Search Results (115)

Northern shortfin squid (Illex illecebrosus) and longfin inshore squid (Doryteuthis pealeii) are fished commercially and recreationally off Atlantic Canada, but limited reporting, particularly from recreational fisheries, has left major gaps in our understanding of their ecology and fishery dynamics. Our research used three years of data collected through citizen science initiatives, field visits, and commercial index harvesters to provide much-needed descriptions of squid fisheries and basic ecological characteristics, with a particular focus on Newfoundland and Labrador (NL). We documented active recreational squid fisheries landing both species, including the first confirmed observations of longfin inshore squid in the NL fishery. Distinct regional patterns emerged. North Coast Region fishers tended to use different gear and practices, achieved higher catch-per-unit effort (CPUE), and caught larger squid compared to other NL regions. South Coast Region fishers more frequently caught longfin inshore squid, and although relatively low CPUE was reported, this region tended to have a more active recreational fishery. Our findings reveal previously unrecognized regional variation in squid fisheries and highlight the need for improved understanding of squid ecology and the impacts of the recreational and commercial fisheries on the resource off Atlantic Canada. Full article

Agriculture is responsible for nearly one-quarter of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with livestock and poultry systems contributing significantly through methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), and carbon dioxide (CO₂). Achieving net-zero agriculture demands tools that not only quantify emissions but also guide management decisions and foster behavioral change. The Cool Farm Tool (CFT)—a science-based calculator for farm-level carbon footprints, water use, and biodiversity—has been widely adopted across Europe and parts of the United States. Yet, despite its proven potential, no Canadian studies have tested or adapted CFT, leaving a major gap in the country’s progress toward climate-smart farming. This paper addresses that gap by presenting the first surveys of poultry and dairy producers in Atlantic Canada as a foundation for tailoring and localizing CFT. Our mixed-methods surveys examined farm practices, feed, manure, energy use, waste management, sustainability perceptions, and openness to digital tools. Results on 23 responses (20 for poultry, 3 for dairy) revealed limited awareness but moderate interest in emission tracking: dairy farmers, already accustomed to digital systems such as robotic milking and herd software, were receptive and confident about adopting CFT. Poultry farmers, by contrast, voiced greater concerns over cost, complexity, and uncertain benefits, signaling higher adoption barriers in this sector. These findings highlight both the opportunity and the challenge: while dairy farms appear ready for rapid uptake, poultry requires stronger incentives, clearer value demonstration, and sector-specific customization. We conclude that adapting CFT with regionally relevant data, AI-driven decision support, and supportive policy frameworks could make it a cornerstone for achieving net-zero agriculture in Atlantic Canada. Full article

We argue that quantitative analysis of community-based speech data furnishes an indispensable adjunct to theoretical and experimental studies targeting the acquisition of relativization. Drawing on a comparative sociolinguistic approach, we make use of three corpora of natural speech to investigate second-language (L2) speakers’ acquisition of restrictive relative clauses in English. These corpora comprise: (i) spontaneous L2 speech; (ii) a local baseline variety of the target language (TL); and (iii) L2 speakers’ first language (L1), French. These complementary datasets enable us to explore the extent to which L2 speakers reproduce the discursive frequency of relative markers, as well as their fine-grained linguistic conditioning, in the local TL baseline variety. Comparisons with French facilitate exploration of possible L1 transfer effects on L2 speakers’ production of English restrictive relative clauses. Results indicate that evidence of L1 transfer effects on L2 speakers’ restrictive relative clauses is tenuous. A pivotal finding is that L2 speakers, in the aggregate, closely approximate TL constraints on relative marker selection, although they use the subject relativizer who significantly less often than their TL counterparts. We implicate affiliation with, and integration into, the local TL community as key factors facilitating the propagation of TL vernacular norms to L2 speakers. Full article

Within biogeographic regions, local communities are structured mainly by abiotic (environmental) filtering, external resource supply, and biotic interactions. In recent years, we investigated abiotic filtering and external resource supply as drivers of the latitudinal distribution of rocky intertidal species along the Atlantic Canadian coast in Nova Scotia. Here, we evaluate biotic interactions between the main sessile species groups. Specifically, we studied abundance relationships between seaweeds and filter-feeding invertebrates and between barnacles and mussels using data collected at mid-to-high intertidal elevations at eight wave-exposed locations every summer from 2014 to 2017. We assessed such relationships for each location and year through generalized additive modeling (GAM). Of the 32 relationships evaluated for seaweeds vs. filter-feeders, 31% were significant and consistently negative, suggesting competitive interactions. For barnacles vs. mussels, 25% of the relationships were significant and mostly positive, consistent with facilitation of mussel colonization by barnacles in harsh environments. The variability explained by these models was moderate, however, between around 10% and 50%. Overall, these results suggest that interactions between the studied sessile species groups are infrequent and, when present, relatively weak in these highly stressful habitats, which supports current ecological theory on community organization. Full article

Digital livestock farming faces a critical deployment challenge: bridging the gap between cutting-edge AI algorithms and practical implementation in resource-constrained agricultural environments. While deep learning models demonstrate exceptional accuracy in laboratory settings, their translation to operational farm systems remains limited by computational constraints, connectivity issues, and user accessibility barriers. Dairy DigiD addresses these challenges through a novel edge-cloud AI framework integrating YOLOv11 object detection with DenseNet121 physiological classification for cattle monitoring. The system employs YOLOv11-nano architecture optimized through INT8 quantization (achieving 73% model compression with <1% accuracy degradation) and TensorRT acceleration, enabling 24 FPS real-time inference on NVIDIA Jetson edge devices while maintaining 94.2% classification accuracy. Our key innovation lies in intelligent confidence-based offloading: routine detections execute locally at the edge, while ambiguous cases trigger cloud processing for enhanced accuracy. An entropy-based active learning pipeline using Roboflow reduces the annotation overhead by 65% while preserving 97% of the model performance. The Gradio interface democratizes system access, reducing technician training requirements by 84%. Comprehensive validation across ten commercial dairy farms in Atlantic Canada demonstrates robust performance under diverse environmental conditions (seasonal, lighting, weather variations). The framework achieves mAP@50 of 0.947 with balanced precision-recall across four physiological classes, while consuming 18% less energy than baseline implementations through attention-based optimization. Rather than proposing novel algorithms, this work contributes a systems-level integration methodology that transforms research-grade AI into deployable agricultural solutions. Our open-source framework provides a replicable blueprint for precision livestock farming adoption, addressing practical barriers that have historically limited AI deployment in agricultural settings. Full article

Introduction: Despite the key role of healthcare workers (HCWs) in tuberculosis (TB) prevention and control, there is a lack of regional data on their knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) regarding the disease in Atlantic Canada. Objectives: To assess the KAPs of HCWs and identify targets for educational interventions to enhance TB care and control. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among HCWs in Atlantic Canada aged $\ge$19 years from October 2023 to February 2024. Participants were recruited via multiple channels such as social media, collegiate email lists, and snowball sampling. Survey data were collected using an online platform and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics v29. KAPs were assessed using Likert-type scales and internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha. Results: A total of 157 HCWs participated in this study (age range: 19 to 69 years); most were women (n = 145, 92%), born in Canada (n = 134, 85.4%), with nearly three-quarters (n = 115, 73.2%) who had never lived outside of Canada. Study participants demonstrated moderately high knowledge (M = 29.32, SD = 3.25) and positive attitudes (M = 3.87, SD = 0.37) towards TB and strong practices (M = 4.24, SD = 0.69) in TB care; however, gaps were identified in HCW abilities to recognize less common TB symptoms (e.g., rash and nausea), as well as inconsistent practices in ventilation and pre-treatment initiation. Internal consistency analysis indicated suboptimal reliability across all three KAP domains, with Cronbach’s alpha values falling below 0.7, thwarting further planned analyses. Conclusions: This study found overall moderate-to-strong TB-related KAPs among HCWs in Atlantic Canada; however, critical gaps in knowledge and practice were noted. This new information can now guide future educational initiatives and targeted training to enhance TB preparedness and ensure equitable care for patients in the region. Full article

The lobster fishery is the third largest industry in Prince Edward Island (PEI), Atlantic Canada. Rising water temperatures due to global warming are impacting the successful completion of the lobster life cycle, which is heavily dependent on water temperature. This study investigated the relationship between lobster landings and sea surface temperature (SST) in PEI. Using Generalized Linear Models (GLM), we identified a significant correlation between annual historical lobster landings and monthly sea surface temperatures (SST) in the waters around PEI from 1990 to 2021. Considering the 5–8 year maturation period of lobsters, we applied a lagged SST structure over an 8-year period and used a Generalized Linear Model (GLM) to evaluate the relationship between historical SST and lobster landings. Our findings suggest that historical increases in SST are correlated with changes in lobster landings. Given the known sensitivities of lobster life cycles (i.e., spawning, larval development) and behavior (i.e., mating) to high ambient water temperature, our study also offers important insights for future fishery management under anticipated climate change scenarios. Full article

Semi-annual climate oscillations in the Western Hemisphere (20 S–35 N, 150 W–20 E) were studied via empirical orthogonal function (EOF) eigenvector loading patterns and principal component time scores from 1980 to 2023. The spatial loading maximum for 850 hPa zonal wind extended from the north Atlantic to the east Pacific; channeling was evident over the southwestern Caribbean. The eigenvector loading maximum for precipitation reflected an equatorial trough, while the semi-annual SST formed a dipole with loading maxima in upwelling zones off Angola (10 E) and Peru (80 W). Weakened Caribbean trade winds and strengthened tropical convection correlated with a warm Atlantic/cool Pacific pattern (R = 0.46). Wavelet spectral analysis of principal component time scores found a persistent 6-month rhythm disrupted only by major El Nino Southern Oscillation events and anomalous mid-latitude conditions associated with negative-phase Arctic Oscillation. Historical climatologies revealed that 6-month cycles of wind, precipitation, and sea temperature were tightly coupled in the Western Hemisphere by heat surplus in the equatorial ocean diffused by meridional overturning Hadley cells. External forcing emerged in early 2010 when warm anomalies over Canada diverted the subtropical jet, suppressing subtropical trade winds and evaporative cooling and intensifying the equatorial trough across the Western Hemisphere. Climatic trends of increased jet-stream instability suggest that the semi-annual amplitude may grow over time. Full article

Papillomaviruses are small, circular DNA viruses that infect epithelial and mucosal cells, which have co-evolved with their hosts over time. While certain mammalian papillomaviruses—especially those linked to disease—are well studied, there is limited knowledge about papillomaviruses associated with avian species. In this study, we identified two avian papillomaviruses from eye/choana swabs of the sacred kingfisher (Todiramphus sanctus) and the little corella (Cacatua sanguinea), collected in Queensland, Australia. The genomes of these viruses, designated as todiramphus sanctus papillomavirus 1 (TsPV1) and cacatua sanguinea papillomavirus 1 (CsPV1), were found to be 7883 and 7825 base pairs in length, respectively. The TsPV1 and CsPV1 genomes exhibited the highest nucleotide sequence identity (>56%) with papillomavirus genomes previously sequenced from mallards or wild ducks in the United States, followed by those from black-legged kittiwakes and Atlantic puffins (>54%) in Newfoundland, Canada. Both TsPV1 and CsPV1 share approximately a 65% nucleotide sequence identity in the L1 gene with anas platyrhynchos papillomavirus 3 (AplaPV3), indicating that they represent novel avian papillomaviruses. Notably, the two genomes in this study were nearly identical (99.69%), and their L1 proteins shared 100% sequence identity. Phylogenetic analysis positioned TsPV1 and CsPV1 within a clade of avian papillomaviruses associated with closely related avian hosts, including the mallard, African grey parrot, common chaffinch, and Atlantic canary. These findings underscore the importance of further research on studying additional Australian bird species longitudinally, which will help to establish potential disease associations and ecological impacts of previously unrecognised and novel papillomaviruses in Australian wild birds. Full article

Sea cucumbers are widely consumed as a delicacy or in eastern medicine across many Asian countries. Due to the depletion of traditional stocks, new species are increasingly harvested, including the Atlantic sea cucumber (Cucumaria frondosa), the most abundant, cold-water species found in the North Atlantic. This species is harvested in NAFO subdivision 3Ps off the south coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. As part of their respiration, stress response, and locomotion, sea cucumbers draw and retain oxygenated water within their body cavity, resulting in significant water content at landing. Historically, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) have applied a 23% deduction to the landed weight to account for this water retention. To validate this deduction, the authors conducted experiments across thirteen sampling events in 2019 and 2020. Randomized samples were collected during offloading and were categorized into three sizes of bin—small (x ≤ 150 g), medium (150 g < x ≤ 250 g), and large (x > 250 g)—and water loss was measured. Water loss was analyzed in relation to multiple factors, including processor, unloading method, year, license, month, fishing area, hold location, size, and processing method. Key findings included the following: (a) sea cucumbers typically contained more than 23% free water; (b) large and medium-sized specimens, which dominated landings, retained more free water; (c) water loss was highest for the samples collected from the top of the hold; (d) the unloading method influenced free water retention, as did the processing method used to cut the sea cucumbers; (e) license, processor, and fishing area had strong collinearity with other factors or were not found to be statistically significant; and (f) water loss appeared higher in 2020 than 2019, largely due to the increased use of vacuum transfer methods. Based on these findings, DFO revised the water retention allowance to 34%. Full article

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines vaccine hesitancy as reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite availability. Contributing factors in visible minority populations include vaccine safety, effectiveness, mistrust, socioeconomic characteristics, vaccine development, information circulation, knowledge, perceived risk of COVID-19, and perceived benefit. Objectives: This study aimed to examine vaccine hesitancy in visible minority populations across Canadian regions. Methods: A survey was conducted among visible minority populations in Canadian regions, using 21 questions from the available literature via the Delphi method. The Canadian Hub for Applied and Social Research (CHASR) administered the survey to individuals 18 years or older who resided in Canada at the time of the survey and identified as visible minorities such as Asian, Black, and Latin American. After recruiting 511 participants, data analysis used Chi-square tests of association and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to identify regional differences in vaccine choices, side effects, information sources, and reasons for vaccination. A weighted analysis extended the results to represent the visible minorities across provinces. Results: Higher rates of Pfizer were administered to participants in Ontario (73%), the Prairies (72%), British Columbia (71%), and Quebec (70%). British Columbia had the highest Moderna rate (59%). The most common side effect was pain at the injection site in Quebec (62%), Ontario (62%), BC (62%), and in the Atlantic (61%). Healthcare professionals and government sources were the most trusted information sources, with healthcare professionals trusted particularly in the Prairies (70%) and government sources similarly trusted in Quebec (65%) and Ontario (65%). In the Atlantic, 86% of refusals were due to side effects and 69% were due to prior negative vaccine experiences. Conclusions: Leveraging healthcare professionals’ trust, community engagement, and flexible policies can help policymakers improve pandemic preparedness and boost vaccine acceptance. Full article

Heart and skeletal muscle inflammation (HSMI) is a significant disease affecting Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) production in Norway but has had limited impact to production in North America. The causative agent of HSMI is piscine orthoreovirus genotype 1 (PRV-1), and disease variation between regions is suggested to be at least partially driven by genetic variation of the virus. Using controlled laboratory injection challenges, we corroborate variations in disease outcomes for three PRV-1 isolates (PRV-1a from the eastern Pacific, PRV-1a from the western Atlantic, and PRV-1b from the Norwegian sea); however, virus replication dynamics, host recognition, and PRV-1-associated heart inflammation were also discrete relative to the Atlantic salmon stock challenged, irrespective of the viral isolate used. Specifically, New Brunswick Tobique River Atlantic salmon had less (p < 0.01) heart inflammation relative to Mowi-McConnell Atlantic salmon of Western Canada which, in turn, had less (p < 0.01) heart inflammation than Mowi Atlantic salmon of Scotland when cumulatively considering challenges using all three PRV-1 isolates. These data indicate that the presence of PRV-1a or PRV-1b alone is not sufficient to reliably predict disease and highlights at least one potential mechanism (host genotype) for reducing HSMI disease severity. Full article

Icebergs pose significant risks to shipping, offshore oil exploration, and underwater pipelines. Detecting and monitoring icebergs in the North Atlantic Ocean, where darkness and cloud cover are frequent, is particularly challenging. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) serves as a powerful tool to overcome these difficulties. In this paper, we propose a method for automatically detecting and classifying icebergs in various sea conditions using C-band dual-polarimetric images from the RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) collected throughout 2022 and 2023 across different seasons from the east coast of Canada. This method classifies SAR imagery into four distinct classes: open water (OW), which represents areas of water free of icebergs; open water with target (OWT), where icebergs are present within open water; sea ice (SI), consisting of ice-covered regions without any icebergs; and sea ice with target (SIT), where icebergs are embedded within sea ice. Our approach integrates statistical features capturing subtle patterns in RCM imagery with high-dimensional features extracted using a pre-trained Vision Transformer (ViT), further augmented by climate parameters. These features are classified using XGBoost to achieve precise differentiation between these classes. The proposed method achieves a low false positive rate of 1% for each class and a missed detection rate ranging from 0.02% for OWT to 0.04% for SI and SIT, along with an overall accuracy of 96.5% and an area under curve (AUC) value close to 1. Additionally, when the classes were merged for target detection (combining SI with OW and SIT with OWT), the model demonstrated an even higher accuracy of 98.9%. These results highlight the robustness and reliability of our method for large-scale iceberg detection along the east coast of Canada. Full article

Chitons are a group of mollusks (polyplacophores) that differ from the mollusks that are most often found on marine rocky shores (bivalves and gastropods). On the Atlantic coast of North America, chitons have been reported in subtidal habitats from Newfoundland (Canada) to New England (USA). Here, we report the finding of Boreochiton ruber at the mid-to-high intertidal zone in a wave-exposed habitat in Nova Scotia (Canada). After surveying various coastal locations across Nova Scotia for 20 years (2004 to 2024), this was the only intertidal chiton we ever found in such habitats, making this an extremely rare occurrence. Rare species may contribute in unique ways to community functioning, making their reports valuable for biodiversity and ecosystem research. Full article

The Atlantic Canada Together Enhancing Acute Stroke Treatment (ACTEAST) project is a modified quality improvement collaborative (mQIC) designed to improve ischemic stroke treatment rates and efficiency in Atlantic Canada. This study evaluated the implementation of the mQIC in Nova Scotia using qualitative methods. The mQIC spanned 6 months, including two learning sessions, webinars, and a per-site virtual visit. The learning sessions featured presentations about the project and the improvement efforts at some sites. Each session included an action planning period where the participants planned for the implementation efforts over the following 2 to 4 months, called “action periods”. Eleven hospitals and Emergency Health Services (EHS) of Nova Scotia participated. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) was utilized to develop a semi-structured interview guide to uncover barriers and facilitators to mQIC’s implementation. Interviews were conducted with 14 healthcare professionals from 10 entities, generating 458 references coded into 28 CFIR constructs. The interviews started on 17 June 2021, 2 months after the intervention period, and ended on 7 October 2021. Notably, 84% of these references were positively framed as facilitators., highlighting the various aspects of the mQIC and its context that supported successful implementation. These facilitators encompassed factors such as networks and communications, strong leadership engagement, and a collaborative culture. Significant barriers included resource availability, relative priorities, communication challenges, and engaging key stakeholders. Some barriers were prominent during specific phases. The study provides insights into quality improvement initiatives in stroke care, reflecting the generally positive opinions of the interviewees regarding the mQIC. While the quantitative analysis is still ongoing, this study highlights the importance of addressing context-specific barriers and leveraging the identified facilitators for successful implementation. Full article