bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Canada Revenue Agency as separate employer: Anomaly or model for the future?
Authors: Brown David C.G. 
Published: December 2009

Abstract: In 1999, Revenue Canada became the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA), with a governance model that combines traditional ministerial responsibility in program areas and Crown corporation governance in internal management. The greatest changes were in human resources management, where the agency became a separate employer, providing a rare opportunity to design from first principles. This article discusses the factors that led to the single most ambitious federal government “alternative service delivery” project. It then looks at the agency's governance model and the development and implementation of its human resources management regime, which sought to meet agency business requirements while responding to criticisms of the mainstream public‐service model. The agency's workforce is on the scale of the larger provincial governments, and it provides extensive support to the provinces and territories, compounding the need for innovative governance and human resources management. The circumstances of moving to agency status and later reinforcements have contributed to its success and make it unlikely that the decision will be reversed, notwithstanding the later return of the Customs function to the mainstream public service. Tensions with broader public‐service management objectives make it equally unlikely that the move will be replicated on a large scale.Sommaire : En 1999, Revenu Canada est devenu l'Agence des douanes et du revenu du Canada (ADRC), dotée d'un modèle de gouvernance qui associe la responsabilité mi‐nistérielle traditionnelle dans les domaines de programmes et la gouvernance des sociétés d'État pour la gestion interne. Les plus grands changements se sont produits dans la gestion des ressources humaines, lorsque l'Agence est devenue un employeur distinct, fournissant une rare occasion de conception à partir des principes de base. Le présent article aborde les facteurs qui ont conduit au projet le plus ambitieux « diversification des modes de prestation de services » du gouvernement fédéral. Il se penche ensuite sur le modèle de gouvernance de l'Agence et l'établissement et la mise en œuvre de son régime de gestion des ressources humaines, qui a cherchéà répondre aux exigences opérationnelles de l'Agence tout en faisant face aux critiques du modèle de service public ordinaire. La main‐d'œuvre de l'Agence est d'une échelle équivalente à celle des plus grands gouvernements provinciaux, et elle apporte un important soutien aux provinces et territoires, combinant le besoin d'innovation en matière de gou‐vernance et de gestion des ressources humaines. Les circonstances de la transition au statut d'Agence et des renforcements subséquents ont contribuéà son succès et rendent bien improbable que la décision soit infirmée, compte non tenu du retour ultérieur de la fonction de Douanes au service public ordinaire. Les tensions qui accompagnent les plus vastes objectifs de gestion du service public rendent également improbable que l'initiative se reproduise à une grande échelle.
Fetuin‐A and interleukin‐18 levels in ankylosing spondylitis
Authors: SARI Ismail , KEBAPCILAR Levent , TAYLAN Ali , BILGIR Oktay , KOZACI Didem L. , YILDIZ Yasar , YUKSEL Arif , GUNAY Necati , AKKOC Nurullah 
Published: December 2009

AbstractAim:  Interleukin‐18 (IL‐18) and fetuin‐A have been implicated in atherosclerosis. Preliminary evidence suggests that ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is associated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis. The aim of the present study was to investigate possible abnormalities in IL‐18 and fetuin‐A levels in AS.Methods:  Subjects without established cardiovascular (CV) risk factors were studied. Fasting glucose, serum lipids, high sensitive C‐reactive protein (hsCRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate, IL‐18 and fetuin‐A were assessed. Patients were also evaluated with the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index, and the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index.Results:  Fourty‐five patients with AS (37.4 ± 9.7 years; 35M/10F) and 29 controls (35.5 ± 11.1 years; 21M/8F) were studied. Fetuin‐A levels were significantly higher in AS patients compared to controls (1023.5 ± 171.6 vs. 856.9 ± 207.9 μg/mL, P < 0.001). IL‐18 levels were also higher in the AS group but the difference was not significant (184 ± 186 vs. 140 ± 115, P = 0.1). Significant but weak correlations were found between fetuin‐A, IL‐18, hsCRP, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride levels (P < 0.05; r = 0.4, 0.3, 0.2, and 0.3 respectively). Comparison of subjects with respect to the treatment type, disease activity and history of peripheral arthritis yielded no difference regarding fetuin‐A and IL‐18 between groups.Conclusion:  Fetuin‐A and IL‐18 levels seem to be increased in AS patients regardless of disease activity and treatment type.
The effects of an orally administered probiotic on sulfasalazine metabolism in individuals with rheumatoid arthritis: a preliminary study
Authors: LEE Hee Ji , WALLER Rosmary D. , STEBBINGS Simon , HIGHTON John , ORLOVICH David A. , SCHMIERER David , FAWCETT J. Paul 
Published: December 2009

AbstractAim: To carry out a pilot study to investigate the effect of short‐term oral probiotic administration on the metabolism of sulfasalazine (SSZ) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) stabilized on SSZ.Methods: Twelve subjects with RA taking stable doses of SSZ for a minimum of 3 months prior to the study, received a probiotic preparation contained three strains of bacteria (1.8 × 109 CFU/day) twice daily for 1 week. Single point blood and 12‐h urine samples were taken before and after probiotic treatment and 3 weeks following discontinuation of probiotics, for determination of SSZ and its metabolites. The presence of the probiotic bacteria in the feces of patients was investigated by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE).Results: Adverse events recorded were three instances of gastrointestinal disturbance and one flare of RA. Plasma and urinary levels of SSZ and its metabolites showed no statistically significant changes after probiotic administration and the incidence of gastrointestinal disturbance did not appear to be ascribed to higher sulfapyridine plasma levels. Probiotic‐specific DGGE bands were detected in the feces of some patients after the treatment period.Conclusions: Short‐term treatment of RA patients with a multi‐strain probiotic did not significantly influence SSZ metabolism as has been demonstrated in animal models.
Depositional setting, fossil flora, and paleoenvironment of the Early Eocene Falkland site, Okanagan Highlands, British Columbia
Authors: Smith Robin Y. , Basinger James F. , Greenwood David R. 
Published: December 2009

The fossil flora and depositional setting of the Early Eocene Falkland site in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada, is reported in detail for the first time, using a census sampling approach. The Falkland site is part of the series of Okanagan Highlands fossil localities in British Columbia and Washington State that represent relatively cool upland environments within the context of the greenhouse world of the Early Eocene, providing microthermal (mean annual temperature (MAT) < 13 °C) climatic conditions for the establishment of cool-adapted plants geographically adjacent to subtropical elements from lowland floras. Plant community composition of the Falkland flora is most similar to the Republic (Washington) and McAbee (British Columbia) floras based on high Sørenson similarity coefficients, together forming a southern cluster of Okanagan Highlands sites. The site is a lacustrine deposit that formed in a volcanically active landscape. Paleoclimate reconstructions based on leaf physiognomy characterize the site as microthermal (MAT 8.9 ± 2.0 °C by leaf margin analysis or 11.9 ± 2.0 °C by climate leaf analysis multivariate program (CLAMP)), mesic (mean annual precipitation (MAP) 114 [Formula: see text]cm/year), and equable (cold month mean temperature (CMMT) 3.0 ± 2.0 °C). Paleoelevation of the site is estimated to be similar to or slightly higher than modern levels (>1.3 km) during the Early Eocene. The Falkland locality adds new data to the temporal, latitudinal, and altitudinal gradients of the Okanagan Highlands series, reflecting the regional landscape of northwestern North America during the warmest period of the Cenozoic.
Magmatic affinity of modern and ancient subalkaline volcanic rocks determined from trace-element discriminant diagrams
Authors: Ross Pierre-Simon , Bédard Jean H. 
Published: December 2009

When dealing with ancient subalkaline volcanic rocks, the alkali – total iron – magnesium (AFM) diagram is of limited use in assigning a tholeiitic versus calc-alkaline affinity because these elements are often mobile during alteration and metamorphism. Classification diagrams using immobile trace elements are preferable but need to be tested and optimized on unaltered rocks. To this end, a geochemical database containing over a thousand, presumed unaltered, subalkaline volcanic samples from young oceanic arcs was assembled. The data were classified using both major and trace-element approaches, and the results were compared. If the calc-alkaline and tholeiitic fields on the AFM diagram are used to define magmatic affinity, then the commonly used Zr versus Y, La versus Yb, and Th versus Yb discriminant diagrams misclassify 39%, 24%, and 28% of samples, respectively. After optimization (using a number of criteria), all three trace-element classification diagrams produce results that are generally consistent with the AFM diagram. The optimized diagrams only misclassify 7%, 11%, and 12% of the samples, respectively. A new Th/Yb versus Zr/Y diagram has a better overall performance than any single ratio diagram and may prove helpful in assigning magmatic affinities to volcanic rocks in ancient successions.
Spatiotemporal dynamics of the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) Greenland fishery inferred from mixed-stock analysis
Authors: Gauthier-Ouellet Marika , Dionne Mélanie , Caron François , King Tim L. , Bernatchez Louis 
Published: December 2009

Mixed-stock fisheries refer to the exploitation of admixed fish stocks coming from different origins. We identified the North American origin of 2835 Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ) in the Greenland mixed-stock fishery during 11 years (1995–2006) at three localities using 13 microsatellites. The study included 52 baseline populations representing nine genetically distinct regional groups. The contribution of each group ranged from <1% (Maine) to 40% (Southern Québec). Decreasing temporal contributions were observed for Southern Québec (–22.0%) and New Brunswick (–17.4%), whereas an increasing contribution for Labrador (+14.9%) was observed during the time course of the study. The estimated regional contribution to the Greenland fishery was significantly correlated to the number of multi-sea-winter salmon regionally produced in 2002 (r = 0.79) and 2004 (r = 0.92). No difference in contribution was found between the three Greenland sampling localities. Ungava and Southern Québec regions showed the highest mortality estimates caused by the fishery, ranging from 12.10% to 18.08%, for both years tested. No regional group was overrepresented in landings compared with their respective productivity. Yet, management precautions should still be taken as the fishery strongly selects large females, which could have evolutionary impacts on populations over the long term.
Effects of gap size and surrounding trees on light patterns and aspen branch growth in the western boreal forest
Authors: Ye Fang , Comeau Philip G. 
Published: December 2009

Vertical and horizontal patterns of light within gaps and expansion of trees into gaps were examined in young stands dominated by trembling aspen ( Populus tremuloides Michx.) in northeastern British Columbia and northwestern Alberta. Lateral growth of branches of aspen edge trees averaged 15.2 cm/year and was similar to crown expansion rates reported for edge trees in eastern North America. Branches growing into gaps were significantly longer than those growing away from gaps and are likely to lead to gap shrinkage and reductions in light within gaps. However, height growth of edge trees was not significantly different from that of trees within the surrounding stands. Models describing relationships between diffuse transmittance and locations within gaps and surrounding stand height were developed in this paper. Sky view angle (SVA) was found to be effective for predicting transmittance to different locations within gaps. When SVA values exceed 1.2 (at the B.C. sites), white spruce ( Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) will receive <40% of full sunlight, which is less than optimal for spruce height growth.
Early establishment of conifer recruits in the northern Rocky Mountains as a function of postfire duff depth
Authors: Hesketh M. , Greene D. F. , Pounden E. 
Published: December 2009

Well-combusted duff (<3 cm depth) is generally considered the best seedbed for small-seeded species on upland sites, but we ask here, What is the optimal, postfire residual duff thickness? We hypothesize that a duff thickness equal to (but not greater than) the length of the germinant will offer the best conditions, because at this thickness, the duff layer will not prohibit radicle penetration into the mineral soil, and yet it will serve as a water-conserving mulch. Data from a recent fire in the Rocky mountains of British Columbia were used to show that for three species of Pinus and Picea, (1) duff depths <3 cm were far more clement substrates than thicker duff, and (2) there was a peak in relative survivorship at about 1–2 cm, somewhat shallower than the typical hypocotyl length for these species. Additional data sets from studies previously conducted at boreal and northern cordilleran sites in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Yukon, and Quebec (a combined 21 fires) bolstered these results.
Recent woody invasion of wetlands on the Kenai Peninsula Lowlands, south-central Alaska: a major regime shift after 18 000 years of wet Sphagnum–sedge peat recruitment
Authors: Berg Edward E. , Hillman Kacy McDonnell , Dial Roman , DeRuwe Allana 
Published: December 2009

We document accelerating invasion of woody vegetation into wetlands on the western Kenai Peninsula lowlands. Historical aerial photography for 11 wetland sites showed that herbaceous area shrank 6.2%/decade from 1951 to 1968, and 11.1%/decade from 1968 to 1996. Corresponding rates for converting herbaceous area to shrubland were 11.5% and 13.7%/decade, respectively, and, for converting nonforest to forest, were 7.8% and 8.3%/decade, respectively. Black spruce ( Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) forests on three wetland perimeters established since the Little Ice Age concluded in the 1850s. Dwarf birch shrubs at three wetland sites showed median apparent tree-ring age of 13 years, indicating recent shrub colonization at these sites. Peat cores at 24 wetland sites (basal peat ages 1840 – 18 740 calibrated years before present) indicated that these peatlands originated as wet Sphagnum –sedge fens with very little woody vegetation. Local meteorological records show a 55% decline in available water since 1968, of which one-third is due to higher summer temperatures and increased evapotranspiration and two-thirds is due to lower annual precipitation. These results suggest that wet Sphagnum–sedge fens initiating since the end of the Wisconsin glaciation began to dry in the 1850s and that this drying has greatly accelerated since the 1970s.
Factors controlling epiphytic lichen biomass during postfire succession in black spruce boreal forests
Authors: Boudreault Catherine , Bergeron Yves , Coxson Darwyn 
Published: December 2009

Alectorioid lichens are the dominant group of epiphytic lichens in boreal forests. Epiphytic lichen richness and abundance generally increase with stand age and within-stand heterogeneity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the importance of time elapsed since the last fire, stand structure, tree size, tree age, and branch height for epiphytic lichen biomass of the boreal forest of western Quebec. We sampled 12 sites belonging to four forest age classes (from 50 to >200 years). We assessed epiphytic lichen biomass of three species groups ( Bryoria , Evernia , and Usnea ) on 12 trees in each site. Our results showed that biomass of Bryoria and Usnea was higher in intermediate stages (between 101 and 200 years) compared with younger (50–100 years) and older (>200 years) stages. Biomass of the three species groups was greater on larger diameter trees (>16 cm) compared with smaller ones (<16 cm). These results indicate that the protection of postfire stands aged between 101 and 200 year should be prioritized to maintain the functional role of epiphytic lichens in managed landscapes.
Cost-effectiveness of leaf energy and resource investment of invasive Berberis thunbergii and co-occurring native shrubs
Authors: Boyd Jennifer Nagel , Xu Cheng-Yuan , Griffin Kevin L. 
Published: December 2009

Photosynthetic energy gain and biomass energy and resource investment represent trade-offs between potential enhancements and limitations to plant productivity, respectively. We compared these characteristics in the exotic invasive Berberis thunbergii DC. with that of co-occurring natives Kalmia latifolia L. and Vaccinium corymbosum L. in a northeastern United States forest. We hypothesized that invasion by B. thunbergii could be facilitated by a lower leaf construction cost (CC) and reduced leaf nitrogen content (N) relative to photosynthetic rate (A) and maximum photosynthetic capacity (Amax), which would afford it greater energy-use efficiency (EUE) and nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE), and maximums of these variables (EUEmaxand NUEmax), compared with native shrubs. Although B. thunbergii and K. latifolia exhibited similar peak-season A and Amax, EUE, EUEmax, and NUEmaxwere greater in B. thunbergii, which exhibited lower leaf CC and density. In contrast, EUE, EUEmax, NUE, and NUEmaxdid not differ between B. thunbergii and V. corymbosum given their similar A, Amax, and area-based leaf CC and leaf N. Considered with leaf phenology, our results suggest two distinct physiological mechanisms could influence B. thunbergii invasion. Specifically, deciduous B. thunbergii exhibited greater cost-effectiveness than evergreen K. latifolia, while a longer payback time for photosynthetic energy gain could offset instantaneous similarities in cost-effectiveness of earlier leafing B. thunbergii and deciduous V. corymbosum.
The dynamics of a mountain mixed forest under wind disturbances in the Tatra Mountains, central Europe — a dendroecological reconstruction
Authors: Zielonka Tomasz , Malcher Piotr 
Published: December 2009

Windstorms are among the most severe disturbances that affect mountain forests in central Europe. This study was conducted in a windthrow area resulting from a windstorm of an enormous scale in November 2004 in the Slovakian High Tatras Mountains. In this study, we used dendrochronological methods to determine the age structure and growth pattern of 529 Norway spruce ( Picea abies (L.) Karst) and 103 European larch ( Larix decidua Mill) during the last 200 years by examining cross sections of stumps. The multiage structure of the spruce indicated that this species regenerated constantly throughout the reconstruction period. The age structure of the larch was distinctly bimodal with only two ca. 20 year periods of regeneration. The initiation of larch recruitment overlapped in time with release pulses and showed severe disturbance events. A sudden and simultaneous production of compression wood and resin pockets in survivor trees indicated that wind was the most probable disturbance factor. The current composition of the stand with coexisting spruce and larch was a result of infrequent and severe windstorms events. Larch benefits from broader openings and regenerates in recruitment pulses once or twice per century, whereas spruce may regenerate constantly taking advantage of small-scale, gap-phase processes. Such a disturbance scenario allows the light-demanding larch to coexist among the more shade-tolerant spruce.
A global climatic risk assessment of pitch canker disease
Authors: Ganley Rebecca J. , Watt Michael S. , Manning Lucy , Iturritxa Eugenia 
Published: December 2009

Pitch canker is a devastating disease of Pinus spp. and Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco. The pathogen responsible for this disease, Fusarium circinatum Nirenberg & O'Donnell, has spread to many countries within the last three decades. The susceptibility of the widely planted commercial species Pinus radiata D.Don to this pathogen has been of concern to pine forest industries worldwide. Using the process-based distribution program CLIMEX, the global risk of pitch canker establishment was predicted based on a number of climatic variables. The predicted risk of pitch canker establishment by CLIMEX fit well with regions known to have the disease, such as the southeastern United States and Spain. Conversely, the model predicted that the climate in California was not optimal for pitch canker, which fits with the observed lower frequency of natural infections and the strong association with insects in this region. Likewise, Chile, which is known to have F. circinatum in the nurseries but not in the plantation forests, was also predicted to have marginal to suitable climatic conditions for pitch canker establishment. Regions of China, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand were predicted to have optimal climate conditions for disease establishment. Thus, continued strict quarantine regulations are recommended to prevent the establishment and spread of this pathogen in these countries.
Behaviour ofNeonectria fuckelianacausing a pine canker disease in New Zealand
Authors: Crane Patricia E. , Hopkins Anna J.M. , Dick Margaret A. , Bulman Lindsay S. 
Published: December 2009

Neonectria fuckeliana (C. Booth) Castl. & Rossman is known to be associated with a stem canker disease of Pinus radiata D. Don in New Zealand plantation forests. Although N. fuckeliana has been previously recorded as a wound invader or weak pathogen of Picea and Abies species in the Northern Hemisphere, little is currently known about the basic biology of the fungus. This paper outlines early investigations into the spore production and dispersal of N. fuckeliana in New Zealand. Perithecia of N. fuckeliana occur frequently on pruned stubs and on the surface of cankers, and ascospores appear to be the primary means of dispersal for this fungus in New Zealand. Both field collections and spore trapping show that mature perithecia contain viable ascospores in all seasons, and spores are ejected and dispersed using moisture. The conidial phases are rarely found in the field. Optimum temperature for both growth of mycelium and ascospore germination was between 15 and 25 °C. Some spore germination occurred at temperatures as low as 5 °C, but above 25 °C spore germination was abnormal. Ascospores and perithecia favoured storage in lower temperatures: overall, ascospores from perithecia stored at room temperature gradually lost their viability, whereas those stored at 4 and –8 °C maintained their viability over an 18 month period.