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Wesley Clover International's Alacrity Program operates at several locations globally to create new information and communication technology (ICT)–based companies supported by local investors. The in-country individuals selected as team members to build new companies are often recent bachelor's-level technology graduates with little or no business experience. To ensure success of the tech Start-ups built by such teams, it has been necessary to develop specialized, targeted training programs, accompanied by selective local mentoring. This article outlines the several organizational and training models used by the company to ensure the team behind each start-up has the necessary education, skills, and ongoing support for business success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthropogenic stressors are the current drivers of loss of global biodiversity and deterioration of ecosystem function (e.g., primary production). However, it is debatable whether human stressors or associated changes in biodiversity better predict the impairment of ecosystem function. Variation in plankton communities during a whole-lake experiment (Lake 302S, Experimental Lakes Area, Canada) was examined to test whether the stressor treatment effect or subsequent stressor-independent variation in species richness best explained interannual variation in aggregate functional properties, such as productivity or net total biomass. Although significant “biodiversity – ecosystem function” relationships were detected, these correlations were confounded by the negative effect of experimental acidification on species richness. The stressor effect was removed by plotting functional properties against the residuals from the species richness – pH regressions, which generated either negative or nonsignificant relationships. The lack of significant stressor-independent positive relationships between functional properties and species richness highlights the potential greater importance of other mediating factors, such as interactions among multiple stressors, species identity, and altered trophic interactions, at the whole-ecosystem scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Environmental Reviews is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article re-examines the problem of radical disunity after 1832. The main focus is on radical attitudes towards the second Melbourne ministry (1835–41) and its handling of the Canadian rebellions of 1837. Even when the government's imperial difficulties created a suitable opportunity to rekindle their reform campaign, radical leaders failed to co-operate effectively and made little headway in mobilizing and harnessing popular support. This defeat can be profitably explored through the experiences of Thomas Perronet Thompson (1783–1869), who emerged as one of the most energetic and strident critics of British policy in Canada during and after the rebellions. Despite his best efforts, Thompson was unable to win over other radical leaders or to attract a large following, a failure that highlights the wider constraints faced by radicalism in this era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study that determined the influence of spatial and temporal scale of acidification on the resilience of epilithic assemblages during chemical recovery of Canadian boreal lakes. Effects of anthropogenic acidification of boreal lakes on several environmental variables; Indicators of recovery in acidifed lakes; Comparison of experimental and atmospheric acidification of lakes; Details of study lakes and sampling protocols.

Assesses the recovery of lakes in Southeastern Canada from the effects of acidic deposition. Trends near Smelter sources; Factors influencing chemical recovery; Predictions of biological recovery.

Summary1. The littoral microcrustacean community (Cladocera and Copepoda) was examined from 1989 to 1991 in a lake experimentally acidified to pH 4.5, and from 1992 to 1997 during the early stages of pH recovery. 2. Cladoceran abundance declined significantly from 1989 to 1991 (pH 4.5), but species richness did not change. Acantholeberis curvirostris, Simocephalus serrulatus, Latona spp. (Latona setifera, L. parviremis), and all species of chydorid Cladocera declined markedly in abundance while at pH 4.5. The abundance of cyclopoid copepods was low and Ceriodaphnia and calanoid copepods were absent. 3. Recovery of the community was subsequently monitored as pH was incrementally changed to a target pH 5.1 in 1992 and 1993, and to 5.8 in 1994–97. Species richness remained unchanged. Chydorid cladocerans remained at low abundance in 1992, and only Chydorus cf. brevilabris increased substantially from 1993 to 1996. Non-chydorid Cladocera increased in abundance in 1992, declined again in 1993, then gradually increased (mainly due to Ophryoxus gracilis) in 1994–96. All species declined in 1997 as minnows recolonized the lake. The calanoid copepod Leptodiaptomus minutus was present in low numbers in 1997. 4. The microcrustacean community in the littoral zone of Lake 302S has not yet shown consistent signs of recovery from acidification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyzed the 21-yr dynamics of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in 55 lakes during ice-free periods in five regions across eastern Canada in relation to total solar radiation (TSR), precipitation, air temperature, sulfate deposition (SO4), Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), North Atlantic Oscillation, and Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). A synchronous pattern in DOC was found among lakes within each region; however, a synchronous pattern in DOC was not found among regions, except for Kejimkujik and Yarmouth. Long-term trends of increasing or decreasing DOC concentration were not evident except at the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA), where an increase in DOC correlated with a decrease in summer TSR and an increase in summer precipitation. Annual mean temperature increased at the Nova Scotia and Turkey Lakes Watershed regions (TLW) over the study period, but there was no corresponding change in DOC. TSR and precipitation were important explanatory variables across all regions, except for the TLW. Summer TSR, or annual TSR, had a negative relationship, while summer precipitation had a positive relationship with the temporal DOC pattern in all regions except TLW. TSR and precipitation explained 78%, 49%, and 84% of the variation in the long-term DOC patterns at Dorset, ELA, and Nova Scotia (NS) regions, respectively. In contrast, the long-term pattern in DOC at TLW was only weakly related to SOI and PDO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives:   The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for refractory angina., Materials and Methods:   This multicenter, randomized, single-blind, controlled trial evaluated SCS in two patient groups: high stimulation (HS) (treatment) and low stimulation (LS) (control). The HS group controlled SCS with a programmer for a minimum of two hours four times daily. The LS group received SCS therapy above the paresthesia threshold for one min once daily. The primary efficacy endpoint was number of angina attacks recorded by patients at six months. The primary safety endpoint was the major adverse cardiac event (MACE) rate at six months., Results:   Due to slow enrollment, a futility analysis was performed, resulting in early termination of the study. Sixty-eight patients were randomized after implantation. Mean change in angina attacks per day from baseline to six months was -1.19 ± 2.13 (HS) and -1.29 ± 1.66 (LS). The difference from baseline was significant within each group (both p < 0.001) but not between groups (p = 0.45). Total exercise time and time to angina onset increased significantly from baseline to six months within each group (both p = 0.02 and 0.002) but not between groups (p = 0.52 and 0.51). MACE was similar between groups., Conclusion:   Although this study was terminated early, the results obtained at six months suggest that SCS (HS) is not more effective than the control (LS) in patients with refractory angina., (© 2012 International Neuromodulation Society.)