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The Bergmann's rule relating eco-geographic pattern in body size of species with latitude/elevation, remain unexplored among different animal taxa including insects from the Indian Himalayan Region that ranges in elevation and environmental conditions. The applicability of the rule was tested using body size data set of natural adult male populations of six butterfly species that were common in abundance and occur over a range of elevations in the Western Himalaya. The influence of changes in body size on flight related morphometry was also explored to understand the adaptative and dispersal strategies of the species across elevations. Among the various morphometric traits, the principal component analysis revealed that the forewing length was the most reliable measure of determining the body size clinal pattern in butterflies. Species Danaus chrysippus , Danaus genutia and Vanessa indica strongly followed the Bergmann's rule, while Papilio polytes followed the converse Bergmann's rule. By contrast, Pieris brassicae and Catopsilia pomona exhibited a moderate clinal pattern and partially followed the converse of the rule. The flight related morphometric indices namely, wing load and aspect ratio varied among species and showed no regular pattern along elevational gradients. The results suggested inconsistent trends in intra-specific morphometric variations of widespread butterfly species, crucial to comprehend their conservation strategies in the Western Himalaya. [Display omitted] • Bergmann's rule explains the body size pattern, which is still unknown for various taxa from the Indian Himalayan Region. • Widespread butterflies showed diverse and inconsistent patterns in body size variation in the Western Himalaya. • Flight related morphometric traits elucidated the strategies for adaptation and dispersal mechanism. • Findings offer crucial insights for understanding the need for development of species specific conservation policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To estimate outpatient visits and hospitalization rates due to cardiopulmonary illness attributable to influenza from 2008-09 to 2012-13 in a large cohort of pregnant women from Catalonia, Spain.Methods: We estimated the event rates occurring during influenza epidemic, influenza non-epidemic and non-influenza seasons, and by pregnancy status (one year before pregnancy, first, second and third trimester). We fitted quasi-Poisson models in order to identify the variables associated to higher event rates.Results: During influenza epidemic seasons, pregnant women in their second trimester had the highest rates of outpatient visits (153 per 10,000 women-months). An increased risk of outpatient visits was associated to first or second trimester (adjusted rate ratio (aRR) = 1.17; 95% CI, 1.10-1.23 and aRR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.28-1.43, respectively) and having any comorbidity (aRR = 1.28; 95% CI, 1.21-1.36). Women during third trimester had the highest rates of hospitalizations (1.60 per 10,000 women-months), and an increased risk of hospitalization was significantly associated to third trimester (aRR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.01-3.39), having any comorbidity (aRR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.10-3.41) and the pandemic influenza season (aRR, 2.90 (1.81; 95% CI, 1.81-4.64).Conclusion: Our findings provide significant information regarding influenza burden of disease among pregnant women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth in bitumen and synthetic crude oil (SCO) production in the Canadian oil sands industry has superseded pipeline capacity growth in recent years, leading to the increased interest in the transport of crude oil by rail to desired markets. However, the specific techno-economic parameters that facilitate increased competitiveness of either transportation mode against the other is seldom addressed in the existing literature. This paper involves the development of a rail and pipeline techno-economic transport model, which is used to ascertain the transportation cost of both options for a market distance range of 1–3000 km and a production scale of 100,000–750,000 barrels per day (bpd). The transportation cost for either option is highly sensitive to the market distance, transportation scale and crude grade being transported; however, pipelines are generally more competitive for large transportation scales, while the cost-effectiveness of rail transport is realized particularly at smaller transportation scales. In general, pipelines are cost efficient for the transportation of crude oil in the majority of scenarios investigated. Rail can be more economical than pipeline under certain conditions. The use of insulated rail cars for the transport of raw bitumen is the area with greatest potential for cost competitiveness against pipelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jamun (Syzygium cumini Skeels) is a nutritious fruit and has historically been used as both as an edible and a traditional medicine. The jamun seed is an inedible by-product of the fruit. However, their high concentration of phytochemicals makes them valuable components of nutraceuticals. Various studies on diverse biological activities of jamun seeds have warranted their application in human health and biomedical fields. This review paper discusses critically the phytochemical composition of jamun seeds and the bioactivities, including their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, antidiabetic, anti-microbial, anti-obesity, hepato-protective, cardio and gastro-protective properties. The bioactivity of jamun seed is related to the presence of phenols, flavonoids, steroids, alkaloids, triterpenoids, tannins, and saponins. Animal research in vivo, and in vitro experiments with human and animal cell models support the idea that jamun seed extract can be valuable additions in food and biomedical fields due to the diverse bio-functional properties. However, in-depth and systematic in vivo clinical trials using human subjects must be conducted to confirm the safe consumption limit and establish other therapeutic roles of jamun seeds for their abundant utilization as a nutraceutical or pharmacological component. Moreover, research is required to understand the exact mechanisms of the bioactivities exhibited by jamun seeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a model to perform energy balances and estimate hydrogen conversion efficiency from UCG-based syngas. The model was developed for H 2 production from UCG-based syngas with and without CCS, along with the co-production of electricity and steam in a conventional combined cycle plant. In this paper, at base case conditions (H 2 O-to-O 2 injection ratio of 2 and a steam-to-carbon ratio of 3), the coal-to-H 2 conversion efficiency is estimated to be 58.1% for UCG with and without CCS. For the plant configuration involving no CCS, in addition to H 2 production, approximately 4.7% of coal energy is converted to electricity that is exported to the grid. In the case of UCG–CCS, a minor energy penalty is incurred; wherein the electrical energy exported per unit coal energy is around 2.4%, with a CO 2 capture efficiency of 91.6% being achieved. The H 2 conversion efficiency decreases with rise in H 2 O-to-O 2 injection ratio, but increases with fall in steam-to-carbon ratio. Effect of ground water influx in UCG on the H 2 conversion efficiency is minor, whereas H 2 separation efficiency in the pressure swing adsorption (PSA) unit has a major effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric vehicle charging by renewable energy can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This paper presents a data-intensive techno-economic model to estimate the cost of charging an electric vehicle with a battery capacity of 16 kW h for an average travel distance of 65 km from small-scale renewable electricity in various jurisdictions in Canada. Six scenarios were developed that encompass scale of operation, charging time, and type of renewable energy system. The costs of charging an electric vehicle from an off-grid wind energy system at a charging time of 8 h is 56.8–58.5 cents/km in Montreal, Quebec, and 58.5–60.0 cents/km in Ottawa, Ontario. However, on integration with a small-scale hydro, the charging costs are 9.4–11.2 cents/km in Montreal, 9.5–11.1 cents/km in Ottawa and 10.2–12.2 cents/km in Vancouver, British Columbia. The results show that electric vehicle charging from small-scale hydro energy integration is cost competitive compared charging from conventional grid electricity in all the chosen jurisdictions. Furthermore, when the electric vehicle charging time decreases from 8 to 4 h, the cost of charging increases by 83% and 11% from wind and hydro energy systems, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demand for hydrogen is likely to increase in the next decade to satisfy the projected growth of the bitumen upgrading industry in western Canada. This paper presents GHG (greenhouse gas) abatement costs and the GHG abatement potential in producing hydrogen from UCG (underground coal gasification) along with CCS (carbon capture and sequestration). Seven hydrogen production scenarios are considered to assess the competitiveness of implementing UCG compared to SMR (steam methane reforming). The analysis is completed through a LCA (life cycle assessment) of large-scale hydrogen production from UCG and SMR with and without CCS. Considering SMR technology without CCS as the base case, the GHG abatement costs of implementing the UCG-CCS technology is calculated to be in the range of 41–109 $CAD/tonne-CO 2 -eq depending on the transportation distance to the CCS site from the UCG-H 2 production plant. Life cycle GHG emissions are higher in UCG than in SMR. The GHG abatement costs for SMR-CCS-based scenarios are higher than for UCG-CCS-based scenarios; they range from 87 to 158 $CAD/tonne-CO 2 -eq in a similar manner to UCG-CCS. Consideration of revenues for selling the CO 2 captured for EOR (enhanced oil recovery) reduces the GHG abatement costs. An opportunity for revenue generation is realized in the UCG-CCS case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Western Canada is endowed with considerable reserves of deep un-mineable coal, which can be converted to syngas by means of a gasification process called underground coal gasification (UCG). The syngas can be transformed into hydrogen (H 2 ) through commercially available technologies employed in conventional fossil-fuel based H 2 production pathways. This paper presents a data-intensive model to evaluate life cycle GHG emissions in H 2 production from UCG with and without CCS. Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) was considered as a sequestration method and included in the LCA. The life cycle GHG emissions are calculated to be 0.91 and 18.00 kg-CO 2 -eq/kg-H 2 in H 2 production from UCG with and without CCS, respectively. In addition, a detailed analysis of the influence of key UCG parameters, i.e., H 2 O-to-O 2 injection ratio, ground water influx, and steam-to-carbon ratio in syngas conversion, is completed on the results. The advantage of adopting UCG–CCS technology for H 2 production is realized over the predominant steam methane reforming (SMR) process; around 15.3 million tonnes of GHG emissions can be mitigated to achieve the projected SCO production rate from the bitumen upgrading in 2022. Furthermore, the sensitivity analysis showed that the life cycle GHG emissions is sensitive to the heat exchanger efficiency and the separation efficiency of the pressure swing adsorption (PSA) unit, with increasing values of these parameters causing an increase and a decrease in the magnitude of life cycle GHG emissions, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gait impairment is one of the primary symptoms of degenerative lumbar canal stenosis (LCS), yet it is poorly understood due to a lack of quantitative data on kinematics and kinetics during the gait. Gait analysis is a well-established tool for the quantitative assessment of gait disturbances, providing a functional diagnosis, assessing treatment plan and monitoring of disease progress. To analyze the effect of decompression surgery on gait characteristics in patients with LCS. Prospective non-randomized comparative study at a teaching hospital. Eighteen patients with symptomatic LCS and 18 healthy volunteers. Gait quality: spatiotemporal, kinetic and kinematic parameters functional outcome: ODI, VAS. Eighteen patients with single-level LCS and 18 healthy volunteers were prospectively recruited. All the patients with symptomatic LCS underwent TLIF (transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion) surgery. Gait analysis was perfomed preoperatively and six months postoperatively as per standard protocol. The spatiotemporal, kinematic and kinetic parameters were analyzed. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and coefficient of skewness and kurtosis was used to assess the normality of distribution. Pre- and postoperative clinical outcomes, spatial-temporal, kinetic and kinematic data were compared with the paired t-test or Wilcoxon signed-rank test according to the normality of the distribution. Unpaired t-test was used to compare the two groups. Stepwise linear regression models were used to detect significant relationships between changes in ODI and VAS score, and parameters describing gait function. Significant improvement was noted in ODI (p < 0.05) and VAS scores (p < 0.05) six months post-surgery. Spatiotemporal (Stride time [p=0.01], Swing phase % [p=0.01], Double support phase % [p=0.02], Mean velocity [p < 0.01], Cadence [p < 0.01], Stride length [p < 0.01], Step length [p < 0.01] and step width [p < 0.01])and kinetic parameters (peak hip [p < 0.01], knee [p < 0.01] and ankle power [p < 0.01], vertical GRF [p=0.01]) were significantly better following surgery, reaching normal levels when compared to healthy individuals. The kinematic parameters (trunk tilt [p=0.02], peak hip extension [p < 0.01], peak knee flexion in stance [p=0.01] and swing phase [p < 0.01], peak ankle dorsiflexion in stance [p < 0.01] and swing phase [p=0.04], GPS [p < 0.01] and GDI [p < 0.01]) were significantly improved following surgery but did not reach normal levels when compared to controls. A significant correlation was found between change in ODI and VAS score with change in certain kinematic parameters (knee power, stance time, ankle plantarflexion, peak ankle dorsiflexion moment, GDI, swing time, peak ankle dorsiflexion in swing, peak hip and knee flexor moment). Decompression surgery in LCS produces improvement in gait parameters, pain scores, and functional outcome that significantly improves walking tolerance and speed. This abstract does not discuss or include any applicable devices or drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] We used prospective space–time surveillance to detect tuberculosis (TB) transmission. [•] We compared TB genotypes in the space–time clusters to verify recent transmission. [•] Many space–time clusters were not due to recent transmission, causing false alarms. [•] Prospective space–time surveillance for TB is not useful in public health practice. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The residential addresses of persons with reportable communicable diseases are used increasingly for spatial monitoring and cluster detection, and public health may direct interventions based upon the results of routine spatial surveillance. There has been little assessment, however, of the quality of address data in reportable disease notifications and of the corresponding impact of these errors on geocoding and routine public health practices. The objectives of this study were to examine address errors for a selected reportable disease in a large urban center in Canada and to assess the impact of identified errors on geocoding and the estimated spatial distribution of the disease. We extracted data for all notifications of campylobacteriosis from the Montreal public health department from 1995 to 2008 and used an address verification algorithm to determine the validity of the residential address for each case and to suggest corrections for invalid addresses. We assessed the types of address errors as well as the resulting positional errors, calculating the distance between the original address and the correct address as well as changes in disease density. Address errors and missing addresses were prevalent in the public health records (10% and 5%, respectively) and they influenced the observed distribution of campylobacteriosis in Montreal, with address correction changing case location by a median of 1.1km. Further examination of the extent of address errors in public health data is essential, as is the investigation of how these errors impact routine public health functions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The relationship of spinopelvic parameters with spondylolisthesis is widely explored. However, there is scarce evidence on correlation of tuberculosis of lumbar spine with respect to spinopelvic harmony. The current study aims to find the association between functional outcomes and spinopelvic parameters in lumbar spine tuberculosis treatment. A total of 47 patients with active tuberculosis confined to lumbar spine were prospectively analyzed and divided into 2 groups according to mode of intervention. Group A included 26 operatively managed patients and group B had 21 conservatively managed cases. Functional parameters comprising Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) along with spinopelvic radiologic parameters (pelvic incidence [PI], pelvic tilt [PT], sacral slope [SS], lumbar lordosis [LL], PI-LL, sagittal vertical axis) in both groups were analyzed at 0 and 6 months of follow-up. Both the groups showed significant improvement from initial presentation to final follow-up in ODI (Group A: 85.4 ± 12.1–12.3 ± 3.2, P = 0.02; Group B: 82.5 ± 10.06–36.8 ± 11.9, P = 0.04) and VAS (Group A: 8.1 ± 1.2–1.4 ± 0.9, P = 0.02; Group B: 8.5 ± 0.09–3.5 ± 1.1, P = 0.02). Statistically significant (P < 0.05) difference was observed in both functional outcome parameters between the 2 groups at 2-month and 6-month follow-up, compared with nonsignificant difference (P > 0.05) at presentation. Better improvements of spinopelvic parameters of PT, SS, LL, PI-LL were observed in Group A and in both groups the difference of these parameters correlated with differences of functional outcome parameters, though PI showed no correlation. The spinopelvic parameters played significant role in functional outcome. There is better functional outcome when LL is adequately restored. Surgical correction offered betterment of spinopelvic parameters like PT, SS, an sagittal vertical axis, which in turn leads to improvement in functional outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deciding the healing end point in spinal tuberculosis (STB) remains a controversial topic. The current systematic review aims to address the controversy existing in the literature to find a comprehensive method to assess healing in STB. A thorough literature search was carried out for studies with the assessment of healing parameters in STB. Data extraction was carried out manually, which included study characteristics and healing criteria evaluated in each study. Qualitative analysis of 8 included studies showed that healing parameters were described in 3 domains: clinical, hematologic, and radiologic response of the patient to antitubercular chemotherapy. Each domain included various individual parameters, with clinical and radiologic assessment criteria being used in most of the studies. Improvement in terms of pain, constitutional symptoms, weight gain, neurology; variation in erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein; and changes in radiography, magnetic resonance imaging, and positron emission tomography/computed tomography were found to be promising predictors in the assessment of healing. Radiologic response parameters emerged as the maximally used criteria to assess healing in STB. However, in the absence of any statistical analysis and an observed lag in radiologic response, the cumulative effect of all the parameters in 3 domains (clinical, hematologic, and radiologic) can be used to declare a spinal tubercular lesion nonhealing, healing, or healed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background A system for monitoring vaccine-related media content was previously developed and studied from an international perspective. This monitoring approach could also have value at a regional level, but it has yet to be evaluated at this scale. We examined regional patterns of vaccine-related media topics and sentiment in the US and Canada. Methods We extracted vaccine-relevant US and Canadian online media reports between June 2012 and October 2014 from the Vaccine Sentimeter, a HealthMap-based automated media monitoring system for news aggregators and blogs. We analyzed regional distributions of reports about vaccines, categories (i.e., topics), sentiment, and measles outbreaks. Findings The Vaccine Sentimeter captured 10,715 reports during the study period. Negative sentiment was highest in reports about vaccine safety (47%), Hepatitis B (19%), and Vermont (18%). Analyses of measles outbreaks revealed geographical variation in media content. For example, religious beliefs were mentioned in 27% of measles reports in Texas and 22% of British Columbia reports, but there were no references to religion in media on measles from California. Interpretations A regional analysis of online sentiment towards vaccine can provide insights that may give US and Canadian public health practitioners a deeper understanding of media influences on vaccine choices in their regions and consequently lead to more effective public health action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Variations in in-hospital COVID-19 mortality risk were consistent across provinces • The changing patients'demographic profiles only partly explained these variations • Nosocomial infections and higher patient load increased mortality risks • Length of intensive care unit stay decreased over time, varied across both age groups and provinces • With emergence new variants, continued monitoring of patient outcomes is essential Epidemics of COVID-19 strained hospital resources. We describe temporal trends in mortality risk and length of stays in hospital and intensive care units (ICUs) among patients with COVID-19 hospitalized through the first three epidemic waves in Canada. We used population-based provincial hospitalization data from the epicenters of Canada's epidemics (Ontario and Québec). Adjusted estimates were obtained using marginal standardization of logistic regression models, accounting for patient-level and hospital-level determinants. Using all hospitalizations from Ontario (N = 26,538) and Québec (N = 23,857), we found that unadjusted in-hospital mortality risks peaked at 31% in the first wave and was lowest at the end of the third wave at 6–7%. This general trend remained after adjustments. The odds of in-hospital mortality in the highest patient load quintile were 1.2-fold (95% CI: 1.0–1.4; Ontario) and 1.6-fold (95% CI: 1.3–1.9; Québec) that of the lowest quintile. Mean hospital and ICU length of stays decreased over time but ICU stays were consistently higher in Ontario than Québec. In-hospital mortality risks and length of ICU stays declined over time despite changing patient demographics. Continuous population-based monitoring of patient outcomes in an evolving epidemic is necessary for health system preparedness and response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In response to the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, Canada undertook the largest vaccination campaign in its history. The effort mobilized thousands of healthcare workers, cost many hundreds of millions of dollars, and vaccinated more than 40% of the population. Despite the large investment in mass vaccination internationally, little is known about the factors that drive the timing of vaccination uptake. Purpose: Data from 2009 were used to investigate three potential determinants of vaccination uptake in Montreal, Canada. Methods: Poisson regression was used to analyze daily vaccination before and after a telephone intervention targeting households in 12 of the city’s 29 health neighborhoods. The effect of an eligibility strategy based on risk groups, and of weather, on uptake was then estimated. Data were analyzed in 2013. Results: Considerable variation in daily mass vaccination was observed, with the peak day (30,204 individuals) accounting for nearly five times the uptake of the slowest day (6298 individuals). No evidence was found that the telephone intervention led to a significant increase in vaccination. Daily vaccination was associated significantly with weather conditions, including mean temperature (relative risk [RR]=1.28, 95% CI=1.12, 1.46) and heavy precipitation (RR=0.63, 95% CI=0.45, 0.89), even after accounting for changes to eligibility, which also were associated with increased vaccination. Conclusions: Considerable temporal variation in uptake can occur during mass vaccination efforts. Targeted interventions to increase vaccination should be evaluated further, as a large intervention had no observable effect. Mass vaccination campaigns should, however, attempt to optimize priority sequences and account for weather when estimating vaccine demand. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]