Search

Respondent-Driven Sampling (RDS) is a variant of link-tracing, a sampling technique for surveying hard-to-reach communities that takes advantage of community members' social networks to reach potential participants. While the RDS sampling mechanism and associated methods of adjusting for the sampling at the analysis stage are well-documented in the statistical sciences literature, methodological focus has largely been restricted to estimation of population means and proportions, while giving little to no consideration to the estimation of population network parameters. As a network-based sampling method, RDS is faced with the fundamental problem of sampling from population networks where features such as homophily (the tendency for individuals with similar traits to share social ties) and differential activity (the ratio of the average number of connections by attribute) are sensitive to the choice of a sampling method. Many simple approaches exist to generate simulated RDS data, with specific levels of network features (mainly homophily and differential activity), where the focus is on estimating means and proportions (Gile 2011; Gile et al. 2015; Spiller et al. 2018). However, recent findings on the inconsistency of estimators of network features such as homophily in partially observed networks (Crawford et al. 2017; Shalizi and Rinaldo 2013) raise the question of whether those target features can be recovered using the observed RDS data alone – as recovering information about these features is critical if we wish to condition upon them. In this paper, we conduct a simulation study to assess the accuracy of existing RDS simulation methods, in terms of their abilities to generate RDS samples with the desired levels of two network parameters: homophily and differential activity. The results show that (1) homophily cannot be consistently estimated from simulated RDS samples and (2) differential activity estimators are more precise when groups, defined by traits, are equally active and equally represented in the population. We use this approach to mimic features of the Engage Study, an RDS sample of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in Montréal, Canada. In this paper, we highlight that it is possible, in some cases, to simulate population networks by mimicking the characteristics of real-world RDS data while retaining accuracy and precision for target network features in the samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper takes an anthropological approach to understanding the governance of seaport security in Canada; it uses cultural theory and the concepts of regulation and integration as key determinants in understanding how organizations respond to risk. This paper draws on data from 29 semi-structured interviews with transportation specialists, including owners, operators, managers and regulators. Nine of the interview subjects came from seaports, in particular. The interviews occurred between 2011 and 2013. We argue that Canadian seaports exist in an area of confusing multi-level governance; they are immovable, are expected to be competitive and serve a number of (at times competing) public and private sector interests. These institutional arrangements have resulted in a security environment that is heavily regulated, but the community itself is not well integrated. Interview subjects raise concerns about the ports' ability to respond to security threats. The paper then uses cultural theory to examine alternative governance arrangements enhancing, for example, community, competition or regulation. While most options to improve security will likely reduce the competitiveness of the seaports, it would help to instill more confidence among port staff and enhance organizational learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) dedicated satellite gravity field mission was launched on March 17, 2009. Three generations of global geopotential models have been computed and released based on the data collected by GOCE since then. The first generation of the models has been computed from the first two months of the data, and more observations, ranging from six to eight months, have been used in the computation of the second generation models. The third generation models are based on eighteen months of GOCE observations. The evaluation of these models is important in view of Canada's and the USA's decision to modernize and unify their vertical datums based on the geoid. In this paper, the released GOCE-based models are evaluated using 1315 and 18399 GNSS/levelling stations in Canada and the USA, respectively. In addition, three GRACE-based models and EGM2008 are included in the evaluation procedure as 'pre-GOCE era' models to identify any improvements brought by the new GOCE-based models in the region. The results provide evidence that the third generation time-wise (go_cons_gcf_2_tim_r3) and direct approach (go_cons_gcf_2_dir_r3) GOCE models perform slightly better than the rest of the geopotential models in Canada and the USA [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses a language ideological debate that took place in Canadian national newspapers following the opening ceremonies for the 2011 Vancouver Olympics. Reports on the insufficient use of French during the opening ceremonies sparked protest from politicians, official commentators, citizens and online newsreaders alike. Previous research has suggested that language ideological 'debates' (i.e. overt manifestations of ideologies) are a useful site for studying the role that languages play in the construction of social groups (see Blommaert 1999a, b). In Canada, a national cliché is that Canadian identity is fractured both linguistically and geographically. Thus, the debate over the status of French in the Vancouver Olympics involves not only ideologies of language, but also ideologies of identity and belonging. An analysis of this language ideological debate, then, can shed light on the often naturalised and commonsensical understandings of Canadian national identity. The data consist of articles and commentary drawn from two national newspapers ( The Globe and Mail and Le Devoir). The findings suggest some of the ways in which languages are represented as unifying and dividing characteristics of Canadian identity, representations of which often differ according to the language of the newspaper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Library and Information Science (LIS) education has responded positively to calls for professionals to be educated to serve the increasingly diverse and multicultural population in the USA and Canada. Analyzing LIS school websites' missions, goals, and objectives as well as program curricula, this study reports on the expressions of multiculturalism and diversity in the programs and in courses. The study also explores the positions, types of institution, and geographic locations that advertise for diversity in information professionals, plus the qualifications, skills, and languages sought by employers. The paper argues for continued emphasis on the part of LIS programs to recruit students with multicultural backgrounds and for recognizing that a second language (other than English) is indispensible for new professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A revised framework for the regulation of in vitro diagnostic devices (IVDs) came into force in Australia on July 1, 2010 that aims to 'ensure that public and personal health are adequately protected', but which instead may lead to adverse outcomes in clinical diagnosis and management. The regulatory process aims to regulate all IVDs, including those used by clinical diagnostic laboratories, which are already subject to scrutiny as part of the current laboratory accreditation process. The IVD regulatory process initiated in Australia is similar to that used in Canada, but different to that currently operating in the USA and Europe. However, it is feasible that other countries will in time adopt a similar regulatory framework, given that many countries are involved in the development process. In this opinion paper, the regulatory process for IVDs across several geographies are outlined, as are some benefits and weaknesses of the new regulatory process now applied to Australia, as potentially planned for other regions of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we analyse and compare the opening hours of 50 randomly selected university libraries in Austria, Germany, Canada and the USA. Thus we want to answer five concrete questions concerning opening hours, such as ''Is there a correlation between opening hours and size of a library?'' The study reveals for example that larger libraries have extended opening hours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the findings of a study examining how theatre professionals (actors, directors and others) make sense of the works of a culturally iconic author (William Shakespeare). The study aims to address critique of prevailing approaches' excessive focus on active information seeking and searching (Julien, Where to from here? Results of an empirical study and user-centred implications for information design, Taylor Graham, 1999; Wilson, Informing Science 3: 49--55, 2000) by developing a more holistic approach, one which acknowledges the complexity of sense-making as more than the problem-solving behaviour of individuals -- as an embodied, social process, involving emotion as well as rationality. In doing so it draws on theoretical approaches from a range of different disciplines and traditions, including Dervin's Sense-Making, Foucault's discourse analysis and Derrida's deconstructionism. The findings of the study are based on interviews with 35 theatre professionals in Canada, Finland and the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To manage their health effectively, persons living with HIV/AIDS (PHAs) and their caregivers require reliable, up-to-date information about HIV/AIDS and its treatment. Access to timely health information is often a challenge for residents of remote or sparsely populated communities. In this paper we present findings from a research project conducted in three rural regions of Canada in which we investigated how rural PHAs, along with their formal and informal caregivers, exchange HIV/AIDS-related information and support. In the analysis of results, we use a conceptual framework taken from the literature of organizational learning. In particular, we consider how ideas about person-to-person information exchange that have emerged from social network studies in business settings, as well as how Etienne Wenger's ideas about communities of practice apply to the health information behaviour of rural PHAs and their caregivers. The patterns of experience reported by study respondents illustrate the power of access to timely support from trusted informants, as well as the deepening of knowledge at the community level when interpersonal connections are consciously formed and maintained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapeseed (canola) is the major Canadian oilseed and average annual production was 6,871,600 metric t for the 10-year period 1996-2005. Brassica napus is the only species grown, and only summer annual forms are cultivated in the short season areas of the western Canadian prairie. About 70% of the total production is exported, either as seed (50%) or oil (20%). We utilized inter-specific crosses between B. napus and related species to improve the disease resistance and seed quality of B. napus. We produced yellow-seed forms of B. napus from crosses with B. rapa and B. juncea which have higher seed oil content, and lower meal fiber content to improve the feed value of the meal. We also produced germplasm with high oleic/low linolenic acid content to improve the nutritional value of canola oil as well as its technological qualities for use in the production of solid fats without trans fatty acids. The content of saturated fats in canola oil was reduced to less than 5% of total fatty acids. Inter-specific methodology was also successful in the development of B. juncea mustard as an edible oilseed crop with high yield, disease resistance and seed quality for production in the semiarid regions of the Canadian prairie. This paper will describe the crossing approaches used to develop this germplasm and discuss future research activities for canola improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No abstract available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No abstract available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No abstract available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]