Canadian Railways and Unions in the Running Trade, 1865-1914

Cet article traite des relations entre la direction des chemins de fer canadiens et les syndicats du personnel itinérant: ingénieurs, chauffeurs, chefs de train et serre-freins, depuis l’avènement du premier syndicat au Canada en 1965 jusqu'à la déclaration de la première guerre mondiale. Ces syndicats émanaient du syndicalisme américain et, pendant la plus grande partie de cette période, ils constituaient les associations syndicales les plus répandues et les plus puissantes au Canada. De plus, ce fut au cours de cette période également que le modèle de syndicalisation du personnel itinérant s'implanta dans notre pays où il s'est maintenu presque inchangé jusqu'à nos jours.L'histoire de ces syndicats comprend quatre phases plus ou moins distinctes. La première, qui s'échelonne de 1865 à 1880, fut dominée par les efforts de la Fraternité des ingénieurs de locomotives et la Fraternité des chauffeurs de locomotives pour s'établir au Canada. Fondée en 1863 aux États-Unis, la Fraternité des ingénieurs de locomotives s'implanta au Canada en 1865. À la fin de 1876, elle était assez puissante pour l'emporter dans une grève contre leGrand Tronc. Cette victoire eut pour résultat la signature d'une première convention collective dans l'industrie ferroviaire canadienne et fut l'occasion de la fondation de la première section locale de la Fraternité des ingénieurs de locomotives au début de 1877. Des grèves importantes survinrent un peu plus tard en 1877 aux États-Unis et seule la Fraternité des ingénieurs réussit à se maintenir jusqu'à la fin de la décennie.La phase capitale fut celle de la décennie 1880 alors qu'on assista à une expansion soutenue des fraternités d'employés de chemins de fer au Canada. L'Ordre des agents de train pénétra au Canada en 1880 et elle fut suivie de la Fraternité des serre-freins en 1885. Vers 1890, les quatre fraternités avaient réussi à établir de l'Atlantique au Pacifique des sections locales qui groupaient le personnel de toutes les sociétés ferroviaires importantes. Elles n'eurent d'ailleurs qu'à affronter peu de concurrence de la part de syndicats spécifiquement canadiens et il n'y eut à l'époque que deux conflits majeurs avec la direction des compagnies de chemins de fer. A l'occasion de l'un de ces conflits, la Fraternité des ingénieurs eut recours à la pression sur le gouvernement pour triompher de l'hostilité del' Intercolonial et une grève sauvage des mécaniciens du réseau duPacifique canadien fit peu de tort au syndicat, parce qu'elle fut désavouée par les quartiers généraux du syndicat.La troisième phase, soit celle qui couvre les derniers dix ans du XIXesiècle, marque l'obtention de la reconnaissance formelle des syndicats. L'élément clé fut la grève de l'Ordre des agents de train et de la Fraternité des serre-freins contre lePacifique canadien en 1892. Déclarée spécifiquement afin d'obtenir la reconnaissance des syndicats, cette victoire ouvrit la porte à cette reconnaissance par les autres sociétés de chemins de fer pour les quatre associations du personnel itinérant.La quatrième phase va de 1900 à 1914. Elle se caractérise par l'intervention accrue du gouvernement dans le domaine des relations de travail. En 1903, ce fut l'adoption de l'Acte d'arbitrage des chemins de fer qui fut suivi en 1907 de la Loi sur les enquêtes en matière de différends industriels. Pour les syndicats, l'événement le plus marquant de cette période fut la grève fortement controversée de l'Ordre des agents de train et de la Fraternité des serre-freins contre leGrand Tronc en 1910. Cette grève n'apporta que peu d'avantages aux employés et les gains du règlement de grève furent réduits presque à néant par la direction au cours des deux années suivantes. Néanmoins, l'existence des fraternités ne fut pas menacée comme cela avait été le cas lors de la grève auPacifique canadien en 1892. La puissance qui avait été acquise au cours des décennies précédentes apporta aux employés itinérants des chemins de fer la garantie que les fraternités étaient désormais en mesure d'obtenir leur reconnaissance des chemins de fer canadiens.Pour conclure, l'on peut dire que, en 1914, les fraternités de cheminots étaient devenues des organisations stables qui avaient atteint la maturation, des associations assez fortes pour s'assurer le respect sinon l'admiration empressée des dirigeants de chemins de fer. Elles étaient bien placées pour affronter avec succès les difficultés de la première guerre mondiale et même en tirer les avantages que celle-ci pouvait leur offrir.This paper examines the history in Canada of the international unions for train and engine crews, from their entry into Canada until World War One. During this period, patterns of unionization and labour-management relations in this important sector of the Canadian railway industry were established which have persisted in large measure to the present

Exact and semiclassical approach to a class of singular integral operators arising in fluid mechanics and quantum field theory

A class of singular integral operators, encompassing two physically relevant cases arising in perturbative QCD and in classical fluid dynamics, is presented and analyzed. It is shown that three special values of the parameters allow for an exact eigenfunction expansion; these can be associated to Riemannian symmetric spaces of rank one with positive, negative or vanishing curvature. For all other cases an accurate semiclassical approximation is derived, based on the identification of the operators with a peculiar Schroedinger-like operator.Comment: 12 pages, 1 figure, amslatex, bibtex (added missing label eq.11

Transport Out of the Antarctic Polar Vortex from a Three-dimensional Transport Model

[1] A three-dimensional chemical transport model is utilized to study the transport out of the Antarctic polar vortex during the southern hemisphere spring. On average, over five consecutive years between 1993 and 1997, horizontal transport out of the vortex into the midlatitude stratosphere is smaller than vertical transport into the troposphere. However, there is significant interannual variability in the magnitude of mass exchange, which is related to year-to-year fluctuations in planetary wave activity. In 1994 the net loss of the vortex tracer mass in September is similar to that in October. However, the relative mass flux entering the midlatitude stratosphere and the troposphere differ between the two months. The ratio of horizontal transport out of the vortex to vertical transport into the troposphere is about 3:7 in September and 5:5 in October, indicating the higher permeability of the vortex in October compared to September. The September mass flux into the troposphere is larger than in October, consistent with the fact that stronger diabatic cooling occurs in September than October over Antarctica. The estimated ozone change at southern midlatitudes due to the intrusion of ozone-depleted air from high latitudes during September–October 1994 is about −0.44% per decade, which could contribute up to 10% of observed ozone decline at southern midlatitudes in spring. This amount is an underestimate of the dilution effect from high latitudes during the spring season, as it does not include the vortex breakup in late spring

Haloe Antarctic observations in the spring of 1991

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/95167/1/grl6630.pd

Root Senescence in Red Clover (\u3cem\u3eTrifolium Pratense\u3c/em\u3e L.)

Legume root systems form a mosaic of living, ageing and dead roots and nodules. The balance between these stages alters during plant development. Stressful events (drought, temperature change, reduced carbon supply, etc.) disturb the balance (Butler et al., 1959). Effects of root and nodule death on soil structure, composition and leaching and on plant persistency are understood poorly. Plants with differing senescence patterns are useful tools to study these effects. Molecular studies of root senescence need detailed knowledge of the process and timing of root senescence and death. Biochemical and histochemical markers of senescence were used to generate preliminary results of the effects of reduced carbon input, temporary (by defoliation, D) or permanent (by defoliation and shading, DS) on red clover shoot survival and root death

High Viscosity Jetting of Conductive and Dielectric Pastes for Printed Electronics

Ink-jet printing of multiple materials in 3 dimensions is a promising alternative to traditional patterning methods due to its flexibility, scalability and accuracy. However, the printability of the inks is strongly restricted by material properties such as surface tension and viscosity. Dispensing high viscosity fluids on a drop-on-demand approach is a potential solution that can facilitate the incorporation of new materials to the jetting catalogue. Consequently, in this study 2 micro-dispensing valves are used in combination with a mechanical stage to deposit conductive and dielectric pastes with viscosities of 15.3 ± 0.2 and 0.638 ± 0.005 Pa·s (at 25°C and 10 s-1 shear rate) respectively. Crucial printing parameters such as pressure, temperature, pulse shape and drop spacing are studied in order to optimise the process. Additionally, post-printing characteristics such as contact angle of different materials and cured layer profiles are also measured and taken into account during the designing of the 3D patterns to minimise the negative effects of the thickness miss-match of different materials. Finally, the manufacturing capability of the set-up is demonstrated by the fabrication of a functional device using a combination of “pick-and-place” components and high viscosity jetting.Mechanical Engineerin

A survey of current and anticipated use of standard and specialist equipment by UK optometrists

Purpose: To investigate current and anticipated use of equipment and information technology (IT) in community optometric practice in the UK, and to elicit optometrists' views on adoption of specialist equipment and IT. Methods: An anonymous online questionnaire was developed, covering use of standard and specialist diagnostic equipment, and IT. The survey was distributed to a random sample of 1300 UK College of Optometrists members. Results: Four hundred and thirty-two responses were received (response rate = 35%). Enhanced (locally commissioned) or additional/separately contracted services were provided by 73% of respondents. Services included glaucoma repeat measures (30% of respondents), glaucoma referral refinement (22%), fast-track referral for wet age-related macular degeneration (48%), and direct cataract referral (40%). Most respondents (88%) reported using non-contact/pneumo tonometry for intra-ocular pressure measurement, with 81% using Goldmann or Perkins tonometry. The most widely used item of specialist equipment was the fundus camera (74% of respondents). Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) was used by 15% of respondents, up from 2% in 2007. Notably, 43% of those anticipating purchasing specialist equipment in the next 12 months planned to buy an OCT. ‘Paperless’ records were used by 39% of respondents, and almost 80% of practices used an electronic patient record/practice management system. Variations in responses between parts of the UK reflect differences in the provision of the General Ophthalmic Services contract or community enhanced services. There was general agreement that specialised equipment enhances clinical care, permits increased involvement in enhanced services, promotes the practice and can be used as a defence in clinico-legal cases, but initial costs and ongoing maintenance can be a financial burden. Respondents generally agreed that IT facilitates administrative flow and secure exchange of health information, and promotes a state-of-the-art practice image. However, use of IT may not save examination time; its dynamic nature necessitates frequent updates and technical support; the need for adequate training is an issue; and security of data is also a concern. Conclusion: UK optometrists increasingly employ modern equipment and IT services to enhance patient care and for practice management. While the clinical benefits of specialist equipment and IT are appreciated, questions remain as to whether the investment is cost-effective, and how specialist equipment and IT may be used to best advantage in community optometric practice

MODISTools - downloading and processing MODIS remotely sensed data in R

Remotely sensed data – available at medium to high resolution across global spatial and temporal scales – are a valuable resource for ecologists. In particular, products from NASA's MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), providing twice-daily global coverage, have been widely used for ecological applications. We present MODISTools, an R package designed to improve the accessing, downloading, and processing of remotely sensed MODIS data. MODISTools automates the process of data downloading and processing from any number of locations, time periods, and MODIS products. This automation reduces the risk of human error, and the researcher effort required compared to manual per-location downloads. The package will be particularly useful for ecological studies that include multiple sites, such as meta-analyses, observation networks, and globally distributed experiments. We give examples of the simple, reproducible workflow that MODISTools provides and of the checks that are carried out in the process. The end product is in a format that is amenable to statistical modeling. We analyzed the relationship between species richness across multiple higher taxa observed at 526 sites in temperate forests and vegetation indices, measures of aboveground net primary productivity. We downloaded MODIS derived vegetation index time series for each location where the species richness had been sampled, and summarized the data into three measures: maximum time-series value, temporal mean, and temporal variability. On average, species richness covaried positively with our vegetation index measures. Different higher taxa show different positive relationships with vegetation indices. Models had high R2 values, suggesting higher taxon identity and a gradient of vegetation index together explain most of the variation in species richness in our data. MODISTools can be used on Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms, and is available from CRAN and GitHub (https://github.com/seantuck12/MODISTools)

Towards a systematic understanding of the influence of temperature on glycosylation reactions

Glycosidic bond formation is a continual challenge for practitioners. Aiming to enhance the reproducibility and efficiency of oligosaccharide synthesis, we studied the relationship between glycosyl donor activation and reaction temperature. A novel semi-automated assay revealed diverse responses of members of a panel of thioglycosides to activation at various temperatures. The patterns of protecting groups and the thiol aglycon combine to cause remarkable differences in temperature sensitivity among glycosylating agents. We introduce the concept of donor activation temperature to capture experimental insights, reasoning that glycosylations performed below this reference temperature evade deleterious side reactions. Activation temperatures enable a simplified temperature treatment and facilitate optimization of glycosylating agent (building block) usage. Isothermal glycosylation below the activation temperature halved the equivalents of building block required in comparison to the standard ‘ramp’ regime used in solution- and solid-phase oligosaccharide synthesis to-date