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Background: A potential problem of low-stakes large-scale assessments such as the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) is low test-taking engagement. The present study pursued two goals in order to better understand conditioning factors of test-taking disengagement: First, a model-based approach was used to investigate whether item indicators of disengagement constitute a continuous latent person variable by domain. Second, the effects of person and item characteristics were jointly tested using explanatory item response models. Methods: Analyses were based on the Canadian sample of Round 1 of the PIAAC, with N = 26,683 participants completing test items in the domains of literacy, numeracy, and problem solving. Binary item disengagement indicators were created by means of item response time thresholds. Results: The results showed that disengagement indicators define a latent dimension by domain. Disengagement increased with lower educational attainment, lower cognitive skills, and when the test language was not the participant's native language. Gender did not exert any effect on disengagement, while age had a positive effect for problem solving only. An item's location in the second of two assessment modules was positively related to disengagement, as was item difficulty. The latter effect was negatively moderated by cognitive skill, suggesting that poor test-takers are especially likely to disengage with more difficult items. Conclusions: The negative effect of cognitive skill, the positive effect of item difficulty, and their negative interaction effect support the assumption that disengagement is the outcome of individual expectations about success (informed disengagement).

Background: This paper reviews what is currently known about mortality among Canadians with intellectual and developmental disabilities and describes opportunities for ongoing monitoring. Methods: In-hospital mortality among adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Ontario was examined using hospital data. Mortality was compared between age-, sex- and residence area-matched groups of Manitobans with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities using linked administrative data. A retrospective cohort study of mortality among individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in a region of Ontario focused on measuring excess mortality and risk factors. Findings: There is evidence of excess mortality in persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Canada. Some of the excess is attributable to comorbidities that are more common in this population. Women may have a greater risk of death than men. Excess mortality occurs at all ages but is more pronounced in early life. Discussion: High-quality ongoing monitoring of mortality among individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities is possible in Canada. Examination of sex differences should be a priority.

In the first longitudinal, population-based study of full-day kindergarten (FDK) outcomes beyond primary school in Canada, we used linked administrative data to follow 15 kindergarten cohorts (n ranging from 112 to 736) up to grade 9. Provincial assessments conducted in grades 3, 7, and 8 and course marks and credits earned in grade 9 were compared between FDK and half-day kindergarten (HDK) students in both targeted and universal FDK programmes. Propensity score matched cohort and stepped-wedge designs allowed for stronger causal inferences than previous research on FDK. We found limited long-term benefits of FDK, specific to the type of programme, outcomes examined, and subpopulations. FDK programmes targeted at low-income areas showed long-term improvements in numeracy for lower income girls. Our results suggest that expectations for wide-ranging long-term academic benefits of FDK are unwarranted.

In the present work, we investigate the hypothesis that failures of task-related executive control that occur during episodes of mind wandering are associated with an increase in extraneous movements (fidgeting). In 2 studies, we assessed mind wandering using thought probes while participants performed the metronome response task (MRT), which required them to synchronize button presses with tones. Participants performed this task while sitting on a Wii Balance Board providing us with an index of fidgeting. Results of Study 1 demonstrate that relative to on-task periods, mind wandering is indeed accompanied by increases in fidgeting, as well as increased response variability in the MRT. In Study 2, we observed that only deep mind wandering was associated with increases in fidgeting, whereas task-related response variability increased even during mild mind wandering. We interpret these findings in the context of current theories of mind wandering and suggest that (a) mind wandering is associated with costs not only to primary-task performance but also to secondary-task goals (e.g., controlling extraneous movements) and (b) these costs may depend on the degree to which task-related executive control processes are disengaged during mind wandering (i.e., depth of mind wandering).

An instrument designed to measure a 3-factor model of research motivation was developed and psychometrically examined in the present research. Participants were 437 graduate students in biology, chemistry/biochemistry, physics/astronomy, and psychology. A principal components analysis supported the retention of 20 items representing the 3-factor structure. Intrinsic Reward explained 32.19% of the variance in the data, followed by Failure Avoidance (15.84%), and Extrinsic Reward (7.49%). A follow-up confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the 3-factor model provided a better fit to the data than competing 1-, 2-, and 4-factor models. A nomological network of relations with academic achievement motivation, fear of failure, behavioral activation/inhibition sensitivity, and other constructs also revealed support for the measure's convergent and discriminant validity. Implications for theory and research in the achievement motivation and career development domains are discussed. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)

Context: It is unknown whether rural isolation may affect birth outcomes and infant mortality differentially for Indigenous versus non-Indigenous populations. We assessed birth outcomes and infant mortality by the degree of rural isolation among First Nations (North American Indians) and non-First Nations populations in Manitoba, Canada, a setting with universal health insurance. Methods: A geocoding-based birth cohort study of 25,143 First Nations and 125,729 non-First Nations live births to Manitoban residents, 1991-2000. Degree of rural isolation was defined by an indicator of urban influence (no, weak, moderate/strong) based on the percentage of the workforce commuting to urban areas. Findings: Preterm birth and low birth weight rates were somewhat lower in all rural areas regardless of the degree of isolation as compared to urban areas for both First Nations and non-First Nations. Infant mortality rates were not significantly different across areas for First Nations (10.7, 9.9, 7.9, and 9.7 per 1,000 in rural areas with no, weak, moderate/strong urban influence, and urban areas, respectively), but rates were significantly lower in less isolated areas for non-First Nations (7.4, 6.0, 5.6, and 4.6 per 1,000, respectively). Adjusted odds ratios showed similar patterns. Conclusions: Living in less isolated areas was associated with lower infant mortality only among non-First Nations. First Nations infants do not seem to have similarly benefited from the better health care facilities in urban centers, suggesting a need to improve urban First Nations' infant care in meeting the challenges of increasing urban migration.

Despite the unique adjustment challenges facing international students' spouses, little research has focused on their adjustment experiences or their programming needs. Understanding the adjustment of these individuals is important both in itself and because spouses play a key role in the adjustment and academic success of international students. Because women make up the vast majority of accompanying spouses, two needs assessments were conducted to explore their particular adjustment experiences and gather information relevant to program development. Hypotheses regarding the impact of conational group size on adjustment were tested as well. Seventy-six wives of international graduate students at a midsized Western Canadian university completed a questionnaire. Results suggest these women are highly educated professionals who face a variety of unique cultural and situational adjustment issues. Overall, their preference is for programming with a professional development focus. Unexpectedly, few differences based on conational group size were found. Research implications for service providers and researchers are discussed. (Contains 2 tables and 4 notes.)

Physical education is becoming increasingly popular in elementary schools in Canada. Studies concerning the balancing of physical activities and intellectual subject matter, upgrading skills through inservice education, improving fitness, and project evaluation methods are reviewed. (JN)

Purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea Vent.) is a perennial legume native to prairies throughout the central USA and Canada. Seed set in natural populations can be very low, and the reasons are not well known. Our objectives were: 1) describe the reproductive morphology in natural populations of purple prairie clover, 2) identify seed predators and parasitoids associated with natural populations, and 3) determine seed set in natural and cultivated populations of purple prairie clover in eastern SD. Inflorescences were collected from natural and cultivated populations on the South Dakota State University Oak Lake Field Station (OLFS), a cultivated population near Aurora, SD, and from a cultivated population in McCrory Gardens at Brookings, SD. In natural populations at OLFS, normal seed set was ca. 10%, frequency of unfertilized ovules was ca. 20%, and seed predation was ca. 15%. The most easily verifiable seed predator was Acanthoscelides seminulum (Horn). However, the most common insects on the spikes were adults of Kissingeria capitone (Kissinger) and larvae of an unidentified gall midge of genus Contarinia (Cecidomyiidae). The overwhelmingly most common seed predators in the cultivated populations were K. capitone and Contarinia sp. The most common parasitoid reared from beetle larvae was Eurydinoteloides incerta (Ashmead). The chalcidoid wasps Baryscapus sp. and Aprostocetus marylandensis (Girault) parasitized gall midge larvae, with Baryscapus sp. the most abundant by far. In addition, a few individuals of Bracon sp. and Inostemma sp., hosts unknown, were collected from immature inflorescences. Normal seed set in the McCrory Gardens population was 55% compared with <15% in the other cultivated populations. This study identified a previously unknown guild of insects associated with inflorescences in purple prairie clover and revealed probable reasons for a paucity of viable seed production in natural and cultivated populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Medical Imaging & Radiation Sciences is the property of Elsevier B.V. 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.)

Abstract: Background/Purpose: Significant socioeconomic disparities have been observed in the rates of perforated appendicitis among children in private health care. We seek to explore if, in the Canadian system of public, universal health care access, pediatric appendicitis rupture rates are an indicator of health disparities. Methods: Using the Population Health Research Data Repository housed at Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, a retrospective analysis over a 20-year period (1983-2003) examined all patients aged less than 18 years with International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnostic and procedural codes for appendicitis (N = 7475). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to calculate odds ratios in the association between appendiceal rupture rates and the patient''s socioeconomic status (SES) based upon average household income of the census area adjusted for age, sex, area of residence, and treating hospital. Results: The overall appendiceal rupture rate was 28.8%. Significant positive predictors of appendiceal rupture were lower rural SES, lower urban SES, younger age, northern area of residence, and receiving treatment at the province''s only pediatric tertiary care hospital. Conclusion: Despite free, universal access health care, children from lower SES areas have increased appendiceal rupture rates. Seeking and accessing medical attention can be complicated by social, behavioral, and geographical problems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Public Health is the property of Springer Nature 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.)

With the objectives of improving establishment and early growth of aspen seedlings, effects of fertilization and irrigation were tested in a 2×2 factorial experiment at the Weyerhaeuser Tree Improvement Centre at Drayton Valley, Alta., Canada. Fertilizer interacted strongly with irrigation so that the total effect of both treatments applied together was to increase mean height 19% and stem volume 92% after three growing seasons. Fertilizer without irrigation had no effect on growth, and it also decreased survival 17% compared with control. Fertilizer applied with irrigation reduced survival only 5% after three growing seasons, so that the combined irrigation plus fertilization treatment increased volume growth above control 78% after correcting volumes for survival. Foliage analysis indicated that the main growth response was to the P supplied by the fertilizer, and foliage concentration and content of P was increased by irrigation of fertilized trees. There were both water and nutrient limitations on the ability of aspen to reach its full growth potential at the Drayton Valley site over the 3-year experiment. However, seedling nutrient status increased over the second year, possibly because the larger seedlings exploited the soil more extensively or because of more natural precipitation. The adverse effect of fertilization on survival in the absence of irrigation was attributed to additional moisture stress caused by soluble fertilizer. It was concluded that moisture conditions could be expected to affect response of aspen to fertilization at planting, and that the persistence of the fertilization effect was related to the P it supplied. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: The Manitoba Health Registry does not fully identify First Nations Manitobans, impacting the ability to adequately describe their health status and use of health services using this data source alone. This paper describes the processes in producing a valid database for use in a population-based report by the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy (MCHP).Methods: The Indian Registry's Status Verification System (SVS) file is a national database containing a complete list of Registered First Nations eligible for benefits through the Indian Act. Through negotiations with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs' Health Information Research Committee, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, FNIHB, Manitoba Health, and MCHP, a linkage of the SVS files and Manitoba Health's Registry was accomplished. Of the 116,177 SVS records and 5,803 deceased records, 97,635 individuals linked to the Manitoba Health Registry.Results: There was a 99% match on gender, 70% match on surname, 94% match on given name, and 96% match on birth year. The total represents a 20% decrease in records from the Indian Registry. The decrease was greater for females, older people and those from southern areas.Conclusion: The linkage resulted in a 20% increase over Manitoba Health data alone. Our inability to link all of the records may be due to several factors. Individuals with a Manitoba Band affiliation living outside of the province could not be linked to the Manitoba Health Registry. First Nations living in Manitoba but affiliated with a non-Manitoba Band would not have been in the file obtained. Finally, births, deaths and surname change after marriage may be under-reported to the Indian Registry. This linkage enabled MCHP to provide a more accurate picture of First Nations health status and use of health care services than otherwise would have been available. Ongoing linkages with Manitoba Health data, as well as similar linkages elsewhere in Canada, are encouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Health policy makers have stated that diabetes prevention is a priority; however, the type, intensity, and target of interventions or policy changes that will achieve the greatest impact remains uncertain. In response to this uncertainty, the Diabetes Population Risk Tool (DPoRT) was developed and validated to estimate future diabetes risk based on routinely collected population data. To facilitate use of DPoRT, we partnered with regional and provincial health-related decision makers in Ontario and Manitoba, Canada. Primary objectives include: i) evaluate the effectiveness of partnerships between the research team and DPoRT users; ii) explore strategies that facilitate uptake and overcome barriers to DPoRT use; and iii) implement and evaluate the knowledge translation approach., Methods: This protocol reflects an integrated knowledge translation (IKT) approach and corresponds to the action phase of the Knowledge-to-Action (KtoA) framework. Our IKT approach includes: employing a knowledge brokering team to facilitate relationships with DPoRT users (objective 1); tailored training for DPoRT users; assessment of barriers and facilitators to DPoRT use; and customized dissemination strategies to present DPoRT outputs to decision maker audiences (objective 2). Finally, a utilization-focused evaluation will assess the effectiveness and impact of the proposed KtoA process for DPoRT application (objective 3). This research design utilizes a multiple case study approach. Units of analyses consist of two public health units, one provincial health organization, and one provincial knowledge dissemination team whereby we will connect with multiple regional health authorities. Evaluation will be based on analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data collected from passive (e.g., observer notes) and active (e.g., surveys and interviews) methods., Discussion: DPoRT offers an innovative way to make routinely collected population health data practical and meaningful for diabetes prevention planning and decision making. Importantly, we will evaluate the utility of the KtoA cycle for a novel purpose - the application of a tool. Additionally, we will evaluate this approach in multiple diverse settings, thus considering contextual factors. This research will offer insights into how knowledge translation strategies can support the use of population-based risk assessment tools to promote informed decision making in health-related settings.

To date there have been no studies examining complicated grief (CG) in Aboriginal populations. Although this research gap exists, it can be hypothesized that Aboriginal populations may be at increased risk for CG, given a variety of factors, including increased rates of all-cause mortality and death by suicide. Aboriginal people also have a past history of multiple stressors resulting from the effects of colonization and forced assimilation, a significant example being residential school placement. This loss of culture and high rates of traumatic events may place Aboriginal individuals at increased risk for suicide, as well as CG resulting from traumatic loss and suicide bereavement. Studies are needed to examine CG in Aboriginal populations. These studies must include cooperation with Aboriginal communities to help identify risk factors for CG, understand the role of culture among these communities, and identify interventions to reduce poor health outcomes such as suicidal behavior.

Aim: To present the process used by professional staff from 10 Canadian jurisdictional regulatory bodies to develop entry-level competencies for registered nurse practice., Background: Canada is composed of provinces and territories, commonly referred to as jurisdictions with the governmental legal authority to administer the affairs of the area. Each jurisdiction establishes regulatory bodies with the mandate to protect the public. The Executive Directors of the jurisdictional regulatory bodies initiated this collaborative project to develop entry-level competencies for registered nurses. The purpose of the project was to enhance the consistency of entry-level registered nurse competencies, thereby supporting reciprocity of registration and workforce mobility, within Canada. This was the first time that Canadian nursing regulatory bodies have collaborated in a jurisdictional-driven project of this magnitude for registered nurses exclusively. This initiative has demonstrated how nursing regulatory bodies, working together, can achieve a common goal., Process: The project participants worked from 2004 to 2006, developing and refining the competencies. Multiple methods were used to accomplish the task, including monthly teleconferences, frequent E-mail communications, small group work and face-to-face meetings. At various stages in the project, consultation with registered nurses within several participating jurisdictions occurred, depending on where each jurisdiction was in their jurisdictional competency review. This project spanned a 2-year period and resulted in a comprehensive document that captured the views of the participants and enhanced the resulting document., Conclusion: The result is a document stating the core competencies for entry-level registered nurses in the 10 participating jurisdictions and includes several components that establish the context in which entry-level competencies are developed and applied. The 119 competency statements are organized in a standard-based framework of five categories: professional responsibility and accountability; knowledge-based practice; ethical practice; service to the public; and self-regulation. The project team plans to follow up on implementation as each jurisdiction decides how to use the competencies within their particular jurisdiction.