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These well-wooded towns: Supplying fuel wood to central Canadian urban markets, 1867–1921
No full textIn the late 1860s, Toronto subsidized two narrow gauge rail lines in an effort to meet rising energy demands, make use of its hinterland’s ability to supply firewood, and utilize railway charters to enforce cheap transportation of firewood from the hinterland to the city. Several of the new Dominion’s earliest railways were thus not the typical trunk lines for connecting distant population centres; rather, they were narrow gauge lines that ran into the forest for the purpose of supplying fuel to urban Canadians. Rising fuel prices, however, resulted in debates over what some considered “cordwood monopolies” and broken rail charters. An examination of the records of urban fuel merchants, statistics of locomotive fuel consumption, and Geographic Information System (GIS) maps of national railway freight reveal where firewood markets expanded and how urban firewood consumption intensified in southern Ontario cities. Wood remained an integral part of the modern urban energy system until at least the early 1920s, a period usually considered Canada’s age of coal, because firewood and coal had much in common as solid fuels and railway expansion created new markets for firewood from the Canadian Shield
Veterinarians' perceptions of COVID-19 pandemic–related influences on veterinary telehealth and on pet owners' attitudes toward cats and dogs
No full textOBJECTIVE
To gather and evaluate veterinarians' perspectives about the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the use of veterinary telehealth and on cat owners' versus dog owners' attitudes toward transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus from their pets.
SAMPLE
93 respondent veterinarians (47 in primary care practice and 46 in specialty practice).
PROCEDURES
An online survey was conducted between June 15 and July 15, 2020, and included 21 questions concerning demographics, use of telehealth before and after the onset of the pandemic (before March 15, 2020, and between March 15 and June 15, 2020, respectively), changes in caseloads, and perception of clients' concerns about potential for transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus from pets. Reported zip codes informed the collection of census data.
RESULTS
The level of poverty was significantly lower in zip code areas for respondents who reported telehealth services were (vs were not) offered before the pandemic. The percentage of respondents who reported their practice offered telehealth services increased from 12% (11/93) before the pandemic to 38% (35/93) between March 15 and June 15, 2020. Although most respondents reported owner-expressed concerns over SARS-CoV-2 virus transmission from their pets, most also reported increased caseloads, seeing newly adopted pets, and few discussions of surrender of pets for reasons related to the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Findings indicated that caseloads increased and telehealth services expanded during the pandemic but that there was no evidence of differences in respondent-reported owner concern for SARS-CoV-2 virus transmission from cats versus dogs.PetSmart CharitiesWestern University of Health Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine matching progra
Estimation of soil surface roughness using stereo vision approach
No full textSoil roughness is one of the most challenging issues in the agricultural domain and plays a crucial role in soil quality. The objective of this research was to develop a computerized method based on stereo vision technique to estimate the roughness formed on the agricultural soils. Additionally, soil till quality was investigated by analyzing the height of plow layers. An image dataset was provided in the real conditions of the field. For determining the soil surface roughness, the elevation of clods obtained from tillage operations was computed using a depth map. This map was obtained by extracting and matching corresponding keypoints as super pixels of images. Regression equations and coefficients of determination between the measured and estimated values indicate that the proposed method has a strong potential for the estimation of soil shallow roughness as an important physical parameter in tillage operations. In addition, peak fitting of tilled layers was applied to the height profile to evaluate the till quality. The results of this suggest that the peak fitting is an effective method of judging tillage quality in the fields.University of Mohaghegh ArdabiliNational Sciences
and Engineering Research Council of Canad
Comparison of chlorhexidine and alcohol‐based antisepsis of the distal limbs of horses
No full textBackground
An alcohol-based rub has been confirmed effective at reducing bacterial counts on equine skin. Skin sites with expected high bacterial burden have not been tested or has a comparison to a common protocol been performed.
Objectives
To determine if ethanol-based antisepsis reduces bacterial counts on the equine distal limb comparable to a current chlorhexidine scrub method and determine the most effective application technique for the product.
Study design
Randomised trial.
Methods
Forty-one horses were used in the study. By horse, each limb was randomly assigned to a treatment group: 5min scrub using 4% chlorhexidine gluconate to a clipped site (CHG); 90s scrub using 80% ethanol to a clipped site (ETC); 90s contact with 80% ethanol applied as a spray to a clipped site (ETS) and 90s scrub using 80% ethanol to an unclipped site (ETUC). Samples were collected pre- and post-treatment and plated in duplicate. Bacterial counts were log10 transformed and averaged between duplicates. A linear mixed model was used to compare mean log10 CFU/mL reduction between groups. A cost-benefit analysis was performed.
Results
There was no significant difference in mean log10 CFU/mL reduction between CHG and ETC in either fore- or hindlimbs. In forelimbs, there was no significant difference in mean log10 CFU/mL reduction between any groups. In hindlimbs, CHG had significantly greater mean log10 CFU/mL reduction than ETUC and ETS. No significant difference in cost-benefit was found between CHG and ETC. Significant differences were noted between CHG and both ETUC and ETS.
Main limitations
Researchers were not blinded to treatment group during sample collection.
Conclusions
This study showed no significant difference in reduction in bacterial counts on the distal limb of horses between CHG and ethonol (ET) when applied as a scrub to a clipped site and there was no significant difference in cost-benefit between these treatments
Clinical utility of exercise testing and high-sensitivity cardiac Troponin I in early diagnosis of arrythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy in apparently healthy Boxer dogs
No full textArrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a primary myocardial disease recognized in dogs and humans. It is characterized by fibrofatty replacement of right ventricular myocardium, and less frequently, of the interventricular septum, left ventricular and atrial myocardium. Boxer dogs have a genetic predisposition for ARVC. Family history of the disease, documentation of ventricular arrhythmias (premature ventricular complexes, PVCs), history of syncope, or exercise intolerance are important clinical data to guide the diagnosis in affected dogs. In dogs with a lack of clinical signs (apparently healthy dogs), the electrocardiographic finding of ventricular arrhythmias is a major means of suspecting a diagnosis of ARVC antemortem. Of concern, however, is that the earliest latent stage of ARVC is characterized by normal electrocardiographic findings with undetectable structural heart disease but a risk for sudden cardiac death. The identification of this subclinical population of Boxer dogs having latent disease is challenging but important for prognosis and monitoring recommendations and in selection of breeding animals. Therefore, testing that can unmask ventricular arrhythmias or increase blood levels of biomarkers of myocardial injury in subclinical Boxer dogs may be beneficial in guiding monitoring and treatment recommendations. In the present study, we 1) investigated the effects of exercise testing (ExT) on the occurrence of ventricular arrhythmias in apparently healthy Boxer dogs; 2) performed an analytical and clinical comparison between point-of-care (POC) cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and high-sensitivity cTnI (hs-cTnI) assays; and 3) investigated whether an association could be demonstrated between ventricular arrhythmias, cTnI concentration ([cTnI]), and genetic mutation status in these Boxer dogs. One hundred and fifty-eight client-owned Boxer dogs were screened to select a population of apparently healthy dogs. Of these, 30 dogs completed the study.
This study showed that the effects of ExT on number and complexity of ventricular arrhythmias are inconsistent in apparently healthy Boxer dogs. However, in many dogs, PVCs were clustered around exercising (median, 33.3% of total daily PVCs occurring in the peri-exercise period). The results of this study demonstrated that the two cTnI assays cannot be used interchangeably, the hs-cTnI assay may be a more sensitive and specific test that the POC assay, and [cTnI] measured by either assay does not differ in dogs with and without the striatin mutation that has been associated with ARVC in some Boxer dogs. Furthermore, the results of this study suggest that the exercise-associated increase in [cTnI] and number of PVCs may be a manifestation of increased propensity to the development of the ARVC phenotype in Boxer dogs. Dogs’ recent exercise history should be considered when measuring [cTnI] and when quantitating PVCs via 24 h at-home electrocardiogram (Holter monitor). Long-term follow up of these Boxer dogs may provide further evidence in support of our hypotheses and overall conclusion, which could be a focus for future studies
Analyzing assessment practices for Indigenous students
No full textThe purpose of this article is to review common assessment practices for Indigenous students. We start by presenting positionalities—our personal and professional background identities. Then we explain common terms associated with Indigeneity and Indigenous and Western worldviews. We describe the meaning of document analysis, the chosen qualitative research design, and we explicate the delimitations and limitations of the paper. The review of the literature revealed four main themes. First, assessment is subjugated by a Western worldview. Next, many linguistic assessment practices disadvantage Indigenous students, and language-specific and culture-laden standardized tests are often discriminatory. Last, there is a pervasive focus on cognitive assessment. We discuss how to improve assessment for Indigenous students. For example, school divisions and educators need quality professional development and knowledge about hands-on assessment, multiple intelligences, and Western versus Indigenous assessment inconsistencies. Within the past 20 years, assessment tactics for Indigenous students has remained, more or less, the same. We end with a short discussion addressing this point
Acute hindlimb paresis caused by extension of a peripheral nerve sheath tumour into the spinal canal of a horse
No full textSummary A 10‐year‐old Quarter Horse gelding presented for a large, slowly growing mass in the right thoracic region caudal to the withers (approximately at the level of thoracic vertebrae 10 to 16). The mass was surgically removed, the horse returned to normal riding activity, and no external regrowth was observed. Two years after surgery, the horse developed progressive signs of hindlimb weakness, ataxia and adopting a dog‐sitting stance. Post‐mortem examination confirmed spinal canal infiltration and spinal cord compression (at the level of the 12th thoracic vertebra) by a similar soft tissue sarcoma as diagnosed previously. Immunohistochemistry confirmed the tumour as a peripheral nerve sheath tumour (PNST) likely originating from the twelfth thoracic spinal nerve. This report demonstrates that with incomplete tumour resection, local recurrence and extension of a PNST into the central nervous system can occur even years after initial tumour removal. Immunohistochemistry to differentiate the type of soft tissue sarcoma in cases with close association to the nervous system may prove beneficial to anticipate this uncommon complication. Early surgical resection with adjunctive therapies should be considered in these cases
English
No full textThis study estimated the changes in economics and farmer perceptions towards calf welfare as a result of implementing low-cost calf housing enhancements and changes in calf management on Kenyan smallholder dairy farms. The trial involved 187 heifer calves from 150 farms allocated to either an intervention or control group. The interventions were improvements on the floor and roof of the calf housing, and training for the farmers on calf care. Animal- and farm-level characteristics were collected every two months over a 16-month period. Data gathered from questionnaires on the first and sixth visits were used to determine changes in calf management and farmer perceptions on calf welfare pre- and post-intervention. Partial budgeting was used to assess the additional costs and benefits associated with the intervention for heifer calves from birth to 15 months old. The net financial return of undertaking the housing and management improvements was positive at Ksh 6,594 (USD 65.94) per heifer, based on having a larger heifer at 15 months, reduced bedding and medical care costs, and lower risk of death. It is thus concluded that calf housing improvements and on-farm training on calf care are cost-effective and improve management and calf welfare perceptions of farmers
When fear surrounding childbirth leads women to request a planned cesarean birth
No full textFear surrounding childbirth requires a more in-depth understanding from women’s perspectives, especially those who request a planned cesarean due to that fear. Therefore, we explored primiparous and multiparous women’s lived experiences of fear surrounding childbirth in relation to their decision to request a planned cesarean birth. We used Colaizzi’s (1978) phenomenological method to interview 16 women from 4 provinces and to analyze the data. Women expressed numerous fears and most experienced more than one fear. Most feared their baby/babies being injured or dying during childbirth or developing complications themselves. Others feared experiencing a traumatic birth. Women described numerous emotional and physical manifestations of fear, and all believed that a planned cesarean birth would provide more control over the birth process. For some, the birth of their healthy baby/babies began a healing process, whereas others noted that their fear subsided or resolved upon confirmation that they would have a planned cesarean
Enabled players: The value of accessible digital games
No full textIt is increasingly recognized that there are many players of mainstream digital games who have some form of disability. It is not known which aspects of games are valued by players, regardless of whether they have a disability. We report on a survey of 71 players from the general game community and 123 players with disabilities asking what makes games important to them. We found established motivations to play such as social connection and escapism but additionally that players find games beneficial and provide artistic experiences. Players with disabilities explicitly referred to games helping them to feel enabled or being on a level footing with nondisabled players. The value of accessible games is not just mere play but playing the same games as everyone else. This implies that achieving accessibility through adapting games is an important approach to provide the valued connection and enablement that games provide.Morrell Centre for Toleratio