This paper argues that the contribution of some universities to local and regional economic dynamism is much richer than overly mechanistic depictions suggest. Beyond generating commercializable ...knowledge and qualified research scientists, universities produce other mechanisms of knowledge transfer, such as generating and attracting talent to the local economy, and collaborating with local industry by providing formal and informal technical support. A detailed case study of the University of Waterloo, in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, with its progressive Coop and Entrepreneurial education programs, and innovative Intellectual Property policy, illustrates the way in which the university has contributed to growth and innovation in the local and regional economy.
This paper reports findings from a web-based survey of professional ergonomists with certification through recognized organizations in English-speaking countries (USA, Canada, UK, Australia, and New ...Zealand). The purpose of the survey is to update knowledge on the types of basic tools and direct and observational assessment methods used by ergonomic practitioners. These results focus on prevalence and frequency of use for 23 ergonomic assessment methods and how ergonomists report using them (pencil and paper, computer software, mobile devices, other). N=405 ergonomists responded to the survey, representing a 34% participation rate. The NIOSH Lifting Equation is the most widely used assessment method, used by 86.9% of responding ergonomists. The findings indicate opportunities for development of mobile interfaces (“apps”) by which assessment methods can be deployed electronically. Only 25% of professionals reported using mobile apps, and several frequently used methods are predominantly used in “pencil and paper” format.
The relationship between impervious land cover and tree development is an important component to understanding urban ecological systems. While impervious surfaces are associated with degraded soil ...conditions, rerouted hydrological networks and urban microclimates, the overall impact of these effects on tree development is highly variable. This study examines this relationship at two spatial scales: within the individual tree's local environment and across the broad-scale urban landscape. Using a fusion of airborne hyperspectral imagery and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data, a 1.0m spatial resolution classified land cover map (accuracy of 88.6%) was produced for the city of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, from which landscape imperviousness was then derived. The stem heights of 1914 trees were estimated from the LiDAR data, to which species-specific height models were fit using planting dates recorded by city authorities. Having accounted for the age of the trees, the residuals from these models (i.e.: the difference between modelled and measured height) were then used as indicators of tree development. When aggregated to 0.5km2 spatial units, negative relationships (r2 between 0.292 and 0.753) were found between height model residuals and the degree of land cover imperviousness. These relationships did not persist when examined at the individual tree level, for which imperviousness was measured within the direct vicinity of each tree using the same imperviousness map. We conclude that, using this approach, imperviousness does not appear to be a significant driver of tree height variation, with broad-scale relationships likely due to correlations with other environmental variables associated with the urban-rural gradient. Despite some limitations, the integration of hyperspectral and LiDAR data proved to be a powerful tool for mapping imperviousness, with LiDAR metrics being particularly important for distinguishing between types of urban land cover.
•Stem heights were measured for 1914 urban trees using airborne LiDAR.•Imperviousness estimates were derived from LiDAR data and hyperspectral imagery.•Negative relationship found at a broad scale between imperviousness and height.•This relationship does not persist at a local scale.•Results suggest low importance of imperviousness as a driver of tree development.
While the relationship between the Arctic sea ice loss and midlatitude winter climate has been well discussed, especially on the seasonal mean scale, it remains unclear whether the Arctic sea ice ...condition affects the predictability of North American cold weather on the subseasonal time scale. Here we find that, in the presence of low Barents-Kara Sea (BKS) sea ice, sudden stratospheric warmings (SSWs) can favor surface cold spells over North America at the subseasonal timescale based on observations and model experiments. A persistent ridge of wave-2 pattern emerges over the Bering Sea-Gulf of Alaska several weeks after the SSW onset, with a coherent structure from the stratosphere to the surface, which, in turn, is conducive to synoptic cold air outbreaks in Canada and midwestern USA. This highlights a planetary wave pathway relating to BKS sea ice changes, by which the stratospheric polar vortex impacts the regional surface temperature on the subseasonal scale. In contrast, this mechanism does not occur with positive BKS sea ice anomaly. These findings help to improve the subseasonal predictability over North America, especially under the background of rapid change of Arctic sea ice in a warming world.
Forested ecosystems dominated by trees, wetlands, and lakes occupy more than 65% of Canada's land base. This treed area is dynamic, subject to temporary reductions in area and biomass due to wildfire ...and timber harvesting, and increases due to successional processes and growth. As such, the net aboveground biomass accumulated over time is a function of multiple, complex factors: standing forests grow and accrue biomass over time, whereas disturbed forests lose biomass, and subsequent regeneration processes result in biomass accrual once again. Knowledge of these processes behind biomass gain and loss is important for a range of considerations including habitat provision, economic opportunities, and exchange of carbon between forests and the atmosphere. Herein, we used a 33 year satellite-derived time series of aboveground biomass estimates for Canada's forested ecosystems to quantify biomass dynamics partitioned by the presence or absence of disturbance, and by disturbance type. Findings suggest that over the analysis period considered (1984-2016), undisturbed forests accounted for accrual of 3.90 Petagrams (Pg) of biomass. In contrast, while occupying ∼75% less area, disturbed forests accounted for a loss of 3.94 Pg biomass. Of this total biomass reduction, 45.4% can be attributed to wildfire, 43.8% to harvesting, 8.3% to non-stand replacing disturbances, and 2.5% to detectable roads and infrastructure development. Following disturbance, an additional 1.32 Pg of biomass were accrued during the analysis period, along with an additional 4.09 Pg in newly treed areas. Overall, Canada's forested ecosystems have realized a net increase in biomass of 5.38 Pg. Results of this analysis demonstrate the decoupling of area disturbed from the resulting biomass consequences by disturbance type, with large areas of wildfire accounting for a change in biomass that is similar to that of forest harvesting, which occurs over a much smaller area of mature and productive forest.
•A two-stage stochastic model for reverse logistics network design is developed.•The collected volume and the recycling rates at the collection centers are uncertain.•Our model considers joint ...dynamic supply sources and source separation centers.•A case study targeting waste management in the (*CRD: Construction, Renovation and Demolition) industry is presented.•The benefits of source separation for waste management efficiency is highlighted.
This paper presents a two-stage stochastic programming model for reverse logistics network design (RLND) under uncertainty with dynamic supply sources’ locations. The primary objective of the optimization model is to maximize the expected profit generated by selling recycled materials to the secondary markets and to make the landfilling option less attractive. In comparison with the state-of-the-art stochastic optimization models in this area, which mainly focus on the expected optimal value, this paper emphasizes the role of source separation of recyclable materials to increase the productivity level at the collection centers (CC). Indeed, the quantity of materials collected from the supply sources and the recycling rates at the CC are the primary sources of uncertainty considered in this study. A Sample Average Approximation (SAA) procedure is developed to solve the stochastic model and perform sensitivity analyses on the number of supply sources, the sample size and the level of uncertainty targeting the random parameters. Managerial implications are discussed through a case study from the demolition industry in the province of Quebec, Canada. Although the use of source separation centers (SSC) improves the network performance in both rural and urban zones, the additional flexibility provided by these platforms reaches its best efficiency in the case of high-density urban areas. Finally, the results suggest significant RLND adjustments that lead to an increase in the average profit by 17.6% and recycle around 29% of additional building materials waste from demolition.
We document important interactions between tax incentives and corporate policies using a "quasi natural experiment" provided by a surprise announcement that imposed corporate taxes on a group of ...Canadian publicly traded firms. The announcement caused a dramatic decrease in value. Prospective tax shields partially offset the losses, adding 4.6% to firm value on average, and vary with the tax status of the marginal investor. Further, firms adjust leverage, payout, cash holdings, and investment in response to changing tax incentives. Overall, the event study and time series evidence supports the view that taxes are important for corporate decision making.
The present prospective study examines the interplay between the quality of relationships with coworkers and work motivation in predicting burnout. Considering self-determined motivation at work as a ...potential moderator, we investigated whether relationships with coworkers are equally important to all employees in preventing burnout. A total of 533 college employees participated in this study. Data were collected at two time points, two years apart. Results from structural equation modeling indicated negative main effects for high-quality relationships and self-determined motivation on burnout. A significant interaction effect between these two factors on burnout was also revealed, suggesting that high-quality relationships with coworkers is crucial for those employees who exhibit less self-determined work motivation. Implications for burnout research and management practices are discussed (Deci & Ryan, 1985).
Assessing the status and trend of potential evaporation (PE) is essential for investigating the climate change impact on the terrestrial water cycle. Despite recent advances, evaluating climate ...change impacts on PE using pan evaporation (E
) data in cold regions is hindered by the unavailability of E
measurements in cold seasons due to the freezing of water and sparse spatial distribution of sites. This study generated long-term PE datasets in Canada for 1979-2016 by integrating the dynamic evolutions of water-ice-snow processes into estimation in the Ecological Assimilation of Land and Climate Observations (EALCO) model. The datasets were compared with E
before the spatial variations and trends were analyzed. Results show that EALCO PE and E
measurements demonstrate similar seasonal variations and trends in warm seasons in most areas. Annual PE in Canada varied from 100 mm in the Northern Arctic to approximately 1000 mm in southern Canadian Prairies, southern Ontario, and East Coast, with about 600 mm for the entire landmass. Annual PE shows an increasing trend at a rate of 1.5-4 mm/year in the Northern Arctic, East, and West Canada. The increase is primarily associated with the elevated air temperature and downward longwave and shortwave radiation, with some regions contributed by augmented wind speed. The increase of annual PE is mainly attributed to the augmentation of PE in warm seasons.
Forest biomass harvesting guidelines help ensure the ecological sustainability of forest residue harvesting for bioenergy and bioproducts, and hence contribute to social license for a growing ...bioeconomy. Guidelines, typically voluntary, provide a means to achieve outcomes often required by legislation, and must address needs related to local or regional context, jurisdictional compatibility with regulations, issues of temporal and spatial scale, and incorporation of appropriate scientific information. Given this complexity, comprehensive reviews of existing guidelines can aid in development of new guidelines or revision of existing ones. We reviewed 32 guidelines covering 43 jurisdictions in the USA, Canada, Europe and East Asia to expand upon information evaluated and recommendations provided in previous guideline reviews, and compiled a searchable spreadsheet of direct quotations from documents as a foundation for our review. Guidelines were considered in the context of sustainable forest management (SFM), focusing on guideline scope and objectives, environmental sustainability concerns (soils, site productivity, biodiversity, water and carbon) and social concerns (visual aesthetics, recreation, and preservation of cultural, historical and archaeological sites). We discuss the role of guidelines within the context of other governance mechanisms such as SFM policies, trade regulations and non-state market-driven (NSMD) standards, including certification systems. The review provides a comprehensive resource for those developing guidelines, or defining sustainability standards for market access or compliance with public regulations, and/or concerned about the sustainability of forest biomass harvesting. We recommend that those developing or updating guidelines consider (i) the importance of well-defined and understood terminology, consistent where possible with guidelines in other jurisdictions or regions; (ii) guidance based on locally relevant research, and periodically updated to incorporate current knowledge and operational experience; (iii) use of indicators of sensitive soils, sites, and stands which are relevant to ecological processes and can be applied operationally; and (iv) incorporation of climate impacts, long-term soil carbon storage, and general carbon balance considerations when defining sustainable forest biomass availability. Successful implementation of guidelines depends both on the relevance of the information and on the process used to develop and communicate it; hence, appropriate stakeholders should be involved early in guideline development.
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