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Environmental context: Mine tailings are a mixture of fine materials obtained after crushing, processing and extracting the valuable minerals from ore. Ultramafic and mafic mine tailings have the potential to mineralise carbon, offering a solution to offset greenhouse gas emissions from the mining sector. The study revealed that the effects of wetting and drying ultramafic and mafic mine tailings under atmospheric conditions have the potential for carbon sequestration and acid mine drainage. Rationale: As the result of their carbon mineralisation potential, there is an increasing interest in using ultramafic and mafic (U+M) mine tailings as a feedstock for carbon (C) sequestration. However, little is known about the relative chemical stability of U+M minerals, and it is unclear whether acid mine drainage may be generated during weathering. Methodology: This study determined the relative stability of the constituent minerals of several U+M tailings from mines in British Columbia, Canada, and Australia using selective chemical extractions and an 18-week laboratory experiment of cycles of wetting and drying to simulate conditions that may be experienced under field conditions. Tailings were mixed with topsoil to investigate the potential use as a soil amendment. Results: Initially, the tailing sample's pH was 8.4–9.7 and decreased to 7.7–9.1 over the 18 weeks. Soil additions lowered the initial pH and converged with the tailing's pH over 18 weeks. Sequentially weathered minerals determined by X-ray diffraction were consistent with the empirical Goldich weathering sequence. Metal concentrations from inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry supported X-ray diffraction results, confirming the stability of the U+M tailings using different methods and the need for future studies on potential metal contamination. Discussion: Minor concentrations of sulfur seemed to have resulted in larger fluctuations in pH when low amounts of carbonates were present. However, reactive oxides and basic cations in the U+M tailings maintained pH above 7. Therefore, C sequestration was likely supported, although there was a slight reduction in total C content for almost all samples. This study suggests future research is required under field conditions to confirm C sequestration and to investigate the use of U+M tailings for restoration applications. Environmental context. Mine tailings are a mixture of fine materials obtained after crushing, processing and extracting the valuable minerals from ore. Ultramafic and mafic mine tailings have the potential to mineralise carbon, offering a solution to offset greenhouse gas emissions from the mining sector. The study revealed that the effects of wetting and drying ultramafic and mafic mine tailings under atmospheric conditions have the potential for carbon sequestration and acid mine drainage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Very little attention has been given to the social accountability of conferences, either in action or in scholarship, in particular, of scientific conferences. Concerns that have been raised include: (1) Local communities and regions suffer from ecological pressure caused by conferences, (2) There is limited value to the local community, (3) International conferences take place at locations irrelevant to the topics discussed; hence there is no connection with locals, and (4) It has been the observation of the authors that <10% of participants may come from the region where the conference is organized, which makes it challenging to make a "positive societal impact" locally. We conducted a natural experiment investigating the interactions between academia, conference organizers, and community leaders. Methods: We utilized a case study approach to report on the outcomes of two 2022 annual international conferences that seek to improve community health. We used a mixed-methods approach of surveys and interviews. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify the key themes. Results: We obtained 358 responses from all six World Health Organization regions. Results from both conferences were split into two categories: the why and the how. A strong consensus among participants is that bi-directional learning between conference organizers and local communities leads to shared understanding and mutual goals. The data emphasize that including communities in academic conferences helps us progress forward from intentions toward demonstrating accountability and reporting impact. Discussion: A diversity of perspectives is needed to advance socially accountable health system transformation. Five best practices from conference participants are laid out as a framework to assist in the change: (1) Build trust, (2) provide funding for community member participation, (3) appreciation of local community knowledge, (4) involve the local community in the planning stages, and (5) make the local community part of the conference and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pacific Northwest Pyrocumulonimbus Event (PNE) took place in British Columbia during the evening and nighttime hours between 12 and 13 August 2017. Several pyroconvective clouds erupted on this occasion, and released in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere unprecedented amounts of carbonaceous aerosols (300 ktn). Only a few years later, an even larger pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb) injection took place over Australia. This event, named "the Australian New Year (ANY) event", injected up to 1100 ktn of aerosol between 29 December 2019 and 4 January 2020. Such large injections of carbonaceous aerosol modify the stratospheric radiative budgets, locally perturbing stratospheric temperatures and winds. In this study, we use the Goddard Earth Observing System Chemistry Climate Model (GEOS CCM) to study the perturbations on the stratospheric meteorology induced by an aerosol injection of the magnitude of the PNE. Our simulations include the radiative interactions of aerosols, so that their impact on temperatures and winds are explicitly simulated. We show how the presence of the carbonaceous aerosols from the pyroCb causes the formation and maintenance of a synoptic-scale stratospheric anticyclone. We follow this disturbance considering the potential vorticity anomaly and the brown carbon aerosol loading and we describe its dynamical and thermodynamical structure and its evolution in time. The analysis presented here shows that the simulated anticyclone undergoes daily expansion–compression cycles governed by the radiative heating, which are directly related to the vertical motion of the plume, and that the aerosol radiative heating is essential in maintaining the anticyclone itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protists are less studied for their role and diversity in ecosystems. Notably, protists have played and still play an important role in microbialites. Microbialites, or lithified microbial mats, represent the oldest evidence of fossil biofilms (~3.5 Gyr). Modern microbialites may offer a unique proxy to study the potential role of protists within a geological context. We examined protist diversity in freshwater (Kelly and Pavilion Lake in British Columbia, Canada) and marine (Highborne Cay, Bahamas) to hypersaline (Shark Bay, Australia) microbialites to decipher their geomicrobiological role. The freshwater microbialite communities were clearly distinct from their marine and hypersaline counterparts. Chlorophytes had higher numerical abundance in freshwater microbialites; whereas pennate diatoms dominated numerically in marine microbialites. Despite the differences, protists across ecosystems may have adopted similar roles and functions. We suggest a consistent biogeochemical role of protists across microbialites globally; but that salinity may shape protist composition and evolution in these ecosystems., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Forest fires in British Columbia in August 2017 caused a pyrocumulonimbus event that injected a polluted air mass into the lower stratosphere. The Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) on the Aura satellite first observed the polluted air mass on 14 August 2017 and continued to observe it for 60 d (100 d in water vapour). We estimate the mass of CO injected into the stratosphere to be 2400 Gg. Events in which a fire injects its burning products directly into the stratosphere are rare: this is the third of four such events in the 16 years since the launch of Aura, the second largest of the four events, and the only one in the Northern Hemisphere. The other three events occurred in Australia in December 2006, February 2009 and from December 2019 to January 2020. Unlike the 2006 and 2009 events, but like the 2019–2020 event, the polluted air mass described here had a clearly elevated water vapour content: between 2.5 and 5 times greater than that in the surrounding atmosphere. We describe the evolution of the polluted air mass, showing that it rose to an altitude of about 24 km (31 hPa) and divided into several identifiable parts. In addition to CO and H 2 O, we observe enhanced amounts of HCN, CH 3 CN, CH 3 Cl and CH 3 OH with mixing ratios in the range to be expected from a variety of measurements in other biomass burning plumes. We use back trajectories and plume-dispersion modelling to demonstrate that the pollutants observed by MLS originated in the British Columbia fires, the likeliest source being at 53.2 ∘ N, 121.8 ∘ W at 05:20 UTC on 13 August 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Different jurisdictions report different breast cancer treatment rates. Evidence-based utilization models may be specific to derived populations. We compared predicted optimal with actual radiotherapy utilization in British Columbia, Canada; Dundee, Scotland; and Perth, Western Australia. Design: Data were analyzed for differences in demography, tumor, and treatment. Epidemiological data were fitted to published Australian optimal radiotherapy utilization trees and region-specific optimal treatment rates were calculated. Optimal and actual surgery/radiotherapy rates from 2 population-based and 1 institution-based registries were compared for patients diagnosed with breast cancer between 2000 and 2004, and 2002 for British Columbia. Results: Mastectomy rates differed between British Columbia (40%), Western Australia (44%), and Dundee (47%, p <0.01). Radiotherapy rates differed between British Columbia (60%), Western Australia (52%), and Dundee (49%, p <0.01). Actual radiotherapy utilization rates were lower than optimal estimates. Region-specific optimal utilization rates at diagnosis varied from 57% to 71% for radiotherapy and 62% to 64% when taking into account patient preference. Variation was attributed to local differences in demography and tumor stage. Conclusions: Actual treatment rates varied, and were associated with patterns of care and guideline differences. Actual radiotherapy rates were lower than optimal rates. Differences between optimal and actual utilization may be due to access shortfalls, and patient preference. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background: Different jurisdictions report different breast cancer treatment rates. Evidence-based optimal utilization models may be specific to the derived population. We compared predicted optimal with actual endocrine and chemotherapy utilization in British Columbia, Canada; Dundee, Scotland; and Perth, Western Australia. Design: Data were analyzed for differences in demography, tumour, and treatment. Epidemiological data were fitted to published Australian optimal radiotherapy utilization trees and region-specific optimal treatment rates were calculated. Optimal and actual systemic therapy rates from 2 population-based and 1 institution-based cancer registries were compared for patients diagnosed with breast cancer between 2000–2004, and 2002 for British Columbia. Results: Chemotherapy rates differed between British Columbia (32%), Perth (29%), and Dundee (24%, p = 0.014). Endocrine therapy rates were similar between British Columbia (56%), Perth (59%), and Dundee (64%, p > 0.05). Actual utilization rates were lower than optimal estimates for chemotherapy, but higher for endocrine therapy. Region-specific optimal utilization rates at diagnosis varied between 50–56% for chemotherapy, and 49–54% for endocrine therapy. Variation was attributed to local differences in demographics, and tumour stage. Conclusion: Actual treatment rates varied. There was lower than estimated optimal chemotherapy use but higher than expected use of endocrine therapy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper compares carbon pricing policies in British Columbia and Australia in order to identify differences between carbon taxes and emissions trading schemes (ETS) from a fairness perspective. We examine how taxes and trading systems impact indigenous communities in both jurisdictions. While the regressivity of carbon pricing is a critical part of any fairness assessment, we argue that socio-economic and cultural factors must also be taken into consideration. We discuss the importance of accompanying carbon pricing with policies that mitigate not only distributional impacts, but also additional impacts. These may be funded by the revenue generated by the policy or by other sources of government revenue. We argue in favour of devoting at least some portion of revenues generated by the instruments to climate change mitigation, versus tax cuts, since vulnerable communities are often disproportionately impacted by climate change. We conclude that carbon pricing policies have the potential to be designed in a way that is fair to indigenous communities. The devil is in the details. Both ETS and carbon taxes have cost implications for disadvantaged groups such as indigenous peoples, but they can both be designed in a way that compensates fairly for these impacts. Ultimately, it is a political choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Dinkidi Cu-Au porphyry deposit, northern Luzon, Philippines, formed at the tip of the southward-propagating Cagayan Valley basin in a late Oligocene to early Miocene back-arc setting. The 110 Mt ore deposit is characterized by elevated hypogene grades (avg 1.2 g/t Au and 0.5% Cu) and is one of only a few alkalic porphyry deposits to have been discovered outside of British Columbia and eastern Australia. Dinkidi is hosted by the Didipio intrusive complex, which intruded calc-alkalic to shoshonitic volcanic rocks of the Mamparang and Upper Mamparang formations in the late Oligocene. An early, composite diorite-mon-zodiorite pluton was intruded by the Surong monzonite and the Dinkidi stock. The initial phases of the Cu-Au mineralized Dinkidi stock were the equigranular biotite-amphibole-bearing Tunja monzonite and the Balut dike--a thin, variably textured and strongly mineralized clinopyroxene syenite pegmatite dike. The youngest phases of the Dinkidi stock are a plagioclase-phyric monzonite-syenite (Quan porphyry) and the Bufu syenite, a crystal-crowded leucocratic quartz syenite. Postmineralization andesite dikes cut the intrusive complex. Emplacement of the Tunja monzonite was temporally and spatially associated with pervasive stage 1 biotite-magnetite-K silicate alteration, which primarily affected the diorite-monzodiorite pluton. Emplacement of the diopside-phyric Balut dike produced the stage 2 calc-potassic diopside-actinolite-K feldspar-bornite vein stock-work and a calc-potassic alteration assemblage typical of silica-undersaturated alkalic porphyry deposits. Stage 2 lacks quartz, contains high gold grades (2-8 g/t Au) and its sulfides have δ34S values of -3.5 to -0.7 per mil. The stage 2 calc-potassic assemblage is inferred to have formed at temperatures in excess of 600°C from an oxidized (sulfate-predominant) Na-K-Ca-Fe-rich brine. Intrusion of the quartz-saturated Quan porphyry and Bufu syenite led to the formation of the stage 3 quartz-illite-calcite-chalcopyrite stockwork vein and alteration assemblage. The quartz stockwork hosts most of the lower-grade (1-2 g/t Au) mineralization at Dinkidi and is typical of silica-saturated alkalic porphyry systems. A coarse-grained assemblage of quartz-actinolite-perthite (the Bugoy pegmatite) formed as an apophysis on the Bufu syenite and was subsequently brecciated by faulting late in stage 3. The stage 3 quartz stockwork was emplaced at high temperatures (mostly >600°C) from a quartz-saturated, oxidized (sulfate-predominant) Na-K-Fe brine (>68 wt % NaCl equiv) that contained up to 0.6 wt percent Cu and 4 wt percent Fe. Cooling to ~430°C and sulfate reduction by wall-rock interaction led to the precipitation of stage 3 sulfides with δ34S values of -4.2 to -0.2 per mil in the quartz stockwork. The quartz-bearing assemblage formed at paleodepths of 2.9 to 3.5 km. Periods of quartz growth from overpressured brines were interrupted episodically by brittle failure events that caused the system to depressurize to near-hydrostatic conditions, triggering vapor generation via boiling. Mineralization was followed by intermediate argillic and high-level advanced argillic alteration (stage 4), and by late-stage, fault-related zeolite-calcite alteration and veins (stage 5). The hydrothermal mineral assemblages at Dinkidi reflect the composition and degree of fractionation of the associated intrusions. Extensive fractionation in a silica-undersaturated dioritic magma chamber is interpreted to have ultimately caused quartz saturation and the development of the late-stage syenite intrusions and related quartz stockwork mineralization. The calcic, silica-undersaturated pegmatitic Balut dike, which is associated with the calc-potassic stockwork, does not fit this fractionation trend and is interpreted to have formed by interaction between the late-stage syenitic melt and a comagmatic mafic melt that underplated the siliceous magma chamber prior to formation of the Balut dike. A reversion to fractionation-dominated magmatic processes in the silicic magma chamber then led to the intrusion of the quartz-saturated Quan porphyry and Bufu syenite. Ultimately, the residual mafic melt was emplaced as a series of late-stage andesite dikes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The essay considers the history of 19th century institutions for treating insanity erected near gold mining sites during the gold rushes in California, British Columbia, and Australia, by focusing on the experiences of James "Scotty" Brown, a sailor who had issues with local authorities due to behavior attributed to mental instability and alcoholism from 1848 to the 1860s. Some of the subjects considered include transnational mobility, government policies towards lunacy and vagrancy, and the experiences of inmates in asylums.

Background: Cryptococcus gattii is a basidiomycetous yeast that causes life-threatening disease in humans and animals. Within C. gattii, four molecular types are recognized (VGI to VGIV). The Australian VGII population has been in the spotlight since 2005, when it was suggested as the possible origin for the ongoing outbreak at Vancouver Island (British Columbia, Canada), with same-sex mating being suggested as the driving force behind the emergence of this outbreak, and is nowadays hypothesized as a widespread phenomenon in C. gattii. However, an in-depth characterization of the Australian VGII population is still lacking. The present work aimed to define the genetic variability within the Australian VGII population and determine processes shaping its population structure. Methodology/Principal Findings: A total of 54 clinical, veterinary and environmental VGII isolates from different parts of the Australian continent were studied. To place the Australian population in a global context, 17 isolates from North America, Europe, Asia and South America were included. Genetic variability was assessed using the newly adopted international consensus multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) scheme, including seven genetic loci: CAP59, GPD1, LAC1, PLB1, SOD1, URA5 and IGS1. Despite the overall clonality observed, the presence of MATa VGII isolates in Australia was demonstrated for the first time in association with recombination in MATα-MATa populations. Our results also support the hypothesis of a "smouldering" outbreak throughout the Australian continent, involving a limited number of VGII genotypes, which is possibly caused by a founder effect followed by a clonal expansion. Conclusions/Significance: The detection of sexual recombination in MAT α-MATa population in Australia is in accordance with the natural life cycle of C. gattii involving opposite mating types and presents an alternative to the same-sex mating strategy suggested elsewhere. The potential for an Australian wide outbreak highlights the crucial issue to develop active surveillance procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaborative Separation and Divorce has recently emerged as a method of dispute resolution where parties to family law disputes agree to finalise all matters through negotiations only, without any threat of litigation and without going to court. In an interdisciplinary collaborative approach lawyers and psychologists/counsellors work together with clients. This study investigates lawyers' perceptions of collaborative divorce. It presents the results of interviews with 20 collaborative family lawyers in Vancouver, Canada, where collaborative family law has been practised since 1998. The results have implications for the reform of family law in Australia, where collaborative separation and divorce is emerging as an alternative to court processes. The findings suggest the collaborative process is part of a spectrum of dispute resolution mechanisms including litigation, lawyer-assisted negotiation, mediation, and arbitration. Lawyers perceived key elements of the process to include agreement amongst clients and lawyers not to go to court, signing of a participation agreement including a lawyer withdrawal clause, trust between clients, trust among lawyers, trust between lawyers and clients, and four-way meetings. Collaborative negotiation is distinguished by the heightened levels of trust between lawyers, clients, and lawyer+clients, as well as broader notions of advocacy based on notions of fairness, openness, and disclosure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education is the property of Canadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education 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 presents a comparative analysis of the institutional trajectories traced by women's policy agencies within government in the province of British Columbia in Canada and in the state of New South Wales in Australia. In both cases, a period during which the principal women's policy agency took the form of a freestanding government ministry was followed by a period during which that ministry (along with an array of women's policy agencies located elsewhere in government) was dismantled. The partisan complexion of the governments undertaking these initiatives has been quite different in the two cases, and presents an apparent paradox. The article explores this paradox, as well as other patterns observable across the two cases, and provides an assessment of their implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The alternative vote (AV) is an increasingly popular proposal for electoral reform, largely due to Australia's success with it. This article considers the experiences of Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia with AV in past provincial elections. AV had little impact on proportionality and voter turnout, but did contribute to significantly higher rates of ballot rejection. AV was associated with an increase in the number of parties competing in elections, but this is more likely due to a changing social structure than electoral system change. AV facilitated coalitions where incentives to cooperate already existed, as in British Columbia, but it did little to encourage or induce coalitions in Alberta and Manitoba. On balance, it differed little from the single member plurality system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Our objective was to compare patterns of dental antibiotic prescribing in Australia, England, and North America (United States and British Columbia, Canada)., Design: Population-level analysis of antibiotic prescription., Setting: Outpatient prescribing by dentists in 2017., Participants: Patients receiving an antibiotic dispensed by an outpatient pharmacy., Methods: Prescription-based rates adjusted by population were compared overall and by antibiotic class. Contingency tables assessed differences in the proportion of antibiotic class by country., Results: In 2017, dentists in the United States had the highest antibiotic prescribing rate per 1,000 population and Australia had the lowest rate. The penicillin class, particularly amoxicillin, was the most frequently prescribed for all countries. The second most common agents prescribed were clindamycin in the United States and British Columbia (Canada) and metronidazole in Australia and England. Broad-spectrum agents, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, and azithromycin were the highest in Australia and the United States, respectively., Conclusion: Extreme differences exist in antibiotics prescribed by dentists in Australia, England, the United States, and British Columbia. The United States had twice the antibiotic prescription rate of Australia and the most frequently prescribed antibiotic in the US was clindamycin. Significant opportunities exist for the global dental community to update their prescribing behavior relating to second-line agents for penicillin allergic patients and to contribute to international efforts addressing antibiotic resistance. Patient safety improvements will result from optimizing dental antibiotic prescribing, especially for antibiotics associated with resistance (broad-spectrum agents) or C. difficile (clindamycin). Dental antibiotic stewardship programs are urgently needed worldwide.

Background: Providing access to pediatric healthcare services in British Columbia, Canada, presents unique challenges given low population densities spread across large geographic distances combined with a lack of availability of specialist providers in remote areas, leading to quality of care shortcomings and inequalities in care delivery. The study objective was to develop a framework that provides a common language and methodology for defining and planning child and youth healthcare services across the province., Methods: The framework was developed in two phases. In Phase 1, a literature and jurisdictional review was completed using the following inclusion criteria: (i) description of a framework focusing on organizing service delivery systems (ii) that supports health service planning, (iii) includes specialty or subspecialty services and (iv) has been published since 2008. In Phase 2, a series of meetings with key provincial stakeholders were held to receive feedback on the developed Tiers of Service framework versions that were based on the literature and jurisdictional review and adjusted to the British Columbian health care context. The final version was endorsed by the Child Health BC Steering Committee., Results: Ten medical articles and thirteen jurisdictional papers met the established selection criteria and were included in this study. Most frameworks were developed by the Australian national or state jurisdictions and published in jurisdictional papers (n = 8). Frameworks identified in the medical literature were mainly developed in Canada (n = 3) and the US (n = 3) and focused on maternity, neonatal, critical care and oncology services. Based on feedback received from the expert group, the framework was expanded to include community-based services, prevention and health determinants. The final version of the Tiers of Service framework describes the specific services to be delivered at each tier, which are categorized as Tier 1 (community services) through Tier 6 (sub-specialized services). Two consecutive steps were identified to effectively use the framework for operational and system planning: (i) development of a 'module' outlining the responsibilities and requirements to be delivered at each tier; and (ii) assessment of services provided at the health care facility against those described in the module, alignment to a specific tier, identification of gaps at the local, regional and provincial level, and implementation of quality improvement initiatives to effectively address the gaps., Conclusions: The benefits of the Tiers of Service framework and accompanying modules for health service planning are being increasingly recognized. Planning and coordinating pediatric health services across the province will help to optimize flow and improve access to high-quality services for children living in British Columbia., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Introduction: This split-mouth trial aimed to examine the effects of light-emitting diode (LED)-mediated photobiomodulation compared with no photobiomodulation on maxillary canine distalization., Methods: Twenty participants (10 males and 10 females; aged 11-20 years) requiring bilateral extraction of maxillary first premolars were included from the Sydney Dental Hospital waiting list. After premolar extractions, leveling, and alignment, canines were retracted on 0.020-in stainless steel wires with coil springs delivering 150 g of force to each side. Each patient's right side was randomly assigned to experimental or control using www.randomisation.com, and allocation concealment was performed with sequentially numbered, opaque, sealed envelopes. The experimental side received 850 nm wavelength, 60 mW/cm 2 power, continuous LED with OrthoPulse device (Biolux Research Ltd, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) for 5 min/d. For the control side, the device was blocked with opaque black film. Patients were reviewed at 4-week intervals for force reactivation and intraoral scanning over 12 weeks. The primary outcome was the amount of tooth movement, and secondary outcomes were anchorage loss and canine rotation, all measured digitally. Blinding for study participants and the treating clinician was not possible; however, blinding was done for the measurements by deidentifying the digital scans. Linear mixed models were implemented for the data analysis., Results: Nineteen participants concluded the study. Data analysis showed that the treatment × time interaction was not significant, suggesting no difference in space closure (unstandardized regression coefficient [b], 0.12; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.05 to 0.29; P = 0.17), canine rotation (b, 0.21; 95% CI, -0.82 to 1.25; P = 0.69), and anchorage loss (b, -0.01, 95% CI, -0.28 to 0.26, P = 0.94). No harms were noted., Conclusions: Daily 5-minute application of LED did not result in clinically meaningful differences during extraction space closure compared with no LED application., Registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12616000652471)., Protocol: The protocol was not published before trial commencement., Funding: This research was funded by the Australian Society of Orthodontists Foundation for Research and Education., (Crown Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In this article, the author comments on the study conducted by researcher T. Stockwell and colleagues on the impact of taxation to redress alcohol-related harms. He mentions that taxation on alcohol provides a revenue stream for government which can be helpful for prevention and treatment programmes. He also mentions the minimum price approach raises revenue would be benefited to alcohol producers and retailers.

The article presents a summary of the bills including Consumption Tax Rebate and Transition Act in British Columbia and Australian Centre for Renewable Energy Act 2010 in Australia.

A list of Frommer's complete travel guide series is presented. They include guides to the American Southwest, Australia, and British Columbia & the Canadian Rockies.

Corrections to the articles "Hendra Virus Outbreak With Novel Clinical Features, Australia," and "Epidemiology of Cryptoccocus gattii, British Columbia, Canada 1999-2007," which both appeared in the Volume 16, Number 2 issue, are presented.

Information about the World Harp Congress (WHC) Board meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia in April 2009 is presented. In the meeting, an interesting proposal with constructive suggestions were made by board members which were invaluable for the schedule. It was noted that Alice Giles made an impressive bid during the board discussions which in turn accepted and voted unanimously to host the 2014 WHC in Sydney, Australia.

The article offers news briefs related to the care of older people. British Columbia (BC), the westernmost Canadian province, urgently needs 1,500 qualified nurses graduates to staff longterm care and assisted-living beds as well as home care clients. Swedish researchers have found a link between the depression and stroke which are common in older people. Spot checks at residential care facilities in Australia have uncovered apalling levels of malnutrition.

Background: Drawing on a sociological analysis that brings the prevailing social and economic policies into the frame of this analysis, this article focuses on the relationship between the social conditions faced by young people in the 1990s and early 2000s, the opportunities and constraints that these conditions presented to them, and patterns of mental health., Method: The article presents an analysis of selected data from two longitudinal cohort studies. One is the Paths on Life's Way cohort study by Andres, based in British Columbia, Canada, and the other is the Life-Patterns cohort by Wyn, based in Victoria, Australia. These cohort studies have tracked the lives of young people who entered the labour market in the early 1990s. The longitudinal analysis is based on the data available for 733 participants in the Canadian study in 2003, and 625 participants in the Australian study in 2004, which remains representative of the larger original samples. The data were collected through a mixed-method approach of surveys and interviews. As part of the study, education and employment policies in Australia and Canada during the 1990 s were also analysed., Results: The data reveal that it took 14 years from the time of leaving secondary school for the majority of Australians and Canadians to find a degree of employment security. Young Australians had lower rates of marriage and fertility, and assessed their mental health as being worse than their Canadian peers. Education and labour market policies aimed to increase human capital to ensure global competitiveness and to increase the flexibility of labour for employers., Conclusion: Social policies matter. In both countries, the creation of higher levels of human capital through increasing young people's participation in education, combined with labour market policies that increased job uncertainty and labour market precariousness meant that young people found it difficult to achieve their goals of modest affluence and security. The policies had an impact on young people's marriage rates and fertility, particularly for the Australians. These social conditions also had the effect of increasing young people's assessments of their mental health as poor. Greater attention needs to be paid to the impact of social policies on areas that lie outside their immediate domain. Addressing young people's mental health requires an awareness of the inter-connections across policy areas, and the recognition that mental health is an outcome of social conditions., (© 2011 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.)

The perimeter of the basement membrane (Pbm) of an airway viewed in cross section is used as a marker of airway size because in normal lungs it is relatively constant, despite variations in airway smooth muscle (ASM) shortening and airway collapse. In vitro studies (McParland BE, Pare PD, Johnson PR, Armour CL, Black JL. J Appl Physiol 97: 556-563, 2004; Noble PB, Sharma A, McFawn PK, Mitchell HW. J Appl Physiol 99: 2061-2066, 2005) have suggested that differential stretch of the Pbm between asthmatic and nonasthmatic airways fixed in inflation may occur and lead to an overestimation of ASM thickness in asthma. The relationships between the Pbm and the area of ASM were compared in transverse sections of airways from cases of fatal asthma (F) and from nonasthmatic control (C) cases where the lung tissue had been fixed inflated (Fi; Ci) or uninflated (Fu; Cu). When all available airways were used, the regression slopes were increased in Fu and Cu, compared with Fi and Ci, and increased in Fu and Fi, compared with Cu and Ci, suggesting effects of both inflation and asthma group, respectively. When analyses were limited to airway sizes that were available for all groups (Pbm < 15 mm), the slopes of Fi and Fu were similar, but both were greater than Ci and Cu, which were also similar. It was calculated that the effect of asthma group accounted for 80% and inflation for 20% of the differences between Fi and Ci. We conclude that the effects of inflation on the relationship between Pbm and ASM are small and do not account for the differences observed in ASM between cases of asthma and nonasthmatic controls.

Kudoa thyrsites (Myxozoa: Multivalvulida) is a cosmopolitan marine parasite of fishes associated with post-mortem tissue degradation. Financial losses incurred as a result of these infections are of concern to commercial fisheries. There is conflicting evidence whether K. thyrsites represents a cryptic species complex. Myxospore morphology is very similar for K. thyrsites across its range, but preliminary genetic analyses show some differences. Kudoa thyrsites and the morphologically similar Kudoa histolytica were examined from hosts in British Columbia, Canada, Oregon, USA, Chile, England, South Africa, Australia, and Japan. We compared myxospore morphology and DNA sequences of heat shock protein 70 and the small subunit, large subunit, and internal transcribed spacer 1 of the ribosomal DNA. There was some morphological variation between regional representatives, inconsistent with genetic analyses. Phylogenetically, major separations correlated to four broad geographic regions: Japan, Australia, eastern Pacific, and eastern Atlantic. Within these regions there was little additional genetic structure. These data are evidence for regional subdivision of K. thyrsites suggesting global transplantation of fishes has yet to homogenize these distinctions. Within regions, parasite gene flow appears to be high between host species, suggesting little host specificity and minimal cryptic speciation. Our data also indicate that K. histolytica is not a valid species, as it was morphologically and genetically indistinguishable from K. thyrsites.

REFERENCE-BASED PRICING has had a major impact on medical practice in British Columbia. Anne Mullens discusses the new system's first 2 years. She says physicians outside BC should pay attention, because RBP may be heading their way. It is set to land in Australia next month.

This paper examines the issue of elder abuse from a Canadian and Australian perspective. A research project was undertaken in Canada and Australia to identify registered nurses' knowledge about the types of abuse, skill at recognition and comfort counselling and intervening in cases of elder abuse. Although a phenomenon that has probably been in existence for many years, it is only during the last decade that elder abuse has come into prominence as an important aspect of family violence. A recent Canadian report records that elder abuse today is at the same level of publicity as wife abuse 10 years ago (Canadian Nurses Association, 1993). It is estimated that as many as 4% of the elderly population in each country are exposed to elder abuse (Podneiks and Pillemer, 1990, National Survey on Abuse of the Elderly in Canada. Ryerson Polytechnic Inst., Toronto; Kurrle et al., 1992, Modern Med. Austral., September, pp. 58-71). This takes the form of physical, emotional as well as financial abuse. Each country has an increasingly ageing population. By the year 2000 the percentage of the population over the age of 65 is predicted to be 13.6% in Canada and 11.7% in Australia (Gnaedinger, 1989, National Forum on Family Violence; Rowland, 1991, Ageing in Australia, Longman Cheshire, Melbourne). Nurses in both community practice and health care facilities have a responsibility to this elderly population to identify those being abused and those at greatest risk. This study questioned a small sample of registered nurses in both countries to identify whether nurses were adequately prepared to identify, intervene and manage patients in an abusive situation. Results show that nurses in both countries were not knowledgeable about the types of abuse, or comfortable and skilled when dealing with the types of elder abuse.

Objective: To characterize the associations of age and progression rates to AIDS-defining neoplasms and opportunistic infections (OI) in HIV-infected homosexual men., Methods: Data from 407 homosexual men with documented dates of HIV seroconversion participating in cohort studies from four geographic locations were merged. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards analyses were conducted with respect to the association of age with time from seroconversion to the first AIDS-defining neoplasm and OI., Results: Among the 407 participants, 139 (34%) were diagnosed with AIDS; 45 (11%) with neoplasms and 90 (22%) with OI. Older age at seroconversion was significantly associated with faster progression to neoplasms, but not to OI. For each 10-year increase in age the risk for neoplasms increased 1.65-fold [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.12-2.43], after adjustment for clinical treatments. For OI this risk estimate was 0.98 (95% CI, 0.72-1.34)., Conclusions: Increasing age is associated with faster progression to AIDS-defining neoplasms, but not with progression to OI. This has not been previously reported and may explain conflicting results in other studies among homosexual men that considered AIDS as a single entity. Our findings suggest that age and AIDS manifestations should be considered, particularly in the context of natural history studies, clinical trials and mathematical modelling.