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The first histories of the Canberra district were published in a flurry on the eve of the relocation of Parliament from Melbourne in 1927. In the four years prior, five [...]

Background: American studies have shown that higher provider and hospital volumes are associated with reduced risk of mortality following colorectal surgical interventions. Evidence from Canada is limited, and to our knowledge only a single study has considered outcomes other than death. We describe associations between provider surgical volume and all-cause mortality and postoperative complications following colorectal surgical interventions in New Brunswick. Methods: We used hospital discharge abstracts linked to vital statistics, the provincial cancer registry and patient registry data. We considered all admissions for colorectal surgeries from 2007 through 2013. We used logistic regression to identify odds of dying and odds of complications (from any of anastomosis leak, unplanned colostomy, intra-abdominal sepsis or pneumonia) within 30 days of discharge from hospital according to provider volume (Le., total interventions performed over the preceding 2 years) adjusted for personal, contextual, provider and hospital characteristics. Results: Overall, 9170 interventions were performed by 125 providers across 18 hospitals. We found decreased odds of experiencing a complication following colorectal surgery per increment of 10 interventions performed per year (odds ratio 0.94, 95% confidence interval 0.91-0.96). We found no associations with mortality. Associations remained consistent across models restricted to cancer patients or to interventions performed by general surgeons and across models that also considered overall hospital volumes. Conclusion: Our results suggest that increased caseloads are associated with reduced odds of complications, but not with all-cause mortality, following colorectal surgery in New Brunswick. We also found no evidence of volume having differential effects on outcomes from colon and rectal procedures. Contexte : Des etudes americaines ont montre que le volume d'activite des chirurgiens et des hopitaux est inversement proportionnel au risque de mortalite apres la chirurgie colorectale. Les donnees pour le Canada sont limitees, et a notre connaissance, une seule etude a porte sur d'autres parametres que le deces. Nous avons decrit les liens entre volume d'activite des chirurgiens et mortalite de toute cause/complications postoperatoires apres la chirurgie colorectale au Nouveau-Brunswick. Methodes : Nous avons utilise les registres de conges des hopitaux relies aux donnees de la Statistique de l'etat civil, du registre provincial du cancer et du registre des patients. Nous avons recense toutes les admissions pour chirurgie colorectale de 2007 a 2013. Nous avons utilise la regression logistique pour etablir le risque de deces et le risque de complications (fuite anastomotique, colostomie non planifiee, infection intra-abdominale ou pneumonie) dans les 30 jours suivant le conge de l'hopital par rapport au volume d'activite des chirurgiens (c.-a-d., interventions totales des 2 annees precedentes) ajuste en fonction des caracteristiques individuelles et contextuelles, propres aux chirurgiens et aux hopitaux. Resultats : En tout, 125 chirurgiens ont effectue 9170 interventions dans 18 hopitaux. Nous avons observe un risque moindre de complications apres la chirurgie colorectale pour chaque palier de 10 interventions effectuees annuellement (risque relatif 0,94, intervalle de confiance de 95%, 0,91-0,96). Nous n'avons observe aucun lien avec la mortalite. Les liens sont demeures constants, peu importe que les modeles soient restreints aux patients cancereux ou aux interventions effectuees par des chirurgiens generaux et entre les modeles qui tenaient egalement compte du volume global d'activite des hopitaux. Conclusion : Selon nos resultats, 1'augmentation du volume d'activite est associee a un risque moindre de complications, mais n'a pas de lien avec la mortalite de toute cause apres la chirurgie colorectale au Nouveau-Brunswick. Nous n'avons pas non plus constate de lien entre le volume d'activite et l'issue differentielle de la chirurgie du colon et du rectum., Alarge body of literature has identified that for some surgical interventions, higher provider caseload volumes and higher hospital volumes are associated with improved patient outcomes. (1-4) Interventions to improve outcomes [...]

Many people assisted the bushranger, Ben Hall, in the mid 1860s. Most of them, willingly. When Hall's gang held up a stagecoach at Breadalbane, a village halfway between Goulburn and [...]

Background: Several international studies have reported negative associations between hospital and/or provider volume and risk of postoperative death following total hip arthroplasty (THA). The only Canadian studies to report on this have been based in Ontario and have found no such association. We describe associations between postoperative deaths following THA and provider caseload volume, also adjusted for hospital volume, in a population-based cohort in New Brunswick. Methods: Our analyses are based on hospital discharge abstract data linked to vital statistics and to patient registry data. We considered all first known admissions for THA in New Brunswick between Jan. 1, 2007, and Dec. 31, 2013. Provider volume was defined as total THAs performed over the preceding 2 years. We fit logistic regression models to identify odds of dying within 30 and 90 days according to provider caseload volume adjusted for selected personal and contextual characteristics. Results: About 7095 patients were admitted for THA in New Brunswick over the 7-year study period and 170 died within 30 days. We found no associations with provider volume and postoperative mortality in any of our models. Adjustment for contextual characteristics or hospital volume had no effects on this association. Conclusion: Our results suggest that patients admitted for hip replacements in New Brunswick can expect to have similar risk of death regardless of whether they are admitted to see a provider with high or low THA volumes and of whether they are admitted to the province's larger or smaller hospitals. Contexte : Plusieurs etudes internationales rapportent un lien negatif entre le volume d'activite de l'hopital ou du fournisseur de soins de sante et le risque de deces postoperatoire lie a une arthroplastie totale de la hanche. Les seules etudes canadiennes qui se sont interessees a cette question ont ete realisees en Ontario et n'ont pas rapporte ce lien. Dans notre etude, nous tentons de decrire des liens entre le deces postoperatoire lie a une arthroplastie totale de la hanche et le volume de la charge de travail du fournisseur de soins de sante, egalement ajustes pour tenir compte du volume d'activite de l'hopital, au sein d'une cohorte basee sur la population au Nouveau-Brunswick Methodes : Nos analyses reposent sur les donnees portant sur les conges des hopitaux, associees aux statistiques de l'etat civil et aux donnees des registres des patients. Nous avons examine toutes les premieres hospitalisations connues en vue d'une arthroplastie totale de la hanche au Nouveau-Brunswick entre le 1 (er) janvier 2007 et le 31 decembre 2013. Le volume d'activite du fournisseur de soins de sante a ete defini comme etant la totalite des arthroplasties totales de la hanche pratiquees au cours des 2 annees precedentes. Nous avons ajuste les modeles de regression logistique de maniere a identifier le risque de deces dans les 30 et 90 jours en fonction du volume de la charge de travail du fournisseur de soins de sante, pour tenir compte de caracteristiques personnelles et contextuelles choisies. Resultats : Environ 7095 patients ont ete admis pour une arthroplastie totale de la hanche au Nouveau-Brunswick au cours de la periode de 7 ans a l'etude, et 170 patients sont decedes dans les 30 jours. Nous n'avons pas observe de liens entre le volume d'activite du fournisseur de soins de sante et la mortalite postoperatoire dans nos modeles. L'ajustement pour tenir compte des caracteristiques contextuelles ou du volume d'activite de l'hopital n'a eu aucune incidence sur ce lien. Conclusion : Nos resultats suggerent que les patients hospitalises afin de subir une arthroplastie de la hanche au Nouveau-Brunswick peuvent s'attendre a un risque similaire de deces, peu importe que leur fournisseur de soins de sante pratique un volume faible ou eleve d'arthroplasties totales de la hanche ou que le patient soit admis dans un petit ou un grand hopital de la province., Extensive research has established that for some surgeries, higher provider caseload volume and/or higher hospital volumes are associated with lower risk of postoperative death. (1-3) This association is based on [...]

Our growing awareness of the microbial worlds importance and diversity contrasts starkly with our limited understanding of its fundamental structure. Despite recent advances in DNA sequencing, a lack of standardized protocols and common analytical frameworks impedes comparisons among studies, hindering the development of global inferences about microbial life on Earth. Here we present a meta-analysis of microbial community samples collected by hundreds of researchers for the Earth Microbiome Project. Coordinated protocols and new analytical methods, particularly the use of exact sequences instead of clustered operational taxonomic units, enable bacterial and archaeal ribosomal RNA gene sequences to be followed across multiple studies and allow us to explore patterns of diversity at an unprecedented scale. The result is both a reference database giving global context to DNA sequence data and a framework for incorporating data from future studies, fostering increasingly complete characterization of Earths microbial diversity., Author(s): Luke R. Thompson [1, 2, 3]; Jon G. Sanders [1]; Daniel McDonald [1]; Amnon Amir [1]; Joshua Ladau [4]; Kenneth J. Locey [5]; Robert J. Prill [6]; Anupriya Tripathi [...]

In this article, unit record data on Filipino migrants are used to analyze the issue of skills mismatch, its prevalence, and its impact on remittances sent hack home. Results obtained using instrumental variable techniques reveal that significant proportions of highly educated Filipino workers are employed in low-skilled jobs overseas, with systematic variation by gender and by country of work. We find that skills mismatch impacts significantly on the migrant 's remittance behavior, with effects that are differentiated between genders. Specifically, where there is mismatch in the migrant's educational attainment and the migrant's job requirement, we find significant reductions in remittances for men but not for women. (JEL J240, J610, O150), I. INTRODUCTION The economic literature is rich with evidence showing high prevalence of skills mismatch among migrants. A skills mismatch occurs when a job holder has a higher level of [...]

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.01.008 Byline: James Ted McDonald, Ryan Trenholm Abstract: This article identifies the extent to which demographic, socio-economic and geographic factors account for differences between Inuit and other Northern Canadian residents in health-related behaviours and health service use related to cancer incidence and diagnosis. The study population includes Inuit, Metis, First Nation and non-Aboriginal residents aged 21-65 who live in Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Labrador, Nunavik and Jamesie in northern Quebec, and the northern regions of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Data are drawn from confidential versions of the 2000-2001 and 2004-2005 Canadian Community Health Surveys and the 2001 Aboriginal People's Survey produced by Statistics Canada. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis is applied to a set of health-related behaviours including cigarette smoking, binge drinking and obesity, and a set of basic health service use measures including consultation with a physician, consultation with a nurse, Pap smear testing and mammography. We found that significantly higher smoking and binge drinking rates and lower rates of female cancer screening among Inuit are found not to be accounted for by differences in observable demographic and socio-economic characteristics, location of residence or distance from a hospital. As such we conclude that health-related behaviours leading to increased cancer risk and to a lower utilization of diagnostic cancer screening appear to be due to unobserved factors specific to Inuit and their unique social-cultural context. Policy interventions to address these problems may need to be targeted specifically to Inuit Canadians and should not be considered in isolation of their broader health, economic and social environment. Author Affiliation: Department of Economics, University of New Brunswick, PO Box 4400, Fredericton, NB, Canada E3B 5A3 Article Note: (footnote) [star] Financial assistance from Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and SSHRC funding through SEDAP is gratefully acknowledged.

Introduction: National guidelines advocate biennial mammography screening for asymptomatic women aged 50-69 years. Unfortunately many women do not abide by such recommendations, and evidence indicates that compliance rates are lower in rural areas. Methods: We estimated logistic regression models using data from the Canadian Community Health Survey for 2002/03 and 2004/05. We identified the extent of regional variation within and between Canadian provinces using a new and more detailed set of rural indicators based on economic zones of influence, after accounting for a range of demographic and socio-economic factors. Results: The odds of asymptomatic women aged 50-69 years having undergone mammography during the previous 2 years were significantly lower for those residing in relatively remote and rural areas than for those residing in census metropolitan areas (odds ratio [OR] 0.58, confidence interval [CI] 0.42-0.80). This was also true of women residing in certain other rural areas that had some limited labour market attachment to larger urban areas (OR 0.81, CI 0.70-0.93), but there were no significant differences between smaller and larger urban areas. We also found variation in mammography use among women living in rural and urban areas across provinces. Conclusion: Mammography use is significantly lower in rural and remote areas, even after a range of other demographic and socio-economic factors are accounted for. One important factor underpinning this result appears to be differences in attitude about the importance of regular mammography screening between women residing in rural and urban areas. Information campaigns raising awareness about the importance of mammography screening should be targeted, in particular, at women residing in rural and remote areas. Introduction : Des lignes directrices nationales preconisent une mammographie de depistage tous les 2 ans pour les femmes asymptomatiques agees de 50 a 69 ans. Malheureusement, beaucoup de femmes ne suivent pas ces recommandations et les donnees probantes indiquent que les taux d'observation sont moins eleves dans les regions rurales. Methodes : Nous avons estime des modeles de regression logistique a partir de donnees tirees de l'Enquete sur la sante dans les collectivites canadiennes pour 2002-2003 et 2004-2005. Nous avons determine l'ampleur de la variation regionale a l'interieur des provinces canadiennes et entre celles-ci en utilisant un ensemble nouveau et plus detaille d'indicateurs ruraux bases sur les zones d'influence economique, compte tenu d'un eventail de facteurs demographiques et socioeconomiques. Resultats : Les chances que des femmes asymptomatiques agees de 50 a 69 ans se soient soumises a une mammographie au cours des 2 annees precedentes etaient beaucoup moins elevees chez celles qui habitaient des regions relativement eloignees et rurales que chez celles qui vivaient dans des regions metropolitaines de recensement (coefficient de probabilite [CP] 0,58, intervalle de confiance [IC], 0,42-0,80). C'etait aussi le cas chez les femmes habitant d'autres regions rurales comportant une certaine proportion de main-d'oeuvre active dans le marche du travail de regions urbaines plus etendues (CP 0,81; IC 0,70-0,93), mais il n'y avait pas de differences significatives entre les grandes regions urbaines et les regions urbaines plus petites. Nous avons aussi constate une variation entre les provinces au niveau du recours a la mammographie chez les femmes des regions rurales et urbaines. Conclusion : Le recours a la mammographie est beaucoup moins eleve dans les regions rurales et eloignees, meme si l'on tient compte de tout un eventail d'autres facteurs demographiques et socioeconomiques. Un facteur important qui sous-tend ce resultat semble resider dans les differences au niveau de l'attitude face a l'importance d'une mammographie de depistage periodique entre les femmes des regions rurales et urbaines. Les campagnes d'information visant a faire mieux comprendre l'importance de la mammographie de depistage devraient viser en particulier les femmes habitant les regions rurales et eloignees., INTRODUCTION Breast cancer is a common disease and leading source of cancer-related mortality among Canadian women. It is estimated that 1 in 9 women will develop breast cancer during her [...]

Efficiency gains achievable under moment conditions with nonlinear disturbances and based on flexible parametric families with error distributions are explored. Instrumental variables estimators can achieve the semiparametric efficiency bound when the true error distribution belongs to the parametric family.

Although a positive relationship between socio-economic status and academic achievement is well-established, how it varies with age is not. This article uses four data points from Canada's National Longitudinal Study [...]

Unplanned outages can be especially costly for generation companies operating nuclear facilities. Early detection of deviations from expected performance through condition monitoring can allow a more proactive and managed approach to dealing with ageing plant. This paper proposes an anomaly detection framework incorporating the use of the Hidden Markov Model (HMM) to support the analysis of nuclear reactor core condition monitoring data. Fuel Grab Load Trace (FGLT) data gathered within the UK during routine refueling operations has been seen to provide information relating to the condition of the graphite bricks that comprise the core. Although manual analysis of this data is time consuming and requires considerable expertise, this paper demonstrates how techniques such as the HMM can provide analysis support by providing a benchmark model of expected behavior against which future refueling events may be compared. The presence of anomalous behavior in candidate traces is inferred through the underlying statistical foundation of the HMM which gives an observation likelihood averaged along the length of the input sequence. Using this likelihood measure, the engineer can be alerted to anomalous behaviour, indicating data which might require further detailed examination. It is proposed that this data analysis technique is used in conjunction with other intelligent analysis techniques currently employed to analyse FGLT to provide a greater confidence measure in detecting anomalous behaviour from FGLT data. Index Terms--Data processing, fission reactor control and monitoring, hidden Markov models, nuclear, power generation.

A method for computing an antenna bandwidth that takes into account the radiation pattern stability over a specified field of view and impedance matching is proposed in this paper. The radiation pattern of a resonant quarter-wave thin monopole is used as a benchmark with respect to which the bandwidth of various monocone antennas are computed and optimized. A simple modification of a classical monocone antenna is proposed and its bandwidth is optimized. It is shown that a modified monocone maintains stable radiation patterns with system gain greater than 0 dBi for 51[degrees] [less than or equal to] [theta] [less than or equal to] 90[degrees] over a 20:1 bandwidth, which is a 94% increase in bandwidth compared to the classical monocone. It is also demonstrated that a 4.6:1 bandwidth with a consistent radiation pattern and system gain greater than 2 dBi is achievable. Theoretical results are supported by measurements and the effects of the finite sized ground plane are also discussed. Index Terms--Antenna radiation patterns, biconical antennas, conical antennas, monopole antennas.

Two tradeoffs in the effectiveness of automatic voltage regulators (AVRs) and power system stabilizers (PSSs) are investigated together for the first time. The first is the effect of a high-gain fast response AVR on decreasing power system oscillation stability as well as increasing transient stability, and vice versa. The second is that a PSS can reduce transient stability by overriding the voltage signal to the exciter as well as increasing oscillation stability, and vice versa. In essence, the actions of the AVR and PSS devices are dynamically interlinked. A novel Bode frequency response framework for dynamic analysis of AVR and PSS performance and tradeoffs is presented. Bode frequency response also assists with the determination of suitable generator locations for PSSs and the assessment of robustness under changing power system operating conditions. Index Terms--Automatic voltage regulators, Bode frequency-response analysis, electromechanical oscillations, power system stabilizers, transient stability.

A novel methodology is proposed for the customer security assessment with high penetration of wind power in modern distribution networks. The customer security is quantified through customer damage costs by operating wind farms without standing reserve, which causes an inadequate supply of power to meet loads at some operating conditions. Necessary reserve to mitigate intermittency of wind is quantified through shed load. The ability to estimate a network firm import capacity that can be replaced with a wind plant, which is operated with the necessary reserve, is an added advantage of the approach. Monte Carlo simulation is the prime tool of the assessment, which incorporates linear programming-based re-dispatching of generation and load shedding to eliminate constraint violations. Steady-state analysis is used for the assessment incorporating random contingencies, subsequent tripping, intermittency of wind power, and demand variations. A case study is presented considering a medium voltage island network that has a grid connection, and this is used to demonstrate the customer security assessment integrating uncertainty models and a formulation to extract the impact of intermittency. Index Terms--Adequacy, customer damage cost, intermittency, Monte Carlo simulation, security, standing reserve, wind power.

This paper proposes an innovative way of making a decision to island (or synchronize) distributed generators when operating conditions of a distribution system are varied. Islanding decisions are made when a network undergoes disturbances. In this approach, there is a decision-making mechanism, which samples states of the network operating condition to either synchronize or island in an identified period of time. Decision making is achieved through extended sequential sampling, which manages generator states within specific time periods. The approach can minimize the duration of islanded operation and manage generators' re-connection to the grid. Use of the proposed mechanism and sampling approach offer benefits over conventional relays; incorrect operations due to errors in measurements are reduced because the operational actions are not based on a single decision sample, but instead rely on extended sequential sampling over a number of samples. A case study is investigated using the IEEE 30-bus test system and the results are presented for this new approach. Index Terms--Distributed generation, fault ride through, islanding, sequential sampling, synchronization.

To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4932.2007.00373.x Byline: NICHOLAS BIDDLE (1), STEVEN KENNEDY (2), JAMES TED MCDONALD (3) Keywords: I12; I00 Abstract: This paper compares the health of Australian immigrants with that of the Australian-born population and examines the extent to which differences vary with time since migration. Health is measured using self-reports of chronic diseases from three national health surveys. Probit models are used to estimate the health effects of immigrant arrival cohorts, years since migration and country of birth. We find that the health of Australian immigrants is better than the Australian-born population, but the longer immigrants spend in Australia, the closer their health approximates that of the Australian-born population. There are variations for different immigrant groups and for particular chronic diseases. Author Affiliation: (1)Australian Bureau of Statistics and Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia (2)Australian Treasury and Economics Department, Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia (3)Department of Economics, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada Article note: Correspondence: Nicholas Biddle, Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia. Email: nicholas.biddle@anu.edu.au

The focus of this paper centers on the condition assessment of 11-kV-33-kV distribution circuit breakers (CBs) from the analysis of their trip coil current signatures captured using an innovative condition monitoring technology developed by others. Using available expert knowledge in conjunction with a structured process of data mining, thresholds associated with features representing each stage of a CB's operation may be defined and used to characterize varying states of the CB condition. The knowledge and understanding of the satisfactory and unsatisfactory breaker condition can be gained and made explicit from the analysis of captured trip signature data and subsequently used to form the basis of condition assessment and diagnostic rules implemented in a decision support system, used to inform condition-based decisions affecting CB maintenance. This paper proposes a data mining method for the analysis of condition monitoring data, and demonstrates this method in its discovery of useful knowledge from trip coil data captured from a population of Scottish Power-Energy Networks' in-service CBs. This knowledge then forms the basis of a decision support system for the condition assessment of these CBs during routine trip testing. Index Terms--Circuit breakers (CBs), condition-based maintenance, data mining, decision support system, monitoring, trip coil current signature.

To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4932.2006.00358.x Byline: STEVEN KENNEDY (1), JAMES TED MCDONALD (2) Keywords: I12; J69 Abstract: In this paper we examine how the stresses associated with the transition to a new country combined with additional stress arising from a period of unemployment affect the mental health of immigrants. Australian immigrants are found to have poorer mental health at 6 months after arrival in Australia compared with 18 and 42 months. Furthermore, unemployment, and especially a long duration of unemployment, is found to be associated with poor mental health. We found that although immigrant women appear unaffected by their spouses' labour force status, there is evidence that immigrant men's mental health is affected by spouse labour force status. Author Affiliation: (1)Australian Treasury, Canberra, ACT, Australia (2)University of New Brunswick, Frederiction, New Brunswick, Canada Article note: Correspondence: Steven Kennedy, Australian Treasury, Langton Crescent, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia. Email: skennedy@treasury.gov.au

This paper reports on the use of multi-agent system technology to automate the management and analysis of SCADA and digital fault recorder (DFR) data. The multi-agent system, entitled Protection Engineering Diagnostic Agents (PEDA), integrates legacy intelligent systems that analyze SCADA and DFR data to provide data management and online diagnostic information to protection engineers. Since November 2004, PEDA agents have been intelligently interpreting and managing data online at a transmission system operator in the U.K. As the results presented in this paper demonstrate, PEDA supports protection engineers by providing access to interpreted power systems data via the corporate intranet within minutes of the data being received. In this paper, the authors discuss their experience of developing a multi-agent system that is robust enough for continual online use within the power industry. The use of existing agent development toolsets and standards is also discussed. Index Terms--Cooperative systems, decision support systems, fault diagnosis, intelligent systems, knowledge-based systems, power transmission protection.

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2004.06.008 Byline: James V. Hansen (a), James B. McDonald (b), Robert S. Turley (c) Keywords: Regression; Multivariate statistics; Applied probability; Partially adaptive estimation Abstract: This paper provides an accessible exposition of recently developed partially adaptive estimation methods and their application. These methods are robust to thick-tailed or asymmetric error distributions and should be of interest to researchers and practitioners in data mining, agent learning, and mathematical modeling in a wide range of disciplines. In particular, partially adaptive estimation methods can serve as robust alternatives to ordinary regression analysis, as well as machine learning methods developed by the artificial intelligence and computing communities. Results from analysis of three problem domains demonstrate application of the theory. Author Affiliation: (a) Information Systems Group, Marriott School of Management, Brigham Young University, P.O. Box 23068, 540 N. Eldon Tanner Building, Provo, UT 84602-3068, USA (b) Department of Economics, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA (c) Goldman Sachs, New York City, USA Article History: Received 11 September 2003; Accepted 9 June 2004

Effectiveness of partially adaptive estimation methods in regression analysis and mathematical modelling is discussed.

The common information model (CIM) is an object-oriented representation of a power system and is used primarily as a data exchange format for power system operational control systems. CIM has the potential to be used as much more than an intermediary exchange language. This paper explores the possible use of CIM as the core of a power systems analytical toolkit for storing, processing, extracting, and exchanging data directly from CIM objects. To this end, this paper discusses solutions to some of the challenges in storing and processing large power system network models as native Java objects without sacrificing reliability and robustness. This paper highlights the advantages provided by such a system when dealing with extensions to the CIM standard and overcoming the problems posed with simultaneously maintaining backward compatibility without sacrificing a higher level of detail. This paper also addresses the issue of data processing performance in contrast to other approaches. Index Terms--Common information model (CIM), extensible markup language (XML), Java, object-oriented data modeling.

This paper aims to address a gap in our understanding of immigrant health issues by examining the determinants of excess weight--an important indicator of current and future health. The paper combines data drawn from recent large health surveys to identify how the weight of recent immigrants compares with that of native-born people, and how the likelihood of becoming overweight or obese changes with additional years in Canada. We find evidence that on average, immigrants are substantially less likely to be obese or overweight upon arrival in Canada. These measures converge slowly to native-born levels, but there is marked variation by the ethnicity of the immigrant. Since changes in weight will reflect choices with respect to diet and activity, the extent to which overweight and obesity rates change with years in Canada may reflect the extent to which immigrants interact with or are influenced by members of their ethnic group who reside in the same area. We find evidence that ethnic group social network effects exert a quantitatively important influence on the incidence of being overweight and obese for members of most ethnic minorities, tempering the process of adjustment to Canadian lifestyle norms that may be driving excess weight gain with additional years in Canada. Keywords: Immigrants; Health; Body mass index; Obesity; Acculturation; Canada

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2005.05.004 Byline: James Ted McDonald, Steven Kennedy Keywords: Immigrants; Health; Body mass index; Obesity; Acculturation; Canada Abstract: This paper aims to address a gap in our understanding of immigrant health issues by examining the determinants of excess weight -- an important indicator of current and future health. The paper combines data drawn from recent large health surveys to identify how the weight of recent immigrants compares with that of native-born people, and how the likelihood of becoming overweight or obese changes with additional years in Canada. We find evidence that on average, immigrants are substantially less likely to be obese or overweight upon arrival in Canada. These measures converge slowly to native-born levels, but there is marked variation by the ethnicity of the immigrant. Since changes in weight will reflect choices with respect to diet and activity, the extent to which overweight and obesity rates change with years in Canada may reflect the extent to which immigrants interact with or are influenced by members of their ethnic group who reside in the same area. We find evidence that ethnic group social network effects exert a quantitatively important influence on the incidence of being overweight and obese for members of most ethnic minorities, tempering the process of adjustment to Canadian lifestyle norms that may be driving excess weight gain with additional years in Canada. Author Affiliation: Department of Economics, University of New Brunswick, PO Box 4400, Fredericton, NB, Canada E3B 5A3

Little ethnographic research has been conducted on how the illegal drug trade has affected and transformed rural communities in Mexico and the rest of Mesoamerica. It is a topic that is difficult and potentially dangerous to explore, at least directly; thus it is not surprising that relatively few researchers have openly studied it. For those of us working on rural development problems, it means that our analyses are silent on a critical dimension of the local economy. This paper describes the effects of drug trafficking on a small, rural town in Mexico's central highlands in which a highly interpenetrated legal-illegal economy has emerged. A series of ethnographic vignettes provide the entry point for exploring how the narcoeconomy manifested itself both materially and in the imaginations of local people. An ordinary town, in fact, had extraordinary inequalities: opulent houses; the subversion of traditional forms of leisure; a new urban-oriented consumer culture; and new farmer entrepreneurs. All were underwritten by narco-activities. The paper closes by considering the broader implications of the narcoeconomy by expanding on themes of globalization and poverty, migration, gender, and violence that run through the descriptive vignettes. Key words: drug trafficking, narcoeconomy, globalization, inequality, culture change, Mexico

Byline: William J. Newman (1), Sandra K. Abell (2), Paula D. Hubbard (3), James McDonald (4), Justine Otaala (3), Mariana Martini (3) Abstract: Because various definitions of inquiry exist in the science education literature and in classroom practice, elementary science methods students and instructors face dilemmas during the study of inquiry. Using field notes, instructor anecdotal notes, student products, and course artifacts, science methods course instructors created fictional journal entries to represent the experiences of both the instructors and students during instruction on inquiry. Identified dilemmas were varying definitions of inquiry, the struggle to provide sufficient inquiry-based science-learning experiences, perceived time constraints, determining how much course time should be slated for science instruction versus pedagogy instruction, instructors' and students' lack of inquiry-based learning experiences, grade versus trust issues, and students' science phobia. Instructors' attempts at dealing with these dilemmas included using analogies, increased field-experience time, modeling, and detailed rubrics. Author Affiliation: (1) Department of Mathematics and Science Education, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, 60616, U.S.A (2) Southwestern Bell Science Education Center, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO, 65211, U.S.A (3) Department of Curriculum &amp Instruction, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, U.S.A (4) Department of Teacher Education and Professional Development, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI, 48859, U.S.A Article History: Registration Date: 14/12/2004

This paper combines multiple cross-sections of data drawn from the National Population Health Survey and Canadian Community Health Survey to confirm the existence of the 'healthy immigrant effect', specifically that immigrants are in relatively better health on arrival in Canada compared to native-born Canadians, and that immigrant health converges with years in Canada to native-born levels. The paper finds robust evidence that the healthy immigrant effect is present for the incidence of chronic conditions for both men and women, and results in relatively slow convergence to native-born levels. There is only weak evidence in terms of self-assessed health status. The inclusion of controls for region of origin and year of arrival does not account for the observed effects, although region of origin is an important determinants of immigrant health. The paper then considers some alternative explanations for the observed differences, and support is found for the idea that the healthy immigrant effect reflects convergence in physical health rather than convergence in screening and detection of existing health problems. JEL classification: I1; J0 Keywords: Immigrants; Health; Cohort effects; Canada

Abstract Ethnic clustering plays an important role in the location choice of new immigrants to Canada. A concentration of people in the same geographic area who are of similar ethnic [...]

The problem of exchanging data between two or more organizations in a format that is accessible and understandable by each is a universal problem. Furthermore, the problem of translating or accessing data in the correct format for applications using proprietary data formats is challenging. Legacy software applications may endure, for some time given, regulatory expenditure pressures on electricity system operators and these require data translators (importer/exporter) and access facilities. The basis of this paper is that the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) common information model (CIM) in eXtensible Markup Language (XML) represents the first stage in a revolution of data exchange and manipulation for power systems. This paper explores the problem of translating data in the CIM XML format to the required format for such legacy power system analysis applications. This paper discusses solutions to some of the challenges in data translation, and illustrates how these solutions can be implemented. Index Terms--CIM XML, power system data translation.

This paper describes a software-based toolset which aids the application and development of model-based reasoning systems for validation and diagnosis in power systems applications. The validation of the operation of power systems protection equipment using disturbance recorder data is used as an example throughout the paper. Index Terms--Fault diagnosis, intelligent systems, power system protection.

Protection engineers use data from a range of monitoring devices to perform post-fault disturbance diagnosis. In the past, heterogeneous intelligent systems have been developed to interpret the data and provide information to engineers to assist with the disturbance diagnosis task. The majority of these systems remain standalone due to the problems associated with systems integration. This paper proposes the use of multiagent systems for providing a flexible and scalable alternative to existing integration approaches. A novel multiagent system (MAS) has been developed entitled protection engineering diagnostic agents (PEDAs) which integrates a legacy SCADA interpretation system with new systems for Digital Fault Recorder (DFR) record interpretation and for enhancing fault record retrieval from remote DFRs. The use of MAS technology provides a flexible and scalable architecture open to the introduction of new data interpretation systems. The paper discusses the benefits of a multiagent approach and the design and implementation of PEDA. Index Terms--Cooperative systems, decision support systems, fault diagnosis, intelligent systems, knowledge-based systems, power transmission protection.

This article explores the politics of a dairy development project in West Mexico. The project was a response to foreign competition that resulted from the opening of the Mexican economy and sought to organize small-scale dairy farmers to produce higher-quality milk with lower production costs. Local and outside elites who initiated this project embraced a Weberian notion of institutional rationality that cast all development problems as technical--a move that veiled dominant modes of politics and power. Analysis centers on three domains of discourse and practice--milk quality, traditional culture, and communication--that together reveal the contradictions between project goals and local structures of power, patronage, and control that reproduced existing class cleavages and forms of domination.

We hypothesized that reactive carbonyls generated from smoke exposure cause increased arterial low-density lipoprotein (LDL) accumulation and endothelial layer permeability. In addition, we hypothesized that estrogen supplementation was protective against chronic environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure to the artery wall. Quantitative fluorescence microscopy was used to determine artery injury after exposure. For our chronic studies, ovariectomized rats treated with subcutaneous placebo or 17[beta]-estradiol pellets were exposed to ETS or filtered air for 6 wk. ETS exposure increased carotid artery LDL accumulation more than fourfold compared with filtered air exposure, an effect largely mediated by increased permeability. No protective effect of estradiol was observed. Acute ETS exposure of a buffer solution containing LDL resulted in a more than sixfold increase in the highly reactive carbonyl glyoxal. Perfusion of this solution through carotid arteries resulted in a 105% increase in permeability. Moreover, perfusion of glyoxal alone caused a 50% increase in carotid artery permeability. This endothelial damage and changes in lipid accumulation may serve as an initiating event in atheroma formation in individuals exposed to ETS. atherosclerosis; estrogen; [alpha]-dicarbonyls; permeability

Byline: Harry Bloch (1), James Ted McDonald (2) Keywords: import competition; labor productivity; Australia Abstract: The impact of import competition on labor productivity is examined using panel data for a sample of Australian manufacturing firms over the period 1984--1993. Import competition is found to interact with domestic competition such the positive impact of import competition on the level and rate of growth of labor productivity rises with the degree of concentration among domestic producers. The results suggest that lowering border protection on manufactured imports into Australia has led to enhanced productivity from domestic producers, especially from those producers in highly concentrated industries. Author Affiliation: (1) Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Australia (2) University of New Brunswick, Fredricton, Canada Article History: Registration Date: 07/10/2004

Research presented concerns the performance of immigrants in the Canadian labor market, focusing on previous research that examines unemployment insurance utilization by immigrant men. The authors discuss the difficulty of basing policy decisions on limited models.

This article examines international criminological data to investigate the effects of social status on crime and delinquency throughout the world. Findings indicate that individuals with low educational, occupational, and income levels are more likely to participate in criminal activity when compared to members of the middle and upper classes.