymes. Solubilized PA phosphatase was shown to dephosphoryolate a number of phosphate-containing compounds and showed a preference for dioleoyl-PA and dipalmitoyl-PA over other forms of PA tested. Microsomal PA phosphatase from MD embryos was partially dependent on Mg2+ and partially inhibited by the thioreactive agent, N-ethylmaleimide (NEM). The partial sensitivity to NEM suggest that MD embryos of B. napus may contain forms of PA phosphatase involved in glycerolipid synthesis and signal transduction. NEM-sensitive and NEM-insensitive PA phosphatase activity was found in microsomes of a cell suspension culture of B. napus L. cv Jet Neuf. PA phosphatase, solubilized from MD embryos, was partially purified using ammonium sulfate fractionation followed by anion exchange chromatography. PA phosphatase was resolved into two distinct peaks following anion-exchange chromatography. The peaks contained both NEM-sensitive and NEM-insensitive PA phosphatase activity. Following gel filtration, solubilized PA phosphatase displayed a minimum apparent Mr of about 40 000. Antibodies raised against partially purified preparations of PA phosphatase and DGAT from MD embryos of B. napus L. cv Topas were used in the development of immunochemical probes for these enzymes. Inhibitory anti-PA phosphatase antibodies were developed. Attempts were also made to identify a sub-class of antibodies which could interact with both denatured and native DGAT.
- ItemUncertain resistance : an ethnography of an injured workers association and its relations with a Workers' Compensation Board(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Arts and Science, 1996, 1996) Moritz, Ann Laraine; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Buchignani, NormanThis thesis is an ethnographic account of how people in a particular situation of bureaucratic domination developed tactics and adopted discourses to present themselves as active agents capable of mobilizing resources, individually and at a collective level. Specifically, it involves a description and analysis of power dynamics, experienced efficacy, and associated processes of defining self and others in the context of a newly forming injured workers support group in their relations with a Workers' Compensation Board. Appropriate to the study of an injured workers group, the thesis draws upon a body of literature which focuses on the everyday practices of people in concrete social contexts. James C. Scott's work on domination and resistance privides a primary framework for the study, elaborated by Michel De Certeau's concepts of 'strategy' and 'tactic' as well as Foucault's notion of 'carceral' networks. Among the main findings was the recognition of the extent to which individual group members engaged in creative, and often effective tactical acts of resistance against the WCB and yet also against their own formal association. Moreover, as the group appropriated elements of bureaucratic and trade union discourses it shifted toward also engaging in strategic social action. The thesis concludes with practical recommendations concerning the ways such associations are formed and operate, as well as policy options for workers' compensation boards in general.
- ItemPolygon reconstruction from visibility information(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Arts and Science, 1996, 1996) Jackson, LillAnne Elaine; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Wismath, StephenReconstruction results attempt to rebuild polygons from visibility information. Reconstruction of a general polygon from its visibility graph is still open and only known to be in PSPACE; thus additional information, such as the ordering of the edges around nodes that corresponds to the order of the visibilities around vertices is frequently added. The first section of this thesis extracts, in o(E) time, the Hamiltonian cycle that corresponds to the boundary of the polygon from the polygon's ordered visibility graph. Also, it converts an unordered visibility graph and Hamiltonian cycle to the ordered visibility graph for that polygon in O(E) time. The secod, and major result is an algorithm to reconstruct an arthogonal polygon that is consistent with the Hamiltonian cylce and visibility stabs of the sides of an unknown polygon. The algorithm uses O(nlogn) time, assuming there are no collinear sides, and )(n2) time otherwise.
- ItemConstructing cultural diversity: a study of framing clients and culture in a community health centre(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Arts and Science, 1996, 1996) Acharya, Manju Prava; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Buchignani, NormanIntroduction The clinical community in Western society has long practised medicine as organized by "two dominant principles: 1) the principle of essentialism which states that there is a fixed "natural" border between disease and health, and 2) the principle of specific treatment which states that having revealed a disease, the doctor can, at least in principle, find the one, correct treatment. These principles have served as the legitimization of the traditional, hierarchical organization of health-care" (Jensen, 1987:19). A main feature of medical practices based on these principles has been to address specific kinds of problems impeding or decaying health. This research is centrally concerned with essentialism and the institutional fixation of problems as two important nodal points of Canada's biomedical value and belief system. More specifically, I hope to show in an organized way how these principles shape staff knowledge of client and culture in a community health centre (CHC) in Lethbridge, Alberta. My analysis is based on four guiding points: 1) that in our polyethnic society health care institutions are massively challenged with actual and perceived cultural diversity and cross cultural barriers to which their staff feel increasingly obliged to respond with their services; 2) while the client cultural diversity is "real", institutional responses depend primarily on how that diversity is imagined by staff -often as a threat to a health institution's sociocultural world; 3) that problem-specific, medicalized thinking is central in this community health centre, even though its mandate is health promotion and this problem orientation often combines with medical essentialism to reduce "culturally different" to a set of client labels, some of which are problematic; and 4) while a "lifestyle model" and other models for health promotion are at present widely advocated and are to be found centrally in this institution's (CHC) charter, they have led to little institutional accomodation to cultural diversity. In this thesis my aim is to present an ethnographic portrait of a community health centre, where emphasis is given to the distinctive formal and informal "formative processess" (Good 1994) of social construction of certain perceived common core challenges facing the Canadian biomedical community today - challenges concerning cultural difference and its incorporation into health care perception and practice. I am particularly interested in institutions subscribing to a "health promotion model" of health care, a term I have borrowed from Ewles and Simnett (1992). Ewles and Simnett descrive the meaning of "health promotion" as earlier defined by WHO (World Health Organization): this perspective is derived from a conception of "health" as the extent to which an individual or group is able, on the on hand, to realise aspirations and satisfy needs; and, on the other hand, to change or cope with the environment. Health is, therefore seen as a resource for everyday life, not the objective of living; it is a positive concept emphasising social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities (Ewles & Simnett, 1992:20) Health is therefore concerned with "a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing, and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity" (Ewles and Simnett, 1992:6), I am interested in determing how threats to this defintion prevail in a community health centre's ideology of preventive care, and how that ideology encodes dimensions of diversity. I, however, want to go much further than this by exploring everyday staff discourse and practice, to understand how client cultural diversity is formed and informed by what staff do and say. How, in short, do individuals based in a health promotion organization socially construct their clients as objects of institutional concern? We need, as Young (1982) suggest, "to examine the social condition of knowledge production" in an institutionalized health care service provision subculture. There are, I believe, also practical reasons for conducting this research. Over the past ten years the Canadian health care system increasingly has had to focus on two potentially contradictory goals: reducing costs, and lessening persistent inequalities in health status among key groups and categories of persons in the Canadian population. Many now argue that one of the most central dimensions of the latter - of perisistent health inequalities in Canada - is ethnocultural. Few would seriously argue, for example, that Canadian First Nation health statistics are anything but appalling. Moreover, radical changes in immigration patterns over the past three decades have greatly increased urban Canadian cultural diversity. Caring "at home" now assumes international dimensions (McAdoo, 1993; Butrin, 1992; Buchignani, 1991; Indra, 1991, 1987; Galanti, 1991; Dobson, 1991; Waxler-Morrison, 1990; Quereshi, 1989). A growing voiced desire to provide more pluralistic health care and health care promotion has become persistently heard throughout the clinical community in Canada (Krepps and Kunimoto, 1994; Masi, 1993). Even so, for many health professionals cultural difference evidently remians either irrelevant or a threat to the established order of things. Applied research on health care institutions undertaken to investigate how better to meet these challenges nevrtheless remains very incomplete and highly concentrated in two broad areas. One of these is structural factors within the institution that limit cross-cultural access (Herzfeld, 1992; Hanson, 1980). Some of these studies have shown the prevalence of a strictly conservative institutional culture that frequently makes frontline agency workers gate-keeprs, who actively (if unconsciously) maintain client-institution stratification (Ervin, 1993; Demain, 1989; Ng, 1987; Murphy, 1987; Foster-Carter, 1987; de Voe 1981). In addition, extensive research has been conducted on disempowered minority groups. This research has examined the frequency, effectiveness and manner with which ethnic and Native groups make use of medical services. Some institutional research on cross-cultral issues shows that under appropriate conditions health professional like nurses have responded effectively to client needs by establishing culturally sensitive hiring and training policies and by restructuring their health care organizations (Terman, 1993; Henderson, 1992; Davis, 1992; Henkle, 1990; Burner, 1990). Though promising, this research remains radically insufficient for learning purposes. In particular, little work has been done on how such institutions come to "think" (Douglas, 1986) about cultural difference, form mandates in response to pressure to better address culturally different populations and work them into the institution's extant sub-cultral ideas and practice (Habarad, 1987; Leininger, 1978), or on how helping instiutions categorize key populations such as "Indians" or "Vietnamese" as being culturally different, or assign to each a suite of institutionally meaningful cultural attributes (as what becomes the institution's working sense of what is, say, "Vietnamese culture"). This is so despite the existence of a long and fruitful ethnographic institutional research tradition, grounded initially in theories of status and role (Frankel, 1988; Taylor, 1970; Parson, 1951), symbolic ineractionism (Goffman, 1967, 1963, 1961), ethnomethodology (Garfinkle, 1975), and organizational subcultures (Douglas, 1992, 1986, 1982; Abegglen & Stalk, 1985; Ohnuki-Tierney, 1984; Teski, 1981; Blumers, 1969). More recent work on anthropological social exchange theory (Barth, 1981), on institutional and societal discipline (Herzfeld, 1992; Foucault, 1984, 1977), on the institution-client interface (Shield, 1988; Schwartzman, 1987, Ashworth, 1977, 1976, 1975), and on framing the client (Hazan, 1994; Denzin, 1992; Howard, 1991; Goffman, 1974). I also hope that this study makes a contribution to the study of health care and diversity in southern Alberta. Small city ethnic relations in Canada have been almost systematically ignored by researchers, and similar research has not been conducted in this part of Alberta. Local diversity is significant: three very large Indian reserves are nearby, and the city itself has a diverse ethnic, linguistic and ethno-religious population. Also, significant province wide restructuring of health care delivery was and is ongoing, offering both the pitfalls and potentials of quick institutional change. Perhaps some of the findings can contribute to making the future system more responsive to diversity than the present one.