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Canada is the world’s fourth largest producer of oil and fifth largest producer of natural gas. Yet, the country faces a ‘twin’ challenge in tackling the climate crisis. On the one hand, Canada’s federal climate goals state that it must achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. On the other hand, regionalism stronghold in fossil-producing provinces lead to difficult trade-offs between an ambitious climate transition and reluctant actors supporting the fossil fuel industry. This situation is characterized as ‘fossilized’ petro-provinces by political scientist Angela Carter. This article explores how Alberta, Canada’s largest oil and natural gas producer, became fossilized. The article develops a path dependence argument organized around the role of regionalism in Alberta’s political development. Regionalism is a crucial persistent feature of Alberta to explain its fossilization because it influenced the formation of an interdependence between the government and the industry, a distinct political culture, and a conservative-led party system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contemporary discourses of net-zero decarbonization (also referred to as carbon neutrality) routinely overlook the landscape transformations required to offset carbon emissions. Conventional analyses also often fail to engage with decarbonization as an inherently spatial process, embedded in landscapes in which the biophysical, socionatural, and political economic dimensions of energy intersect. This creates a conceptual pitfall: the potential to misread and depoliticize strategies of putative decarbonization that might not, in fact, be carbon neutral, particularly when the cumulative effects of broader landscape transformations are considered. To illustrate this pitfall, our analysis queries net-zero decarbonization strategies that arise alongside—and often as a result of—simultaneous investments in fossil fuel production, a process we term recarbonization. We posit recarbonization as a variegated sociospatial phenomenon that materializes through the site-specific interplay between capitalist social relations and biophysical processes. In making this claim, we seek to bridge political economy with concepts of materiality and relationality that, we suggest, enable deeper theoretical engagement with multifaceted landscape transformations entailed by processes of energy transition. Drawing on a case study of the Peace River region in the western Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, this article exposes the cumulative environmental effects and ongoing forms of colonial violence of some net-zero decarbonization agendas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates challenges to property rights and equal treatment in Alberta's summer villages post-1995, when regional planning commissions were disbanded. It focuses on how regulatory measures like minimum dwelling size requirements can restrict property owners' ability to use and develop their land, disproportionately affecting those with fewer resources. A case study demonstrates these potential rights intrusions, worsened by the lack of regional planning. The study examines exclusionary zoning, inconsistent decision-making, and lack of planning professionalism, underlining significant implications for rights in municipal planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biospheres are working landscapes that promote conservation and sustainable land-use while also providing space for outdoor recreation, environmental education, and research. This study focuses on Elk Island National Park in Alberta, Canada, which is part of the Beaver Hills Biosphere. The park is home to bison and black bears and growing visitor numbers have increased the potential for human-wildlife conflict. With a focus on the promotion of human-wildlife coexistence, this study takes a mixed-methods approach to develop and evaluate an environmental education program targeted to improve visitor awareness about safety around bison and bears at Elk Island National Park. The program was found to be effective in teaching visitors about safe behaviors around wildlife and key themes arose about important learning outcomes. In particular, the findings indicate interpretation and environmental education programs have the potential to increase awareness about safety for both humans and wildlife and shift away from more human-centric perceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil spills and natural oil seeps are sources of petrogenic hydrocarbons in soils and sediments. To determine the source of hydrocarbon contamination in the environment the geochemical signature of the contaminant needs to be characterised. Here, we present biomarker and other molecular marker diagnostic ratios of Alberta Oil Sands using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to characterise the deposits and detect their incorporation in surficial sediments. Diagnostic ratios of steranes, terpanes, and aromatic steroids (e.g. C27, C28, and C29 regular sterane abundance, Gammacerane Index, Ts/Tm, TAS/(TAS + MAS), and MPI-2) were measured in samples of Alberta Oil Sands providing a set of criteria for their identification. Seven surficial sediment samples from central and southeast Alberta were then analysed using these criteria to detect Alberta Oil Sands contamination and other petrogenic and pyrogenic source inputs. Geochemical signatures consistent with Alberta Oil Sands hydrocarbons were identified in surficial sediments in Lamont County and glacial sediments from a moraine in Beaver County. Both sites are in Central Alberta, ∼300 km south of any oil sands extraction sites and natural exposures in northern Alberta, indicating long-distance sediment transport processes mobilised the deposits. These results show that the oil sands have been eroded and transported beyond the boundaries of their current known limits. This is important for understanding sediment transport processes as well as for remediation and reclamation purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Permaculture, short-hand for "permanent agriculture," is an ethical system and set of engineering and design principles, aimed at growing food locally while building community. Many adherents believe that it carries the potential to transform and re-localize our economic system. To explore these views, we interviewed 56 permaculturists in the western Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. Findings demonstrate that participants view the non-hierarchical, self-reliance, and exchange-based aspects of permaculture as potentially liberating. At the same time, they feel stuck and embedded within existing capitalist market relations, exemplified by land ownership, costs of implementing permaculture landscapes, and the need for employment-based income. Many tensions likewise emerge from their own class positions and the privileges associated with, and benefits accruing from, current capitalist modes of exchange and ongoing settler colonialism. We conclude by discussing implications for theory and empirical research in environmental sociology and cognate areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is facilitating the expansion of biorisks (invasive species, viruses, diseases) into new environments. While news media are a key site where expert authorities communicate about risks in the public sphere, there is limited understanding of how media narratives change as biorisks spread into new areas. We use mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) in Canada as a case study to examine how narratives in media coverage evolved as outbreaks intensified and spread eastward. Medical narratives were more common in British Columbia, where the beetle is endemic, and war narratives were more common in Alberta, where the beetle spread and is considered a "native invasive" species. Narrative framing in both places was driven by journalists, while quotes by authoritative sources lent support to journalistic framing. These findings demonstrate that affective narrative frames are widespread in environmental crisis communication and that framing of crises changes dynamically based on geographic context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

This exploratory qualitative study seeks to understand the barriers and facilitators of disclosure and reporting of abuse against older adults by conducting interviews with older adults with lived experience of abuse and service providers working directly with this population in Alberta, Canada. Thematic analysis revealed three key themes: (1) Barriers to disclosure and reporting of abuse; (2) Facilitators to disclosure and reporting; and (3) Key tensions between service providers' and older adults' perceptions of the disclosure and reporting process. Based on these findings, we offer recommendations to increase awareness, promote disclosure, and improve services for older adults experiencing abuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy companies in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region in Alberta, Canada are evaluating the viability of incorporating pit lakes into reclamation closure designs to both sequester tailings and re-integrate the mining lease into the broader natural landscape. Lake Miwasin is a pilot-scale oil sands pit lake encompassed by a constructed catchment where the volume of the water cap is not actively managed. This study compared the water balance during the open water season over two consecutive years with contrasting levels of summertime precipitation. The first year had above average rainfall triggering surface water inflow events that diluted the over-winter water volume by ~ 25%. Flushing of the deepest layers of the water column was restricted from May – September as thermal stratification inhibited complete lake mixing. The second year had below average rainfall resulting in minimal surface water inflow and a drop in lake stage of ~ 30 cm. As the constructed catchment lacks both natural water bodies and connectivity to a legacy groundwater system, freshwater additions to the lake during the summer season were governed by rainfall. This research highlights challenges with constructing sustainable reclamation landscapes within a region characterised by variations in interannual and decadal water cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article introduces the special issue of REPCS dedicated to the analysis of the restructuring of higher education in Alberta, Canada. It describes the acceleration of the processes of commodification of education and research and the corporatization of institutional governance under the government that took office in April 2019. The Alberta case is situated within the political economy of this petro-state, governed by a right-wing populist party, as well as in relation to the global trends in post-secondary education driven by neoliberal regimes. Further, the article highlights the cracks in the foundations of modern universities that have deeper historical origins than neoliberalism, and that are widening as the governance and raison d'etre of these institutions are challenged by global socio-ecological crises and Indigenous-led decolonization and climate justice movements. Drawing upon firsthand knowledge, as a participant in the struggles at the University of Alberta, as well as extensive research into the government's restructuring agenda and the impacts on the post-secondary sector, the author outlines proposals for reform of the legislative framework governing the relationship between universities and the state, as well as the internal governance of the institution, and assesses the current terrain of agency for such transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prenatal depression is a serious maternal-child health concern. Risk factors and health consequences appear more prevalent in Indigenous communities and ethnic minority groups; however, research on these populations is limited. We examined the following questions: (A) How do pregnant Indigenous women, ethnic minority women, and White women compare on levels of depressive symptoms and possible clinical depression, and on major risk and protective factors? (B) Is non-dominant (non-White) race associated with higher depressive symptoms and possible clinical depression? (C) What factors mediate and moderate the relationship between race and depression? Data were from the All Our Families study (n = 3354 pregnant women from Alberta, Canada). Depressive symptoms were measured with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Descriptive statistics and multivariable regression methods were used to assess the hypotheses that Indigenous and ethnic minority women would have significantly higher mean EPDS score estimates and higher proportions scoring above cut-offs for possible clinical depression, relative to White women. The association between race and depressive symptoms was hypothesised to be partially mediated by risk factors of socioeconomics, health background, discrimination, domestic violence, and psychosocial stress. Potential confounders were age, marital status, and parity. Diet and social support were hypothesised as protective buffers between stress and depressive symptoms. A higher proportion of White women were married, had family income over $80,000, were employed, and had adequate social support, relative to other women. They had significantly lower mean depressive symptom score, and a smaller proportion scored above cut-offs for possible clinical depression. The positive association between race and depressive symptoms appeared to be partially mediated by socioeconomic factors and psychosocial stress. Social support appeared to moderate the association between stress and depressive symptoms. Strategies to address socioeconomic status, stress, and social support among racialized minority women may reduce the risk for prenatal depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canola (Brassica napus L.) production is threatened by blackleg disease caused by Leptosphaeria maculans. Disease outcome is determined by interactions among pathogens, plants, farming practices, and environmental factors. Although the gene-for-gene interactions between the pathogen and its plant host are relatively clear, how precisely the pathogen interacts with the environment and farming practices is still poorly understood, making disease forecasting challenging for commercial farmlands. In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has been successful in forecasting disease risks based on environmental factors. In this study, we evaluated two AI methods and a data augmentation method to forecast disease risk using a dataset collected from 116 farmlands in Alberta in 2021 and 2022. We first assessed a machine learning model (support vector machine or SVM) and a deep-learning model (convolutional neural network or CNN) to predict blackleg severity based on five weather variables, flea beetle damage, root maggot damage, and crop-rotation variables. Both SVM and CNN predicted the disease risk with an accuracy of over 66%. The data augmentation method did not improve model performance. Flea beetle feeding and maggot damage contribute little to the model's performance, and omitting these data did not appear to affect the results. In contrast, crop rotation contributes substantially to model performance. The five weather variables contribute roughly equally to the model's performance, and removing any of the individual weather variables did not impact prediction ability for both models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alberta is located in Western Canada, and is bordered by British Columbia to the west, and Saskatchewan to the east. The province has a history of employing restorative justice practices that date back many years. Today, Alberta has many restorative justice platforms operating across the province. The present study sought to uncover the genesis of restorative justice in Alberta, and specifically, what has contributed to the growth of restorative justice in this province. To do this, we conducted a qualitative study, in which we interviewed 13 Key Informants from across Alberta. Responses to the question of what contributed to the growth of restorative justice in Alberta were coded and analyzed. The findings of this study are categorized into three major themes: Community, Justice System, and Government. Each of these themes explores several topics, such as community engagement and the push from grassroots organizations, the role of courts, RCMP, judges, and other leaders in the justice system, as well as government funding and programming. This presentation also explores the 'restorativeness' of specialized courts such as the Calgary Indigenous Court; a topic that is becoming especially important in recent years. This paper ends with limitations and areas for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Stigma has been identified as a common barrier to help-seeking for problem gambling behaviors, and it is estimated that globally, only 20% of those who experience gambling problems seek help. Despite existing knowledge that stigma can play a substantial role in peoples' willingness to seek help, there is a paucity of gambling-related research focused on stigma. In order to improve understanding of the relationships between problem gambling, gambling-related stigma, and help-seeking, this study aimed to examine how different types of stigma and various ways of coping with stigma relate to help-seeking behavior. A sample of N = 355 people who had experienced past six-month problem gambling (n = 47 help-seekers and n = 308 non-help-seekers) completed an online survey about their gambling and help-seeking behaviors and experiences with gambling-related stigma. Results showed that help-seeking was positively predicted by experienced stigma, negatively predicted by ostracism-related perceived stigma, and negatively predicted by the use of secrecy to cope with stigma. Implications of this research include an improved understanding of the relationship between stigma and help-seeking behavior, which can inform the development of more effective treatment strategies for individuals who seek help for problem gambling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An inverse solution strategy using linear element of Boundary Element Method(BEM)was developed, which will become a novel application base to potentially reflect the equivalent mechanical effect around reservoir corresponding to CO2 spreading during its injection process. Firstly, a linear-element BEM code was studied to improve the accuracy in analyzing the connection between induced ground minute deformations and underground inner loading. Secondly, the space regularization was adopted to deal with the ill-posed problem during the optimization to inverse problem solution. The boundary conditions of a near-field structure as active source were reversely figured out in an efficient numerical way based on its passive deformation that was sampled at a few specific positions at far field. Meanwhile, the effectiveness of linear-element BEM in solving inverse problems was demonstrated. Finally, based on the implementation of hydraulic fracturing in a coal seam in Alberta, Canada, the monitored data of its induced surface displacements was input to invert the equivalent internal pressure onto are-opened fracture within reservoir. The results show that the proposed inverse solution workflow and programmed algorithm are applicable to effectively guiding hydraulic fracturing interpretation so as to further facilitating coal bed methane recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Canadian Federal Government promulgated new and lower NO2 Ambient Air Quality Standards (CAAQS) that went into effect in 2020 with additional decreases scheduled for 2025. The new hourly and annual NO2 CAAQS are 60 and 17 ppb, respectively, and the 2025 hourly and annual CAAQS are 42 and 12 ppb, respectively. The province of Alberta has also promulgated Ambient Air Quality Objectives (AAAQO) for NO2 currently set to 159 and 24 ppb on an hourly and annual basis, respectively. The Wood Buffalo Environmental Association (WBEA) in northeastern Alberta, Canada monitors NO2 at 21 community and industrial sites throughout the Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR), for regulatory compliance using Thermo-Environmental (TEI) Model 42i Federal Reference Method (FRM) designated NO-NO2-NOx analyzers. The 42i measures NO directly via NO-O3 chemiluminescence, and NOx following the reduction of oxidized nitrogen to NO by a heated internal molybdenum converter. The difference between the NOx and NO channels is reported as NO2. This study presents the results of a three-year (2018–2021) WBEA comparison of four continuous NO2 analyzers: TEI 42i FRM; the API Model T500U cavity attenuated phase shift (CAPS) Federal Equivalent Method (FEM); a total reactive odd nitrogen analyzer (TEI Model 42i-Y); and a TEI 42i equipped with an external photolytic converter. The study showed that NO2 data from all analyzers were highly correlated and in general agreement, with r2 values (vs. the CAPS) ranging from 0.990–0.997 and slopes ranging from 0.933–0.992. Mean NO2 concentrations over the study period ranged from 7.2–7.5 ppb. Differences between the TEI 42i, TEI 42i-Y, and PhoNO, relative to the CAPS were all positive and highly significant (p < 0.0001), based upon nonparametric tests. The potential impact from the selection of different FRM/FEM measurement methods on current and future Canadian 2025 regulatory compliance in the region is evaluated. Implications: The study objective was to compare/evaluate different regulatory NO2 measurement techniques from a regional monitoring authority in a routine network operational context. Relatively small NO2 differences resulted in significant differences with respect to regulatory compliance triggers, particularly hourly standards based on daily extreme value statistics (e.g., 99th percentiles). For example, mean hourly NO2 △ differences ranged from 0.02–0.26 ppb over the study period but resulted in 2–3 ppb differences in the 3-year hourly CAAQS metrics. These differences could affect regulatory CAAQS and LARP compliance (management level) at monitoring sites observed during 2019 annual and 2020 hourly LARP trigger exceedances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The posterior portion of a sturgeon skull preserved in a nodule was recovered from the latest Campanian sediments of the Horseshoe Canyon Formation in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is described here as a new genus and species of Acipenseriformes. The skull represents an individual of at least 2 meters in total length. This species is of particular interest because different bones of the skull show a surface ornamentation with different patterns; the clavicle has large pits, the dermal skull bones have smaller pits and radiating ridges, and the subopercle shows fine radiating ridges. The new taxon, here named †Boreiosturion labyrinthicus, can be confidently included in the extant family Acipenseridae but a phylogenetic analysis does not further resolve relationships. This fossil is the first documentation of sturgeon in the latest Campanian of North America, and bridges the gap between the mid-Campanian assemblage of Dinosaur Park and the late Maastrichtian material from the Hell Creek Formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

This article empirically examines the ways in which Initial Teacher Education in Scotland and Alberta, Canada, seeks to 'get students in', 'get them out and into the workforce', 'get on with teaching future teachers' and how it should 'get on with students'. Using Adams' (2016) policy heuristic, which posits that policy can be discerned in three realms: frame; explanation; and formation, this paper considers the middle realm: that of policy explanation. Here, attempts to position policy through public pronouncement, policy directive, mandate and/or missive are examined in the context of ITE in Scotland and Alberta. By analysing policy explanations, the paper marks out how both jurisdictions should begin to attempt to craft ITE located in career-long, professional learning and development that understands and acknowledges tensions between ITE and later teacher-education phases. Finally, the paper makes a tentative proposal as to what such ITE might hope to achieve and how it might contribute to a well-developed workforce, so that both locations and other jurisdictions might orient initial teacher development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Notions of 'student success' feature prominently in emerging educational discourses and policy orientations. Current policy frameworks focusing on equity, performance, and reconciliation claim to offer validation for perspectives of Indigenous peoples and other racialized communities, but they are simultaneously raising the stakes for individual responsibility and performance. This paper explores these developments by examining how Indigenous students and family members understand and experience educational success in relation to the notions of success advanced by school systems. We present a case study conducted in Alberta, Canada, drawing on data from ten focus groups with 77 Indigenous youth and parents of Indigenous children connected to one school division. Highlighting the ways that social and educational policy frameworks related to employability and performance exacerbate contradictions inherent in settler colonial societies, we reveal how school systems, despite claims to the contrary, continue to adopt practices that undermine the capacity for many Indigenous people to achieve their aspirations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unions in North America have a long history of financial support for charities, non-profits and other community-based organisations. However, very little research has been conducted into how much, to whom and why this financial support is provided. This article reports on a survey examining the financial donation patterns of unions in the Canadian province of Alberta. Alberta is chosen as the jurisdiction for the study as the provincial government recently enacted legislation (commonly referred to as Bill 32) that may force unions to reduce community-based donations, which would negatively impact those organisations and interfere with a core union function. The survey also examines how union financial support changes due to the implementation of this legislation. The study finds that a small but not insignificant percentage of union expenditures are devoted to community giving and that unions tend to donate to a narrow range of causes and organisations. It also finds that union responses to donation-dampening legislation were mixed, in part due to the politically controversial nature of the legislation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Post-secondary students experience elevated levels of academic stress. The objective of the current study is to examine the relationship between a three factor model of resilience (ie, mastery, emotionality reactivity, and relatedness), mindful self-care and flourishing in first-year undergraduate students. Participants: A sample (n = 177) of first-year undergraduates were recruited from a large urban university in Alberta during the 2019-2020 academic year. Method: A multiple regression analysis was utilized to examine whether the three-factor model of resilience and mindful self-care predicted flourishing in undergraduate students. Results: Self-reported resilience significantly predicted flourishing. Specifically, a sense of mastery and a sense of relatedness was positively associated with flourishing. Additionally, mindful self-care significantly predicted flourishing. Specifically, supportive relationships and supportive structure. Conclusions: University demands are significant and academic stress reduction interventions should be offered to support students entering post-secondary education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clubroot, caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae, is a major soilborne disease of canola (Brassica napus) on the Canadian Prairies. Most canola cultivars carry what is now referred to as 'first-generation' resistance, which represents the most widely used clubroot management tool. Unfortunately, new pathotypes of P. brassicae have emerged that can overcome this resistance. By 2018, 36 unique pathotypes of P. brassicae had been identified on the Prairies based on their virulence on the Canadian Clubroot Differential (CCD) set, with pathotypes 3A, 3D and 3 H being predominant. Since the virulence of P. brassicae populations can shift rapidly in response to host selection pressure, continued pathotype monitoring is important for resistance stewardship. Clubbed roots were collected from 133 canola crops (126 in Alberta, 6 in Saskatchewan, 1 in Manitoba) in 2019 and 127 crops (113 in Alberta, 13 in Saskatchewan, 1 in Manitoba) in 2020, and evaluated for their CCD pathotype designations. Twenty-five unique pathotypes were identified across the sampled crops over the two years of the study; these included seven novel pathotypes, six of which could overcome first-generation resistance (3C, 8 G, 8I, 9D, 9E and 9F). While pathotypes 3A, 3D and 3 H continued to be identified frequently in 2019 and 2020, several others, most notably pathotype 8E (virulent on hosts with first-generation resistance), had also become more common by 2020. The results indicate the continued emergence of new P. brassicae pathotypes on canola. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The notion that Housing First (HF) is a human-rights based approach to housing some of society's most vulnerable citizens is often alluded to in the literature, but seldom interrogated. In this paper, we examine whether HF in Alberta, Canada is practiced in a way that realizes the right to housing for chronically homeless people. We do so using four human rights principles identified by Fukuda-Parr: non-discrimination, participation, adequate progress and remedy. Based on interviews with staff of 14 HF programs in three cities, we identify constraints to a human rights-based approach, including time-limited support, which necessitates a strong emphasis on housing sustainability. We also identify positive practices, such as client participation in decision-making and tenant rights education. The paper also provides a model for systematically assessing whether HF programs respect, protect and fulfil the right to housing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historically, governmental responses to homelessness in Canada have defaulted to the most basic of services such as food and shelter. Even under exceptional circumstances, such as the current coronavirus pandemic, governments still demonstrate reluctance to guarantee permanent, adequate and affordable housing to all. In this policy review we argue that this pattern suggests that reticence is an apt term for describing homelessness responses in Canada and that this condition is rooted in the continued dominance of liberalism in Canadian society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Horseshoe Canyon Formation has provided a wealth of vertebrate skeletal fossils over the past 100 years of collection. Vertebrate trace fossils such as footprints and trackways, however, have been markedly underrepresented. Trackways can provide a wealth of information regarding behaviour and soft tissues reflective of autopodial anatomy. Discovery of several giant, high-fidelity ichnites in series from the Morrin Member represents the first definitive dinosaur trackway reported from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation. The trackway is composed of three footprint casts in series, alongside 22 associated ichnites. The ichnites were formed in soft sediment molds along a non-uniform walking surface. The deep substrates allowed for the preservation of both the plantar surface and dorsal components of the trackmakers' feet. Some ichnites show soft tissue morphologies like interdigital webbing, toe pads, and skin impressions. Presence of these features and small kidney-shaped forelimb prints allow referral to Hadrosauropodus langstoni. The preservation of the trackway demonstrates asymmetries useful for comparison of the relief and impression surfaces of prints using both discrete and morphometric characteristics, improving confidence in identifying partial or isolated Hadrosauropodus prints of various modes of formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of deep learning techniques on point cloud data holds significant promise for efficient data segmentation and classification of traffic signs. This study proposes modifications to the PointNet++ neural network to improve performance on outdoor scenes. In addition, the method leverages the use of local geometric features in the training process. Several models with different combinations of geometric features and proposed changes were trained using labeled data from seven highway segments in Alberta, Canada. The results indicate that the proposed models have improved performance in accuracy and processing times compared to previous studies on sign detection using point cloud data. The overall per sign detection performance shows a 99.2% recall (98% per point) and a 98% F1-score (97% per point). Overall, the inclusion of z-gradient significantly increased sign detection in terms of precision, recall, and F1-score, by 9%, 4.9%, and 7.1%, respectively, allowing the model to yield notable performance improvements for outdoor scene recognition. Ablation tests were performed to validate the performed PointNet++ modifications. The modified PointNet++ was compared with SqueezeSegV2, a state-of-the-art neural network designed for road-object segmentation, and showed improved performance. A comparison was also made with existing sign detection methods on the Paris-Lille-3D benchmark, finding higher recall rates than existing studies. The proposed approach suggests that with adjustments, the PointNet++ neural network architecture can achieve remarkable results on large metric scale scenes for sign extraction using point cloud data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

—Edmontosaurus regalis is a hadrosaurid represented by abundant fossil material from the late Campanian–early Maastrichtian of what is now Alberta, Canada. Despite its prevalence, juvenile craniomandibular elements of E. regalis are poorly known. A newly collected partial skeleton from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation, UALVP 60425, represents a small saurolophine with a partial skull (skull length ∼500 mm). It can be referred to Edmontosaurini based on the presence of a postorbital fossa and anteroposteriorly long frontals that lack a dorsally oriented nasal contact and contribute significantly to the orbital margin. Despite its small size and presumed immaturity, UALVP 60425 is assigned to E. regalis based on a horizontal shelf on the postorbital process of the jugal. The deep postorbital fossa that, in part, diagnoses E. regalis is acquired during growth. UALVP 60425 shares many features with the Alaskan Prince Creek saurolophine (Ugrunaaluk kuukpikensis); both show consistent anatomical differences in the lacrimal, jugal, and postorbitals from E. annectens throughout their growth series. New data from UALVP 6025 supports referring the Alaskan saurolophine material to Edmontosaurus cf. regalis in the absence of large-sized cranial material from the Prince Creek Formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Upper Cretaceous Horseshoe Canyon Formation of Alberta, Canada, is among the best-studied paleoecosystems in North America. However, its microvertebrate paleocommunity structure is relatively poorly known, partly because it lacks the abundant microsites of other Upper Cretaceous deposits of Alberta. An unusual microsite (FTS-2) from the Horsethief Member of the Horseshoe Canyon Formation is described that produces abundant anuran and troodontid material, alongside perinatal material from ornithischians and tyrannosaurs. Anuran specimens representing a minimum of two separate taxa and a metatherian molar suggest that these components of the fauna were more diverse than currently recognized. The assemblage is similar to three other North American sites that produce abundant troodontid teeth alongside perinatal dinosaurs. However, environmental and taphonomic conditions of these sites vary, supporting the notion of mixed biotic and abiotic factors driving the association of troodontids alongside perinates. In part, this may stem from similar nesting preferences between troodontids and other dinosaurs, as material collected from all three sites suggests proximity to troodontid nesting sites. Sites such as FTS-2 are important for revealing the rare and small components of paleoecosystems, and hold promise for revealing interactions between these parts of the fauna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geographic inequalities in water distribution can lead to relatively small regions driving or buffering changes in water availability in major watersheds. This research provides a baseline quantification of water distribution in Alberta, Canada, and evaluates changes in water yield, streamflow timing, and climate from 1976 to 2015. Annual water yields for 77 contributing watershed areas were calculated and assessed for trends, and 45 unregulated watersheds were evaluated for changes in key streamflow timing metrics. Mountain headwaters supply 22–38% of annual flow of major rivers, while plains watersheds provide relatively low annual yield. Annual yield and precipitation decreases dominated northern watersheds, with increases in southern watersheds, and mixed trends in central watersheds. Later spring freshet timing and earlier onset of the low flow season were detected for most watersheds, leading to more water over a shorter duration when paired with increasing yield, and water losses in late summer-autumn when paired with decreasing yield. Yield and flow timing metrics are strongly related to precipitation with temperature as a secondary driver, except freshet timing, which is driven by spring temperature. This study provides comprehensive information about geographic drivers of changing water distribution and quantifies the disparity between regions of water surplus and deficit. Les inégalités spatiales de la distribution de l'eau peuvent conduire à ce que des régions de taille relativement limitée puissent contrôler ou retarder la disponibilité de l'eau dans de bien plus grands bassins versants. Nos recherches ont permis d'établir l'état de l'art de la distribution de l'eau et sa quantification dans la province de l'Alberta, au Canada. Elles évaluent également les modifications des débits, de leur évolution temporelle et du climat de 1976 à 2015. Les exports en eau annuels de 77 bassins versants contributeurs ont été calculés, et l'occurrence de tendances temporelles y a été recherchée. Par ailleurs, les variations qui ont pu affecter les métriques de la distribution temporelle des débits liquides ont été évaluées dans 45 bassins versants dépourvus de barrages. La partie amont et montagneuse des bassins versants apporte 22 à 38 % du débit annuel des principales rivières, tandis que les zones de plaine de ces mêmes bassins génèrent une part relativement faible de ces mêmes apports. La baisse des exports d'eau annuels et des précipitations domine dans les bassins versants du nord de la province, tandis que des augmentations de ces mêmes variables ont été observées dans les bassins versants du sud et que des tendances mixtes ont été relevées dans les bassins versants du centre de la province. L'occurrence plus tardive des crues printanières dues à la fonte des neiges et le démarrage plus précoce de la période d'étiage ont été détectés dans la plupart des bassins versants, ce qui a conduit à ce que davantage d'eau soit transportée au cours d'une période plus courte lorsqu'une hausse globale a été observée. Au contraire, lorsqu'une baisse globale a été remarquée, une baisse des exports en eau a particulièrement été observée à la fin de l'été et à l'automne. Les métriques de la chronologie de l'évolution des apports en eau et des débits sont fortement liées aux précipitations tandis que les températures ne jouent qu'un rôle secondaire, sauf pour la période d'occurrence de la crue de printemps liée à la fonte des neiges, qui est fortement contrôlée par la température qui règne à cette période de l'année. Cette étude fournit des informations particulièrement exhaustives sur les facteurs de contrôle spatiaux de l'évolution de l'apport en eau et quantifie les disparités entre les régions marquées par un excédent d'eau et celles qui sont en déficit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although higher education typically strengthens people with disabilities' chances to be in a competitive job market as a leverage to break away from poverty, the contemporary marketization of higher education within the era of neoliberalism has made degrees and diplomas increasingly unaffordable. The federal government responded to this predicament by increasing the Canada Social Transfer to offer up-front targeted funding to students with disabilities in 2008. However, virtually no literature has acknowledged whether financial grants meaningfully provide students with disabilities with an equitable opportunity to engage in post-secondary education. Using critical discourse analysis on government online materials that address federal and provincial disability grants for post-secondary students with disabilities in Alberta and Ontario, this study reveals how the neoliberal rhetoric of personal responsibility shapes the practice of government disability grants. This practice can leave students with 'more responsibility' while rendering 'less control' over their finances in an already disabling world. This study looks at how language is communicated by federal and provincial government grants to post-secondary students with disabilities in Alberta and Ontario. The research found that Canadian financial assistance programs for students with disabilities have been operating using techniques that largely reflect self-reliance and personal responsibility. Students with disabilities are left with more responsibilities to prove their worthiness for assistance. At the same time, students cannot know for sure whether they will receive the necessary funds to continue their studies. Medical understandings of disability are strictly used to determine the eligibility for financial assistance, leaving little room for students to decide what they need to suit their individual needs best. The findings suggest that government financial assistance programs are not firmly committed to providing students with disabilities with an equitable opportunity to engage in PSE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Lymphoma Diagnostic Pathway (LDP) was developed based upon clinical best practice guidelines and implemented in large urban centers where lymphoma treatment is provided in Alberta, Canada. A return-on-investment analysis of the implementation of this care pathway was conducted to inform future sustainability and expansion. A cohort design with propensity score matching and difference-in-difference estimation methods were used comparing both cost and return (reduced health service utilization) between patients who were diagnosed within the LDP and those who were diagnosed outside the LDP. LDP resulted in $1800 avoided HSU costs per patient. The LDP has been found to be cost-saving with an ROI of 5.3 (ranging from 3.95–8.97) – for every $1 invested, LDP resulted in a $5.30 return for the health system due to capacity improvements in ED, inpatient, outpatient, and a reduction in GP service utilization. Further study of implementation including patient/provider satisfaction and uptake is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Territorial and intergovernmental tensions are particularly strong in multinational federations like Canada. In this article, we study how Quebec has become an explicit model for Alberta in its own quest for greater autonomy and influence within the Canadian federation. After discussing the notion of strategic learning as it relates to different types of territorial politics (substate nationalism, regionalism, and jurisdictionalism), the article explores three instances of explicit political borrowing from Quebec in contemporary Alberta politics: 1) public statements by provincial leaders advocating increased provincial autonomy; 2) the use of a referendum as a tool to put pressure on the federal government to adopt positions and policies friendly to the Alberta government, as occurred in 2021 with the consultation on equalization; and 3) the development of an Alberta-centered federal party with a secessionist position to bolster the influence of the province in federal politics, as occurred with the Maverick Party. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst)) and powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici (Bgt)) are important diseases of wheat in Canada and worldwide. Molecular detection methods permit spore detection of few spores; therefore, there is a need to determine initial inoculum thresholds for pathogens to cause disease under both controlled environments and in the field. Susceptible wheat cultivars 'Avocet' and 'AC Barrie' were inoculated with different quantities of spores (0, 103, 104, 105, 106, and 107) of Pst and Bgt. Disease incidence, severity and infection type were evaluated. Results of controlled environment studies showed that the minimum number of spores necessary to cause appreciable incidence and severity for Pst was at higher spore concentrations of 105–106 spores. Conversely, low incidence and severity levels were observed at 103–104 spores for Bgt. Despite occurrence of natural Pst infection, results of field studies in 2016 and 2017 in Southern Alberta demonstrated that significant increases in severity levels were observed following application of 1.2 × 107 spores. Collectively, these results demonstrated that stripe rust severities increased with increasing spore concentration only at high spore levels. In contrast, Bgt severity increased with spore concentration from 103 to 107 spores mL−1. In vitro and in vivo spore germination tests demonstrated germination rates of Pst spores were reduced at lower spore concentrations compared to germination rates at the higher concentrations. Understanding of minimum spore numbers required for disease development will be a prerequisite for predicting epidemics and devising fungicide control measures for future sustainable agricultural systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The challenges accompanying the investigation of homicide have been observed for some time. Although police today can gather evidence in ways not imagined decades ago, the use of forensic science and technology (FST) have created challenges and consequences for modern-day homicide investigations. While 'digital footprints' are increasingly expected in court proceedings, the provision of and analysis of FST data falls to the police who face resource shortages and other challenges. We surveyed homicide investigators across Alberta to examine their perceptions of FST and the implications of FST for their work. Participants revealed that data volume, lack of expertise and resource constraints result in frustration with FST and the demands it creates. At the same time, most participants pointed to civilianization as the means through which technology can provide full advantage to homicide (and other) investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Paleocene Paskapoo Formation in Alberta, Canada, offers a unique opportunity to gain insight into insect diversity at that time. This fossil insect-rich formation has yielded a variety of fossil arthropod specimens, including several wings of Odonata related to the genus Alloaeschna Wighton and Wilson, 1986. Here, we demonstrate that morphological characters previously used to separate three species are instead the result of intraspecific variability. We reinforce this demonstration using two examples of high variability and plasticity in modern species of the family Aeshnidae. Accordingly, we reinterpreted the taxonomic position of Alloaeschna marklae Wighton and Wilson, 1986 syn. nov. and Alloaeschna quadrata Wighton and Wilson, 1986 syn. nov. as junior synonyms of Alloaeschna paskapooensis Wighton and Wilson, 1986. In addition, we describe the first occurrence of a zygopteran in the Paskapoo Formation, namely Albertalestes paskapooensis gen. et sp. nov. (Synlestidae). Importantly, this new taxon is the first representative of the family found in North America. We also reconstructed the relationships within the Synlestidae under Bayesian inferences with a newly assembled matrix. Finally, we discuss the biogeography of the clade considering its fossil record using parsimony ancestral state reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this inquiry, I explore, expose, and extrapolate upon sociopolitical and environmental absurdism as an environmental academic and educator based in Alberta, Canada—a well-known, and somewhat infamous, centre of oil and gas production and energy development in general. Moving beyond Alberta as a catalytic example, I introduce and discuss various forms of and themes within absurdist literature, theatre, and activism. In closing, I consider the theoretical and pedagogical potential of absurdism for environmental education scholarship and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pain can influence an individual's choice to pursue medical assistance in dying (MAiD) and may also influence how family members experience that decision. Family conflict or discordance surrounding a loved one's MAiD decision can cause unique challenges affecting grief and bereavement, including disenfranchised grief. There is limited knowledge of how individuals with complex MAiD bereavement experiences describe the role of physical and emotional pain in their bereavement stories. This article explores the role of physical and emotional pain in the stories of family members with complex MAiD bereavement and identifies opportunities to improve care for individuals and families experiencing disagreement around MAiD. We conducted qualitative interviews and utilized a narrative and ethics of care approach to analyze the data. We conducted N = 12 narrative interviews with participants in three provinces: Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta. Descriptions of physical pain were used to justify the morality, or immorality, of MAiD in the context of patient suffering. Emotional pain described experiences where participants' feelings about MAiD went unacknowledged by their family or friends, institutions, and sociopolitical environments. We conceptualize this unacknowledged emotional pain as disenfranchised grief and make recommendations to improve care for individuals experiencing complex MAiD bereavement. Experiences of physical and emotional pain leave a lasting impact on family members with complex MAiD bereavement. Health care professionals should continue to improve care for family members following MAiD, especially where there is disagreement or family conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present investigation was to determine the prevalence, demographic profile, and correlates of financial speculation in Canada, with a focus on its relationship to gambling. In cooperation with Statistics Canada, a brief assessment of financial speculation was developed and included in the 2018 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) and administered to 23,952 adults. The past year national prevalence of financial speculation was found to be 3.6%, with the province of Alberta having the only higher inter-provincial rate. Speculators were predominantly male, White, with a modal age of 30–49, and with higher educational attainment and household income. In terms of health indicators, they were more likely to be regular alcohol drinkers and occasional smokers, but to have better self-reported general health, mental health, and life satisfaction. However, the strongest multivariate predictor of speculation was higher frequency of gambling involvement. Speculators had higher levels of participation in all types of gambling (especially skill-based formats) with the exception of instant lotteries. This high level of involvement contributes to somewhat higher rates of problem gambling symptomatology. The present investigation confirms that speculation not only has a strong conceptual relationship to gambling but also a strong empirical relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

The posterior portion of a sturgeon skull preserved in a nodule was recovered from the latest Campanian sediments of the Horseshoe Canyon Formation in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is described here as a new genus and species of Acipenseriformes. The skull represents an individual of at least 2 meters in total length. This species is of particular interest because different bones of the skull show a surface ornamentation with different patterns; the clavicle has large pits, the dermal skull bones have smaller pits and radiating ridges, and the subopercle shows fine radiating ridges. The new taxon, here named †Boreiosturion labyrinthicus, can be confidently included in the extant family Acipenseridae but a phylogenetic analysis does not further resolve relationships. This fossil is the first documentation of sturgeon in the latest Campanian of North America, and bridges the gap between the mid-Campanian assemblage of Dinosaur Park and the late Maastrichtian material from the Hell Creek Formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar thermal and biomass hybridization combine two energy sources that complement one another seasonally and diurnally, overcoming their respective disadvantages. In the current research, the feasibility of locating a new medium capacity (5-150 Mwe) hybrid concentrated solar biomass power plant is investigated in Alberta and Ontario. To address the above-mentioned goal, three critical criteria are considered to find the most suitable region. The amount of direct normal irradiation and the biomass feedstock in 50 km and 100 km radii are analyzed in different regions in Ontario and Alberta. The third factor is the distance to the substations. According to the results, although it is difficult to justify developing a hybrid concentrated solar biomass power plant in Ontario, at least five locations in Alberta meet the aforementioned criteria. By concentrating on substations located near natural gas power plants, Calgary, with four natural gas power plants, can be regarded as the most suitable region. According to the findings, we identified that by establishing a 100 Mwe hybrid concentrated solar biomass power plant that requires 359,478 tons of forestry biomass and costs between 3.7 and 4.9 mCAD/Mwe, about 5% of Calgary's total electricity consumption would be met while reducing CO2 emissions by 32 tons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective We assessed the impact of early enteral feeding introduction during therapeutic hypothermia on time to reach full enteral feeding (FEF) and other feeding related outcomes in infants born at ≥35 weeks gestational age and diagnosed with moderate to severe Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy. Methods A prospective cohort with historical control study, conducted on infants admitted to the Alberta Children’s Hospital level III NICU in Calgary between January 2013 and December 2018. Infants were divided into 2 groups: (1) unfed group (UG), which was kept nil per os during the 72 h of therapeutic Hypothermia (TH), with subsequent introduction of feeding and gradual increase to FEF; (2) fed group (FG), which received feeding at 10 mL/kg/day during TH then increased gradually to FEF. Groups were compared for time to FEF and the type of milk they were being fed on discharge. Other gut related health risks such as NEC and sepsis were examined. Results During the study period, 146 infants received therapeutic hypothermia, of whom 75 in the UG and 71 in the FG. The FG compared to the UG received the first feed sooner after TH initiation (median 57 vs. 86.5 h, p < .001), reached FEF earlier (median 6 vs. 8 days, p = .012), had a higher rate of being fully fed in the first week of life (70 vs. 53%, p < .035), was kept NPO for shorter duration (median 2 vs. 4 days, p < .001), and had a higher rate of breast milk feeding at discharge (41 vs. 13%, p < .001). There were no cases of necrotizing enterocolitis or late onset sepsis in either group during the hospital stay. Conclusion Minimal enteral feeding during therapeutic hypothermia appears to be safe and leads to a shorter time to FEF and higher rates of breast milk feeding at discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Approximately 3.5% of deliveries in Canada result in potentially preventable neonatal readmission, often times due to preventable morbidities. With complexities in hospital discharge planning, health care providers may benefit in identifying infants at risk of readmission for additional monitoring. To develop and validate models for predicting 7-day neonatal readmission following vaginal or cesarean births. All liveborn term singleton infants without congenital anomalies in the province of Alberta who were not admitted to the NICU were identified using perinatal and hospitalization databases. A temporal split-sample was used for model development (2012–2014, vaginal n = 63,378; cesarean n = 21,225) and external validation (2014–2015, vaginal n = 21,583, cesarean n = 7,477). Multivariable logistic regression models using backward stepwise selection were used to identify predictors of 7-day readmission. We evaluated predictors of maternal age, Apgar score, length-of-stay, birthweight, gestational age, parity, residence, and sex. Hosmer-Lemeshow test and c-statistics were used to estimate calibration and discrimination. The rate of readmission was 3.3% (95% CI 3.1%, 3.4%) and 2.1% (95% CI 1.9%, 2.3%) following vaginal and cesarean births in the development dataset. Prediction model following vaginal birth, excluding predictors of length-of-stay and birthweight, had sub-optimal performance in development (c-statistics 0.69) and validation data (c-statistics 0.68). Prediction model following cesarean birth, excluding predictors of maternal age, birthweight, and residence, had sub-optimal performance in development (c-statistics 0.62) and validation data (c-statistics 0.64). Readmission was observed in 7.9% (95% CI 7.1%, 8.8%) and 4.9% (95% CI 3.9%, 6.1%) of infants of vaginal and cesarean births, respectively, in the top quintile for the risk of 7-day readmission. Using routinely collected administrative data, we developed and validated prediction models for neonatal readmission following vaginal and cesarean births. Presently the model is sub-optimal for use in risk assessment and planning at discharge, however, additional information may improve the predictive performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While numerous studies have investigated physically-based analytical approaches for estimating stream flow probability distributions and occurrences of overbank flow, these types of models are limited by their associated complexity to incorporate a wide range of data from all components of the hydrologic system to model their influence on river flows. Alternatively, the Generalized Structure Group Method of Data Handling (GS-GMDH) is a polynomial network approach used in this study to train and test models for daily and hourly times series flow prediction for riverine flooding using available data from 1990 to 2018 and 1996 to 2018, respectively. The model is found to accurately predict daily flows with R2, RMSE, MAE, Bias and NSE of 0.6441, 46.884, 6.700, 1.800 and 0.6441, respectively, for nine years of flow data in application to the Bow River in Alberta, Canada. Hourly flow data used to train (70%) and test (30%) the GS-GMDH model results in R2, RMSE, MAE, Bias and NSE of 0.998, 3.323, 0.997, 0.00438 and 0.998, respectively. The trained hourly model can predict up to 17 h in advance while maintaining R2 greater than 0.90. Horizontal error highlights a weakness in model performance, contrary to other evaluation statistics, due to presence of imitation error. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The majority of previous studies on reliability-based highway design focussed on assessing the risk associated with only one mode of non-compliance (i.e. insufficient sight distance on horizontal curves using 2 D sight distance calculations). Only a handful number of studies established a link between risk levels and collisions. This paper calibrates safety-based design charts for horizontal curves considering a system reliability analysis (i.e., multi-mode) where the non-compliance could result from limited sight distance and vehicle skidding. The paper first utilised LiDAR data to collect curve attributes and assess the Available Sight Distance in a 3 D environment on 244 horizontal curves in Alberta, Canada. Monte Carlo Simulation was then used to calculate the associated risk levels, and full-Bayes multivariate Poisson lognormal regression was utilised to develop statistically significant safety performance functions that relate risk levels to collisions. Safety-based design charts were calibrated to relate curve attributes to risk levels and collisions. The calibrated charts showed the importance of using multi-mode reliability analysis. An example of using the calibrated charts in estimating the expected safety benefits of geometric improvements was introduced. The developed charts can offer designers a tool to estimate the safety consequences of design alternatives and aid the decision-making process of rehabilitation projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing aging population in Canada has multi-faceted psycho-social needs. Social workers are well-positioned to address these needs, despite many challenges. This paper reports findings from the World Café at the Gerontology Symposium in Alberta, Canada, held in 2018. The goal was to learn from social work practitioners, researchers, and educators (N = 49) about current and future needs of gerontological social work in Alberta. There were two research questions: 1) What strategies do social workers need on the micro, mezzo, and macro levels to help better serve the growing older adult population in Alberta? (R1) 2) How can social workers promote the value and contribution of gerontological social work within the interprofessional community? (R2) The data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Ten R1-related themes emerged: personal traits of a social worker; professional skills; bio-psycho-social needs of older adults; community connections; access to benefits; gerontological social work education; integrated healthcare; aging policy; ageism; and advocacy to strengthen the voice of older adults. The three R2-related themes include strengthening the status of the social work profession; building trust through demonstrated skills; and interprofessional education and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]