A Review of the Canadian Space Program

This paper reviews the history of Canadian activities in space from the early Alouette I satellite to Canada\u27s present involvement in the Space Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS) program. The SRMS program is being executed by Spar Aerospace Limited* through, an international agreement between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Research Council of Canada (NRCC). As the first flight SRMS reaches completion at Spar, the program is reviewed. The SRMS is described in terms of its subsystems, its of control and performance requirements and the current status of the hardware is examined. Delivery to NASA JSC of the first flight system is scheduled in 1980. In conclusion, the paper highlights the benefits which accrue from international cooperation at the industrial level in space programs and. makes a case for the continuance of such arrangements

Rapid System to Quantitatively Characterize the Airborne Microbial Community

Bioaerosols have been linked to a wide range of different allergies and respiratory illnesses. Currently, microorganism culture is the most commonly used method for exposure assessment. Such culture techniques, however, generally fail to detect between 90-99% of the actual viable biomass. Consequently, an unbiased technique for detecting airborne microorganisms is essential. In this Phase II proposal, a portable air sampling device his been developed for the collection of airborne microbial biomass from indoor (and outdoor) environments. Methods were evaluated for extracting and identifying lipids that provide information on indoor air microbial biomass, and automation of these procedures was investigated. Also, techniques to automate the extraction of DNA were explored

An outside-inside view of exclusive practice within an inclusive mainstream school

This article is a reflection on a sabbatical experience in a mainstream school where an inclusive ethos underpinned the curriculum and environmental approaches for all children. The period as Acting Head teacher raised some challenges for me in reconciling inclusion for all children and the exclusive nature of some professional and physical spaces available to the community of adults working in the school. It has highlighted some development opportunities for the senior management of the school and its governing body

Legislative Change and Strike Activity in Canada, 1926-1974

Le présent article tente d'expliquer les variations à long terme des grèves au Canada pendant la période 1926-1974. À cette fin, il examine les effets de diverses variables d'ordre économique et organisationnel sur les types de conflits du travail. L'article s'efforce de replacer la grève dans son contexte politique en observant comment les modifications apportées à la législation fédérale du travail ont influencé au cours de ces années les types de grèves survenus au Canada. Ce qui ressort de cette étude, c'est que d'une part, le type de grève varie en fonction de la situation économique et de la capacité des syndicats d'imposer leurs revendications et que, d'autre part, la législation du travail influence le rapport entre les grèves et les deux variables qui viennent d'être citées.Les effets de nombreux facteurs économiques ainsi que de l'activité syndicale ont été étudiés en fonction de trois mesures d'évaluation des grèves, soit la fréquence, l'amplitude et la durée de la grève. On l'a fait pour l'ensemble de la période. Par la suite, les séries chronologiques furent scindées en choisissant une mesure législative fédérale (le C.P. 1003) comme point de rupture. Cette analyse confirme l'importance d'une législation du travail favorable aux travailleurs en tant que variable dans le rapport entre la situation économique et l'action syndicale d'une part, et les grèves, d'autre part. L'examen des données révèle très clairement que les modifications apportées à la législation en 1944 ont eu un impact significatif sur les causes déterminantes des grèves. Durant la période antérieure à 1944, l'état de l'organisation syndicale était la cause principale des variations dans les grèves. Après 1944, la négociation collective s'est institutionnalisée et la situation économique devint la cause principale de la décision de déclencher et de poursuivre les grèves.The authors examine long term variations in the level of strike activity in Canada between 1926 and 1974 by examining the effects of several economic and organizational variables on the pattern of industrial conflict

‘Risking enchantment’: how are we to view the smoking person?

The idea of the smoking person portrayed in public health has been criticised as being based on too narrow a view of human nature. This article discusses that view: that of a person with a stable core and epiphenomenal ‘behaviours’ that can be removed by rational persuasion or Pavlovian manipulation, and examines social scientific critiques of it. The social sciences explore the meanings smoking has for individuals and portray human identity as malleable, the result of ongoing interactions with human and non-human others. Aspects of smokers’ experience revealed in qualitative research – descriptions of cigarettes as ‘companions’ or ‘friends’, deep reliance, sensual pleasure – are sometimes difficult to articulate but can be given full voice in the context of the literary arts. We explore some examples of these sources and argue that a complete picture of smoking meanings is impossible without reference to them. We take a pragmatic approach, following the philosopher William James, who argued that emotional and spiritual experiences contribute to the truth of human existence as much as material explanations, to suggest that this understanding should be part of a critical but supportive engagement with public health research in order to develop more nuanced and humane approaches to smoking cessation

Chemically mediated learning in juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) : testing the limits of acquired predator recognition under laboratory conditions and in the wild

The assessment of predation risk is crucial to the survival of a prey individuals and the ability to gauge risk accurately will consequently be shaped by a suite of behavioural trade-offs. In salmonids, risk may be assessed through the detection of damage-released chemical cues. When these chemical cues are paired with a novel odour, covert antipredator responses are elicited upon subsequent exposure to the novel odour and learning occurs. My research focuses on the retention of newly acquired information (lemon odour), through sequential exposure to this same novel odour in both laboratory- reared and wild populations of juvenile Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ). Laboratory and field experiments consisted of a single conditioning day (AC + NO) followed by three recognition days (NO), in which antipredator responses were measured from the change in behaviour observed between the five minute pre-stimulus and post-stimulus observation periods. Significant short-term antipredator responses in the laboratory population were observed at the conditioning day, while they were absent at all subsequent recognition days. In particular, the foraging rate and the time spent moving decreased in response to the alarm cue treatment at the conditioning phase, but responses were not significantly different between treatments during any of the succeeding recognition phases. These results suggest that fish respond immediately and overtly to chemical cues, but may treat the information as irrelevant without subsequent exposure to the pairing of chemical cues with a novel odour. Conversely, my field experiment failed to confirm the laboratory results. Further work is required to elucidate any ecological processes that affect the learning mechanism in the current experiments

Cynicism as a strategic virtue

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this recor

Establishing a meaningful human rights due diligence process for corporations : learning from experience of human rights impact assessment

The United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Business and Human Rights, Professor John Ruggie, has constructed a new international framework, which is set to become the cornerstone for all action on human rights and business at the international level. The principle of human rights due diligence (HRDD) is the central component of the corporate duty to respect human rights within that framework. This article argues that Ruggie's HRDD principle contains the majority of the core procedural elements that a reasonable human rights impact assessment (HRIA) process should incorporate. It is likely that the majority of corporations will adopt HRIA as a mechanism for meeting their due diligence responsibilities. However, in the context of the contentious debate around corporate human rights performance, the current state of the art in HRIA gives rise to concerns about the credibility and robustness of likely practice. Additional requirements are therefore essential if HRDD is to have a significant impact on corporate human rights performance – requirements in relation to transparency; external participation and verification; and independent monitoring and review