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Visual-verbal serial recall is disrupted when task-irrelevant background speech has to be ignored. Contrary to previous suggestion, it has recently been shown that the magnitude of disruption may be accentuated by the semantic properties of the irrelevant speech. Sentences ending with unexpected words that did not match the preceding semantic context were more disruptive than sentences ending with expected words. This particular instantiation of a deviation effect has been termed the semantic mismatch effect. To establish a new phenomenon, it is necessary to show that the effect can be independently replicated and does not depend on specific boundary conditions such as the language of the stimulus material. Here we report a preregistered replication of the semantic mismatch effect in which we examined the effect of unexpected words in 4 different languages (English, French, German, and Swedish) across 4 different laboratories. Participants performed a serial recall task while ignoring sentences with expected or unexpected words that were recorded using text-to-speech software. Independent of language, sentences ending with unexpected words were more disruptive than sentences ending with expected words. In line with previous results, there was no evidence of habituation of the semantic mismatch effect in the form of a decrease in disruption with repeated exposure to the occurrence of unexpected words. The successful replication and extension of the effect to different languages indicates the expression of a general and robust mechanism that reacts to violations of expectancies based on the semantic content of the irrelevant speech.

The article reports results from a Human Early Learning Partnership initiative that aims to address limitations within the literature concerning neighborhood effects on child development. Problems include the tendency for studies to (a) rely on small samples of children, (b) focus on high-risk populations, (c) define neighborhood by Census boundaries, (d) attend only to 1 or 2 developmental domains, and (e) adhere to a narrow understanding of socioeconomic status. By collecting data from a near-census of kindergarten children in British Columbia, Canada, using the Early Development Instrument, our research addresses all 5 problems. Findings reported in this article lay the groundwork for the Human Early Learning Partnership's much more ambitious program of social care research that aims to measure directly the processes by which physical and social settings influence human development in the formative early years, rather than to infer them from data routinely collected for other purposes. The article concludes by inviting international colleagues to critically evaluate our program of research in its early days of implementation. (Contains 6 tables and 2 footnotes.)

This paper reports on the design, methodology, and results of a study of quality in 326 classrooms in 239 Canadian child care centers. This study, the largest and most extensive ever undertaken in Canada, used the Caregiver Interaction Scale (CIS) to rate the adult-child interactions in the classrooms and the Infant-Toddler Environment Rating Scale (ITERS) and the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised (ECERS-R) to measure the quality of classroom learning environments. The observed staff members completed questionnaires on wages, working conditions, and satisfaction levels, and the center directors also completed questionnaires on center operations and finances. Path analyses revealed that in the infant/toddler rooms the number of adults in the observed classroom and the education level of the observed staff member were direct predictors of quality. In addition, there were three indirect predictors: parent fees, adult:child ratio, and use of the center as a student teacher practicum site. There were five significant direct predictors in the preschool classrooms: wages, education level, number of staff in the observed room, staff satisfaction, and whether the center received free or subsidized rent or utilities. The three indirect predictors were auspice, adult:child ratio, and parent fees. The interaction of distal and proximal factors is interpreted and applied to the development and implementation of public policy initiatives that can provide much-needed improvement to the overall mediocre levels of child care quality in Canada.

Research shows that stability is one component of quality child care. We investigate the understudied phenomenon of the stability of child-care facilities over time, focusing on the province of British Columbia, Canada. Although net figures show growth in the number of providers between 1997 and 2001, they obfuscate a dramatic level of closure among centers and family child caregivers. Our study analyzes closure rates in the light of caregiver and facility characteristics for more than 2500 licensed services, plus the community contexts in which the services operate. Results underscore the importance of public policy for center stability, re-confirm the benefits of paying higher wages to staff, and shed light on the influence of socioeconomic trends over the sector.

Abstract: Hemlock looper (Lambdina fiscellaria fiscellaria (Guen.)) is an economically damaging defoliator that undergoes periodic outbreaks in Newfoundland, Canada. It defoliates and causes extensive tree mortality to its primary host, balsam fir (Abies balsamea [L.] Mill.). We quantified tree survival using data from permanent sample plots (PSPs) and growth reduction or release using dendrochronology, and related these impacts to defoliation severity determined from annual aerial defoliation survey data. Such impact relationships are necessary as a fundamental input to a Decision Support System. Growth and survival of balsam fir, black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) and white birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.) were assessed from 1996 to 2008 in 48 Newfoundland Forest Service PSPs, selected based on four classes of defoliation severity. Two years of severe (71–100%) defoliation resulted in almost complete mortality for balsam fir, 10 years after defoliation, whereas survival was 70–80% for black spruce and white birch. Lower defoliation severity (1–2 years of moderate (31–70%) or 1 year of severe) resulted in approximately 60% survival for balsam fir and no reduction in survival for black spruce and white birch. Maximum growth reduction of balsam fir was 10–15% with 1 year of moderate-severe defoliation, 35–40% with 2 years of moderate defoliation, and about 50% with 2 years of severe defoliation. Growth recovered to pre-defoliation rates 5 years after defoliation ceased in all severity classes. Growth reduction and recovery of black spruce were more variable and lower than for balsam fir, and white birch exhibited only minor (<10%) growth reduction during the defoliation year or 1 year after defoliation. Control measures should focus on avoiding severe defoliation for two consecutive years. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

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The authors assert the importance of public funding for child care services in supporting families in Canada. They stress that time, resources and supports to educate and care for their children are the needs of families where public policy has an influence. They cite an investigation of the Institute for Research on Public Policy showing the low ranking of Alberta and British Columbia in terms of family policies. They note that Québec address families' needs through expanded parental leave. They call for quality child care services in Canada.

• No deleterious effects of warming were observed for the northern populations. • Warmer-adapted provenances moved to colder conditions resulted in smaller trees. • Temperature-related factors generally had stronger effect than moisture-related factors. • Nitrogen significantly contributed to site differences under similar climate conditions. Red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) is an important tree species in northeastern North America. The impact of climate change on this tree species is expected to vary regionally, but may be negative within Canada's eastern Acadian Forest Region as temperatures there are expected to rise by 2–6 °C by 2100 under the business-as-usual Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5 climate forcing scenario. In this study, we use one series of historic provenance trials from northeastern North America to evaluate the capacity of red spruce to persist under climate change by analyzing measurements of tree height and diameter at breast height (DBH) in relation to differences between provenance origin climate and test site climate (i.e., climate differentials). Within the range of climate differentials tested, warming (i.e., when the test site was warmer than provenance origin) did not appear to have a deleterious effect on red spruce growth, but cooling (i.e., moving provenances to colder, more northerly sites) did negatively affect growth by reducing height and diameter. Indeed, warmer temperatures, relative to provenance origin, increased tree size, especially for the most northern provenances, suggesting red spruce at the northern extent of its geographical range in northeastern North America is currently cold suppressed and located in non-optimal climates. However, our capacity to test warming effects on more southerly provenances was limited in this study by lack of available test sites south of red spruce's climatic range. Among the eight climate variables tested, changes in frost free period and mean annual temperature had the most significant impact on tree size. In general, temperature-related climate variables had stronger effects than moisture-related variables. Overall, our results provide important insight for foresters when considering the future management of red spruce in the Acadian Forest Region and the selection of climate adapted seed source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RéSUMé: OBJECTIF: Il est démontré que la santé est principalement le fruit de ses déterminants sociaux, et comme de fait, la recherche sur les systèmes de santé montre que les dépenses publiques relatives aux programmes sociaux sont souvent plus fortement corrélées à la santé des populations que les investissements dans les soins médicaux. Notre étude vise à aider les Cabinets provinciaux et fédéraux du Canada à en prendre acte en introduisant le concept de « la santé dans toutes les politiques » (Health in All Policies, ou HiAP) dans les débats budgétaires. MéTHODE: L'étude est descriptive; elle analyse des données secondaires accessibles au public sur les budgets fédéraux et provinciaux pour déterminer comment le financement public des investissements dans les déterminants sociaux de la santé (DSS) aux stades précoces (< 45 ans) et ultérieurs (65 ans et plus) du parcours de vie a évolué depuis 1976 par rapport aux investissements dans les soins médicaux. RéSULTATS: Les dépenses en soins médicaux ont augmenté de 3 983 $ par personne de 65 ans et plus depuis 1976. Cette augmentation dépasse de 45 % l'augmentation combinée des dépenses en services de garde, en congés parentaux, en aide au revenu familial, en éducation et en soins médicaux par personne pour les moins de 45 ans. De toutes les nouvelles dépenses pour les Canadiens plus jeunes, les soins médicaux ont reçu les investissements les plus importants. Alors que les dépenses médicales pour les retraités ont dépassé d'un peu plus de la moitié le rythme des dépenses en revenus de retraite, les dépenses médicales pour les Canadiens plus jeunes ont augmenté presque autant que les dépenses pour l'ensemble des politiques de DSS à leur endroit. CONCLUSION: Depuis 1976, il y a une plus grande concordance entre l'approche HiAP et le financement public du Canada pour les aînés que pour les Canadiens plus jeunes. Ces résultats offrent aux décideurs d'importantes informations rétrospectives pour évaluer les futurs investissements publics dans les soins médicaux et les déterminants sociaux de la santé pour tout le parcours de vie, ainsi que les plans de financement de ces investissements.

Competing Interests: Competing interests: Paul Kershaw is the founder of Generation Squeeze, a nonprofit, university–community collaboration located at three institutions: his laboratory at the University of British Columbia, the Vancity Community Foundation (VCF) charity, and the nonprofit Association for Generational Equity (AGE). Kershaw is the unpaid chair of a volunteer advisory group for the VCF, and the unpaid chair of the volunteer board of AGE. Generation Squeeze receives funds to support its community engagement activities from the Vancouver Foundation, United Way of the Lower Mainland, Vancity Credit Union, Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation, Wesgroup and the Urban Development Institute. Commercial interests do not provide any funding for Generation Squeeze research, nor contribute to Paul Kershaw’s salary at his UBC laboratory.

Setting: The World Health Organization Commission on the Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) observes that building political will is central to all its recommendations, because governments respond to those who organize and show up. Since younger Canadians are less likely to vote or to organize in between elections, they are less effective at building political will than their older counterparts. This results in an age gap between SDoH research and government budget priorities. Whereas Global AgeWatch ranks Canada among the top countries for aging, UNICEF ranks Canada among the least generous OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries for the generations raising young children., Intervention: A surgical intervention into the body politic. Guided by the "health political science" literature, the intervention builds a non-profit coalition to perform science-based, non-partisan democratic engagement to increase incentives for policy-makers to translate SDoH research about younger generations into government budget investments., Outcomes: All four national parties integrated policy recommendations from the intervention into their 2015 election platforms. Three referred to, or consulted with, the intervention during the election. The intervention coincided with all parties committing to the single largest annual increase in spending on families with children in over a decade., Implications: Since many population-level decisions are made in political venues, the concept of population health interventions should be broadened to include activities designed to mobilize SDoH science in the world of politics. Such interventions must engage with the power dynamics, values, interests and institutional factors that mediate the path by which science shapes government budgets.

The authors examine the politics of caregiving for identity to enrich scholarship about power. They report on a qualitative study with Aboriginal mothers who parent in the wake of the Canadian Indian residential schools (IRS). Just as this system disrupted familial caregiving to assimilate Aboriginal Peoples, data show some mothers now strive to organize their caregiving in ways that serve decolonization and community empowerment. Building on their expertise, the authors argue that counter-colonial family policy investments to support such caregiving should factor in any just compensation for the IRS system if its population, and not just individual, costs are to be redressed.

Objective: The study estimates the economic costs of early vulnerability in the light of population-level data showing that between 25% and 30% of Canadian children do not arrive at kindergarten meeting all of the developmental benchmarks they need to thrive both now and into the future., Methods: The study examines Early Development Instrument (EDI) data across Canada as of 2008/09, and across time within British Columbia since 2001. We then link the BC EDI data with school achievement results on standardized tests in grades four and seven, along with graduation records and criminal justice information., Results: The result is a synthetic cohort with which we can simulate the impact on economic growth of reducing early vulnerability in BC from its current rate of 29% to 10%, a threshold above which child vulnerability is biologically unnecessary., Discussion: Nearly three times what it should be, a rate of early vulnerability that approaches 30% signals that the country now tolerates an unnecessary brain drain that will dramatically deplete our future stock of human capital. Economic analyses reveal that this depletion will cause Canada to forgo 20% in GDP (gross domestic product) growth over the next 60 years. The economic value of this loss is equivalent to investing $2.2 trillion to $3.4 trillion today at a rate of 3.5% interest, even after paying for the social investment required to reduce vulnerability.