Policy Brief No. 13 - Future Canadian Workers: More Educated and More Culturally diversified

This article charts the future transformations of the Canadian labor force population using a microsimulation projection model. The model takes into account differentials in demographic behavior and labor force participation of individuals according to their ethnocultural and educational characteristics. Results of the microsimulation show that Canada\u27s labor force population will continue to increase, but at a slower rate than in the recent past. By 2031, almost one third of the country\u27s total labor force could be foreign-born, and almost all its future increase is expected to be fueled by university graduates, while the less-educated labor force is projected to decline. All projection scenarios show that Canada’s overall participation rate will decline due to the retirement of the Boomers and the slow growth of the workforce. The analyses suggest that the most pertinent driver to be addressed is the differential in the labor force participation rates of the Canadian-born white population and immigrants and visible minorities

Spectroscopie de luminescence et Raman de matériaux moléculaires cristallins et modélisation par la théorie de la fonctionnelle de la densité

Cette thèse présente une série de mesures spectroscopiques (Raman, luminescence) de composés du platine(II) et de l’or(I). Les spectres Raman sont mesurés à température ou pression variable et les transitions vibrationnelles sont attribuées à partir d’une comparaison avec des calculs DFT. Cette approche est particulièrement utile pour des complexes de métaux de transition avec des ligands polyatomiques et un accord quantitatif est obtenu pour certains composés. Des interactions faibles comme les interactions aurophiles entre centres or(I) sont un défi pour les calculs DFT et cela est démontré par la modélisation de xanthates de l’or(I) et de dithiocarbamates de l’or(I). Ces interactions aurophiles sont étudiées par spectroscopie de luminescence à température ou pression variable pour certains dithiocarbamates de l’or(I). Des résultats expérimentaux montrent de grandes variations comme un déplacement bathochromique du maximum de luminescence de -120 cm-1/kbar pour le diéthyldithiocarbamate de l’or(I) avec des chaînes aurophiles linéaires ou une variation de la largeur de la bande de luminescence pour ce même composé. Ces effets sont analysés avec des calculs DFT qui montrent que les distances or(I)-or(I) ainsi que les angles le long de la chaîne sont importants pour les variations et propriétés observées. Les distances intermétalliques sont déterminées par diffraction des rayons-X à température variable pour certains composés de l’or(I) et du platine(II) et la combinaison avec les spectres de luminescence aux mêmes conditions permet de comparer les interactions pour les deux métaux différents. Un modèle empirique de la littérature est utilisé et appliqué quantitativement aux systèmes de l’or(I). Les effets semblent généralement plus petits pour les composés de l’or(I) que pour ceux du platine(II) de la littérature et cette thèse présente la première analyse quantitative de tels effets. La combinaison de structures cristallographiques, de spectres expérimentaux et de calculs DFT amène une compréhension plus quantitative d’effets de structure électronique, moléculaire et supramoléculaire qui déterminent des propriétés spectroscopiques comme l’énergie du maximum de luminescence ou la largeur de la bande de luminescence.This thesis presents a series of spectroscopic measurements (Raman, luminescence) of platinum(II) and gold(I) compounds. The Raman spectra are measured at variable temperature or pressure and the vibrational transitions are assigned by comparison with DFT calculations. This approach is especially useful for metal complexes with polyatomic ligands and a quantitative agreement is achieved for some compounds. Weak interactions such as aurophilic bonding between gold(I) centers are a challenge for DFT calculations as demonstrated by the modeling of gold(I) xanthates and gold(I) dithiocarbamates. These aurophilic interactions are analyzed by variable-temperature and variable-pressure luminescence spectroscopy for some gold(I) dithiocarbamates. Experimental results show great variations such as a bathochromic shift of the luminescence band maximum of -120 cm-1/kbar for the gold(I) diethyldithiocarbamate with linear gold(I) chain structures or a variation of the luminescence bandshape for this very same compound. These effects are analyzed with DFT calculations showing that the gold(I)-gold(I) distances as well as the angles along the chain are important for the observed variations and properties. The intermetallic distances are determined by X-ray diffraction at variable temperature for some gold(I) and platinum(II) compounds and the combination with luminescence spectra at the same conditions allows to compare the interactions for the two different metals. An empirical model from the literature is used and quantitatively applied to the gold(I) systems. Effects seem generally to be smaller for the gold(I) compounds than for platinum(II) compounds from the literature and this thesis presents the first quantitative analysis of such effects, again compared to DFT calculations. The combination of crystal structures, experimental spectra and DFT models leads to a more quantitative understanding of electronic, molecular and supramolecular structural effects determining spectroscopic properties such as luminescence band maxima or bandshapes

Juvenile growth of hybrid poplars on acidic boreal soil determined by environmental effects of soil preparation, vegetation control, and fertilization

The silviculture of hybrid poplars and other fast-growing tree species is a promising solution to reduce the pressure on natural forests while maintaining wood supplies to industries. However, hybrid poplars are very sensitive to competing vegetation and to inadequate soil conditions and fertility. Possible management tools include mechanical site preparation (MSP), vegetation control (VC), and fertilization. Experimental plantations of hybrid poplars (one clone, Populus balsamea×Populus maximowiczii) were established at eight formerly forested sites on acidic soil in the southern boreal forest of Quebec, Canada. The objective was to test the response of hybrid poplars to the interaction of several silvicultural tools, which has been rarely done. FourMSPtreatments (in decreasing order of intensity: mounding, harrowing, heavy disk trenching, light disk trenching) and a control (unprepared) were all combined with four different frequencies of plant competition control by brushing (from never up to once a year). Fertilization with N or N+ P was also tested in three selected MSP treatments. After five years, hybrid poplar tree growth among MSP treatments increased in the following order: unprepared < light disk trenching < heavy disk trenching < harrowing < mounding. MSP was also essential in favouring early tree survival, as illustrated by mortality rates of over 20% in unprepared plots and below 5% in all other MSP treatments. The effect of competition control on hybrid poplar growth was greatest in the less intensive MSP treatments, where competing vegetation was the most abundant. On the contrary, fertilization effect was significant only in the most intensive MSP (mounding). Moreover, neither fertilization nor VC could compensate for inadequate soil preparation. Of all the silvicultural treatments tested, mounding provided the best tree growth despite a nitrogen and carbon impoverished surface soil

Mild hypothermia prevents brain edema and attenuates up-regulation of the astrocytic benzodiazepine receptor in experimental acute liver failure

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Mild hypothermia has proven useful in the clinical management of patients with acute liver failure. Acute liver failure in experimental animals results in alterations in the expression of genes coding for astrocytic proteins including the "peripheral-type" (astrocytic) benzodiazepine receptor (PTBR), a mitochondrial complex associated with neurosteroid synthesis. To gain further insight into the mechanisms whereby hypothermia attenuates the neurological complications of acute liver failure, we investigated PTBR expression in the brains of hepatic devascularized rats under normothermic (37 degrees C) and hypothermic (35 degrees C) conditions. METHODS: PTBR mRNA was measured using semi-quantitative RT-PCR in cerebral cortical extracts and densities of PTBR sites were measured by quantitative receptor autoradiagraphy. Brain pregnenolone content was measured by radioimmunoassay. RESULTS: At coma stages of encephalopathy, animals with acute liver failure manifested a significant increase of PTBR mRNA levels. Brain pregnenolone content and [(3)H]PK 11195 binding site densities were concomitantly increased. Mild hypothermia prevented brain edema and significantly attenuated the increased receptor expression and pregnenolone content. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that an attenuation of PTBR up-regulation resulting in the prevention of increased brain neurosteroid content represents one of the mechanisms by which mild hypothermia exerts its protective effects in ALF.CIH

Influence of afforestation on soil: The case of mineral weathering

Although concerns have been raised that increased nutrient demand by fast growing tree species could deplete soil nutrient pools, recent research suggests that some species are able to obtain nutrients via soil mineral weathering. Hybrid poplars, which are fast growing and nutrient demanding species, are increasingly used in intensive silvicultural settings. Understanding whether hybrid poplars have an effect on long term nutrient availability and can promote soil mineral weathering is therefore important. We investigated the levels of base cations (i.e. K, Ca, Mg, and Na) of surface soils (0–20 cm) in 13 hybrid poplar plantations in Quebec, and compared the results with those of adjacent abandoned agricultural fields. To evaluate whether exchangeable base cation pools and non-exchangeable pools (i.e. those in the crystal lattice of minerals) were being depleted, we used a sequential leach with diluted salt (BaCl2 for exchangeable) and weak acid solutions (HCl and HNO3 for non-exchangeable). Levels of exchangeable and non-exchangeable cations were not statistically different between land use types. Exploratory analyses, however, revealed trends toward a greater depletion of Ca, Mg and Na in non-exchangeable forms following afforestation. The depletion of these non-exchangeable base cations due to afforestation occurred at sites where greater levels were initially present in soil. The results suggest increased soil mineral weathering due to greater amounts of minerals susceptible to dissolution and, in part, high clay content. Based on Ca, Mg and K concentrations of the different leaches and their molar ratios (Ca/ΣAl + Fe, Mg/ΣAl + Fe and K/ΣAl + Fe), we propose a lesser role of soil mineral weathering on Ca cycling than Mg and K, which could lead to faster depletion of exchangeable Ca pools of the surface soil due to fast growth and high Ca demand by the poplars

Contrasting nutritional acclimation of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) and red maple (Acer rubrum L.) to increasing conifers and soil acidity as demonstrated by foliar nutrient balances

Sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marshall, SM) is believed to be more sensitive to acidic and nutrient-poor soils associated with conifer-dominated stands than red maple (Acer rubrum L., RM). Greater foliar nutrient use efficiency (FNUE) of RM is likely the cause for this difference. In the context of climate change, this greater FNUE could be key in favoring northward migration of RM over SM. We used the concept of foliar nutrient balances to study the nutrition of SM and RM seedlings along an increasing gradient in forest floor acidity conditioned by increasing proportions of conifers (pH values ranging from 4.39 under hardwoods, to 4.29 under mixed hardwood-conifer stands and 4.05 under conifer-dominated stands). Nutrients were subjected to isometric log-ratio (ilr) transformation, which views the leaf as one closed system and considers interactions between nutrients. The ilr method eliminates numerical biases and weak statistical inferences based on raw or “operationally” log-transformed data. We analyzed foliar nutrients of SM and RM seedlings and found that the [Ca,Mg,K| P,N] and [Ca,Mg| K] balances of SM seedlings were significantly different among soil acidity levels, whereas they did not vary for RM seedlings. For SM seedlings, these differences among soil acidity levels were due to a significant decrease in foliar Ca and Mg concentrations with increasing forest floor acidity. Similar differences in foliar balances were also found between healthy and declining SM stands estimated from literature values. Conversely, foliar balances of RM seedlings did not differ among soil acidity levels, even though untransformed foliar nutrient concentrations were significantly different. This result highlights the importance of using ilr transformation, since it provides more sensitive results than standard testing of untransformed nutrient concentrations. The lower nutrient requirements of RM and its greater capacity to maintain nutrient equilibrium are factors that could explain its competitive success and recent northward expansion. This study underscores the importance of using nutrient balances to study the redistribution of plant species in natural ecosystems under climate change

Precipitation and relative humidity favours tree growth while air temperature and relative humidity respectively drive winter stem shrinkage and expansion

Forest ecosystems have a major role in sequestering atmospheric CO2 and as such, their resilience is of upmost importance. In the boreal forest, trees grow only during a short period when air temperature is favourable. During winter, trees have specific mechanisms to survive in the cold air temperature. In order to understand the response of trees to a changing climate, this study assessed the influence of environmental variables on three phases of tree radial variation (i.e., growth, shrinkage and expansion) during three periods of the year (i.e., growing season, freeze–thaw period, and winter). The three phases were extracted from stem radial variation measured for as much as 11 years on 12 balsam fir [Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.] trees located in a cold and humid boreal forest of eastern Canada. The random forest algorithm was used to model each phase during each period. Our results show that tree growth increased with high precipitation and high relative humidity. Stem shrinkage was affected mostly by solar radiation, precipitation and vapour pressure deficit during the growing season and was likely caused by tree transpiration. During both the freeze–thaw and winter season periods, stem shrinkage increased with decreasing air temperature. During the growing season, stem expansion was related to 1-day-lag solar radiation and 1-day-lag vapour pressure deficit, which are the same variables associated with shrinkage the preceding day. Stem expansion increased with increasing air temperature and relative humidity during the freeze–thaw and winter season periods, respectively. This study shows that sink-driven tree growth is promoted mostly under humid conditions while antecedent dry and warm conditions are required during the growing season for trees to assimilate carbon through photosynthesis

Experimental Warming of Typically Acidic and Nutrient-Poor Boreal Soils Does Not Affect Leaf-Litter Decomposition of Temperate Deciduous Tree Species

Ongoing rapid climatic changes are expected to modify the structure, composition, and functioning of forest ecosystems. Studying the influence of such changes on biogeochemical processes is thus crucial for a fuller understanding of forest response to climate change. In a temperate forest of Quebec, Canada, we emulated climate change by warming the acidic, nutrient-poor, and dry soils of two mixedwoods by 3 to 4 °C using heating cables. Leaf-litter mass loss of the local red maple, sugar maple, large-tooth aspen, and American beech were monitored to assess the ability of these tree species to condition boreal soils in the context of their northward migration under climate change. We hypothesized that decomposition rates of all leaf-litter types would be decreased equally by warming due to a drying effect of the soil and its surface, which is detrimental to microbial biomass and activity. Our results suggest differences in decomposition rates between tree species as follows: sugar maple > red maple ≥ American beech = large-tooth aspen. There was no indication of a slower turnover in these marginal soils compared to other studies conducted on typical hardwood soils. Moreover, no difference in litter mass loss was detected between treatments, likely due to a drying effect of the soil warming treatment. Results imply that climate change has a marginal influence on leaf-litter dynamics of temperate tree species on soils that are typical of the boreal forest. However, some variables that could play an important role on litter decomposition in the context of climate change were not measured (e.g., plant phenology, understory composition and density, microbes) and thus, uncertainties remain. The soil drying effect by warming also needs to be further documented and modeled. The study year was characterized by significant periods of water stress but was not considered an exceptional year in that regard. It would be relevant to test for leaf-litter dynamics during dry and wet summers and verify again our initial hypothesis of decreased leaf-litter decomposition rates due to soil warming/drying

Dynamics of soil water potential as a function of stand types in a temperate forest: Emphasis on flash droughts

In the context of a changing climate and the increasing occurrences of extreme events, including droughts, field evidence, and models suggest that cases of forest decline and migration of tree species to more suitable climates will augment in the 21st century. In northeastern North America, an expansion of American beech at the expense of maples has been observed since the 1970s and has been associated to several causes. Through an analysis of time series leveraging thousands of data collected in a temperate forest in southern Quebec, Canada, dynamics of soil water potential were analyzed in interaction with soil temperature, meteorological variables and forest types, including hardwoods (mostly maple) with a large presence of beech trees (hardwood-beech stands), hardwoods (maple and birch) and mixedwoods (maple and fir). During flash drought events with a net precipitation deficit and water stress, the presence of beech led to a decrease in soil temperature and favored the maintenance of low soil water potential and faster restoration of water reserves compared to mixedwoods. Using machine learning-based approaches, distinct critical soil temperature thresholds in regard to water potential were identified for the various forest types, and the temporality in soil water regime changes was more favorable under hardwood-beech stands. The presence of beech appears to render greater resilience in regard to water stress in this forest. A greater capacity of beech to preserve and restore soil water not only offers an additional explanation for its establishment in hardwoods in the last decades, but greater water conservation in the presence of beech, assuming it remains in the landscape, could also help local plant species adapt to climate change and to the predicted increased water deficits, as well as species migrating northward to find more suitable environmental envelopes

Smartforests Canada: A Network of Monitoring Plots for Forest Management Under Environmental Change

Monitoring of forest response to gradual environmental changes or abrupt disturbances provides insights into how forested ecosystems operate and allows for quantification of forest health. In this chapter, we provide an overview of Smartforests Canada, a national-scale research network consisting of regional investigators who support a wealth of existing and new monitoring sites. The objectives of Smartforests are threefold: (1) establish and coordinate a network of high-precision monitoring plots across a 4400 km gradient of environmental and forest conditions, (2) synthesize the collected multivariate observations to examine the effects of global changes on complex above- and belowground forest dynamics and resilience, and (3) analyze the collected data to guide the development of the next-generation forest growth models and inform policy-makers on best forest management and adaptation strategies. We present the methodological framework implemented in Smartforests to fulfill the aforementioned objectives. We then use an example from a temperate hardwood Smartforests site in Quebec to illustrate our approach for climate-smart forestry. We conclude by discussing how information from the Smartforests network can be integrated with existing data streams, from within Canada and abroad, guiding forest management and the development of climate change adaptation strategies