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Accurate and reliable short-term forecasts of influenza-like illness (ILI) visit volumes at emergency departments can improve staffing and resource allocation decisions within hospitals. In this paper, we developed a stacked ensemble model that averages the predictions from various competing methodologies in the current frontier for ILI-related forecasts. We also constructed a back-of-the-envelope prediction interval for the stacked ensemble, which provides a conservative characterization of the uncertainty in the stacked ensemble predictions. We assessed the accuracy and reliability of our model with 1 to 4 weeks ahead forecast targets using real-time hospital-level data on weekly ILI visit volumes during the 2012-2018 flu seasons in the Alberta Children's Hospital, located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Our results suggest the forecasting performance of the stacked ensemble meets or exceeds the performance of the individual models over all forecast targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When considering an increase in their non-residential property tax rates, Alberta municipalities must also take into account the adverse effects such an increase will likely have on business investment in their communities. Based on data on commercial and industrial permit values for 17 Alberta cities from 1998 to 2017, this paper shows that increasing the non-residential property tax rate corresponds to a drop in businesses investment in buildings and structures. Raising the non-residential property tax rate by, for example, 10 per cent results in a seven per cent drop in business investment. Businesses have long expressed concerns about municipal government's excessive reliance on taxing commercial and industrial property. The issue has become particularly salient in Alberta since the City of Calgary increased its non-residential property tax rate, not only to replace its business tax, but also to offset the decline in the property tax base from the reduction in the assessed value of downtown office buildings. Calgary rationalized that eliminating the business tax and shifting the tax burden to the non-residential property tax would boost the city's competitiveness and attractiveness, besides contributing to improved administrative efficiency in the tax system. The business tax that the city eliminated was responsible for almost a quarter of non-residential and business tax revenues. However, the city envisioned that eliminating this tax and transferring its onus to the non-residential property tax would generate the same amount of revenue. This study finds that if the non-residential property tax rate is increased by one mill -- the tax rate per $1,000 of property value -- there is a concordant drop in annual real per capita commercial and industrial building permits by about $39.37. This then creates a boomerang effect - a decline in investment results in a lower stock of capital and a corresponding reduction in property and income tax bases in the future. With higher tax rates eroding tax bases, revenues thus cannot keep pace proportionately. Taxes on residential and non-residential property in Alberta make up about half of the total revenues for the province's municipalities. Property taxes are vital for financing local public services. While this study shows that spending more on municipal services does not significantly affect business investment, or business decisions on where to locate, increasing non-residential property taxes has a negative impact on such decisions and investments. Policy-makers in other Alberta municipalities observing the effects of the City of Calgary's recent hike in non-residential property taxes in the midst of an economic downturn should take into account the potential adverse effects on local economic growth and their municipal revenue bases. This study will contribute to informed policy-making in the province's municipalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Governmental tolerance of illegality is a common but poorly understood phenomenon. While illegal housing is well studied in poorer cities, its prevalence and operation in rich cities is much less examined. A comparative perspective is necessary to uncover the variety of ways in which illegal housing is tolerated and regulated. This paper compares two different forms of illegal housing in two rich cities with very distinct histories: rooftop squatters in Hong Kong and basement suites in Calgary. As well as considering these irregular housing forms at opposite poles of the vertical spectrum, the paper examines the structuring forces emerging from both the top and the bottom of the social structure, and how they interact to produce the persistence of these housing types. Overlapping and conflicting interests of various groups and limits on governmental actions make toleration of illegal housing useful, in part precisely because of its provisional nature. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A recent study on construction productivity improvement at the University of Calgary revealed the direct tool time (working time) of Alberta’s commercial construction to be about 51%. This study exposed inadequate communication and unavailability of required information as the main causes for a relatively lower tool time. Use of information technology (IT) to overcome widely visible communication issues was extremely limited at the construction site level. Construction companies’ hesitation to adopt new technologies was well noted whereas construction workers expressed their willingness and ability to use IT at the site level. The objective of this paper is to discuss the concept and the application of a novel communication tool (called an information booth) developed and pilot tested at a construction project. The concept and the technology presented in this paper have been tested at an actual construction project resulting in improvements in construction productivity, worker satisfaction, and efficiency. This paper also elaborates the rationale for a new technological framework (and the information booth), barriers for technology implementation, research objectives, methodology, and data analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the development of a 'suitability for practice' policy in a large Canadian school of social work. Pertinent gatekeeping issues are reviewed and the results of a survey on suitability polices in Canadian social work schools are presented. The paper concludes with a discussion of the University of Calgary's Faculty of Social Work Suitability Policy. This policy integrates current research on gatekeeping, the results of the Canadian schools survey and input from primary stakeholders: the students, faculty members, the professional association and the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the demand for hockey game trips among metropolitan and nonmetropolitan residents of Alberta, Canada. Using data on both revealed and stated preference game-trip behavior from a telephone survey conducted throughout Alberta, we estimate the effect of ticket prices, team quality, arena amenities, and capacity on the latent demand for National Hockey League hockey games. We find that lower ticket prices, higher team quality, and additional capacity encourage attendance. In the status quo scenario, consumer surplus per game is $50 for those who had attended hockey games and about 50% less for those who had not attended games. Exploiting the stated preference data, we develop a number of other consumer surplus estimates. We also include travel costs in the estimation of the demand function and estimate the full value of the game trip considering both ticket prices and travel costs. Sold-out arenas in Calgary and Edmonton generate annual consumption benefits of $40 and $35 million when only ticket prices are used to calculate consumer surplus (i.e., excluding travel costs). Considering the full-price consumer surplus for the Calgary Flames of $103 per game trip, the annual consumption benefits may be as high as $82 million. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Motorcycle riders would be more vulnerable in the event of a crash because of their lack of protection which would often result in them suffering more severe injuries than car drivers. This paper estimated three crash severity models to identify factors that contributed to increasing the severity of motorcycle involved crashes in the Canadian City of Calgary. We found that results from the ordered logit model, heterogeneous choice model and partially constrained generalized ordered logit model produced estimates that were very similar which attested to their robustness. Injury severity tended to increase in neighborhoods with loops and lollipops types of streets or involved right-angle and left-turn-across-path crashes, a truck, unsafe speed or alcohol use but tended to decrease if the crash occurred in parking lots or during winter, involved a van or male rider, or a rider following-too-closely to the vehicle in front. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Advanced traveller information systems (ATIS) play a very vital role in improving traffic conditions on the roads, by providing information for drivers to assist them in making more informed travel decisions. Drivers' perceptions towards ATIS mostly define these responses. This paper examines how the use of and familiarity with different sources and media of real time traffic information updates may affect drivers' perceptions, thereby determining their responses to ATIS technology. The study employs a hybrid discrete choice model that considers interactions between latent perception and the sources of traffic information sought. Data used in this study was collected through a survey conducted among a sample of 500 commuters who use Highway 2 (Deerfoot Trail) in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. In the case of major delays due to accidents or construction on Highway 2, the City of Calgary is using 12 variable message signs (VMS) to divert drivers to alternative parallel arterials. The developed integrated discrete choice and conditional latent variable model clearly identifies an important link between the propensity to comply with VMS information and the use of other traffic information sources. One of the primary findings of this study is the existence of a significant correlation between radio traffic information, TV traffic information, and VMS displays. It was found that drivers who listen to radio traffic information or watch TV traffic channels are more likely to be compliant with VMS messages, in terms of route diversions and changes in trip destinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY This paper presents a critical investigation of reasons for using transit by residents of the City of Calgary, Canada. Reasons for using transit are expressed as functions of people's perceptions and attitudes towards transit service quality and attributes. A multinomial logit model combined with latent variable models is developed to capture unobserved latent variables in defining perceptions and attitudes. Using data from a transit customer satisfaction survey conducted in 2007 by Calgary Transit, this approach models the reasons for choosing transit and tests the significance of two individual specific latent variables: perceptions of 'reliability and convenience' and 'ride comfort'. Many behavioural details are revealed that have important policy implications. Most importantly, it is found that the people of Calgary value 'reliability and convenience' over 'ride comfort'. As for policy implications of the findings, it is clear that improving the connectivity of train service, reducing multimodal transfers, and increasing dedicated right-of-ways for transit would effectively increase transit ridership in Calgary. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Since speeding is one of the major causes of frequent and severe traffic accidents around school and playground areas, many jurisdictions have reduced the speed limits in these areas to protect children who may be at risk. This paper investigated the speed compliance, mean speed and 85th percentile speed at selected school and playground zones in the City of Calgary in Alberta. Our results showed that the mean speed was lower and the rate of compliance was higher in the school zone compared to the playground zone, 2 lane roads relative to 4 lane roads, roads with fencing, traffic control devices and the presence of speed display device or children, and zones that were longer (>200m). Accordingly, this study provided recommendations to improve the effectiveness of school and playground zone speed limits. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The increased environmental awareness coupled with the recent changes in the oil prices triggered the necessity of focusing on effective management of energy systems. Global climate change has caused many people to consider ways of reducing greenhouse gases Renewable energy has become an essential feature in curtailing emission of Green House Gases, while meeting the demand for energy. This paper presents an innovation system framework for development and diffusion of renewable energy technologies. The framework is used to identify opportunities for small and medium enterprises in the renewable energy sector. A case study on a successful development, installation and implementation of solar thermal systems households in Calgary, Alberta, by an entrepreneurial firm, is also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar energy is an abundant source of renewable/sustainable energy, which has an enormous potential in reducing the foot print of the greenhouse gases. In this paper, we presented a modelling framework of estimating solar energy over a portion of a residential community of Sandstone in the northwest of Calgary, Canada. We calculated the actual daily incident solar radiation as a function of latitude, day of year, and possible day light hours; and also employed high-resolution remote sensing images to calculate the effective roof area for installing photovoltaic cells. Strong relationships (r²: 0.91-0.98) were observed between the ground-based measurements and the modelled actual incident solar radiation at three test locations in Alberta. Over the portion of Sandstone, ~1706.49m² roof surface area was suitable for potential installation of the photovoltaic cells. With 15% efficient photovoltaic cells, our analysis revealed that we might be able to produce significant amount (i.e., in the range of ~67-100%) of electrical energy needs of the residents of Sandstone community during the period between April and September. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lesbians are said to feel excluded by sexual health messages that presume heterosexuality, a finding linked to lower levels of Papanicolaou (Pap) testing. This paper discusses a small, focused qualitative study based in Calgary, Canada that illuminated mid-life lesbians' experiences and perceptions of Pap testing and health. Participants indicated that they felt compelled and invited to access Pap testing by an inclusive discourse - that of 'mid-life', a period associated with an increased need for body surveillance. They also reflected upon aging as an experience of liberation, increased confidence and a time when they could 'catch up' on health and sexuality issues denied them in their younger days. On the other hand, there was significant uncertainty about Pap testing, human papillomavirus (HPV), cervical cancer and what kind of sexual healthcare is necessary for lesbians, which was reinforced by physician messages suggesting a reduced need for Pap testing when lesbian sexual identity was disclosed. In approaching mid-life lesbian healthcare, we suggest that greater analytical attention should be paid to the ways in which lesbian women are included, as much as excluded, in dominant sexual health scripts particularly by health providers who need to attend to women's diverse experiences and needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Geological Association of Canada Presidential Address is traditionally delivered by the outgoing President of the Association at the annual general meeting; in this case, GeoCanada 2010, held in Calgary, Alberta, provided the opportunity for the 2010 address. The objectives of the address, and of this paper, are: * To outline the status and trend information and observations on what economic and natural drivers influenced geoscience societies and geoscience careers in Canada over the last 10 years; * To anticipate what the future might hold for individual geoscientists and the organizations for whom they work; * To encourage more support for geoscience societies from geoscientists and their employers; and * To call for a renewal of cooperation between geoscience associations in Canada and abroad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Calgary Stampede is one of Canada's most popular annual festivals. Its long history and its mission to preserve Western values might suggest that its principle character, the cowboy, would be relatively uncomplicated. Yet recent scholarship on popular culture and public celebrations, as well as that on gender and masculinity, encourages a re-examination of the cowboy at the Calgary Stampede. This article examines how the Calgary Stampede constituted cowboy masculinities during the first three decades of the twentieth century. Focusing on the era when the flamboyant Guy Weadick was the Stampede's manager (1912, 1923–32), it first explores how the idea that the West could recuperate masculinity was expressed through a definition of the cowboy that was, in Weadick's words, ‘open to all.’ As rodeo became a sport, a new normative cowboy emerged, as local men, both settler and Aboriginal, took centre stage, excluding women and performers. This paper argues that the Calgary Stampede helped foster the development of new rodeo masculinities for both settler and Aboriginal men, ones grounded in the respectability of sport, and in the economic, social, and political challenges of early-twentieth-century Western Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we report on the results of a residential questionnaire survey (N = 1088) exploring the relative importance of health-risk perception as compared with social - contextual determinants of urban pesticide bylaw support in two Canadian cities: Calgary and Halifax. Multi- variate analysis was used in order to determine the model estimates for five outcome variables: pesticide policy preference, pesticide-risk perception, a weed-free aesthetic, pesticide use, and chemical dissent. Findings indicate that the strongest determinants (based on relative odds) of pesticide preference are pesticide-free yard-care practices and divergent lawn aesthetics (eg pesticide-free versus weed-free yards). Though risk perception does help distinguish between differences in policy preferences, pesticide use, and chemical dissent, it does not: for aesthetic preferences. Pesticide bylaw preference is more than just a health-risk perception issue; it is also situated in the experiences of residents' everyday lives (eg yard care) where decisions about pesticide use are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computational electromagnetics models of microwave interactions with the human breast serve as an invaluable tool for exploring the feasibility of new technologies and improving design concepts related to microwave breast cancer detection and treatment. In this paper, we report the development of a collection of anatomically realistic 3-D numerical breast phantoms of varying shape, size, and radiographic density which can readily be used in finite-difference time-domain computational electro- magnetics models. The phantoms are derived from Ti-weighted MRIs of prone patients. Each MRI is transformed into a uniform grid of dielectric properties using several steps. First, the structure of each phantom is identified by applying image processing techniques to the MRI. Next, the voxel intensities of the MRI are converted to frequency-dependent and tissue-dependent dielectric properties of normal breast tissues via a piecewise-linear map. The dielectric properties of normal breast tissue are taken from the recently completed large-scale experimental study of normal breast tissue dielectric properties conducted by the Universities of Wisconsin and Calgary. The comprehensive collection of numerical phantoms is made available to the scientific community through an online repository. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1880, the Tsuu T'ina Nation (then the Sarcee band) staged a small, armed protest known as the 'Sarcee War', in Calgary, Alberta, to demand food and a separate reserve from the Siksika, with whom they had been assigned land. This paper argues that this protest reveals the material and political roots of Aboriginal citizenship: a fragmented and differentiated political body, unified through contingent agreements. The Tsuu T'ina actions, the choice of location and their specific demands reveal an assertion of rights that differ from the 'standard' idea of Canadian citizenship (then and now) and articulate a complex process of 'othering' and belonging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cross-cultural residential placement of children and adolescents requires attention to the youth's culture of origin, so that the delivery of the treatment service is respectful of his or her way of life. Cultural protection in treatment facilities, as a principle, ensures that the traditions, symbols, values, norms, and the worldview, as well as the youth's family connections are respected. Cross-cultural residential placement includes understanding youngsters and their behaviors from a general theoretical conceptualization as opposed to Western Civilization's social construction of adaptability. This paper addresses the residential treatment of adolescents who originate from Nunavut and experience cross-cultural placement at Warren Youth Services, Calgary, Alberta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the implosion of a large inner-city hospital in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on October 4, 1998. Stationary and mobile air monitoring conducted after the implosion indicated there were several short-term air quality issues, including significant temporal increases in total suspended particles, particulate matter (PM) with aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 10 µm (PM10), PM with aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 2.5 µm (PM2.5 ), asbestos, and airborne and settled lead. In addition, the implosion created a dust cloud that traveled much further than expected, out to 20 km. The ability of an implosion to effectively aerosolize building materials requires the removal of all friable and nonfriable forms of asbestos and all Pb-containing painted surfaces during pre-implosion preparatory work. Public advisories to mitigate personal exposure and indoor migration of the implosion dust cloud constituents should extend to 10 or 20 km around an implosion site. These findings point to a number of complex and problematic issues regarding implosions and safeguarding human health and suggest that implosions in metropolitan areas should be prohibited. Further work to characterize the public health risks of conventional versus implosion demolition is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the authors describe an aspect of a program of research around grief and clinical practice. The first phase of the study involves examination of experiences of grief with attention to troublesome or problematic beliefs that fuel the extent of suffering in the bereaved. The data, obtained from a review of videotaped clinical interviews with families seen in the Family Nursing Unit at the University of Calgary, were analyzed according to philosophical hermeneutic tradition. Findings suggest that grief is an experience that is ongoing, that changes in nature over time, but that involves a continuing relationship with the deceased; it is a graceful, periodic, deliberate walk backwards while keeping a sure foot in living forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent archaeological excavations at a deeply stratified site in northwest Calgary, Alberta have uncovered four occupation layers spanning the interval from 8000 to 2000 BP. Depending on the dating one accepts for the Holocene thermal maximum, two or more of these occupations occurred during this interval of aridity. This site thus provides a record of human occupation during the Archaic (Middle Prehistoric I) period in the Calgary area. More importantly, the site occurs in an upland setting, apparently far removed from reliable sources of water and normal environments of deposition. Yet, the cultural deposits occur in sediments which extend 2 m below surface and include five sedimentary units as well as a minimum of three pedogenic units. This paper presents the results of geoarchaeological research on the changing landscape for the site and notes the implications of these changes for the study of Archaic manifestations on the northern Plains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

This paper presents a comparative study of the beliefs of pro-family organizations in Calgary and a structural mapping of organizational ties. Data were gathered in 1998 from documents and semi-structured interviews with group leaders. Three research problems are addressed. The first concerns the closeness of the relationship between pro-family and pro-life groups. We find that all pro-family groups, even those with strong anti-abortion convictions, were organizationally and politically distinctive from pro-life groups. The second problem considers the role of Christian beliefs in the movement. We ascertain that although Christian groups were dominant in 1998, promotion of the heterosexual nuclear family, not doctrinal issues, was fundamental to the movement. The third problem concerns whether the movement was bifurcated between social conservative and centrist segments. The centrist segment was quite weak in 1998. Furthermore, one of the groups with a centrist persona, the National Foundation for Family Research and Education, strove to supply scientific legitimation for social conservatives' moral claims about the family. In conclusion, the article argues that the pro-family move- ment in Calgary has broken free of its initial phase as an anti-feminist countermovement and suggests that the future popularity of pro- family advocacy in Canada will be proportional to the degree that it is couched in a post-feminist framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Africans have been present in Canada for at least a century and a half, very little is known about them. This may be partly attributed to the tendency for earlier censuses and immigration data to lump all "Blacks" into one category, and partly due to the fact that Africa has not traditionally been a source of immigrants to Canada. This paper examines how the residential circumstances of African immigrants in Calgary have impacted on their adaptation to their new society. Analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data reveals that, while a few Africans have managed to fit well into the socioeconomic structure of mainstream society, the majority continue to experience various forms of difficulties, including affordability. These difficulties are more pronounced in the housing and employment markets where factors such as discrimination, ethnicity, financial constraints, and recency of immigration have combined to disadvantage Africans and deny them access to equal opportunities. For low-income earners, these problems are more likely to cause additional deprivations and the propensity to experience core housing need. The study identifies discrimination in the housing market to be the most formidable barrier faced by Black African immigrants in Calgary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surgeons caring for severely injured patients have witnessed tremendous change over the past 2 decades with the rapid evolution of trauma systems. This paper describes the evolution of trauma systems in Canada, using the one in Calgary as a model. Canadian system guidelines were produced by the Trauma Association of Canada in 1993. Participation in Canadian accreditation is accelerating as increasingly more centres across the country undergo external review each year. Reporting of trauma outcomes, including standardized mortality and a variety of performance measures, is becoming the norm. Injury is being treated as a disease with comprehensive control strategies aimed at reducing death and disability rates through prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The findings reported in this paper were based on a representative, city wide sample ( N = 708) of Calgary youths (aged 15-24). Twenty six per cent of the respondents reported having used marijuana "in the past six months". Contrary to Smart' s (1970) differential school drop out hypothesis, no decline in drug use was reported by 17 and 18 year old students, As measured by Rotter's concept, internally oriented respondents were less apt than externals to use marijuana. As predicted, this correlation was stronger among high school than college respondents. Several other demographic correlates of marijuana use were found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers several information of general interests. The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine conducted its 2007 Annual Meeting in Calgary, Alberta, Canada wherein there was a constructive dialogue regarding common misconceptions on the procurement and processing of allografts commonly used in sports medicine. Meanwhile, several personalities in sports medicine were recipient of several awards given the sports medicine organization to individuals who had made valuable contribution to the field. Moreover, several research papers on sports medicine have been recognized by the sport medicine organization due the valuable information the papers shared.

Presents updates regarding the Arctic Institute of North America (AINA) as of March 2001. AINA Arctic Science and Technology Information System's work on a contract from the Canadian Polar Commission to select, index and gather statistics on papers about northern Canada and the Antarctic; Establishment of Arctic Circumpolar Studies Major and the University of Calgary, Alberta.