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This study examined gender differences in the experiences of 923 officer cadets attending Canadian Military Colleges and 135 officer cadets attending civilian universities who completed a survey. Overall, the findings revealed that the experience of officer cadets in civilian universities was more positive, gender neutral, and their institutions' values and culture were a better fit for them compared to their peers in Canadian Military Colleges. For officer cadets in Canadian Military Colleges, the results revealed that women were less likely to perceive gender equality in the way they were treated, the fairness of complaint mechanisms, and being treated with respect compared to men. Men in Canadian Military Colleges were less likely to perceive gender equality in performance standards than women. There were no gender differences in experiences for officer cadets in civilian universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Health Organization has declared the scalding, defeathering, evisceration, and chilling processing stages in industrial poultry slaughterhouses as sites of cross-contamination. In response, we develop a novel ordinary differential equation model describing the transfer and thermal inactivation of pathogens between carcasses in an industrial three-stage scalding tank. The model provides a link between the distribution of bacteria on carcasses before and after scalding using physical mechanisms of transfer and inactivation. A key feature of our model is that it directly quantifies cross-contamination, or microbial transfer between carcasses, via the scald water. We parametrize the model according to the specific pathogen C. jejuni , and then validate the model using numerical simulations against industrial scalding processing data. In particular, the calibrated model predicts a mean pathogen level on individual carcasses of [ 1.15 × 10 4 , 2.6 × 10 4 ] CFU/carcass, capturing the experimentally determined mean of 1.89 × 10 4 CFU/carcass in an industrial setting. We then demonstrate that our framework is amenable to application in quantitative microbial risk assessment and policymaking. In particular, using scalding configurations from an industrial poultry processor in Canada as well as the 2015 USDA-FSIS Campylobacter performance standards as a benchmark, we utilize the developed model to quantify the relationship between pre-scald prevalence and mean pathogen counts and the distribution of post-scald pathogen levels on carcasses. • Development of a model quantifying pathogen levels during immersion poultry scalding. • Parametrize and validate the model against C. jejuni specific industrial process data. • Illustrate model applicability by conducting sensitivity and scenario analysis. • Control guidance to assist processors to meet Campylobacter performance standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The building sector is a significant source of GHG emissions and has great potential for emission reductions. The effectiveness of building energy codes on energy savings and emission mitigation is of a primary concern to policy makers, but uncertainty in cost and benefit in different regions complicates code selection and implementation. The impacts of a specific building energy standard vary depending on the heating system's thermal efficiency and the heating fuel's carbon intensity. This paper examines the GHG emissions due to space heating for new construction single-detached households in Canada under different building energy codes and enforcement scenarios. The two codes considered are the BC step code and Passive House criteria. Three scenarios are examined reflecting different levels of stringency of standards between 2020 and 2032. The results show both BC step code and passive house criteria can help mitigate the space heating GHG emissions. There is no significant difference between the BC step code and the passive house criteria from the perspective of GHG emission reduction in the province of British Columbia; however, when implemented nationwide, the passive house criteria is 12% more effective in abating space heating GHG emissions than the most stringent level (i.e. Step 5) of BC step code. • Passive House criteria are more effective in reducing the space heating GHG emissions than BC Step Code does in Canada. • BC Step Code and Passive House criteria can save space heating GHG emissions of new single-houses by 77% and 89%, respectively. • Building performance standards are less impactful in regions where fuel carbon intensity is low. • No notable difference is found between BC Step Code and Passive House criteria in GHG emission reduction per unit area in BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]