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HIV-exposed uninfected (HEU) children during the preschool and early school ages may be at-risk for neurodevelopmental challenges due to in utero and perinatal exposure to HIV and/or antiretroviral (ARV) medications. HEU children and HIV-unexposed uninfected (HUU) children from the community were recruited and tested at 3 to 4 and 5 to 6 years of age. Demographic information, HIV/ARV exposure and measures of intelligence, visuomotor skills, and adaptive functioning were obtained. Nonparametric tests assessed group differences and multiple regression analyses adjusted for demographic variables. Additional multiple regression analyses were performed within the HEU group to investigate associations between neurodevelopmental measures and variables of HIV/ARV exposure. At 3 to 4 years, 211 HEU children and 31 HUU children were assessed, and 144 HEU children and 58 HUU children were assessed at 5 to 6 years of age. At 3 to 4 years of age, HEU children scored significantly lower on measures of Full-Scale IQ, Performance IQ, visual motor integration, and adaptive functioning. At 5 to 6 years of age, HEU children scored significantly lower on all neurodevelopmental measures. At both ages, children who were female and those with mothers who were employed achieved higher scores on measures intellectual ability and/or adaptive functioning. Within the HEU group, no consistent associations were found between neurodevelopmental measures and HIV/ARV specific variables. HEU children demonstrated significantly lower scores on neurodevelopmental measures than HUU children during early childhood. Gaps in verbal intellectual abilities were identified with age, highlighting the importance of monitoring neurodevelopment in this population over time.

This research investigated whether a mental health literacy resource could increase Grade 12 students' mental health literacy. Bachelor of Education students (N = 8) from a university in rural Atlantic Canada created a board game and mental health seminar based on the resource. They applied the resource through the board game and seminar to Grade 12 students at two local high schools. There were positive albeit modest outcomes across a number of measures related to mental health literacy and post-secondary schooling preparation. Participants regarded the resource as helpful, and they were likely to recommend it to their peers. This resource holds promise for supporting students as they transition from high school to post-secondary settings.

Direct comparisons of American and Canadian faculty and students' views concerning issues of race, gender, and affirmative action in higher education are rare. The 1999 North American Academic Study Survey provides a unique opportunity to analyze the role of national and positional factors in faculty and student attitudes towards race, gender, and affirmative action in the US and Canada. The findings indicate that national factors are more important than positional factors on many racial and affirmative-action issues. Differences between students and faculty are more pronounced than are cross-national variations on many gender-related issues.

Ethics review of research involving humans has become something of an institution in recent years. It is intended to protect participants from harm and, to that end, follows rigorous standards. Given recent changes in research methodologies utilized in medical research, it may be that ethics review for some kinds of studies needs to be reexamined. The purpose of this paper is to stimulate dialogue regarding the kind of review required for citizen science-based research. We describe a case study of a proposal submitted to our research ethics board and propose different approaches to proportionate review in research involving citizen scientists. In particular, we describe how problems with the term "participant" led to confusion in review of this study and examine the study in light of current Canadian guidelines. We suggest that the term participant and indeed the general approach to low-risk community-based studies such as the one described warrant reexamination.

The purpose of the Technology and High School Success (THSS) initiative was to encourage innovative strategies focused on improving provincial high school completion rates, using technology and student-centered learning to engage student interest. The primary purpose of this paper is to report on barriers that impede systemic, effective and sustainable technology integration within schools. Even with teacher and administrative support and commitment for THSS, evaluative research indicated minimal change in system capacity as a result of the initiative. Three primary barriers to program sustainability were: (1) schools and school districts did not leverage the opportunity to revisit their existing vision(s), (2) schools and school districts did not use data to make changes, and (3) limited access to technology.

In 1994, the National Arts Education Association created a research agenda to address major research issues in the field of visual arts education for the purpose of examining, negotiating, and modifying commonly held beliefs in the field of art education. Research by arts educators has done much to inform visual arts education theory and practice, but largely through studies by individuals with few collaborative efforts. In 1991, Neil Owen Houser proposed a collaborative processing model for arts education, which reflects the experiential or constructivist nature of instruction. In this paper, we present our reflections on our shared work where we explored the benefits of interdisciplinary collaboration, the role of play in the process of problem solving, and how experiential learning strategies and techniques could be applied to the teaching of various subjects through visually-mediated arts projects.

The purpose of this study was to understand the experience of students as they progressed through three specific online graduate courses in health promotion studies delivered primarily by asynchronous computer conferencing. Focused teleconference discussions were conducted with approximately 45 students from the different courses and the transcripts subjected to qualitative analysis. Themes that emerged included what new students appreciated most when adapting to learning online, factors that contributed to learner satisfaction, and the difficulties encountered by students taking a course when the content was not as well suited to the instructional method. The findings are discussed in relation to the three components of Garrison, Anderson and Archer's (2000) Community of Inquiry model of learning: cognitive, social and teacher presence. Implications are presented for assisting students with the process of adapting to online learning and enhancing the "fit" between course content and online instructional methods.

Background: Children with underweight in the first 2 years have lower body mass index z‐score (zBMI) and height‐for‐age z‐score (HAZ) in later childhood. It is not known if underweight in the first 2 years is associated with nutrition risk in later childhood. Objective: (1) Determine the relationship between underweight (zBMI < −2) in the first 2 years and nutrition risk measured by the Nutrition Screening for Toddlers and Preschoolers (NutriSTEP) score from 18 months to 5 years. (2) Explore the relationship between underweight in the first 2 years and the NutriSTEP subscores for eating behaviours and dietary intake from 18 months to 5 years. Methods: This was a prospective study, including healthy full‐term children in Canada aged 0–5 years. zBMI was calculated using measured heights and weights and the WHO growth standards. NutriSTEP score was measured using a parent‐completed survey and ranged from 0 to 68. Nutrition risk was defined as a score ≥21. Linear mixed effects models were used. Results: Four thousand nine hundred twenty‐nine children were included in this study. At enrolment, 51.9% of participants were male. The prevalence of underweight children was 8.8%. Underweight in the first 2 years was associated with higher NutriSTEP (0.79, 95% CI: 0.29,1.29), higher eating behaviour subscore (0.24, 95% CI: 0.03, 0.46) at 3 years and higher odds of nutrition risk (OR: 1.39, 95% CI: 1.07,1.82) at 5 years. Conclusions: Children with underweight in the first 2 years had higher nutrition risk in later childhood. Further research is needed to understand the factors which influence these relationships. Key points: In this prospective cohort study of 4929 children aged 0–5 years, children with underweight in the first 2 years of life had higher odds of nutrition risk at 5 years of age compared to children without underweight in the first 2 years (p = 0.02). Further research is needed to understand the factors which influence these relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A global decline in seagrass populations has led to renewed calls for their conservation as important providers of biogenic and foraging habitat, shoreline stabilization and carbon storage. Eelgrass (Zostera marina) occupies the largest geographic range among seagrass species spanning a commensurately broad spectrum of environmental conditions. In Canada, eelgrass is managed as a single phylogroup despite occurring across three oceans and a range of ocean temperatures and salinity gradients. Previous research has focused on applying relatively few markers to reveal population structure of eelgrass, whereas a whole‐genome approach is warranted to investigate cryptic structure among populations inhabiting different ocean basins and localized environmental conditions. We used a pooled whole‐genome re‐sequencing approach to characterize population structure, gene flow and environmental associations of 23 eelgrass populations ranging from the Northeast United States to Atlantic, subarctic and Pacific Canada. We identified over 500,000 SNPs, which when mapped to a chromosome‐level genome assembly revealed six broad clades of eelgrass across the study area, with pairwise FST ranging from 0 among neighbouring populations to 0.54 between Pacific and Atlantic coasts. Genetic diversity was highest in the Pacific and lowest in the subarctic, consistent with colonization of the Arctic and Atlantic oceans from the Pacific less than 300 kya. Using redundancy analyses and two climate change projection scenarios, we found that subarctic populations are predicted to be potentially more vulnerable to climate change through genomic offset predictions. Conservation planning in Canada should thus ensure that representative populations from each identified clade are included within a national network so that latent genetic diversity is protected, and gene flow is maintained. Northern populations, in particular, may require additional mitigation measures given their potential susceptibility to a rapidly changing climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding how marine organisms adapt to local environments is crucial for predicting how populations will respond to global climate change. The genomic basis, environmental factors and evolutionary processes involved in local adaptation are however not well understood. Here we use Atlantic herring, an abundant, migratory and widely distributed marine fish with substantial genomic resources, as a model organism to evaluate local adaptation. We examined genomic variation and its correlation with environmental variables across a broad environmental gradient, for 15 spawning aggregations in Atlantic Canada and the United States. We then compared our results with available genomic data of northeast Atlantic populations. We confirmed that population structure lies in a fraction of the genome including likely adaptive genetic variants of functional importance. We discovered 10 highly differentiated genomic regions distributed across four chromosomes. Nine regions show strong association with seasonal reproduction. One region, corresponding to a known inversion on chromosome 12, underlies a latitudinal pattern discriminating populations north and south of a biogeographic transition zone on the Scotian Shelf. Genome–environment associations indicate that winter seawater temperature best correlates with the latitudinal pattern of this inversion. The variation at two so‐called 'islands of divergence' related to seasonal reproduction appear to be private to the northwest Atlantic. Populations in the northwest and northeast Atlantic share variation at four of these divergent regions, simultaneously displaying significant diversity in haplotype composition at another four regions, which includes an undescribed structural variant approximately 7.7 Mb long on chromosome 8. Our results suggest that the timing and geographic location of spawning and early development may be under diverse selective pressures related to allelic fitness across environments. Our study highlights the role of genomic architecture, ancestral haplotypes and selection in maintaining adaptive divergence in species with large population sizes and presumably high gene flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All around the world, partnerships among schools and other youth-serving systems are promoting more comprehensive school-based mental health services. This article describes the development of international networks for school mental health (SMH) including the International Alliance for Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Schools (INTERCAMHS) and the more recent School Mental Health International Leadership Exchange (SMHILE). In conjunction with World Conferences on Mental Health Promotion, SMHILE has held pre-conference and planning meetings and has identified five critical themes for the advancement of global SMH: 1) Cross-sector collaboration in building systems of care; 2) meaningful youth and family engagement; 3) workforce development and mental health literacy; 4) implementation of evidence-based practices; and 5) ongoing monitoring and quality assurance. In this article we provide general background on SMH in four nations, two showing strong progress (the United States and Canada), one showing moderate progress (Norway), and one beginning the work (Liberia). Following general background for each country, actions in relation to the SMHILE themes are reviewed. The article concludes with plans and ideas for future global collaboration towards advancement of the SMH field.

A teacher-training program was introduced in Southern Alberta, Canada, to enable intern teachers to integrate career education projects into their mainstream elementary school courses. This non-experimental, descriptive evaluation used content analysis to examine the effectiveness of 25 career education projects and their corresponding 56 types of career education interventions that were implemented by intern teachers. Twenty-five project reports and 555 student evaluation surveys were examined to determine trends in project strengths, challenges, and recommendations for career education. Students benefited from engaging in a variety of developmentally appropriate learning experiences that allowed them to engage in self-exploration and identify potential careers of interest. Implications for future research and practice are provided.

Intern teachers in Southern Alberta, Canada participated in two career education courses. As a culminating activity, intern teachers created and delivered integrated career education projects in their final practicum placements, submitted project reports, and collected standardized evaluation surveys from their students. This nonexperimental study analyzed 10 intern teachers' senior high projects and 170 corresponding student evaluation surveys to determine trends in project strengths, challenges, and recommendations for future career education. Senior high students benefited from engaging in self-exploration and career research activities, as students often expressed that they found career education to be helpful and relevant to their futures. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Growth in the field of medical education is evidenced by the proliferation of units dedicated to advancing Medical Education Research and Innovation (MERI). While a review of the literature discovered narrative accounts of MERI unit development, we found no systematic examinations of the dimensions of and structures that facilitate the success of these units. We conducted qualitative interviews with the directors of 12 MERI units across Canada. Data were analyzed using qualitative description (Sandelowski in "Res Nurs Health" 23:334-340, 2000). Final analysis drew on Bourdieu's ("Outline of a theory of practice." Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1977; "Media, culture and society: a critical reader." Sage, London, 1986; "Language and symbolic power." Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1991) concepts of "field," "habitus," and "capital", and more recent research investigating the "field" of MERI (Albert in "Acad Med" 79:948-954, 2004; Albert et al. in "Adv Health Sci Educ" 12:103-115, 2007). When asked about the metrics by which they define their success, directors cited: teaching, faculty mentoring, building collaborations, delivering conference presentations, winning grant funding, and disseminating publications. Analyzed using Bourdieu's concepts, these metrics are discussed as forms of capital that have been legitimized in the MERI field. All directors, with the exception of one, described success as being comprised of elements (capital) at both ends of the service-research spectrum (i.e., Albert's PP-PU structure). Our analysis highlights the forms of "habitus" (i.e., behaviors, attitudes, demeanors) directors use to negotiate, strategize and position the unit within their local context. These findings may assist institutions in developing a new--or reorganizing an existing--MERI unit. We posit that a better understanding of these complex social structures can help units become savvy participants in the MERI "field". With such insight, units can improve their academic output and their status in the MERI context-locally, nationally, and internationally.

Stemphylium blight caused by Stemphylium botryosum, is a foliar disease of lentil. It affects the productivity and milling quality of lentil crops, mainly in South Asia and Canada. Development of stemphylium blight resistant cultivars by introgression of resistance alleles from crop wild relatives of lentil, such as Lens ervoides, is one strategy of disease control. The objective of this study was to identify genomic regions associated with stemphylium blight resistance by combining linkage mapping and marker-trait association analysis. A total of 182 genotypes of a lentil advanced backcross population (LABC-01) developed from the backcross of the interspecific L. culinaris × L. ervoides line LR-59-81 (donor) and cultivar CDC Redberry (recurrent) and 101 diverse lentil accessions selected by stratified random sampling from a lentil diversity panel were genotyped and evaluated for stemphylium blight reactions. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis identified four loci contributing to stemphylium blight resistance on lentil chromosomes 2, 4 and 5. Marker trait association analysis detected five significant single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers associated with stemphylium blight resistance within QTLs regions and seven SNP markers outside the QTLs regions on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7. The markers associated with stemphylium blight resistance may be useful for marker-assisted selection of resistant cultivars after validation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study uses a new measure to examine how different types of reasons for cohabitation are associated with individual well-being and relationship quality in a sample of 120 cohabiting heterosexual couples (N = 240). Spending more time together and convenience are the most strongly endorsed reasons. The degree to which individuals report cohabiting to test their relationships is associated with more negative couple communication and more physical aggression as well as lower relationship adjustment, confidence, and dedication. Testing the relationship is also associated with higher levels of attachment insecurity and more symptoms of depression and anxiety. Men are more likely than women to endorse testing their relationships and less likely to endorse convenience as a reason for cohabiting. (Contains 3 tables, 1 figure and 3 notes.)

Information literacy instruction programs for graduate students can be challenging to develop. One solution is to develop non-course-based, non-mandatory library instruction programs, in order to meet the information literacy needs of as many graduate students as possible. This was the approach taken by the Taylor Library at the University of Western Ontario, as we embarked on the development of a program for students in the areas of engineering, health sciences, medicine & dentistry, and science. As a first step, we conducted a needs assessment study via focus groups and an online survey. The study looked at graduate student perceptions of their library research needs, their preferences for learning about library research, and the appropriateness of a common instruction program for students in these disciplines. We found that graduate students wanted to learn about strategies for finding information, bibliographic management tools such as RefWorks, and tools for keeping current with scholarly literature. Students preferred online instruction, although in-person workshops were also found to be valuable. Students in all four faculties identified common information literacy needs, while expressing a desire for subject-specific instruction. (Contains 1 table and 3 figures.)

The challenges of administering an overseas management education project over a sixteen year period are recounted. When the host country is a former communist state and now a full member of the EU, the challenges are ever present from all who may be regarded as stakeholders. Federal Canadian funding enabled the creation of a local infrastructure, installing library systems and a computer laboratory while Canadian professors were being flown in and local professors trained to take over from them. The initiation of an MBA program provided discussion over content, teaching and support but a model was agreed based on tried and tested Canadian programs and local needs and this went on to twice achieve Business Week's #1 status for the best MBA Program in Poland. Despite this, its future was threatened later when the EU proposes to expand the number of MBA graduates in Poland by supporting only local programs. As most of the quality MBA programs are still North American, this would have penalised the quality programs at the expense of the local programs. When this was challenged, the EU retracted and offered a 1 million Euro award to translate the program into Polish. It then became the model for the nation to follow. (Contains 2 tables.)

Apparently, the department of agriculture is the last bastion for ideological pluralism in the modern American academy. Almost everywhere else, according to research by Stanley Rothman et al., a monolithic liberal orthodoxy holds sway, rewarding its own and conferring career disadvantage upon scholars deemed politically inconvenient. As his acceptance address for the NAS's highest award, Professor Rothman proffers statistical corroboration, from his team's survey analyses, of the anecdotal impression that many who aspire to the centers of intellectual curiosity are excluded simply for thinking different thoughts. (Contains 17 notes and 4 tables.)

The mountain pine beetle (MPB) has infested over 16 million hectares of pine forests in western Canada, killing over 50% of mature lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta, in British Columbia alone. There are few tools available to manage irruptive bark beetle populations and to mitigate tree mortality. Beauveria bassiana is an entomopathogenic fungus that causes mortality to several bark beetle species. However, the potential for B. bassiana as a biocontrol agent against pine beetle populations is unknown. We selected three strains of B. bassiana from several culture collections and evaluated their conidial stability under cold storage, in planta (greenhouse, and pine bolts) and in natura (forest stand, pine bolts, and live pines) conditions. The stability assays showed that all fungal strains maintained a minimum effective conidial yield through the assay durations (3–12 weeks). In addition, we adapted a biphasic liquid–solid fermentation approach for the large-scale production of conidial biomass, yielding up to a 100-fold increase in production. In greenhouse virulence assays, the mean lethal time of MPBs was reduced to 3–4 days upon treatment with B. bassiana, where high B. bassiana-associated mycosis was also observed. Furthermore, the application of B. bassiana formulation substantially affected the gallery network of MPBs in bolts in the field, resulting in shorter larval galleries and significantly reduced offspring production. Indeed, high titer treatments reduced the mean larvae per gallery to virtually zero. Together these results demonstrate that B. bassiana may be a viable biocontrol tool to reduce mountain pine beetle populations in pine forests in western Canada. Key points: • Three B. bassiana strains identified to be stable at various test conditions. • Large-scale conidial biomass production using liquid–solid biphasic fermentation. • Reproductive success of D. ponderosae significantly reduced by B. bassiana formulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canadians do not have a common history, despite the English-speaking Eurocentric narrative that passes for Canadian history. Rethinking the history curriculum, combined with innovative practices such as using primary historical documents, conducting heritage fairs, and encouraging students to research and produce their own heritage minutes, can incorporate multiple narratives into classrooms and reduce student alienation. (TD)

Parents in communities experiencing rapid language and culture change face particular discourse issues as they construct their homes' language and culture. This article discusses particular language decisions and influences faced by families from two Inuit communities in Arctic Quebec. In most homes, there were fluid boundaries with no conscious strategies for language use aimed at children expected to learn two languages. (26 references) (MLH)

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been adopted globally as a tool to combat biodiversity loss and restore marine ecosystems. Successful application of MPAs will be predicated on the ability to monitor biodiversity in a synoptic and noninvasive manner. Environmental DNA (eDNA) methods have important advantages over traditional biodiversity survey methods for monitoring conservation areas. To evaluate the efficacy of eDNA metabarcoding for fish biodiversity monitoring, we sampled 19 coastal eelgrass (Zostera marina) beds in Canada, as eelgrass beds are known for high biodiversity and significant conservation value. At each site, beach seines were used to survey fish and water samples were collected contemporaneously for eDNA metabarcoding. In total, beach seining caught 32 672 individuals across 59 fish taxa, and eDNA detected 129 fish taxa. eDNA captured site-level variation and detected higher species richness at both site and regional levels compared to seining. eDNA abundance had a positive association with capture abundance. Collectively these results highlight how eDNA metabarcoding offers an efficient approach for monitoring fish biodiversity in coastal eelgrass beds, thus providing a valuable and noninvasive tool for MPA planning and coastal monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organizational readiness is critical for successful implementation of an innovation. We evaluated program readiness to implement Competence by Design (CBD), a model of Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME), among Canadian postgraduate training programs. A survey of program directors was distributed 1 month prior to CBD implementation in 2019. Questions were informed by the R = MC2 framework of organizational readiness and addressed: program motivation, general capacity for change, and innovation-specific capacity. An overall readiness score was calculated. An ANOVA was conducted to compare overall readiness between disciplines. Survey response rate was 42% (n = 79). The mean overall readiness score was 74% (30–98%). There was no difference in scores between disciplines. The majority of respondents agreed that successful implementation of CBD was a priority (74%), and that their leadership (94%) and faculty and residents (87%) were supportive of change. Fewer perceived that CBD was a move in the right direction (58%) and that implementation was a manageable change (53%). Curriculum mapping, competence committees and programmatic assessment activities were completed by >90% of programs, while <50% had engaged off-service disciplines. Our study highlights important areas where programs excelled in their preparation for CBD, as well as common challenges that serve as targets for future intervention to improve program readiness for CBD implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Built and social environments are associated with physical activity. Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and accelerometer data can capture how people move through their environments and provide promising tools to better understand associations between environmental characteristics and physical activity. The purpose of this study is to examine the associations between GPS-derived exposure to built environment and gentrification characteristics and accelerometer-measured physical activity in a sample of adults across four cities. Methods: We used wave 1 data from the Interventions, Research, and Action in Cities Team, a cohort of adults living in the Canadian cities of Victoria, Vancouver, Saskatoon, and Montreal. A subsample of participants wore a SenseDoc device for 10 days during May 2017–January 2019 to record GPS and accelerometry data. Two physical activity outcomes were derived from SenseDoc data: time spent in light, moderate, and vigorous physical activity; and time spent in moderate or vigorous physical activity. Using corresponding GPS coordinates, we summarized physical activity outcomes by dissemination area—a Canadian census geography that represents areas where 400 to 700 people live- and joined to built (active living space, proximity to amenities, and urban compactness) and gentrification measures. We examined the associations between environmental measures and physical activity outcomes using multi-level negative binomial regression models that were stratified by city and adjusted for covariates (weekday/weekend), home dissemination area, precipitation, temperature) and participant-level characteristics obtained from a survey (age, gender, income, race). Results: We found that adults spent more time being physically active near their homes, and in environments that were more walkable and near parks and less time in urban compact areas, regardless of where participants lived. Our analysis also highlighted how proximity to different amenities was linked to physical activity across different cities. Conclusions: Our study provides insights into how built environment and gentrification characteristics are associated with the amount of time adults spend being physically active in four Canadian cities. These findings enhance our understanding of the influence that environments have on physical activity over time and space, and can support policies to increase physical activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While mounting evidence supports various benefits of Students‐As‐Teachers (SAT) curricula in preparing students to teach, limited SAT electives are offered across Canada. We developed a 4‐week SAT selective for fourth‐year medical students at the University of Toronto to enhance medical education knowledge and teaching skills. This study aimed to evaluate the SAT programme and its impact on students' development as educators, their experience as learners and educators, and their future plans for involvement with medical education. Approach: Students participated in highly interactive small group seminars and teaching opportunities in nonclinical and clinical environments. Course evaluation consisted of pre‐selective and post‐selective surveys and written reflections on the selective experience and future career aspirations. A theory‐based evaluation approach was utilized to compare the SAT programme's theory with course outcomes. Evaluation: Post‐SAT selective, students self‐reported greater knowledge and confidence in teaching methods, provision of feedback, medical education scholarship, and interest in further medical education training. Student reflections highlighted three key themes. Identity formation as educators and the importance of mentorship in medical education aligned with our programme theory, while an unexpected outcome included a shifting perception on teaching and feedback from a learner to an educator lens. Implications: This study's findings demonstrate the ability of SAT curricula to build capacity for future medical educators. Positive factors contributing to the programme's outcomes included cohort size, course and seminar structure, and active group participation. Future iterations may explore use of flipped classroom models, additional clinical teaching opportunities, and near‐peer teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This intervention is premised on the observation that differentiated and relational exposure and protection are fundamental to the political economy of settler colonialism in Canada. These orderings map directly onto a value logic that privileges the life of capital above all else, and orchestrates the voluntary and involuntary sacrifice of value to the national economy. Herein, the value of Indigenous life is continually metered out (and in various ways) in relation to the valued life of capital. I argue that 'risk management' – by which I mean the variety of techniques and practices that order and organize exposure to (and protection from) harm – is vital to the political economy of settler colonialism in Canada because of how it normalizes colonial violence. To support my argument I make three observations about 'risk management' anchored in three 'exposure scenarios' drawn from my research in the mining sector: (1) risk management is an intervention analogous to securitization; (2) risk management is powerful because it makes social relations fungible; and (3) risk management is a value logic consistent with settler governmentality and the logic of elimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) is a performance-based examination in which students rotate through a series of stations where they are expected to perform specified tasks to demonstrate competency. This paper reports on student satisfaction with the OSCE administered at the end of a Doctor of Optometry professional program. Students were very positive about the interactions with standardized patients and the organization of the examination. They felt the examination used realistic scenarios. They had a mixed response to the use of simulators for skills assessment and the length of time available in each station to perform those tasks. Overall, the optometry students were very positive about the opportunity to participate in the OSCE prior to sitting for the entry-to-practice Optometry Examining Board of Canada examinations, which also use OSCEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the numerous challenges resident trainees currently face in their ability to competently acquire the requisite skills, knowledge and attitudes upon graduation, medical educators have looked to a competency-based medical education (CBME) approach as a possible solution. As CBME has already been implemented in many jurisdictions around the world, certain challenges in implementation have been experienced. One important challenge identified relates to how regulatory bodies can either assist or unintentionally hinder implementation. By examining the varied experiences from Canada, the USA and the Netherlands in implementing CBME, this paper identifies how regulatory bodies can support and advance worldwide efforts of furthering its implementation. If regulatory bodies restructure accreditation and regulatory criteria to align with CBME principles, work together in a coordinated fashion to ensure alignment of vital regulatory meaures throughout the training and practice continuum of a physician, and allow for (if not incentivize) individuals and programs to be innovative in adapting CBME to meet their local environments, it is likely that the worldwide implementation of CBME will occur successfully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canada has committed to developing effective and representative marine conservation networks. Guidance for the development of these networks focuses on core design features, including the incorporation of ecologically and biologically significant areas, ecological representation, replication, connectivity, and adequacy/viability. Network planning using these design features is currently underway in five priority bioregions: the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the Scotian Shelf, the Newfoundland-Labrador Shelves, the Western Arctic, and the Pacific Northern Shelf. To ensure these networks achieve their biodiversity protection goals and objectives, the extent to which the design features are being achieved must be evaluated and monitored over time. Practical advice on how to monitor and evaluate Marine Protected Area (MPA) networks is critical for identifying the key elements of (future) successful management plans. This paper focuses on approaches for evaluating and monitoring the core design features of the Canadian MPA Network. We describe the importance of these design features and detail tools and approaches relevant for evaluation and monitoring at the network level. We then present a detailed case study to show how marine conservation network planning in the Northern Shelf Bioregion (NSB) has incorporated the design features in evaluations of draft network designs and how those methods can direct future monitoring within the NSB and more broadly in the Canadian MPA Network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluated the effect of sustained virologic response (SVR) from direct‐acting antiviral (DAA)‐ and interferon‐based treatments on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk in a large population‐based cohort in Canada. We used data from the BC Hepatitis Testers Cohort, which includes ~1.3 million individuals tested for HCV since 1990, linked with healthcare administrative and registry datasets. Patients were followed from the end of HCV treatment to HCC, death or 31 December 2016. We assessed HCC risk among those who did and did not achieve SVR by treatment type using proportional hazard models. Of 12 776 eligible individuals, 3905 received DAAs while 8871 received interferon‐based treatments, followed for a median of 1.0 [range: 0.6‐2.7] and 7.9 [range: 4.4‐17.1] years, respectively. A total of 3613 and 6575 achieved SVR with DAAs‐ and interferon‐based treatments, respectively. Among DAAs‐treated patients, HCC incidence rate was 6.9 (95%CI: 4.7‐10.1)/1000 person yr (PY) in SVR group (HCC cases: 26) and 38.2 (95%CI: 20.6‐71.0) in the no‐SVR group (HCC cases: 10, P <.001). Among interferon‐treated individuals, HCC incidence rate was 1.8 (95%CI: 1.5‐2.2) in the SVR (HCC cases: 99) and 13.9 (95%CI: 12.3‐15.8) in the no‐SVR group (HCC cases: 239, P <.001). Compared with no‐SVR from interferon, SVR from DAA‐ and interferon‐based treatments resulted in significant reduction in HCC risk (adjusted subdistribution hazard ratio (adjSHR) DAA = 0.30, 95%CI: 0.19‐0.48 and adjSHR interferon = 0.2, 95%CI: 0.16‐0.26). Among those with SVR, treatment with DAAs compared to interferon was not associated with HCC risk (adjSHR = 0.93, 95%CI: 0.51‐1.71). In conclusion, similar to interferon era, DAA‐related SVR is associated with 70% reduction in HCC risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Dementia in adults with Down syndrome causes a progressive decline in daily occupations impacting both persons with Down syndrome and their informal caregivers. This study aimed to explore the scope of occupational therapy practice for adults with both Down syndrome and dementia and their informal caregivers living in their homes. Methods: A survey was conducted with occupational therapists having clinical experience in providing interventions for adults with Down syndrome. A web‐based survey was developed to explore occupational therapy practice for this group of people with Down syndrome and their informal caregivers. Responses to closed‐ended questions were analysed descriptively, and inductive content analysis was used for open‐ended questions. Results: Forty‐three occupational therapists from Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and the United States of America participated in the survey. Two‐thirds were from the United Kingdom, most of whom were employed in the public sector and had at least 10 years of clinical experience. Over 90% of respondents received one or more referrals in a typical month for adults with Down syndrome having dementia, 68% of which were for a decline in activities of daily living. Home environment and activities of daily living were frequently assessed areas, and the commonest interventions were compensatory strategies and environmental modifications. Only half the respondents provided interventions for informal caregivers. Risk and safety and manual handling were frequently addressed domains for informal caregivers. Collaboration and developing clinical expertise were the two key perceived enablers for providing effective occupational therapy services. Fragmentation of services and a lack of client‐centred care were the common perceived barriers. Conclusion: Occupational therapists often address decline in activities of daily living for individuals with both Down syndrome and dementia. To support participation in meaningful occupations for these people and support the needs of their informal caregivers, it is essential that services are offered in a collaborative approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effectiveness of direct‐acting antiviral (DAA) therapies could be influenced by patient characteristics such as comorbid conditions, which could lead to premature treatment discontinuation and/or irregular medical follow‐ups. Here, we evaluate loss to follow‐up and treatment effectiveness of sofosbuvir/ledipasvir ± ribavirin (SOF/LDV ± RBV), ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir + dasabuvir ± ribavirin (OBV/PTV/r + DSV ± RBV) for hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 (GT1) and sofosbuvir + ribavirin (SOF + RBV) for genotype 3 (GT3) in British Columbia Canada: The British Columbia Hepatitis Testers Cohort includes data on individuals tested for HCV since 1992, integrated with medical visit, hospitalization and prescription drug data. HCV‐positive individuals who initiated DAA regimens, irrespective of treatment completion, for GT1 and GT3 until 31 December, 2017 were included. Factors associated with sustained virological response (SVR) and loss to follow‐up were assessed by using multivariable logistic regression models. In total 4477 individuals initiated DAAs. The most common prescribed DAA was SOF/LDV ± RBV with SVR of 95%. The highest SVR of 99.5% was observed among OBV/PTV/r + DSV‐treated patients. Overall, 453 (10.1%) individuals were lost to follow‐up. Higher loss to follow‐up was observed among GT1 patients treated with OBV (17.8%) and GT3 patients (15.7%). The loss to follow‐up rate was significantly higher among individuals aged <60 years, those with a history of injection drug use (IDU), on opioid substitution therapy and with cirrhosis. Our findings indicate that loss to follow‐up exceeds viral failure in HCV DAA therapy and its rate varies significantly by genotype and treatment regimen. Depending on the aetiology of lost to follow‐up, personalized case management for those with medical complications and supporting services among IDU are needed to achieve the full benefits of effective treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]