Enhancing Ontario’s Rural Infrastructure Preparedness: Inter-Community Service Sharing in a Changing Climate — Environmental Scan

Given the research that has been done in this environmental scan and the gaps found in this research, it is our aim to find out: What types of service sharing are going on in Ontario municipalities, particularly in rural/remote areas? How can inter-community service sharing (ICSS) benefit the asset management planning process in these rural/remote areas to enhance capacities for climate change resilience? Climate change (CC) will exacerbate deterioration to existing infrastructure and increase replacement costs. Improved preparedness reduces risks and increases efficiency, readiness and coping capacity. To increase the preparedness of Ontario rural communities, this project develops CC-Prepared Inter-Community Service Sharing (ICSS) as an innovative strategy that expands cost-effective solutions within Ontario’s standardized Asset Management Planning (AMP) process. Overseen by a Project Advisory Board (PAB), it identifies a suite of best practice ICSS processes and principles and a range of factors and indicators that influence the uptake of ICSS as a viable and practical opportunity targeted to enhance rural infrastructure preparedness for CC. It utilizes a multimethod, interdisciplinary approach involving an environmental scan, interviews, a survey and case studies and develops an ICSS Toolkit consisting of reports, workbook, policy brief and media kit. Knowledge translation and transfer (KTT) includes blogs, teleconferences, articles, presentations and a workshop. For small rural Ontario communities, this study enhances management of CC impacts on infrastructure through the development of a CC-Prepared ICSS strategy, increasing anticipatory, collective actions that reduce dam age and increase efficiencies. It informs sound municipal/provincial level programs and policies about innovative ICSS that benefit rural communities through the identification of Ontario-wide trends, case study best practises and action-oriented recommendations

Enhancing Ontario’s Rural Infrastructure Preparedness: Inter-Community Service Sharing in a Changing Climate — Rural Community Practitioners Workbook

This practitioner workbook draws together the insights from a three-year (2016-19) Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) funded research study. The purpose of the research project was to 1) assess the potential of inter-community service cooperation (ICSC) as a possible tool to address the impacts of climate change (CC) in small (500-7500 pop.) Ontario rural communities south of the Sudbury region and 2) understand the extent to which such collaboration and the impacts of CC are, or could be, embedded within the community’s infrastructure (asset) management processes (AMP). While the conclusions of this workbook are generalized to represent an overall picture of Ontario rural municipalities, each jurisdiction is distinctive with its own history and geography. Thus, any practitioner recommendations must take into consideration local circumstances, needs and preferences. This report is part of a larger suite of documents on rural Ontario inter-community service cooperation. To access the complete rural ICSC toolkit please visit http://www.resilientresearch.ca/research-publications

Enhancing Ontario’s Rural Infrastructure Preparedness: Inter-Community Service Sharing in a Changing Climate — Policy Brief

This policy brief draws together the insights from a three-year (2016-19) Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) funded research study. The purpose of the research project was to 1) assess the potential of inter-community service cooperation (ICSC) as a possible tool to address the impacts of climate change (CC) in small (500-7500 pop.) Ontario rural communities south of the Sudbury region and 2) understand the extent to which such collaboration and the impacts of CC are, or could be, embedded within the community’s infrastructure (asset) management processes (AMP). While the conclusions of policy brief are generalized to represent an overall picture of Ontario rural municipalities, each jurisdiction is distinctive with its own history and geography. Thus, any policy recommendations must take into consideration local circumstances, needs and preferences. This document is part of a larger suite of documents on rural Ontario inter-community service cooperation. To access the complete rural ICSC toolkit please visit http://www.resilientresearch.ca/research-publications/

Atmospheric Trace Molecule Spectroscopy (ATMOS) experiment version 3 data retrievals

Version 3 of the Atmospheric Trace Molecule Spectroscopy (ATMOS) experiment data set for some 30 trace and minor gas profiles is available. From the IR solar-absorption spectra measured during four Space Shuttle missions (in 1985, 1992, 1993, and 1994), profiles from more than 350 occultations were retrieved from the upper troposphere to the lower mesosphere. Previous results were unreliable for tropospheric retrievals, but with a new global-fitting algorithm profiles are reliably returned down to altitudes as low as 6.5 km (clouds permitting) and include notably improved retrievals of H2 O, CO, and other species. Results for stratospheric water are more consistent across the ATMOS spectral filters and do not indicate a net consumption of H2 in the upper stratosphere. A new sulfuric-acid aerosol product is described. An overview of ATMOS Version 3 processing is presented with a discussion of estimated uncertainties. Differences between these Version 3 and previously reported Version 2 ATMOS results are discussed. Retrievals are available at http: /atmos.jpl.nasa.gov /atmos

Symptomatic or secondary parotitis with special reference to etiology

I. INCIDENCE. Any classification of the diseases' which have been complicated by Parotitis must necessarily be very artificial. As fresh cases are put on record it becomes increasingly plain that the onset of Symptomatic Parotitis is dependent upon causes,which may be associated with almost any diseased condition,whether acute or chronic, and involving almost any organ of the body. There is no definite incubation period of Symptomatic Parotitis. And the condition is not infectious,it must however be regarded as a serious complication of any disease.II. PATHOLOGY OF SYMPTOMATIC PAROTITIS. A. Etiology. Infection of the parotid gland occurs by direct spread from the mouth along Stenson's duct to the gland,in all cases except those in which the parotitis is part of a generalised Pyaemia. This is organismal. In nearly all cases Staphylococcus Pyogenes Aureus is the cause. Predisposing Causes. I. Diminished resistance due to lowered vitality on the part of the patient.. II. Diminished salivary secret ion,leading to a dry state of the mouth. D. Anatomical appearances of the gland. I. Normal parotid gland. The elastic tissue of the ducts is confined to the walls of the extra lobular ducts, the small intra lobular ducts contain no elastic tissue in their walls. II. Diseased Parotid G-land. The process of inflammation begins in the centre of the lobule, in connection with the small ducts which are primarily infected and gradually the process spreads to the periphery of the lobule. As the parotitis advances an increasing number of lobules becomes affected and in advanced cases the whole of the gland becomes involved and may be more or less replaced by necrotic tissue.III. COURSE OF THE PAROTITIS: A. The parotitis may resolve and the patient make a complete recovery from the primary disease. B. The parotitis may fail to resolve and death result. I. from the parotitis,causing,as in case I general pyaemic abscess formation. II. from the primary disease,the persistence the parotitis being a bad prognotic sign. The prognosis in all cases is guarded . No reliance however can be placed on the involvement or escape of the gland of the opposite side, As a guide to this matter,as many'cases of double parotitis recover and frequently those in which only one gland is affected end fatally. Of the four cases specially referred to, three occurring in one ward,all ended fatally,the one in which the parotitis was most severe and in which both parotids were involved.recovered.IV. TREATMENT. A. Prophylactic. Having regard to the duct spread theory of infection, the importance of careful and systematic attention to the mouth and especially to the state of the teeth,more particularly the upper molars to which the orifio of the duct is in such close proximity/becomes of first importance,as lessening considerably the chance of infection,in the event of the patient being reduced to the low state of vital it which predisposes to the onset of Parotitis. The salivary secretion should be stimulated along the lines suggested by Dr. Soltan Fenwick, namely,to cause patients who are in a poor state of vitality and who are suffering from an excessively dry mouth to suck a small rubber teat. This becomes of primary importance in cases which are placed upon Rectal Alimentation. B. After the onset of the parotitis treatment consists of:- I. Local applications of ickthyol 10 fo in glycerine,or Belladonna and Glycerine. In mild cases this is sufficient to bring about resolution. IV. Treatment. II. Incision of the gland. This is necessary in cases which go on to abscess formation and should be carried out freely. C. Vaccine Treatment. An Antogenous Vaccine should be given. In most cases a dose the equivalent of inn million staphylococci is safe to begin with to be repeated in 4 or fi days,depending upon the constitutional reaction. The vaccine may best be administered in normal saline., by the mouth. Thisfcas so,far not been extensively used but the result obtained in Case IV, would indicate its use in these cases

The dynamical generation of symmetries

Not availabl

Prosecutorial Summation: Where is the Line Between Personal Opinion and Proper Argument?

Prosecutorial forensic misconduct has become front page news in Maine. Since April of 1993, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, sitting as the Law Court, has reversed convictions in three highly publicized cases based on remarks made by the prosecutor. In State v. Steen, the prosecutor asked the defendant to give his opinion concerning the veracity of other witnesses and suggested in closing argument that the favorable testimony given by the defense\u27s expert witness resulted from the fee he had received. The Law Court vacated the gross sexual assault conviction, finding that the prosecutor\u27s questions and closing argument “clearly suggested” to the jury that the prosecutor believed that the witnesses were lying. In State v. Casella, the prosecutor\u27s case was largely based on the premise that the defendant had duped his victims. The Law Court vacated the multiple count theft conviction because the prosecutor “not less than forty-one times, asserted his opinion that Casella had lied.” In State v. Tripp , the prosecutor stated in closing argument that the victim had told the truth because he had recounted his sexual abuse in detail that would be foreign to a nine year old. The Law Court vacated the conviction, finding that the prosecutor\u27s statement was a “personal opinion” concerning the credibility of a witness. Whether the Law Court is just “playing semantics” or attempting to “reel in” runaway prosecutors, the court\u27s willingness to scrutinize prosecutorial statements and find impropriety could have a profound effect on prosecutorial summation in Maine. The Law Court\u27s eagerness to label prosecutorial inferences as improper “personal opinion,” its apparent hostility to prosecutorial use of the term “lie” in any of its grammatical forms, and the summary fashion in which the court has discussed these issues has left many Maine district attorneys scratching their heads. The opinions fail to establish a perceptible line dividing proper argument based on the lawyer\u27s analysis of the reasonable inferences permissibly drawn from the evidence and improper summation based on personal beliefs. Despite pronouncements that the issue on appeal in all three cases was the fairness of the trial, the court emphasized the prosecutor\u27s conduct, not the effect of that conduct on the jury\u27s deliberations. This focus suggests that the court\u27s interest is in issuing direct warnings to the prosecutor. Disappointed that prosecutors have repeatedly ignored its previous warnings, the Law Court, in venting its frustration, misapplied and misconstrued the personal opinion limitation and redefined standards of review in order to sanction prosecutors for their continued indiscretions. The court\u27s eagerness to censure prosecutors threatens to restrict closing argument and undermine public confidence in the criminal justice system by creating the perception that convicted criminals are escaping incarceration because of technicalities. This Comment will examine these recent decisions

The development, implementation and evaluation of a real-time PCR-based diagnostic service for viral causes of infectious intestinal disease

Outbreaks and sporadic cases of viral Infectious Intestinal Disease (IID) are a major public health issue resulting in significant morbidity and sometimes mortality each year. The economic costs associated are substantial. Laboratory diagnosis of viral IID is important as the many infectious and non-infectious causes cannot be reliably differentiated using clinical or epidemiological characteristics alone. An accurate diagnosis can aid patient management, infection control procedures and reduce health care costs by preventing unnecessary treatments, testing for alternative causes and hospital stay. It also aids public health surveillance. At the start of the research described in this thesis the West of Scotland Specialist Virology Centre (WOSSVC) used Electron Microscopy (EM) as the frontline test for outbreaks and sporadic cases of IID. However, although rapid on a small number of samples, this technique has been shown to be insensitive, laborious and is not suited to testing large numbers of samples. The research presented in this thesis sought to examine whether molecular diagnostic techniques such as conventional gel-based or real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assays could be a viable replacement for EM as the frontline test(s) for viral IID in a routine laboratory service of this type, and whether their implementation could bring benefits to the laboratory service in terms of improved rapidity, sensitivity and throughput. The aim was to adapt published PCR methods for use in routine diagnostic work rather than for research purposes, an approach that distinguishes this research from previous work in this area. In order to achieve this aim, the appropriate PCR techniques were first selected from the literature, based on a combination of clinical and laboratory requirements, and were adapted for use in the laboratory service. A series of laboratory experiments was then carried out in order to compare the sensitivity of the adapted methods to existing techniques such as EM and antigen detection assays (EIAs) and to other methods that emerged during the period of study including alternative PCR assays. Where found to be suitable, the selected PCR tests were implemented in the routine diagnostic service for viral IID. The effects of these changes on the laboratory service were then examined. The results show that since the introduction of molecular tests at WOSSVC for the detection of viral pathogens in cases of gastroenteritis the number of samples tested has risen steadily, as have the detection rates for each of the main viral causes of IID. Furthermore, this has been achieved at the same time as a substantial reduction in sample turn-around-times. Such improvements will have a positive impact in several areas of public health relating to viral IID and are discussed fully, including patient management, infection control and national surveillance

Mixed genotype hepatitis C infections and implications for treatment

No abstract available