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The internationalization of universities and the aging of the global population are two current issues that converge and challenge undergraduate gerontology curriculum development in Canada. One response to this challenge is to envision an intercultural gerontology curriculum. What might this curriculum encompass? How might it be taught? An exploratory study was undertaken to address these two questions. This paper presents findings from this study based primarily on interviews with university-based stakeholders from Canada, the United States, and Europe. Thematic analysis of the interviews resulted in five themes: multiple perspectives on cultural diversity; the dynamic nature of cultural diversity and aging; flow of an intercultural curriculum; institutional culture and intercultural curricula; and principles and practice for intercultural gerontology. Framed by principles of gerontology theory and educational approaches, this paper focuses on the principles and practice suggested by study participants. Scaffolding learning, active learning strategies, experiential learning opportunities, teacher modelling, and internet-based learning are discussed as key to intercultural learning. An appendix includes a list of resources that may be useful to developing an intercultural gerontology curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents perspectives and controversies surrounding the use of milestones to assess competency in outcomes-based medical education. Global perspectives (Canada, Europe, and the United States) and developments supporting their rationales are discussed. In Canada, there is a significant movement away from conceptualizing competency based on time, and a move toward demonstration of specific competencies. The success of this movement may require complex (rather than reductionist) milestones that reflect students' progression through complexity and context and a method to narrate their journey. European countries (United Kingdom, France, and Germany) have stressed the complexity associated with time and milestones for medical students to truly achieve competence. To meet the changing demands of medicine, they view time as actually providing students with knowledge and exposure to achieve various milestones. In the United States, milestones are based on sampling throughout professional development to initiate lifelong learning. However, the use of milestones may not imply overall competence (reductionism). Milestones must be developed alongside outcomes-based curriculum with use of faculty and competency committees. The perspectives outlined in this paper underscore emerging challenges for implementing outcomes-based medical education and call for new conceptualizations of competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The recognition of medical professionalism as a complex social construct makes context, geographical location and culture important considerations in any discussion of professional behaviour. Medical students, medical educators and practitioners are now much more on the move globally, exposing them to cultural and social attitudes, values and beliefs that may differ from their own traditional perceptions of professionalism. Aims and Methods: This paper uses the model of the intercultural development continuum and the concept of 'cultural fit' to discuss what might transpire when a student, teacher or doctor is faced with a new cultural environment. Using our own experiences as medical educators working abroad and supported by evidence in the literature, we have developed four anecdotal scenarios to highlight some of the challenges that different cultural contexts bring to our current (Western) understanding of professionalism. Results and Conclusions: The scenarios highlight some of the potentially different regional and/or cultural perspectives and nuances of professional behaviours, attitudes or values that many of us either take for granted or find difficult, depending on our training and socio-cultural upbringing. With this paper, we hope to start a long overdue conversation about global professionalism amongst medical educators, identify potential areas for research and highlight a need for medical schools to embrace a 'global' approach to how professionalism is embedded in their curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to draw on a socio-technical perspective to explore how information and communication technology (ICT) supports the validation of non-formal and informal learning (VNFIL) in specific practices and arrangements. Design/methodology/approach: The authors use qualitative content analysis to analyse 43 country reports of the "European inventory on validation" published by the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) in 2019. Findings: This study conceptualises ICT supported VNFIL practices and arrangements from a socio-technical perspective. Given this, the paper finds that ICT is used mainly to provide information on validation practices and arrangements, store qualification registers online and identify and document learning outcomes. The use of ICT to assess and certify learning outcomes remains limited. Originality/value: VNFIL is very rarely seen in a technical context. This paper contributes to a theoretical perspective and highlights the mutual interdependence of social and technical components. Furthermore, this study provides an overview of inasmuch ICT is currently used to support VNFIL practices and arrangements. Based on the results, validation researchers and practitioners can get inspiration on how to develop ICT supported VNFIL practices and arrangements further.

Purpose: This paper aims to understand the development track of skills mismatch research and discover the hidden internal connections between literature. Design/methodology/approach: The authors gathered data through scientometric quantitative analysis using CiteSpace. Specifically, this article applied basic analysis, journal cocitation analysis (JCA), author cocitation analysis (ACA) and document cocitation analysis (DCA), cluster analysis, citation burstness detection, scientific research cooperation analysis and coconcurrence analysis of keywords of 3,125 documents from Web of Science core collections for the period 2000-2020. Findings: Through the document cocitation analysis and the keywords' co-occurrence, this article identifies influential scholars, documents, research institutions, journals and research hotspots in research on the skills mismatch phenomenon. The results showed that the publications had ballooned, and the phenomenon has become an interdisciplinary research subject. The USA and Finland remain the main contributors, which is attributed to their high-yield institutions such as the University of Helsinki, the University of Witwatersrand, the University of Washington and so on. While the African continent lacks research on skills mismatch even with the continent's effort to overcome such a crucial issue. The paper presents an in-depth analysis of skills and educational mismatch issues to better understand the evolutionary trajectory of the collective knowledge over the past 20 years and highlight the areas of active pursuit. Research limitations/implications: The authors only used Web of Science core collection to collect data; however, they can added Scopus indexed database as well to extend the research trends and explore more new research hot topics to solve the skills mismatch phenomenon. Originality/value: The scientometric analysis is of great significance for identifying the potential relationship between the literature and investigating the knowledge evolution of skills mismatch research. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the International Labor Organization and the World Health Organization are the giants who are mostly concerned of the mismatch skills phenomenon. Researchers can refer to this study to understand the status quo, gaps and research trends to deal with the skills mismatch issue.

This paper reports the results of a survey-based study of perceptions of ethical business practices in 13 countries of Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Responses from more than 23,000 managers and employees were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance and post-hoc comparisons, aimed at identifying homogenous sets of countries. Anglo countries (US, UK, Australia, and Canada) clustered together, and were joined by India in most cases. Japan and Italy formed a homogenous subset significantly different from all other countries. Countries of continental Europe, China, Mexico, and Brazil formed various mid-range groupings. The paper discusses some salient differences between groups of countries and presents implications for human resource management (HRD) practice and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines international patent application decisions of nine agricultural biotechnology firms from 1990–2000 in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Patent Office, Japan and South Africa. The data reveal a low frequency of international applications despite an initial United States' application, indicating very low values for patents abroad. The results indicate that invention quality plays an important role in firms' decisions to patent abroad and that a single international application is a good predictor of multiple international applications. Further, significant country fixed effects suggest wide differences in business climates and patent enforcement among countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the design guidelines for Active SAR Antennas followed for the development of COSMO SkyMed SAR Antenna Subsystem. They have brought to define the antenna architecture, the RF, and electrical requirements for all the antenna RF, digital and power units, taking into account the available technologies and achievable performance. The antenna design is described for what the main subsystems is concerned, such as RF, power, digital, including mechanical and thermal aspects. Finally the paper reports also a brief description of the most recent development carried out in Canada and in Europe in the last ten years, including the on-going programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite a large literature that addresses the gendered structure of forestry occupations in Europe and the USA, relatively little attention has been paid to these issues in Canada. In this paper, it is argued that policy makers and academics have used outdated statistics about forestry employment to shape policies and programs of government and industry. Use of these data has been to the general disadvantage of women working in the forest industry and in forestry communities. This paper draws mainly on three studies, spanning the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s. Each study relied on secondary sources such as Census data, government and industry documents, as well as primary sources such as interviews or questionnaires. On Vancouver Island, British Columbia, analysis of land reallocation policies and transition strategies for displaced workers in the 1990s did not consider women as forestry workers or consider how job losses and opportunities for retraining might vary between men and women. Consequently, gender-neutral transition strategies were more accessible for men than for women. A study of female forestry workers in Saskatchewan revealed there was very little knowledge about employment conditions for women in forestry. Women reported that they missed out on training and advancement opportunities because they lacked networks, childcare support or other benefits that might encourage them to improve their circumstances. Finally, a survey of forest sector advisory committees across the country revealed a very low rate of participation by women, even though those who did participate had some significantly different viewpoints about forestry than their male counterparts. In combination, these efforts suggest that improvements in the understanding of forestry employment would benefit forestry workers, both male and female, and ensure that all workers made lasting contributions to the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pharmaceutical sector is unusual amongst global regulated industries inasmuch as it is usually forbidden from advertising to the users of its products. This paper reports on research updating my 2003 review 2 of the evidence and arguments for and against the direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs. It not only covers the two countries where significant DTCA is permitted (USA and New Zealand), but also the administrations in which there is active discussion of possibilities to ease or amend some of the current restrictions (Europe, Australia and Canada). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tens and hundreds of thousands of disturbances occur annually in modern power systems. The overwhelming majority of them are eliminated by relay protection devices and other automatic systems and by the actions of the dispatching personnel. A small fraction of the emergencies (tens of cases in such large power interconnections as those in the United States and Canada, Europe, and the United Power System (UPS) of Russia) result in significant system failures, sometimes of a cascading nature. They are consequences of unusual primary disturbances, failures of automatic emergency control systems, protection device malfunctions, and errors by personnel, but do not cause extreme consequences for the power system and the consumers. Of these, only some rare failures--blackouts--become catastrophes with severe long-term consequences for the national economies and population. Recent blackouts in North America, Europe, Russia, and other countries require specialists once again to pay closer attention to the blackout phenomenon. It is often believed that the philosophy of preventing blackouts should be based on dispatching personnel training, wide-area system visibility, and better computer models for the analysis of the stability and security of power systems. The authors of this paper also think that in emergency situations of a cascading nature, automatic emergency control systems should play a major role. A confirmation for this statement is the fact that from 1975 to 2005 there were no blackouts in the UPS of Russia (where automatic emergency control systems are widely used). At the same time, the Moscow blackout demonstrated that the growing problems in the Russia's UPS (such as aging equipment and load growth) made it also vulnerable to major blackouts. This stresses again that the electrical power industry faces common global problems and that a global effort, cooperation, and exchange of the best practices are needed to prevent blackouts. This paper describes the Russian principles and systems of dispatch and emergency control--a multilevel defense system protecting the Russian power grefid from developing cascade failures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose — To provide a comparative review of the teaching of Readers' Advisory Services in schools of library and information science in selected schools in the USA, Canada and Europe. Design/methodology/approach — After reviewing the literature, schools are selected based on their known activity in providing readers' advisory service courses or on their national ranking (in the case of US schools) to provide a snapshot of current level of readers' advisory instruction. Findings — Instruction in readers' advisory services is a very small part of the total curriculum in schools examined. Librarians who wish to gain more insight to readers' advisory services must depend on continuing education opportunities, such as workshops and conference programs, not on courses in the curriculum of schools of library and information science. Originality/value — This paper raises questions as to the relationship between library and information science curricula and the needs of practicing librarians to provide services to leisure readers. It finds that, despite an increased interest in providing readers' advisory services in libraries, library education is not responding to that need and continuing education and training programs are essential to providing librarians who are well prepared to serve leisure readers. For schools which are contemplating adding coursework in these areas, the case studies detail courses as they are offered at other institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health care expenditure studies of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries remain important because their findings often suggest cost containment and other policy initiatives. This paper focuses on the compatibility of OECD health data with the "expenditure inertia" (or lagged adjustments) hypothesis, by modeling individual country time-series data of 21 nations for the 1960-1993 period. Maximum likelihood estimates of the Box-Cox transformation regression models reveal that: (a) the hypothesized impact of health "expenditure inertia" is both pervasive and strong, averaging 0.64 across the countries; (b) the real GDP elasticities of health care expenditures vary widely among the countries and average 0.34 in the short run--implying that health care is a necessity; (c) the long run GDP elasticities are less than 1 in 8 countries, unitary elastic in 8 countries and elastic in 5 countries--suggesting that health care is not universally a necessity or a luxury commodity for the OECD countries; (d) physician-inducement effects (dis-inducement in a few countries) are weak, with a mean elasticity estimate of 0.17; and (e) no unique functional form approximation model is globally compatible with the data across the countries. Health care cost containment policy implications of these findings are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article highlights the second European Management Control Symposium with the general theme "Organizations and Control: Theory and Practice," held from July 9-11, 1992 at the HEC School of Management in Versailles, France. The participants for the forum numbered around 100, with representatives from European countries, USA, Canada and Australia. The conference started with a plenary keynote address delivered by Michel Fiol of the HEC School of Management. This was followed by parallel sessions.

While internationalization is among the top strategic priorities of universities and colleges globally, research into the expanse of internationalization in the kinesiology discipline is not well researched. Given this gap, critical consideration of the state and status of the phenomenon is needed. Knowing more about what is being done in the name of internationalization within kinesiology and reflecting on how those actions and outcomes are aligned, or not, with key theoretical guidance is necessary in order to plan for improvement accordingly. For these reasons, this paper first provides a primer on internationalization in higher education, including how the phenomenon has come to be defined as well as key contemporary critiques associated with it. In particular, we highlight Beck's (2012) theoretical concept of 'eduscape' to critically consider the influences of globalization on internationalization within higher education kinesiology as well as Khoo, Taylor, and Andreotti's (2016) principles of intelligibility, dissent, and solidarity to consider the ways kinesiology scholars engage critically with internationalization processes. Presented next is a review of the kinesiology literature that is explicitly focused on internationalization. Then, the results of a pilot survey into the views of National Association for Kinesiology in Higher Education (NAKHE) members and other Western kinesiology scholars on internationalization is reported next. The paper concludes with recommendations as to how NAKHE and the broader community of Western kinesiology scholars might best navigate internationalization moving forward. We recommend the complexity-informed and principle-driven approach of inclusive leadership as a means of pursuing cognitive justice in the 21st century.

This paper analyzes cattle killing by First Nations in Southern Alberta in the 1890s m light of different theoretical approaches to the issue of First Nations crime. This paper suggests that this form of criminal behaviour was not a result of cultural differences or cultural misunderstandings between First Nations and Europeans. Rather, this type of First Nations criminality was rooted in material circumstances characterized by extreme hunger, and was reflective of a process of resistance to state policies. The crime of cattle killing was, in part, a political act that was part of Treaty Seven First Nations efforts to oppose and change the Department of Indian Affairs rations policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How will countries handle idiosyncratic macroeconomic shocks under the single currency? Since the regional adjustment patterns currently prevailing within European currency unions are likely to prevail at the national level under the single currency, looking at the ways in which European countries react to internally asymmetric shocks today provides a good preview for the answer to that question. In this paper, we compare the USA with Germany, Italy and the UK, and with Canada, which is closer to Europe than the USA in its labour market and fiscal institutions. Europe's (and to some extent Canada's) model of regional response differs from that of the USA. Changes in regional real exchange rates are small in all countries. Outside of the USA, however, there is more reliance on interregional transfer payments, less on labour migration, and the pace of regional adjustment appears to be slower. If EMU aims at the same degree of economic and social cohesion that its constituent nations enjoy today, this suggests that its members may find it hard to resist the eventual extension of existing EU mechanisms of income redistribution -- a transfer union. We propose an alternative strategy based on a relaxed Stability Pact, further strictures against central EU borrowing, labour market and fiscal reform, and the issuance by individual member states of debt indexed to nominal GDP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper briefly surveys the history of natural gas use and describes the main features of current gas consumption. The share of gas in total energy consumption, and the sectoral distribution of its use in major consuming regions are discussed. The main changes in the pattern of gas consumption since 1980 are reviewed and explained. I analyze the likely implications of (a) the emergence of the combined cycle gas power generation; (b) the rising environmental premium of gas; and (c) the transformation of the West European gas market structure. The paper concludes that natural gas will substantially increase its share of global energy consumption in the next 15-20 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neoliberal theories--whether the new public management, principal-agent theory, or performance management--have provided the rationale for sweeping reforms in the governance and operation of higher education. This paper expands our understanding of neoliberal theory and practice by examining a leading neoliberal reform: performance-based funding (PBF) for higher education in the USA, Europe, Canada, Australia, and elsewhere. Our analysis of PBF examines not only its impacts but also its origins and implementation. Neoliberal theory has been used not only "prospectively" to design and argue for certain public policies but also "retrospectively" to analyse the origins and implementation of neoliberal policy. Hence, this paper examines this retrospective neoliberal analysis in order to determine how well neoliberal theory helps us understand the origins and implementation of neoliberal policy: in this case, the socio-political forces that gave rise to PBF; and the political and organizational features of the processes by which PBF was implemented.

Background: Stanford's Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) stands out as having a large evidence-base and being broadly disseminated across various countries. To date, neither evidence nor practice exists of its systematic adaptation into a German-speaking context. The objective of this paper is to describe the systematic German adaptation and implementation process of the CDSMP (2010-2014), report the language-specific adaptation of Franco-Canadian CDSMP for the French-speaking part of Switzerland and report findings from the initial evaluation process.Methods: Multiple research methods were integrated to explore the perspective of workshop attendees, combining a longitudinal quantitative survey with self-report questionnaires, qualitative focus groups, and interviews. The evaluation process was conducted in for both the German and French adapted versions to gain insights into participants' experiences in the program and to evaluate its impact. Perceived self-efficacy was measured using the German version of the Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease 6-Item Scale (SES6G).Results: Two hundred seventy eight people attending 35 workshops in Switzerland and Austria participated in the study. The study participants were receptive to the program content, peer-led approach and found principal methods useful, yet the structured approach did not address all their needs or expectations. Both short and long-term impact on self-efficacy were observed following the workshop participation (albeit with a minor decrease at 6-months). Participants reported positive impacts on aspects of coping and self-care, but limited effects on healthcare service utilization.Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the process for cross-border adaptation was effective, and that the CDSMP can successfully be implemented in diverse healthcare and community settings. The adapted CDSMP can be considered an asset for supporting self-management in both German-and French-speaking central European countries. It could have meaningful, wide-ranging implications for chronic illness care and primary prevention and potentially tertiary prevention of chronic disease. Further investigations are needed to tailor the program for better access to vulnerable and disadvantaged groups who might benefit the most, in terms of facilitating their health literacy in chronic illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increases in age, acuity and co-morbidities within the population of persons with kidney disease have made it essential that renal replacement therapies and associated treatments are evidence-based, effective and consistent. Additionally, the need exists to offer treatment option advice that is transparent and unbiased, for both consumers and health care professionals. These imperatives require guidance by principles that are recommended within a uniformly accepted framework. Written in notated point-form, this paper aims to explain why guidelines are important, and to highlight the advantages of referring to clinical guidelines, through an overview of the Kidney Health Australia — Caring for Australasians with Renal Impairment (KHA-CARI) Guidelines, as they stand within local and global contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Business fluctuations are associated with business cycles but are not implying the regularity. We consider that the lobbying activities can influence the periods of economic recession and expansion from business fluctuations. The role of lobbying is to affect the decisions made by officials in the government or international corporations and agencies or organizations. In this paper we describe the structure of lobbying practice in European Union, Canada and United States of America and the characteristics of business fluctuations. Specifically, this paper looks at the lobbying activities evolution in European Union, Canada and United States of America and also at a potential relationship between lobbying and business fluctuations, from periods of boom to periods of recession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Studies across the globe generally reported increased mortality risks associated with particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5) exposure with large heterogeneity in the magnitude of reported associations and the shape of concentration-response functions (CRFs). We aimed to evaluate the impact of key study design factors (including confounders, applied exposure model, population age, and outcome definition) on PM2.5 effect estimates by harmonizing analyses on three previously published large studies in Canada [Mortality-Air Pollution Associations in Low Exposure Environments (MAPLE), 1991-2016], the United States (Medicare, 2000-2016), and Europe [Effects of Low-Level Air Pollution: A Study in Europe (ELAPSE), 2000-2016] as much as possible. METHODS: We harmonized the study populations to individuals 65+ years of age, applied the same satellite-derived PM2.5 exposure estimates, and selected the same sets of potential confounders and the same outcome. We evaluated whether differences in previously published effect estimates across cohorts were reduced after harmonization among these factors. Additional analyses were conducted to assess the influence of key design features on estimated risks, including adjusted covariates and exposure assessment method. A combined CRF was assessed with meta-analysis based on the extended shape-constrained health impact function (eSCHIF). RESULTS: More than 81 million participants were included, contributing 692 million person-years of follow-up. Hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for all-cause mortality associated with a 5-μg/m³ increase in PM2.5 were 1.039 (1.032, 1.046) in MAPLE, 1.025 (1.021, 1.029) in Medicare, and 1.041 (1.014, 1.069) in ELAPSE. Applying a harmonized analytical approach marginally reduced difference in the observed associations across the three studies. Magnitude of the association was affected by the adjusted covariates, exposure assessment methodology, age of the population, and marginally by outcome definition. Shape of the CRFs differed across cohorts but generally showed associations down to the lowest observed PM2.5 levels. A common CRF suggested a monotonically increased risk down to the lowest exposure level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the performance of national higher education systems in 48 countries as measured with 20 variables grouped under the four headings of Resources, Environment, Connectivity and Output. Rankings within each module are then combined into an overall ranking that is topped by the United States followed by Sweden, Canada, Finland and Denmark. Relationships between different attributes are explored. Countries ranked highest on output tend to be ranked highly on resources. Research output is correlated with government funding, especially expenditure on research and development (R&D). The impact of the policy and regulatory environment is also examined. The weakest national systems are those with low government funding but high government control. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The ‘burqa’ bans that have recently been put into effect in several Euro-Atlantic countries are a testament to how public space has been rendered into a terrain of increasing securitization and legal control. The new laws are complex in that they are entangled with entrenched historical attitudes, present-day geopolitics, political expediency, and the politics of race, immigration and national identity. However, they provoke a questioning of what it means when states legislate vision and visuality and of why the visual rather than another domain has become the privileged stage to both communicate the alleged conflict between the ‘West’ and ‘Islam’ and enact the former's disciplining of the latter. In this paper, I examine the trope of the burqa from the perspective of the cultural history of vision, arguing that situating the garment as a visual text in contesting regimes of art and representation, shaped by their respective pre-modern religious narratives, will provide a critical, yet unacknowledged, perspective on facial veiling which, moreover, offers up the possibility of learning to read the sign across cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universities in Canada have been highly engaged with internationalisation -- concurrent with the Bologna Process in Europe -- yet appear only marginally influenced by the 'external' Europeanisation of higher education. This paper examines the intersection of these processes: Has the Europeanisation of higher education influenced the internationalisation of Canadian higher education? Evidence indicates that the influence of the Bologna Process in Canada has been slight. Aside of a brief period of reflection just prior to the 'completion' of the European Higher Education Area in 2010, few policy actors in Canadian higher education have seriously considered the impacts of Bologna. In Canada, internationalisation has focused on Asia and inbound student mobility, with perspectives on Europe comparatively limited to research collaboration, faculty mobility, and small-scale (outbound) student exchange programmes. Based on document analysis and survey data, this paper argues that the dearth of Europeanisation in Canadian higher education has more to do with domestic dynamics than a weak externalisation of the Bologna Process. The political structure and organisational culture of Canadian higher education is much different than that of Europe, such that the internationalisation strategies employed in Canadian higher education tend to neglect Europe and the Europeanisation of higher education.

Propagation effects such as rain or clouds attenuation cause deeper fades in the Ka-band than at lower frequencies. In this collaborative paper, the main results of four long-term Ka-band propagation campaigns are presented. The experiments are carried out in Ottawa, Canada; Aveiro, Portugal; Madrid, Spain; and Toulouse, France. Attenuation statistics are derived from satellite beacon data collected over 6 years at Aveiro, 5 years at Ottawa and Madrid and 2 years at Toulouse. Multi-year measurements allow the production of more stable statistics reflecting the long-term behavior of propagation phenomena and to investigate its year-to-year variability. The beacon signal data was monitored and collected on a continuous basis over the whole measurement period. After a brief introduction of the experiments, rain rate and excess attenuation results are discussed, first for a common measurement period and later for the whole database available. Seasonal attenuation statistics for Ottawa and Aveiro are compared. Finally, fade duration and fade slope statistics derived at three locations are presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the baby boomer generation ages, the need for laws to enhance quality of life for the elderly and meet the increasing demand for family caregivers will continue to grow. This paper reviews the national family leave laws of nine major OECD countries (Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom) and provides a state-by-state analysis within the U.S. We find that the U.S. has the least generous family leave laws among the nine OECD countries. With the exception of two states (California and New Jersey), the U.S. federal Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 provides no right to paid family leave for eldercare. We survey the current evidence from the literature on how paid leave can impact family caregivers' employment and health outcomes, gender equality, and economic arguments for and against such laws. We argue that a generous and flexible family leave law, financed through social insurance, would not only be equitable, but also financially sustainable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One question often raised when ozone professionals gather is “How much ozone capacity is installed?” Although the use of ozone for industrial purposes is growing, the largest use for ozone resides in the use of treatment of municipal drinking and wastewater. It is very difficult to summarize ozone capacity for industrial applications as much data are kept confidential. A number of reports have been published over the years on installed ozone capacity. Ozone capacity estimation is a moving target as plants are built and others removed from service for a number of reasons. This paper summarizes, using data available, ozone capacity for drinking water and wastewater. Focus is on the United States, Canada, Europe and Japan. IOA members and member companies are encouraged to submit additional data to enable this summary to be as accurate and relevant as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A revised framework for the regulation of in vitro diagnostic devices (IVDs) came into force in Australia on July 1, 2010 that aims to 'ensure that public and personal health are adequately protected', but which instead may lead to adverse outcomes in clinical diagnosis and management. The regulatory process aims to regulate all IVDs, including those used by clinical diagnostic laboratories, which are already subject to scrutiny as part of the current laboratory accreditation process. The IVD regulatory process initiated in Australia is similar to that used in Canada, but different to that currently operating in the USA and Europe. However, it is feasible that other countries will in time adopt a similar regulatory framework, given that many countries are involved in the development process. In this opinion paper, the regulatory process for IVDs across several geographies are outlined, as are some benefits and weaknesses of the new regulatory process now applied to Australia, as potentially planned for other regions of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a result of urbanization and economic prosperity, which has accelerated the generation of municipal solid waste (MSW) along with its organic fraction, the management of MSW is a challenge faced by urban centres worldwide, including the European Union (EU) and Canada. Within a concept of waste recovery, the source separation and on-site treatment of urban organic waste (UOW) can resolve some of the major economic issues faced by urban centres along with the environmental and social issues associated with landfilling. In this context and in a comparison with the traditional landfilling practice, this paper examines on-site UOW composting strategies using a combination of centralized composting facilities, community composting centres and home composting. This study consisted of a feasibility and economic study based on available data and waste management costs. The results indicate that on-site treatment of UOW using practices such as home and community composting can lower management costs by 50, 37 and 34% for the rich European countries (annual GDP over US$25 000), the poorer European countries (annual GDP under US$25 000), and Canada, respectively. Furthermore, on-site composting can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% for Europe and Canada, despite gas capture practices on landfill sites. However, the performance of home composters and the quality of the compost products are issues to be further addressed for the successful implementation of UOW on-site composting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional educational and training settings have dictated that the act of learning is an activity that is motivated by learners, directed by a teacher expert and based on information transfer and data manipulation. In this scenario, it has been assumed that learners more or less acquire knowledge or develop sets of skills as a result of such activity. With this model in place, learning ends when the training activities cease - and implies that repeated doses of similar training are required over time. Various computer technologies, as they have been generally integrated into educational settings, have taken on the role as tools to support such a model. In some cases they are used to replace the teacher in these contexts although not without serious implications for learners and their learning it has been argued. During the last three decades, a growing movement in educational research, based on the theoretical support of Leon Vygtosky and Mikhail Bakhtin, is advocating that the traditional conceptualization of the learning process is misconceived. From the perspective of this movement, learning is understood as a life-long, social act of constructing knowledge in a dialogic activity with others. Within this model, social interaction is the precursor to higher order thinking rather than the reverse. The challenging question emerging for many educators is how new technologies can support knowledge and skill building in social constructivist-based learning settings. And a corollary to this question arises: Depending on the particular technology chosen, what are the implications for learning and identity construction? In this paper, we describe the Language Learning Through Conferencing project (LLTC) in which an affordable video-based web conferencing technology and desktop computers were used to conduct language learning sessions via the Internet. The project description, project content, and the experiences that took place over a sustained period, as well as the potential future for this approach to distance learning in a variety of fields are presented. The aim of the Language Learning Through Conferencing project (LLTC) has been to exploit a particular Web 2.0 technology to connect language learners internationally between Canada and new democracies in Central and Eastern Europe and more recently in the public sector in Canada. More specifically, the project was a means to respond to learners who faced challenges in finding opportunities for language learning both in Europe and in Canada. Outcomes from ongoing qualitative and quantitative findings gathered by the respective authors are indicating that these dialogic opportunities are also having a powerful influence on learners' professional, linguistic and personal identities as well as their views of technology and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper documents efforts in Canada, France, Finland, Germany, Hispanoamerica, Israel, Japan, The Netherlands, and Taiwan to disseminate the Model of Human Occupation (MOHO). We aim to characterize the challenges involved, the strategies used, and the impact of these efforts in diverse cultural and social conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Europe lags far behind Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA in terms of implementing regulatory procedures for the import and release of invertebrate biological control agents (IBCAs). A number of standards, documents and guidelines have been produced over recent years in an attempt to harmonize regulation of IBCA introduction into Europe. Despite these efforts, the number of member countries implementing any form of IBCA regulation remains low, with many industries, biological practitioners and regulators fearing that a regulatory system would render the process of approval for IBCA introduction into a country costly and time consuming. Europe’s priority is therefore to formulate a regulatory system that will be readily approved of and adopted by all member countries. In this paper we review the current regulatory processes operating in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA. There is potential for Europe to benefit from the years of experience that these countries have in IBCA regulation. We therefore propose recommendations based on features of the regulatory processes in each of the four countries that work well and that could be adopted to generate a workable Europe-wide regulatory system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The aim of this paper is to provide a brief overview of the evolution of a new e-research paradigm and to outline key projects and developments in Europe, North America, Canada and Australia. The article also provides a detailed summary of the Dataset Acquisition, Accessibility and Annotation e-Research Technology (DART) project. Design/methodology/approach - A review of relevant government reports, documents and general literature was conducted. Findings - Projects currently being conducted in Europe, the USA, Canada and Australia are part of an international movement that aims to use modern ICTs to enhance e-research. The DART project is a significant part of this movement as it has adopted a "whole process" approach to e-research, and provides a platform for the examination of the technical, legal and policy issues that arise in the new e-research environment. Originality/value - Provides an overview of current projects that concern the development of e-research, with a particular focus on Australian research and the DART project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers a brief review of the need for cost–benefit analysis (CBA) and the available policy instruments for air pollution. To prioritize different possible actions, one needs to know which source of pollution causes how much damage. This requires an impact pathway analysis, that is, an analysis of the chain emission → dispersion → dose-response function → monetary valuation. The methodology for this is described and illustrated with the results of the ExternE (External Costs of Energy) project series of the European Commission. Two examples of an application to CBA are shown: one where a proposed reduction of emission limits is justified, and one where it is not. It is advisable to subject any proposed regulation to a CBA, including an analysis of the uncertainties. Even if the uncertainties are large and a policy decision may have to take other considerations into account, a well-documented CBA clarifies the issues and provides a basis for rational discussion. One of the main sources of uncertainty lies in the monetary valuation of premature mortality, the dominant contribution to the damage cost of air pollution. As an alternative, an innovative policy tool is described, the Life Quality Index (LQI), a compound indicator comprising societal wealth and life expectancy. It is applied to the Canada-wide standards for particulate matter and ozone. Regardless of monetary valuation, a 50% reduction of PM10 concentrations in Europe and North America has been shown to yield a population-average life expectancy increase on the order of 4 to 5 mo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the relationships between atmospheric circulation, climate and streamflow in the northern North Atlantic region over the last century and especially the last 50 years. Improved understanding of climatic influences on streamflow is vital given the great importance of fluvial processes to natural systems and water resources, especially in the light of recent and predicted climate change. The main focus lies with climatic and hydrologic implications of the major circulation patterns in the northern North Atlantic, namely the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and Arctic Oscillation (AO). The studies reviewed here reveal key relationships between circulation, climate and streamflow across the northern North Atlantic, allowing the construction of a simple conceptual model for this system. Generally positive NAO/AO-streamflow relationships are found in northwest Europe and northeast USA, with both positive and negative NAO/AO-streamflow linkages apparent for parts of eastern Canada. To help promote a better understanding of the system, several research gaps are identified and critically examined, including: the spatial scope and coverage of investigations; data quality and homogeneity; appropriateness of analytical techniques; and the need for greater knowledge and technique sharing between hydrology and climatology, particularly regarding the rigorous characterization of atmospheric circulation patterns. Among these, the development of seasonally varying, or mobile, NAO indices, to capture variations in subseasonal, seasonal and annual movements in the centres of action, and the need to develop analyses of more hydrologically meaningful climate variables beyond conventional time averaged statistics, are deemed particularly important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quality issues in career guidance can be tackled from a range of different perspectives, related to economic, ethical and/or effectiveness criteria. With selected examples mainly from the USA, Canada, and Europe, this paper highlights how quality is described and measured in terms of statements, guidelines, standards or “hidden customers”. Some guidelines or standards are aimed at the general public; some are directed towards guidance professionals and their competencies; others deal with the quality of career information. Power issues lie embedded in such efforts: who defines, maintains and, in particular, controls such guidelines or standards? Finally, possible alternative future quality approaches are outlined in terms of green, ethical and knowledge-based quality criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation of regional alliances among sub-national governments has become a common feature of Europe in the past decade and a half. However, examples of such alliances spanning the Triad, Europe, North America and Japan, are far less common. In a brief outward-oriented phase in the late 1980s, the Four Motors for Europe expanded abroad and Ontario signed a formal agreement with them, establishing a number of exchanges, as well as a series of more targeted research projects with two of the Motors. The relationship between Ontario and the Four Motors was somewhat unique in terms of its transcontinental reach. This paper analyses the factors which led to the establishment of the alliance and assesses some of the benefits achieved and problems encountered in developing it. It concludes that transatlantic alliances must surmount additional barriers of space and cultural differences to survive and require a strong degree of policy and institutional continuity to ensure they have sufficient time to mature and develop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epidemiological evidence suggests that regular physical activity (PA) positively impacts individuals' mental health (MH). The PA-MH relationship may be critical among immigrants owing to psycho-social-cultural influences. This scoping review of 61 studies employed a holistic bio-psycho-socio-cultural framework to thoroughly investigate the complex relationship between PA (across life domains) and immigrants' MH in Western countries. A systematic search of five electronic databases (Medline, PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO and Anthropology Plus) was conducted to locate relevant articles. No limitations were applied to study design, age, gender, home country, MH condition or PA type. A bio-psycho-socio-cultural-informed conceptual model guided the analysis of the multi-domain PA-MH relationship. Immigrant PA-MH studies were conducted and reported most commonly in the USA (38%), Australia (18%), and Canada (11%). Overall, PA was positively related to MH. Each domain-specific PA appeared to be associated with unique MH-promoting pathways/mechanisms. Leisure-related PA may support MH by enhancing self-agency and minimizing risky behaviors, whilst travel- and domestic-related PA may promote self-accomplishment and physical engagement. Ethnic sports appeared to enhance resilience. Occupational-related PA was associated with either positive or negative MH, depending on the type of occupation. A bio-psycho-socio-cultural-informed model is required to gain an encompassing and integrated understanding of immigrants' health. The first iteration of such a model is presented here, along with an illustration of how the model may be used to deepen analysis and understanding of the multi-domain PA-MH relationship among immigrants and inform public health planners and practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]