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This paper considers small businesses as an effective sector that solves current problems in the structure of the economy. The study aims to develop a set of measures (tools) for involving small businesses in stabilizing Alberta's economy. The methodology includes the monitoring of the economy within Alberta's regional borders over time; statistical analysis of the small business sector before and during the pandemic in the structure of the economy; as well as grouping and converting quantitative measurements into a qualitative summary of the main economic principles. These steps are aimed at developing a set of measures (tools) for involving small businesses in the economy of the province and the country as a whole. The growth of small enterprises ensures a practice focused on productivity, innovation, and society, which is confirmed by the dominant share of small businesses in the gross domestic product created by the dominant share of small businesses in the gross domestic product created by the private sector of the province. Thus, focusing on the economic principles of small businesses, a complex of measures is proposed for mobilization to maximize the economic result at the provincial level in the context of strengthening the national economy. In practice, the findings will help the local government to determine a set of beneficial policies, contributing to the utilization of the advantages of the local economy in the sphere of business production. Entrepreneurs are provided with an opportunity to qualitatively utilize economic opportunities, recognizing the risks of the external environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper further explores the findings of a 2020 case study focused on the perspectives of parents of children aged 5–9 years old attending elementary schools in French language programs during the 2020 school closure and the potential legacy of the Coronavirus pandemic on education. In March 2020, the school learning of elementary school children in different school boards in Alberta moved to a novelty style of temporary 'homeschooling' format through virtual learning aided by parental support. Parents played an essential role during this learning process; ten parents shared their experiences in this study. Such experiences may be key to integrating more effective teaching and virtual learning practices and pinpointing potential shortcomings as students return to in-person learning. This paper focuses on three main aspects of coronavirus-induced 'homeschooling': The role of parental support, parents' perspectives of how young children learn in virtual learning environments, and pedagogical practices from curriculum design to implementation of differentiated learning practices. The study is significant as it may contribute to further understanding of how young children learn in virtual settings, the effectiveness of current educational practices, and the problematic legacy of the coronavirus for the future of education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) in combination with real-time kinematic technique, known as differential GNSS (dGNSS), has increased in recent years for monitoring landslide displacements and detecting early signs of potential failure, enabling an earlier response for risk mitigation than traditional monitoring techniques. GNSS offers several advantages, including high accuracy and high-frequency data collection. Although more cost-effective, their affordability may still present challenges for public organizations managing multiple landslides in their territory. The SparkFun is a suite of components for GNSS assembly designed for topographic surveying, that integrates u-blox ZED-F9P or ZED-F9R modules. The system offers the benefits of dGNSS technology while being more affordable than other market options. It also avoids relying on phone signals for data storage on a cloud server. This paper presents the SparkFun system, its components, and how it can be assembled to create a dGNSS system for landslide monitoring. The deployment and testing at the Chin Coulee landslide in Alberta are discussed. Over the 6-month testing period, the system achieved millimeter accuracy (up to 14 mm), aligning with the manufacturer's specifications. Estimated system errors were found to be comparable to a commercially available dGNSS system (Ophelia Geocube). Additionally, the system exhibits displacement trends similar to the 2018 Geocube monitoring campaign; however, for future deployments, the robustness of the power supply system and the insulation of the equipment need to be enhanced. Overall, the SparkFun system appears to be a promising and cost-effective alternative for monitoring landslide displacements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Cancer-related biopsychosocial distress is highly prevalent across the cancer care continuum. The implementation of screening patients for biopsychosocial distress has become a standard of practice in cancer care. With the presence of COVID-19, clinical care has shifted from in-person care to virtual care in many instances. One of the realities of COVID-19 is the significant decrease in screening patients for biopsychosocial symptom burden. Methods: Given that screening for distress has become an accreditation standard in many cancer programs, in the province of Alberta, Canada, all patients are screened for distress with every visit to the cancer centre. Given the presence of COVID-19, much of cancer care has shifted to being delivered virtually (through mediums such as Zoom). In this paper, we present pre- and post-COVID data on the frequency of distress screening and its impact on patient care. Results: A review of pre- and post-COVID-19 screening for distress questionnaires revealed that patients who received virtual care were less satisfied in the areas of emotional support and received less resources and referrals to supportive care. Conclusion: The rapid integration of virtual care without the inclusion of a standardized distress screening tool was akin to a natural experiment, as two groups (virtual and in-person clinic patients) received different levels of care and interventions. Without the inclusion of distress screening, the clinical conversation around symptoms is less likely to occur and results in fewer referrals to best practices in supportive care services. Lessons learned about virtual cancer care without distress screening in the time of COVID-19 demonstrates significantly fewer patients being screened for distress and subsequently has resulted in less supportive care referrals. Going forward, we must find ways to ensure that virtual cancer care continues to support distress screening and best patient-centric care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Minerogenous peatlands that accumulate deep deposits of organic matter (fens) were an important part of the pre-disturbance landscape across Alberta's oil sands mining area. Bryophytes occupy 80–100% of the ground layer in these site types and form an important part of the accumulated organic matter. Bryophytes are small plants that occur in microhabitats that are an integral part of the surrounding plant community. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the establishment of bryophytes at an experimental wetland (Sandhill Wetland-SHW) by assessing the changing vegetation and substrate regimes over eight years after wet-up. Included in this analysis is an account of the ground layer flora between 2014 and 2021 along with evaluation of associated environmental factors. At SHW, a number of peatland bryophytes initially established in numerous areas across the wetland. However, in subsequent years increasing water tables with expanding Typha-dominating areas, high sedge productivity along with increasing vascular plant cover, and increasing sodicity have reduced the microhabitats available for bryophytes, with the result being a much-diminished set of peatland bryophyte species. We suggest that future reclamation designs for fens should include microhabitats for bryophytes, as bryophytes are foundational species and integral to fen development. In comparison, reclamation designs for non-peat forming ecosystems that do not have abundant bryophytes, such as marshes and saline wetlands, do not require these microhabitat conditions. Installing a recently harvested peat substrate appears to provide suitable conditions for early establishment of bryophytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are one of the most frequently studied injuries in orthopedic care and research. However, limited epidemiological data are available in Canada regarding trend and distribution of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). In this paper, our purpose was to assess trends of ACLR between 2002/03 and 2018/19 by age, sex, season of surgery, and location (inpatient vs outpatient) of surgery. Methods: In this descriptive epidemiological study of retrospective data available from Alberta Ministry of Health, we report annual incidence of ACLR between 2002/03 until 2018/19 among Albertans aged 10 years and older. Information was collected by authors from physician claims database for primary ACLR and revision ACLR and linked with other databases. Incidence proportions (number of ACLR/100,000 population) were calculated and compared by age category and gender over the study period. Results: A total of 28,401 primary ACLR and 2085 revision ACLR were identified during the study period. Age-standardized annual incidence of primary ACLR increased from 40.6 to 51.2 per 100,000 population aged 10 years and older. Average annual increase in ACLR incidence was higher among females (1.8% per years) compared to males (0.96% per year). The overall peak incidence and peak incidence among males was observed in 20–29 year age group, whereas peak incidence in females was observed in 10–19 years of age. The number of ACLR in females outnumbers those among males for 10–19 year age group. Generally, a lower proportion of ACLR were conducted in summer compared to other seasons. Primary ACLR conducted in outpatient setting increased from 72% in 2002/03 to 97% in 2018/19. Conclusion: The incidence of ACLR is increasing in Alberta, especially among females and among younger cohorts under 20 years of age. This information can help clinicians to provide patient education and policy-makers to design and implement targeted ACL injury prevention programs. Level of evidence: Level III. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Slope instabilities adjacent to transportation corridors require timely and precise assessment to determine the risk to road users, particularly when weather changes trigger these instabilities. In southern Alberta, Canada, near the town of Drumheller, a 500-m-long, 60-m-high slope adjacent to Highway 837 has a history of slope instabilities that includes rockfalls, frozen soil falls, and debris flows. The slope failures have blocked the road which increases user and maintenance costs. Due to unsafe conditions and the steepness of the slope (1H:1V inclination), it was only possible to undertake visual assessments of the slope conditions from the road. Advances in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology have resulted in a quick and safe tool for collecting detailed photographic records of the slope conditions. The combination of UAV data and photogrammetry methods allows engineers to remotely, safely, and quickly perform a precise assessment of the slope instabilities. The paper demonstrates the use of UAV-derived data to evaluate the following: critical instability areas in practice; the magnitude of instability events; the relationship between the drainage network and slope instabilities, and models for rockfall trajectory analyses. The paper also provides a methodology that can be implemented on other slope instabilities to support the decision-making process to define mitigation actions that are practical and minimize associated risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Minority entrepreneurs significantly contribute to Canada's economic development. This contribution to the Canadian economy comes in various forms, including setting up businesses such as convenience stores, ethnic restaurants, and financial services. This paper aims to explore the motivation for entrepreneurship among Black population in Alberta, Canada. Using in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, the study shows that many Black entrepreneurs are "pulled" rather than "pushed" into entrepreneurship. Although some participants were pushed into entrepreneurship because of labor market exclusion, the majority were opportunity seekers who pursued entrepreneurship as a strategic response to opportunity structures in their environment rather than a reactive response to escape ethnic penalties. This study emphasizes the complex relationships between minorities' characteristics and resources and the opportunity structures that affect the ability to start a business. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Birding is one of the most popular recreational activities, but bird populations have been declining worldwide. Understanding how much people benefit from local bird populations levels, species richness and their preferences can help inform bird conservation management. This paper uses eBird data and random utility models to assess the birders' preferences and welfare for trips to local areas. The sample eBird citizen science data includes 35,656 trips by 290 individual birders to 1227 unique birding hotspots in Alberta, Canada. The economic value of seeing one additional bird species during a trip is estimated to be $0.68 on average. We estimated a nonlinear relationship between the utility and number of bird species suggesting satiation in recreation preferences, and the highest MWTP is estimated to be in the summer and fall seasons. Bird species at risk, based on Alberta's strategy for the management of species at risk, are valued almost ten times higher as seeing other types of bird species. We also estimate individualized choice models and find that preference for species richness is heterogeneous across birders. Results of a combinatorial test find that the individualized choice models produce average welfare estimates that are 67% higher than the single model but the difference is not statistically significant. The members of eBird represent a convenience sample that may not constitute the general population. Thus along with proper weighting, these benefit estimates produced in this research can help inform future bird conservation management decisions including alternative funding mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: No-till (NT) and fertilization are common land management practices in agricultural production systems to increase soil quality and crop yield. No-till can be reversed to tillage (termed tillage reversal, TR, in this paper) due to changes in management objectives. Materials and methods: The impact of NT, TR, and TR plus nitrogen (N) fertilization (TRN) treatments on the composition and structure of bacterial communities in a Gray Luvisol was studied in west-central Alberta, Canada. Results and discussion: The structure of bacterial communities was not affected by the TR treatment (compared with NT). The TRN treatment increased the relative abundance of some bacterial taxa groups, e.g., Gemmatimonadetes, Thermoleophilia and Solibacteres, that have chemolithotrophic nitrifying functions as compared with the TR treatment. The decreased relative abundance of some bacterial taxa groups, such as Alphaproteobacteria, Deltaproteobacteria, Spartobacteria, and Planctomycetia that have denitrifying functions, would change the soil's denitrification function in the TRN as compared to the TR treatment. There were more dominant bacterial taxa groups, and the bacterial community had greater inter-annual variations in the TRN than in the NT and TR treatments. Moreover, the function of bacterial communities was affected by the TRN as compared to the NT and TR treatments, based on the predicted metagenomes. Conclusions: We conclude that when TR was applied to the soil with long-term N fertilization, which eliminates N limitation, altered soil bacterial community structure and function over TR applied to the studied Gray Luvisol without long-term N fertilization. Findings from our study have important implications for improving land management practices through tillage and N fertilization to enhance the soil's function and quality in agroecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Collecting and monitoring the information from patients through patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) about the quality of care they receive is important for tracking changes in healthcare quality, stimulate innovation, and enhance person-centred care. The objective of this theoretical paper is to discuss the use of implementation science theories, models, and frameworks to inform and evaluate the integration of the electronic collection of PREMs (ePREMs) in healthcare quality improvement for primary care in Canada. Methods: To assess potential knowledge-to-practice gaps in implementing ePREMs in primary care in Alberta, the overarching implementation model that will be used is the Knowledge to Action Cycle. An integrated knowledge translation approach will ensure ongoing engagement of key stakeholders (e.g. primary care providers, patients) throughout the study. ePREM implementation will be informed by the identification of barriers and facilitators to implementation using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). The CFIR brings an organizational perspective providing an opportunity to explore the intervention characteristics, the context of implementation, individual factors, and the processes that influence implementation of ePREMs in healthcare. Identified barriers and facilitators to ePREM implementation will be mapped to evidence-based implementation strategies and prioritized by stakeholders. The RE-AIM framework will be used to guide the evaluation of ePREM implementation outcomes after six months of implementation by assessing Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (sustainability). Discussion: Consultations with stakeholders affirm the importance of using integrated knowledge translation approaches and the need to better understand how to integrate ePREMs in primary care. Using an implementations science approach, this study can provide guidance for mitigating important ePREM implementation challenges and promote the successful uptake and use of ePREMs for quality improvement in healthcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer patients experience numerous distressing symptoms and concerns across the course of their illness, which negatively influence their quality of life. Regardless of cancer type, unmanaged symptoms can lead to adverse downstream consequences. Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) can be used to inform patient care and lead to targeted symptom management but simply gathering this information does not improve outcomes for the patient. Patient generated information must be easy for the clinicians to access and interpret if it is to be used to inform care delivery in ambulatory oncology facilities. This pragmatic work responded to this need. One Canadian provincial ambulatory oncology jurisdiction implemented digital tracking of PROMs over time in the provincial Electronic Medical Record (EMR) to support full integration of PROMs into standard care workflows and processes. Due to an inability within the EMR for direct patient entry, a hybrid data-entry was designed where the patient completes a paper-based PROM in the waiting room, and after clinical review, a clinician documents this along with their clinical assessment in the EMR. Several digital dashboards were developed which report PROMs data at the micro (individual), meso (clinic) and macro (program) levels. Using PROMs routinely in these provincial practice settings has numerous benefits including enhanced patient-clinician communication, assisting with problem detection, management of symptoms, and improving outcomes for patients. There are over 60,000 unique patients represented in our PROMs database, and over 300,000 unique screening events captured. The PROMs data is now used at all levels of the provincial cancer jurisdiction to provide targeted person centred care (micro), to staff appropriately at a clinic or program level (meso), and for capacity planning for provincial programs (macro). A new provincial EMR is currently being implemented which has an associated patient portal. Based on the success of this work, integration of direct entry of PROMs by the patient prior to the appointment and an associated workflow for symptom management is underway in this jurisdiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PROMs use in primary care has expanded from simply describing patient populations to contributing to decision-making, in response to the increasingly complex, ever-changing healthcare environment. In Alberta, primary care is organized into primary care networks (PCNs), where family physicians are grouped geographically and supported by allied health professionals. PCNs implement programs and services in response to local population health needs with frequent evaluation, often incorporating PROMs for this purpose. As PCN programs and services vary greatly across Alberta, so do their use of PROMs. An area of commonality is the use of the EQ-5D-5L instrument; 29 out of 41 PCNs are registered and licensed to use the instrument. It is often administrated by paper, pre- and post-program, and in combination with other specific measures, depending on the program or target population. Some PCNs share programming and therefore outcome measurement, but often the selection, implementation (including training and administration procedures) and evaluation/reporting of PROMs are unique to the PCN. As well, data analysis is largely dependent on the size and capacity of the PCN. Using PROMs for PCN program evaluation supports clinical understanding and complements clinical outcomes. PROMs describe the population attending a program, as well as provide an element of consistency when examining trends across multiple programs or timepoints. This contributes to inquiries and decisions around program development, components, administrative features, resource allocation and delivery. Challenges of PROMs use in primary care include the absence of cohesive data capture technology. This limits data capabilities and presents difficulties with data fidelity, storage, export, and analysis. Additionally, this real-world application lacks a control arm and presents methodological challenges for comparative research purposes. Furthermore, capturing long term patient outcomes poses administrative challenges of multiple follow ups. More research is required into best reporting mechanisms to ensure the data is used to its full potential. To overcome these challenges, leadership and clinician engagement are key. As well, determining consistent PCN PROM reporting requirements will ensure data are comparable across PCNs and contribute to provincial level evaluations, further supporting the movement towards overall health system quality improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Montney tight siltstone reservoir is a multi-stacked play, which covers a total area of 130,000 km2 along the Alberta–British Columbia border in Western Canada. Since the late 1990s, different fracturing methods and fluids have been tested in 4000-plus Montney wells to find the optimal fracturing method and fluid. The previous studies reviewing the performance of fracturing methods in Montney do not represent a holistic evaluation of these methods, owing to some limitations, including: (1) using a small sample size, (2) having a limited scope by focusing on a specific aspect of fracturing (method/fluid), (3) relying on data analytics approaches that offer limited subsurface insight, and (4) generating misleading results (e.g., on optimum fracturing method/fluid) through using disparate data that are unstructured and untrustworthy as a result of significant regional variations in true vertical depth (TVD), geological properties, fluid windows, completed lateral length, fracturing method/fluid/date, and drawdown rate management and choke size strategy. The present study eliminates these limitations by rigorously clustering 4000-plus Montney wells based on the TVD, fluid window, completed lateral length, fracturing method/fluid/date, and drawdown rate strategy to isolate the effect of each fracturing method by comparing each well's production to that of its offsets, which use different fracturing methods but possess similar geology, fluid window, and TVD. With similar TVD, fracturing fluid, and completion date, wells completed with pinpoint fracturing method outperform their offsets completed with ball-and-seat and plug-and-perforate (PnP) fracturing methods. However, wells completed with ball-and-seat and PnP methods that outperform their offset pinpoint wells have either: (1) been fractured one to four years earlier than the pinpoint wells and/or (2) used energized oil-based fluid, hybrid fluid, and energized slickwater versus slickwater used in the pinpoint offsets. This suggests that the water-phase trapping is more severe in these pinpoint wells attributable to the use of slickwater. Previous studies often favored one specific fracturing method or fluid without highlighting these complex interplays between the type of fracturing method, fracturing fluid, completion date (regional depletion or well vintage), and the reservoir properties and hydrodynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the design and implementation of the Alberta Healthy Youth Relationships (AHYR) Strategy. The AHYR is a province-wide practice and policy change initiative in Alberta, Canada, that aims to prevent intimate partner violence by promoting service provider and systems capacity to support healthy relationships in adolescence and beyond. Developed in 2012 within a broader initiative called Shift: The Project to End Domestic Violence, the design of the AHYR began with work with provincial policy-makers, in order to create a policy climate that championed primary prevention practice. This policy climate subsequently supported the province-wide implementation of three evidence-based/evidence-informed programs that focus on building the skills and capacities required for healthy youth relationships. Through these programs, the AHYR has reached over 62,000 youth in grades 7-9, 900 teachers, 850 parents, and 1300 adults that work with youth across the province. In addition to these three programs, the AHYR also works with larger systems (e.g., policymakers, local funders, post-secondary institutions) to advance primary prevention practice. In this paper, we describe how the AHYR contributed to a culture of intimate partner violence prevention practice in the province by improving the readiness of funders and system leaders, community organizations, and practitioners to support healthy relationships best practices. We also describe how we used process evaluation to explore the potential for practice change and to inform the design of the next iteration of the AHYR. The article concludes with implications for other researchers and practitioners aiming to build a culture of intimate partner violence prevention practice within their province or state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid combustion of fossil fuels in huge quantities resulted in the enormous release of CO2 in the atmosphere. Subsequently, leading to the greenhouse gas effect and climate change and contemporarily, quest and usage of fossil fuels has increased dramatically in recent times. The only solution to resolve the problem of CO2 emissions to the atmosphere is geological/subsurface storage of carbon dioxide or carbon capture and storage (CCS). Additionally, CO2 can be employed in the oil and gas fields for enhanced oil recovery operations and this cyclic form of the carbon dioxide injection into reservoirs for recovering oil and gas is known as CO2 Enhanced Oil and Gas Recovery (EOGR). Hence, this paper presents the CO2 retention dominance in tight oil and gas reservoirs in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin (WCSB) of the Alberta Province, Canada. Actually, hysteresis modeling was applied in the oil and gas reservoirs of WCSB for sequestering or trapping CO2 and EOR as well. Totally, four cases were taken for the investigation, such as WCSB Alberta tight oil and gas reservoirs with CO2 huff-n-puff and flooding processes. Actually, Canada has complex geology and therefore, implicate that it can serve as a promising candidate that is suitable and safer place for CO2 storage. Furthermore, injection pressure, time, rate (mass), number of cycles, soaking time, fracture half-length, conductivity, porosity, permeability, and initial reservoir pressure were taken as input parameters and cumulative oil production and oil recovery factor are the output parameters, this is mainly for tight oil reservoirs. In the tight gas reservoirs, only the output parameters differ from the oil reservoir, such as cumulative gas production and gas recovery factor. Reservoirs were modelled to operate for 30 years of oil and gas production and the factor year was designated as decision-making unit (DMU). CO2 retention was estimated in all four models and overall the gas retention in four cases showed a near sinusoidal behavior and the variations are sporadic. More than 80% CO2 retention in these tight formations were achieved and the major influencing factors that govern the CO2 storage in these tight reservoirs are injection pressure, time, mass, number of cycles, and soaking time. In general, the subsurface geology of the Canada is very complex consisting with many structural and stratigraphic layers and thus, it offers safe location for CO2 storage through retention mechanism and increasing the efficiency and reliability of oil and gas extraction from these complicated subsurface formations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Steam injection is a widely-used process for heavy oil and bitumen recovery. However, a significant drawback is the excessive energy requirement, water consumption, and CO2 generation. The Steam Alternating Solvent (SAS) process has been proposed as an eco-friendlier alternative to the existing steam-based methods. It involves injecting steam and solvent (i.e. propane) in separate cycles. The interplay between reservoir heterogeneity and the complex physical mechanisms of heat and mass transfer has made optimizing its design parameters quite challenging. This work aims to develop a hybrid Multi-Objective Optimization (MOO) scheme for determining the optimal operational parameters using the Pareto dominance concept while considering several conflicting objectives (i.e. RF, steam, and solvent injection) under several heterogeneous scenarios. A 2-D base homogenous reservoir model is built according to the Fort McMurray formation in the Athabasca region in Alberta, Canada. Next, shale barriers with varying proportions, lengths, and locations are superimposed onto the base model. Then, a sensitivity analysis is performed to assess the controllable operational parameters' impact and formulate several objective functions; proxy models are introduced to speed up the objective function evaluations. Finally, different Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithms (MOEAs) are applied to establish the optimal ranges to operate the selected decision variables. Different optimal operating strategies are needed depending on the shale barrier distribution. Injector bottom-hole pressure, steam trap, and producer gas rate significantly impact the model response. Injecting high propane concentration over short durations is recommended. The length of the steam injection phase seems to be more sensitive to the reservoir heterogeneities; extended steam injection is needed for the more heterogeneous models. This paper is the first work comparing different MOEAs to optimize the SAS process using multiple heterogeneous models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses high-order categorical non-stationary Markov chains to model the occurrence of extreme temperature events, in particular frost days. These models can be applied to estimate: the probability that a given day in the future is a frost day (below zero); the probability that a given period is frost-free; the distribution of the length of the frost-free period. These quantities then can be used for pricing of weather derivatives. Several stationary and non-stationary high-order (yet parsimonious) Markov models are proposed and compared using AIC and BIC. Partial likelihood theory is used to estimate the parameters of these models. We show that optimal (in terms of AIC/ BIC) non-stationary Markov models that have constant 'Markov coefficients' (across the year) are not adequate to estimate the aforementioned probabilities. Therefore this paper develops Markov models with a time-varying periodic structure across the year. A challenge in fitting these models (by maximizing the partial likelihood) is the large number of parameters. The paper presents a method for overcoming this challenge; one that uses parametric fits to the logit of the nonparametric estimates of the seasonal transition probability curves to initialize the optim function in the R package. Satisfactory results are shown to obtain from this approach. The work is applied to temperature records for the Province of Alberta, Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the 37th annual meeting of the Society for Exact Philosophy (SEP) held in Edmonton, Alberta in 2009 which was organized by Bernard Linsky and F. Jeffrey Pelletier. According to the article, the Society consists mainly of American and Canadian academics in computer science, philosophy, and linguistics. It cites papers presented at the 2009 SEP meeting including "Disjunctive Effects," by Roberta Ballarin and "Visibility Logic," by Adam Morton.

This paper uses data on liquor retailing in Alberta since privatization to provide a description of the evolution of a privatized retail industry from the date of its creation. As well, this paper considers which factors contribute to the survival of stores and firms, and the growth and creation of retail liquor store chains. Location, and in particular whether a liquor store is located in a shopping center or near a supermarket, is associated with the survival of a liquor store. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores contract cheating from the perspectives of researchers at three post-secondary institutions in Alberta, Canada, describing their efforts to develop and advance awareness of, interventions against, and responses to contract cheating at their respective institutions. Contract cheating is when a third party produces or completes academic work for a student, and the student then presents the work as their own. The student might have personal connections to the third party, or the student might pay a fee and outsource the academic work to the third party. All three institutions are experiencing an increase in the incidence of contract cheating, which is consistent with trends at colleges and universities across Canada and the world. Contract cheating is not a new phenomenon, but it is a growing one, due in part to students having access to thousands of online companies offering to help them with their academic work. This paper examines personal narratives from four researchers and identifies five key themes: types of contract cheating, students, awareness, evidence and policy implications, and educational development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alberta has extensive non-renewable energy resources which contribute to the Canadian economy. A downturn in oil and gas energy prices in 2014 contributed to increased idle and orphaned wells, posing potential environmental and human health risks, as well as an economic burden on the province of Alberta. Idle and orphaned wells contribute to local adverse environmental and human health effects from soil and groundwater contamination to greenhouse gas emissions. With increasing numbers of idle and orphaned wells, current monitoring measures, including regulation and cost to identify well leakage, are insufficient. Current policy measures to manage idle and orphaned well environmental liabilities were found to be inadequate to cover cleanup costs. With oil and gas prices showing no signs of rebound, these idle and orphaned well liabilities need to be addressed. This paper discusses potential environmental risks that idle and orphaned oil and gas wells pose, compares Alberta's current monitoring and policy initiatives to those in other provinces as well as the USA, and recommends future management strategies to mitigate the issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to a number of recommendations following the Northern Rivers Basin Studies (NRBS) contaminant program, the Northern Rivers Ecosystem Initiative (NREI) focused considerable attention on assessing contaminants from specific sources including pulp mill effluents, atmospheric transport of mercury and the Alberta oil sands operations. NRBS identified a number of major contaminants of concern including polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxins and furans, mercury and various hydrocarbons. Together, the NRBS and the NREI studies have demonstrated major declines in the levels of dioxins and furans over the last decade as pulp and paper mills have changed their process and treatment strategies in response to new Federal regulations. Polychlorinated biphenyls however, continue to be a concern for the region as their levels have not declined in fish and sediments over the course of these studies. Higher levels in sediments downstream of Grande Prairie and Hinton were identified, but the source of these contaminants remains unknown. Chlorinated pesticides were also investigated, and although toxaphene, DDT and other chlorinated organic pesticides were detected in fish tissue, they were present at very low levels. Studies on the oil sands industry in northern Alberta demonstrated limited impacts on the Athabasca River to date, although studies did identify slight to moderate impacts of natural oil seeps on fish and benthic communities in tributary streams. NREI studies also identified endocrine active compounds in the three pulp and paper mill effluents tested, but endocrine disruptive effects in wild fish were minimal. Municipal sewage effluents also contain endocrine active compounds and it is recommended that monitoring continue around these point sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peoples' perceptions of healthy eating are influenced by the cultural context in which they occur. Despite this general acceptance by health practitioners and social scientists, studies suggest that there remains a relative homogeneity around peoples' perceptions that informs a hegemonic discourse around healthy eating. People often describe healthy eating in terms of learned information from sources that reflect societies' norms and values, such as the Canada Food Guide and the ubiquitous phrase 'fruits and vegetables'. Past research has examined how built environments shape people's access to healthy living options, such as distribution of grocers versus convenience stores and fast food restaurants. Often overlooked is an in-depth understanding of how social contexts interact with built environments, molding peoples' perceptions of healthy eating. This paper reports on perceptions of healthy eating in four communities across Alberta, Canada. A photovoice methodology was employed to elicit perceptions of healthy eating with 35 participants. This study illustrates how participants' photographs and their stories convey multiple meanings about healthy eating within their own lives and communities. Findings suggest that a 'local' context is an important part of the discourse centered around the promotion of healthy eating practices in these and potential other communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents results of a study which examined how a mandatory wildfire evacuation affected members of Whitefish Lake First Nation 459, in Alberta, Canada. A qualitative case study approach was used, and semi-structured interviews were completed with 45 band members to learn about their evacuation experiences during the wildfire evacuation in May 2011 and explore the factors that complicated the evacuation process and put further strain on the evacuees and First Nation. This evacuation caused considerable distress for evacuees and had negative effects for the First Nation. Factors that affected evacuation experiences included: (1) transportation issues compounded by cultural land-use activities, (2) fear of home loss compounded by existing housing shortages, (3) information and lack of media interest, (4) language, (5) poverty, (6) large multi-generational families, (7) health concerns, and (8) reimbursement of evacuation-related expenses to the community. An overarching factor that affected the entire evacuation was jurisdiction. Based on these findings, recommendations are provided for emergency managers on improving wildfire evacuation experiences for Indigenous peoples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extreme weather events that may be associated with climate change drivers offer valuable opportunities for public discussion of climate change. Such events tend to draw a high level of public attention, and they represent acute and personal impacts of climate change, unlike most climate-related information to which members of the public are exposed. Media coverage of such extreme events, however, appears to avoid linking such events to climate change. In one of few media analyses of the inclusion of climate change discussion in coverage of extreme events that are linked to climate change, we provide the results of an analysis of media coverage of climate-related threats to forests, including in particular forest fires in the Province of Alberta. This is a region in which forests, which are threatened by the impacts of climate change, are an important contributor to the regional economy, livelihoods, and lifestyles. Newspaper articles were collected from Alberta's two largest regional papers, the Edmonton Journal and the Calgary Herald. Our findings show that coverage of forest issues in the media is dominated by fires, while discussion of pest outbreaks and forest sustainability are far less prevalent. While climate change is a topic that is covered in these newspapers as frequently as forest-related issues, there is very little overlap in this coverage and the articles that do discuss both forests and climate change are not associated with extreme events. In subsequent thematic analysis, we find that forest fire coverage tends to be restricted to discussion of single themes, particularly, risk or the economy, while avoiding discussion of multiple themes and their interactions. Mention of the causes of climate change is rare in coverage of either of these forest-related issues. Possible explanations for avoidance of climate change discussion in forest fire media coverage are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water management reforms promoting deliberative, decentralized decision making are often accompanied by procedures designed to accommodate a range of stakeholder perspectives. This paper considers the role of political and ethical norms affecting this 'procedural turn' in order to understand the management of transitions in complex socio-technical systems. It examines the discourse and practice of water reforms in Alberta, Canada in order to identify how new procedures were designed alongside changes to management institutions. It finds that the existing social and cultural context is an uneasy fit with procedural norms theorized in deliberative models of democracy. Using examples from the Alberta case, it draws out implications for understanding the procedural turn in water management and the role of norms affecting transitions toward sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights the first “International Conference on Electrophoretic Deposition: Fundamentals and Applications” held in August 2002 in Banff, Alberta. Focus of the conference on electrophoretic deposition (EPD); Issues relevant to the EPD process both from the fundamental and the application points of view; Main topics of the meeting.

Embedded morphemes are thought to become available during the processing of multi-morphemic words, and impact access to the whole word. According to the edge-aligned embedded word activation theory Grainger & Beyersmann, (2017), embedded morphemes receive activation when the whole word can be decomposed into constituent morphemes. Thus, interfering with morphological decomposition also interferes with access to the embedded morphemes. Numerous studies have examined the effects of interfering with boundary and constituent-internal letters on morphological decomposition by comparing the effect of transposing letters at the morphemic boundary to constituent-internal letters. These studies, which report inconsistent findings, have typically used derived multi-morphemic words (e.g., cleaner), and sometimes use a control replacement letter condition that is not matched to the transposed letter conditions in terms of location. Across five experiments, we test the edge-aligned activation theory by examining the effects of replacing and transposing boundary and constituent-internal letters of compounds. Our findings suggest that replacing boundary letters interferes with access to both embedded constituents, while replacing constituent-internal letters still allows for access to the unaltered constituent, thus compensating for the interference in the altered constituent. Our findings are consistent with the edge-aligned theory with respect to letter replacement, and also imply that letter replacement must match the position of letter transposition when it is used as a control condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human alveolar echinococcosis is increasingly documented in Alberta, Canada. Its causative agent, Echinococcus multilocularis (Em), can be transmitted to humans by infected dogs. We assessed the prevalence and associated risk factors for Em infections in domestic dogs in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. In this cross-sectional study that coupled collection and assessment of dog feces with a survey on potential risk factors, 13 of 696 (Bayesian true prevalence, 2.4%; 95% CrI: 1.3–4.0%) individual dogs' feces collected during August and September 2012 were qPCR positive for Em. Sequencing two of these cases indicated that both were from the same Em European strain responsible for human infections in Alberta. Likelihood of intestinal Em was 5.6-times higher in hounds than other breeds, 4.6-times higher in dogs leashed at dog parks than those allowed off-leash, 3.1-times higher in dogs often kept in the backyard during spring and summer months than those rarely in the yard, and 3.3-times higher in dogs living in neighbourhoods bordering Bowmont park than those in other areas of Calgary. This situation warrants surveillance of dog infections as a preventative measure to reduce infections in North America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Peak is a 7-Mm potentially unstable rock mass located adjacent to the 1903 Frank Slide on Turtle Mountain, Alberta. This paper presents three-dimensional numerical rock slope stability models and compares them with a previous conceptual slope instability model based on discontinuity surfaces identified using an airborne LiDAR digital elevation model (DEM). Rock mass conditions at South Peak are described using the Geological Strength Index and point load tests, whilst the mean discontinuity set orientations and characteristics are based on approximately 500 field measurements. A kinematic analysis was first conducted to evaluate probable simple discontinuity-controlled failure modes. The potential for wedge failure was further assessed by considering the orientation of wedge intersections over the airborne LiDAR DEM and through a limit equilibrium combination analysis. Block theory was used to evaluate the finiteness and removability of blocks in the rock mass. Finally, the complex interaction between discontinuity sets and the topography within South Peak was investigated through three-dimensional distinct element models using the code 3DEC. The influence of individual discontinuity sets, scale effects, friction angle and the persistence along the discontinuity surfaces on the slope stability conditions were all investigated using this code. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13202-020-01070-5 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Northern River Ecosystem Initiative (NREI), 1997–2004, has provided new scientific knowledge in response to specific recommendations from its predecessor, the Northern River Basins Study (NRBS), 1990–1996. The two initiatives together provide a remarkable body of science which is, and will continue to be, used by resource managers responsible for economic and environmental sustainability in the northern watersheds of Alberta. The NREI focused its investigative efforts on improving our understanding related to ecological considerations of changes in river flow, effect of climate change on flow, ecological responses to pollution and cumulative effects, vulnerability of drinking water quality, and to a lesser degree, wildlife (birds) response to large scale changes within the watersheds. Key findings are briefly presented in this paper and discussed in greater detail in the other NREI papers included in this. Commensurate with the undertakings of NREI, provincial and territorial governments, First Nation and Métis communities, and other administrative organizations such as the Mackenzie River Basin Board, undertook policy, regulatory, and watershed initiatives towards achieving sustainability and providing reliable drinking water quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PROMs are part of routine measurement for hip and knee replacement in Alberta, Canada. We provide an overview of how PROMs are implemented in routine care, and how we use PROMs data for decision-making at different levels within the health system. The Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute (ABJHI) ran a randomized controlled trial to determine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an evidence-based care pathway for hip and knee arthroplasty in 2004. The study included several PROMs questionnaires: Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, Health Utility Index, Short Form 36 and the EQ-5D-3L. Subsequently, the focus shifted to spread and scale of the care pathway provincially. WOMAC and EQ-5D-3L and a patient experience survey were selected for provincial adoption – captured before surgery, three-months post-surgery, and 12-months post-surgery. These PROMs data were integrated into research and routine clinical practice at the micro, meso and macro levels. At the micro level, PROMs data are used at the individual patient and provider level for patients to provide input on their care and as a tool to communicate with their healthcare providers. We examined the relationship of appropriateness and patient reported outcomes in a prospective cohort study. We evaluated whether routinely collected PROMs could be integrated into a patient decision aid to better inform shared decision making. At the meso level, continuous quality improvement reports are provided routinely to individual health care providers, hospitals and clinics on their performance against the measurement framework and standard key performance indicators. At the macro level, PROMs data are used to evaluate system performance by comparing outcomes across different jurisdictions or over time and support health policy decision making. Combined with administrative databases, we have used simulation models to reflect transition through the continuum of care from disease onset through end-stage care regarding the burden of disease, healthcare resource requirements and associated healthcare costs. The addition of PROMs data in clinical repositories and analyses enables the system to identify and address issues of continuous quality improvement against a measurement framework of performance indicators and to explicitly recognize the trade-offs that are inherent in any resource-constrained system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we describe how knowledge management and software process support can be integrated to improve the efficiency of virtual software teams. The approach presented here integrates a process enactment environment with an on-demand knowledge delivery strategy that is based on parameterized information needs models. The parameters in the information needs models are bound at project execution time to values extracted from the process enactment engine. Thus, the approach supports virtual teams by establishing a platform for systematic and task-specific knowledge exchange. The proposed approach is prototypically implemented in the MILOS system, an open source project of the University of Calgary (Canada) and the University of Kaiserslautern (Germany). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background A series of surveys were conducted to assess the attitudes of the public, and other groups, toward those with schizophrenia. The aim of these surveys was to aid in the planning and evaluation of the WPA anti-stigma initiative in Alberta, Canada. Method A questionnaire was devised and administered via telephone to over 1,200 individuals in three Alberta cities, and in paper and pencil format to 40 members of the Schizophrenia Society of Alberta and 67 medical students. Results In contrast to some earlier findings, "loss of mind" was rated to be more disabling than any other handicapping condition. In general, respondents showed a relatively sophisticated understanding of schizophrenia and a higher level of acceptance than might have been predicted. Nonetheless, this acceptance was not as high for situations where closer personal contact was likely, and fears of dangerousness continue to be associated with schizophrenia. The majority of respondents, however, felt that treatment aided those with schizophrenia, expressed support for progressive programmes for the mentally ill, and stated that they would be willing to pay higher taxes so that programming could be improved. Conclusions The results do not support the utility of a broad approach for an anti-stigma campaign, but rather suggest a more specific focus, such as perceived dangerousness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper posits that performance indicators (PIs) are conceptual technologies that shape what issues academics think about and how academics think about those issues by embedding normative assumptions into the selection and structure of those indicators. Exploring the assumptions embedded in Alberta's (Canada) PIs yields an initial typology of assumptions that academics can apply to performance indicators in higher education to understand, refine or critically challenge their introduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study contributes to empirical evidence by examining the impact of the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic on modifiable risk factors (MRF) and whether these patterns differ according to level of material deprivation among people living in Alberta., Methods: Using data from a repeated cross-sectional provincial health survey (Alberta Community Health Survey (ACHS): 2018-2021), we conducted logistic regression analyses examining the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on meeting national guidelines on four MRFs (tobacco use, physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption, alcohol use) (n=11,249). We compared population-level changes in MRFs from one year before the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2019-February 2020) to one year during the pandemic (March 2020-February 2021) in Alberta. We also assessed whether these trends differed by a measure of material deprivation., Results: Compared to the pre-COVID-19 period, the fully adjusted odds of meeting recommended guidelines for fruit and vegetable consumption (OR=0.42) decreased during the pandemic. Individuals experiencing high material deprivation had lower odds of meeting recommended guidelines for physical activity (OR=0.65) and higher odds of not being current tobacco users (OR=1.36) during the pandemic versus during the pre-pandemic period., Conclusion: At a population level, analyses from the ACHS showed minimal impacts of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic on MRFs, besides fruit and vegetable consumption. Yet, stratifying results showed statistically significant differences in pandemic impacts on MRFs by level of material deprivation. Therefore, understanding the influence of material deprivation on MRFs during the pandemic is key to tailoring future public health interventions promoting health and preventing cancer and chronic disease., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Objective: In Canada, population norms are only available for 2 provinces, Alberta and Quebec. The objective of this study was to derive the population norms for the EQ-5D-5L based on a representative sample of the Canadian general population. Methods: Data from the Canadian EQ-5D-5L valuation study, a cross-sectional study, were used. A quota sampling method was used to recruit a representative sample of the Canadian general population in terms of age, sex, and education. EQ-5D-5L utilities and EQ VAS were summarized using descriptive statistics and the impact of demographic characteristics on the EQ-5D-5L utilities was evaluated using statistical hypothesis testing and Tobit regression. Results: 1207 eligible participants were included in the analysis. Pain/discomfort (53.1%) was the most frequently reported domain with any problem, and self-care (7.6%) domain was the least. The mean (standard deviation [SD]) EQ-5D-5L utility was 0.864 (0.121) and the mean (SD) EQ VAS was 82.3 (14.23). The highest mean EQ-5D-5L utility was 0.881 in age group 25–34 while the lowest was 0.839 in age group 55–64. Participants who had full-time employment, were married, a higher annual household income and no chronic health conditions had significantly higher EQ-5D-5L utilities. Conclusion: This article reports the first Canadian population norms for the EQ-5D-5L and can be used as population references for economic evaluations and clinical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing amounts of screen time among young children has become a growing concern. Childcare centres maybe one important setting to intervene. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of screen time and screen time policies within childcare centres as well as the association between these policies and screen time among toddlers (19–35 months) and preschoolers (36–60 months). Directors (n = 238) of childcare centres in Alberta, Canada completed a brief questionnaire. The median weekly screen time for toddlers and preschoolers was 0 min/week. However, many centres were still providing screen time (Toddlers: 22%; Preschoolers: 47%). About a third of centres did not have a written screen time policy in place. Centres with a written screen time policy and more policy topics had a lower likelihood of providing no screen time compared to centres without a policy or less policy topics. In the future, targeted interventions may be needed for centres providing undesirable amounts of screen time to children. Such interventions should consider implementing resources to support the translation of policy into practice or the translation of practice into policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study investigates prospects for a fuel-grade canola oil supply chain that prioritizes the use of non-No. 1 Canola as a biofuel feedstock. Using low-grade canola oil to produce biofuels can reduce feedstock costs and offer the opportunity to utilize existing petroleum infrastructure to transport and store canola oil, thereby reducing capital costs for biorefinery investments. We conducted a township-level GIS analysis to assess the availability of canola seed in Alberta and identify potential fuel-grade crushing sites based on the amount of annually accessible non-No. 1 Canola. Using an improved service-area approach, we identify three potential sites for fuel-grade crushers, all of which had sufficient seed to produce, on average, over 65 thousand tonnes of oil per year (from 2016 to 2019). Northwestern Alberta appears to be especially suitable for a fuel-grade canola crushing plant, since it has the highest average amounts of non-No. 1 seed, and there are no existing food-grade crushers to compete with. Results further show that spatial and temporal variation in canola harvests impacts how much non-No.1 seed is available and could therefore influence investment decisions on where to locate fuel-grade canola crushing plants. New fuel-grade crushing plants could also stimulate regional development and boost incomes for local canola producers. Our analysis is relevant to policy and business decisions related to fuel-grade canola oil supply chain investments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few evaluations have assessed the outcomes of group therapy for women abused by intimate partners. Most group programs emphasize support rather than offering therapy, although women abused by partners often present with significant clinical mental health issues. This paper describes, 'You're Not Alone,' a 14-week therapy group model for women abused by intimate partners informed by a narrative approach Jenkins (The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 12 (4), 186-195 ). The results present the demographic characteristics of the 379 women who began group, and a comparison of those who completed treatment ( N = 214) versus those who dropped out ( N = 165). Women with less income and a psychiatric history were less likely to complete group, as were women with higher depression, clinical stress, and mental health symptoms. The pretest/posttest outcome evaluation for the completers used measures of mental health symptoms, self-esteem, depression, and clinical stress, finding statistically significant improvements on most measures with moderate effect sizes. Practice implications and suggestions are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent advances in machine learning (ML) have transformed the landscape of energy exploration, including hydrocarbon, CO2 storage, and hydrogen. However, building competent ML models for reservoir characterization necessitates specific in-depth knowledge in order to fine-tune the models and achieve the best predictions, limiting the accessibility of machine learning in geosciences. To mitigate this issue, we implemented the recently emerged automated machine learning (AutoML) approach to perform an algorithm search for conducting an unconventional reservoir characterization with a more optimized and accessible workflow than traditional ML approaches. In this study, over 1000 wells from Alberta's Athabasca Oil Sands were analyzed to predict various key reservoir properties such as lithofacies, porosity, volume of shale, and bitumen mass percentage. Our proposed workflow consists of two stages of AutoML predictions, including (1) the first stage focuses on predicting the volume of shale and porosity by using conventional well log data, and (2) the second stage combines the predicted outputs with well log data to predict the lithofacies and bitumen percentage. The findings show that out of the ten different models tested for predicting the porosity (78% in accuracy), the volume of shale (80.5%), bitumen percentage (67.3%), and lithofacies classification (98%), distributed random forest, and gradient boosting machine emerged as the best models. When compared to the manually fine-tuned conventional machine learning algorithms, the AutoML-based algorithms provide a notable improvement on reservoir property predictions, with higher weighted average f1-scores of up to 15–20% in the classification problem and 5–10% in the adjusted-R2 score for the regression problems in the blind test dataset, and it is achieved only after ~ 400 s of training and testing processes. In addition, from the feature ranking extraction technique, there is a good agreement with domain experts regarding the most significant input parameters in each prediction. Therefore, it is evidence that the AutoML workflow has proven powerful in performing advanced petrophysical analysis and reservoir characterization with minimal time and human intervention, allowing more accessibility to domain experts while maintaining the model's explainability. Integration of AutoML and subject matter experts could advance artificial intelligence technology implementation in optimizing data-driven energy geosciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for acute ischemic stroke with medium vessel occlusions is still a matter of debate. We sought to identify factors associated with clinical outcome after MT for M2-occlusions based on data from the German Stroke Registry-Endovascular Treatment (GSR-ET). All patients prospectively enrolled in the GSR-ET from 05/2015 to 12/2021 were analyzed (NCT03356392). Inclusion criteria were primary M2-occlusions and availability of relevant clinical data. Factors associated with excellent/good outcome (modified Rankin scale mRS 0–1/0–2), poor outcome/death (mRS 5–6) and mRS-increase pre-stroke to day 90 were determined in multivariable logistic regression. 1348 patients were included. 1128(84%) had successful recanalization, 595(44%) achieved good outcome, 402 (30%) had poor outcome. Successful recanalization (odds ratio [OR] 4.27 [95% confidence interval 3.12–5.91], p < 0.001), higher Alberta stroke program early CT score (OR 1.25 [1.18–1.32], p < 0.001) and i.v. thrombolysis (OR 1.28 [1.07–1.54], p < 0.01) increased probability of good outcome, while age (OR 0.95 [0.94–0.95], p < 0.001), higher pre-stroke-mRS (OR 0.36 [0.31–0.40], p < 0.001), higher baseline NIHSS (OR 0.89 [0.88–0.91], p < 0.001), diabetes (OR 0.52 [0.42–0.64], p < 0.001), higher number of passes (OR 0.75 [0.70–0.80], p < 0.001) and intracranial hemorrhage (OR 0.26 [0.14–0.46], p < 0.001) decreased the probability of good outcome. Additional predictors of mRS-increase pre-stroke to 90d were dissections, perforations (OR 1.59 [1.11–2.29], p < 0.05) and clot migration, embolization (OR 1.67 [1.21–2.30], p < 0.01). Corresponding to large-vessel-occlusions, younger age, low pre-stroke-mRS, low severity of acute clinical disability, i.v. thrombolysis and successful recanalization were associated with good outcome while diabetes and higher number of passes decreased probability of good outcome after MT in M2 occlusions. Treatment related complications increased probability of mRS increase pre-stroke to 90d. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If oil sands are to be eliminated from the energy market to protect the global environment, human health and long-term economic welfare, a significant number of workers will be displaced in the transition to renewable energy technologies. This study outlines a cost-effective and convenient path for oil and gas workers in Alberta to be retrained in the burgeoning solar photovoltaic (PV) industry. Many oil and gas workers would be able to transfer fields with no additional training required. This study examines retraining options for the remainder of workers using the most closely matching skill equivalent PV job to minimize retraining time. The costs for retraining all oil sands workers are quantified and aggregated. The results show the total costs for retaining all oil sands workers in Alberta for the PV industry ranges between CAD$91.5 m and CAD$276.2 m. Thus, only 2–6% of federal, provincial, and territorial oil and gas subsidies for a single year would need to be reallocated to provide oil and gas workers with a new career of approximately equivalent pay. The results of this study clearly show that a rapid transition to sustainable energy production is feasible as costs of retraining oil and gas workers are far from prohibitive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The objective was to explore the relationship of sun behavior patterns with the risk of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Methods: Sun behavior information from Alberta's Tomorrow Project, CARTaGENE, and Ontario Health Study were utilized. The relationship between time in the sun during summer months and risk of NHL was assessed using Cox proportional hazard models with age as the time scale and adjustment for confounders. Cohorts were analyzed separately and hazard ratios (HR) pooled with random effects meta-analysis. Joint effects of time in the sun and use of sun protection were examined. Patterns of exposure were explored via combinations of weekday and weekend time in the sun. Results: During an average follow-up of 7.6 years, 205 NHL cases occurred among study participants (n = 79,803). Compared to < 30 min daily in the sun, we observed HRs of 0.84 (95% CI 0.55–1.28) for 30–59 min, 0.63 (95% CI 0.40–0.98) for 1–2 h, and 0.91 (95% CI 0.61–1.36) for > 2 h. There was suggestive evidence that > 2 h was protective against NHL with use of sun protection, but not without it. Compared to < 30 min daily, moderate exposure (30 min to 2 h on weekdays or weekend) was associated with a lower risk of NHL (HR 0.63, 95% CI 0.43–0.92), while intermittent (< 30 min on weekdays and > 2 h on weekends) and chronic (> 2 h daily) were not. Conclusion: This study provides evidence of a protective effect of moderate time spent in the sun on NHL risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new non-linear fuzzy-set based methodology is proposed to characterize and propagate uncertainty through a multiple linear regression (MLR) model to predict DO using flow and water temperature as the regressors. The output is depicted as probabilistic rather than deterministic and is used to calculate the risk of low DO concentration. To demonstrate the new method, data from the Bow River in Calgary, Alberta from 2006 to 2008 are used. Low DO concentration has been occasionally observed in the river and correctly predicting, and quantifying the associated uncertainty and variability of DO is of interest to the City of Calgary. Flow, temperature and DO data were used to construct five MLR models, using different combinations of linear and non-linear fuzzy membership functions. The results show that non-linear representation of variance is superior to the linear approach based on model performance. Normal and Gumbel based membership functions produced the best results. The outputs from two non-linear fuzzy membership models were used to calculate risk of low DO. The predicted risk was between 3.9 and 4.9 %. This is an improvement over the traditional method, which can not indicate a risk of low DO for the same time period. This study demonstrates that water resource managers can adequately use MLR models to predict the risk of low DO using abiotic factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents results from a survey on attitudes toward climate change in Alberta, Canada, home to just 10% of Canada's population, but the source of 35% of the country's greenhouse-gas emissions (Environment Canada ). Results show high levels of awareness, but much lower levels of perceived climate change impacts for one's self or region. Women expressed significantly greater awareness and sense of perceived impacts about climate change than men; however, gender differences appear predominantly associated with socioeconomic factors. Indeed, in all, political ideology had the strongest predictive value, with individuals voting for the conservative party significantly less likely to anticipate significant societal climate change impacts. This finding, in turn, is strongly associated with beliefs regarding whether climate change is human induced. Particularly notable is the finding that the gender gap in climate change beliefs and perceived impacts is not attributed to gendered social roles, as indicated by occupational and familial status. Instead, gender distinctions appear to be related to the lower tendency for women to ascribe to a conservative political ideology relative to men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Quantitative relationships between soil N availability indices and tree growth are lacking in the oil sands region of Alberta and this can hinder the development of guidelines for the reclamation of the disturbed landscape after oil sands extraction. The aim of this paper was to establish quantitative relationships between soil N availability indices and tree growth in the oil sands region of Alberta. Methods: In situ N mineralization rates, in situ N availability measured in the field using Plant Root Simulators (PRS™ probes), laboratory aerobic and anaerobic soil N mineralization rates, and soil C/N and N content were determined for both the forest floor and the 0-20 cm mineral soil in eight jack pine ( Pinus banksiana Lamb.) stands in the oil sands region in northern Alberta. Tree growth rates were determined based on changes in tree ring width in the last 6 years and as mean annual aboveground biomass increment. Results: Soil N availability indices across those forest stands varied and for each stand it was several times higher in the forest floor than in the mineral soil. The in situ and laboratory aerobic and anaerobic soil N mineralization rates, soil mineralized N, in situ N availability measured using PRS probes, soil C/N ratio and N content in both the forest floor and mineral soil, as well as stand age were linearly correlated with tree ring width of jack pine trees across the selected forest stands, consistent with patterns seen in other published studies and suggesting that N availability could be a limiting factor in the range of jack pine stands studied. Conclusions: In situ and laboratory aerobic and anaerobic N mineralization rates and soil C/N ratio and N content can be used for predicting tree growth in jack pine forests in the oil sand region. Laboratory based measurements such as aerobic and anaerobic N mineralization rates and soil C/N ratio and N content would be preferable as they are more cost effective and equally effective for predicting jack pine growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]