Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 in Norway Rats (Rattus norvegicus) from Southern Ontario

The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from wildlife has raised concerns about spillover from humans to animals, the establishment of novel wildlife reservoirs, and the potential for future outbreaks caused by variants of wildlife origin. Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) are abundant in urban areas and live in close proximity to humans, providing the opportunity for spillover of SARS-CoV-2. Evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection and exposure has been reported in Norway rats. We investigated SARS-CoV-2 infection and exposure in Norway rats from Southern Ontario, Canada. From October 2019 to June 2021, 224 rats were submitted by collaborating pest control companies. The majority of samples were collected in Windsor (79.9%;n = 179), Hamilton (13.8%;n = 31), and the Greater Toronto Area (5.8%;n = 13). Overall, 50.0% (n = 112) were female and most rats were sexually mature (55.8%;n = 125). Notably, 202 samples were collected prior to the emergence of variants of concern (VOC) and 22 were collected while the Alpha variant (B.1.1.7) was the predominant circulating VOC in humans. Nasal turbinate (n = 164) and small intestinal (n = 213) tissue samples were analyzed for SARS-CoV-2 RNA by RT-PCR. Thoracic cavity fluid samples (n = 213) were tested for neutralizing antibodies using a surrogate virus neutralization test (sVNT) (GenScript cPass);confirmatory plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT) was conducted on presumptive positive samples. We did not detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in any samples tested. Two out of eleven samples positive on sVNT had neutralizing antibodies confirmed positive by PRNT (1 : 40 and 1 : 320 PRNT70);both were collected prior to the emergence of VOC. It is imperative that efforts to control and monitor SARS-CoV-2 include surveillance of rats and other relevant wildlife species as novel variants continue to emerge.

« Gardez le vaccin au Sud » : mieux comprendre l'hésitation à la vaccination contre la COVID-19 au Nunavik

The COVID‑19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of vaccines to prevent infectious diseases, but also the issues related to vaccine acceptance among individuals and groups targeted by vaccination programs. The concept of vaccine hesitancy is now commonly used in public health spheres to refer to the fact that a portion of the population has significant doubts and concerns about vaccines that can lead to a vaccine refusal or delay. Most research on vaccine hesitancy focuses on individual knowledge, beliefs, values, attitudes, life trajectories and experiences. However, the focus on individual determinants of vaccine hesitancy can lessen the importance of broader structural and socio-cultural influences on attitudes and decisions about immunization. Based on interviews conducted in Nunavik, this article proposes to explore how organizational and historical factors, social norms, and shared values and beliefs about the etiology of COVID‑19 and the efficacy and usefulness of vaccines to prevent the virus, influence COVID‑19 vaccine hesitancy in Inuit communities.Alternate :La pandemia de la COVID‑19 evidenció la importancia de la vacunación para prevenir las enfermedades infecciosas, pero también los retos ligados a la aceptación de las vacunas entre individuos o grupos específicos. El concepto de desconfianza en la vacunación se volvió de uso común en la salud pública para referirse al hecho de que una parte de la población tiene temores importantes relacionados con la vacunación;temores que pueden llevar al rechazo o postergar la vacunación. La importancia de los conocimientos, creencias, valores, actitudes, trayectorias de vida y experiencias individuales en las investigaciones sobre la vacunación a veces puede ocultar la importancia de influencias estructurales y socioculturales más amplias sobre las actitudes y decisiones con respecto a la vacunación. A partir de entrevistas realizadas en Nunavik, este artículo se propone explorar cómo los factores organizacionales e históricos, las normas sociales, los valores y las creencias compartidas respecto a la etiología de la COVID‑19 y sobre la efectividad y el poder de las vacunas en la prevención, influyen sobre la desconfianza en la vacunación contra la COVID‑19 en las comunidades inuit.Alternate :La pandémie de la COVID‑19 a mis en évidence l'importance de la vaccination pour prévenir des maladies infectieuses, mais également les enjeux liés à l'acceptation des vaccins par les individus et groupes ciblés par les programmes. Le concept d'hésitation à la vaccination est désormais couramment utilisé en santé publique pour référer au fait qu'une partie de la population entretient des craintes importantes par rapport à la vaccination ;craintes qui peuvent mener à refuser ou à retarder la vaccination. L'accent important mis sur les connaissances, les croyances, les valeurs, les attitudes, les trajectoires de vie et les expériences individuelles dans les recherches sur la vaccination peut toutefois occulter l'importance des influences structurelles et socioculturelles plus larges sur les attitudes et décisions à l'égard de la vaccination. À partir d'entretiens menés au Nunavik, cet article propose donc d'explorer comment les facteurs organisationnels et historiques, les normes sociales, les valeurs et les croyances partagées à propos de l'étiologie de la COVID‑19 et à propos de l'efficacité et de la puissance des vaccins pour la prévenir, influent sur l'hésitation à la vaccination contre la COVID‑19 dans des communautés inuit.

Les représentations de l'interculturalisme à l'Assemblée nationale du Québec

L'interculturalisme n'ayant toujours pas été officialisé par l'intermédiaire d'une loi ou politique publique formelle et contraignante, comment les parlementaires québécois – mais aussi les intervenants avec qui ils dialoguent – se le représentent-ils dans leurs échanges à l'Assemblée nationale? Cet article se propose de répondre à cette question en réalisant une analyse de contenu critique qualitative et systématique des échanges portant sur l'interculturalisme à l'Assemblée nationale du Québec depuis l'apparition de cette notion en 1987 (33e législature) jusqu'à la portion de la 42e législature (2018-) qui précède l'ajournement des travaux au mois de mars 2020, en raison de la pandémie de COVID-19. En montrant l'existence de deux principales coalitions de discours, l'une qualifiée de libérale-pluraliste et l'autre de républicaine-moniste, cet article décortique les débats parlementaires en illustrant comment les acteurs associés à ces deux approches se représentent les fondements du modèle québécois en matière d'aménagement de la diversité, le rapport qu'il propose entre la culture majoritaire et les minorités ethnoculturelles, et ses objectifs présumés.Alternate :Interculturalism has yet to be formalized through a binding law or public policy. In that context, how do Quebec's parliamentarians-and the stakeholders with whom they interact-represent it in their exchanges at the National Assembly? This article seeks to answer this question by conducting a qualitative and systematic critical content analysis of the exchanges on interculturalism in the Quebec National Assembly from the emergence of this notion in 1987 (33rd legislature) to the portion of the 42nd legislature (2018−) that precedes the adjournment of the proceedings in March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. By showing the existence of two main discourse coalitions, one characterized as liberal-pluralist and the other as republican-monist, this article analyzes the parliamentary debates by underscoring how the actors involved in these two approaches are representative of the foundations of the Quebec model of diversity management and by illustrating the presumed objectives of this model and the relationship it proposes between the majority culture and ethnocultural minorities.

Education Remains Critical with Unemployment, Employment, and Participation Rates in 2020 Being the Worst in Many Years for Aboriginals and Non-Aboriginals

The higher the level of education completed the higher the wage rates, the lower the rate of unemployment, and the higher the employment rates. Unemployment rates were significantly higher and participation and employment rates were significantly lower for Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals in Canada in 2020. This may be attributed to the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic. The rate of unemployment increased more for nonAboriginals than for Aboriginals in 2020. However, participation and employment rates decreased more for Aboriginals than for non-Aboriginals. Employment, unemployment, and participation rates are and historically have been more favourable for non-Aboriginals than for Aboriginals. As educational levels increase, employment measures and wage rates improve. Employment measures are examined by gender, age, province, and education, and for Métis, Inuit, and First Nations.

Skeptical Communities: The Participatory Dynamics of Political Fandom

Depuis le début de la pandemie de COVID-19, nous avons observé la maniere dont les microcélébrités politiques de la sphere informationnelle québécoise font circuler et répondent â la désinformation afin de creer et de maintenir une communauté. Les possibilités offertes par les plateformes encourageant le développement et le maintien de relations multidirectionnelles qui compliquent les modeles uni directi önnel s ďinfluence ou de manipulation. Nous abordons ces processus épistémologiques a travers le prisme de la propagande participative (Wanless & Berk, 2017, 2019) et du fandom politique (Reinhard et al., 2021). En analysant le contenu et des commentaires de videos affichées sur YouTube par des influenceurs québécois contre le masque, la vaccination et les mesures sanitaires, nous étudions une construction identitaire en opposition aux sources officielles : les membres de la communauté sont des éveillés (éveillés â la vérité), par opposition aux endormis (ceux qui sont endormis ou manipules). Grâce â des analyses qualitatives, cette étude met en lumiére la maniere dont le travail des micro-influenceurs cree des opportunités pour la formation ďune identite communautaire basée sur un affect negatif et une posture épistémologique de scepticisme.

The Socio-Pedagogical Environment of Primary School Students in the Context of a Socially Distanced Classroom

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, classroom activities in the primary school, marked by physical distancing between students and teachers, raise some challenges. Thus, this article seeks to document the primary school students' perceptions regarding their socio-pedagogical environment in the context of a socially distanced classroom. For this purpose, responses to the Questionnaire sur l'environnement sociopédagogique au primaire (QESPP) provided by 1,002 students aged from six to 12 in the fall of 2020 were subjected to descriptive quantitative analyses and to some comparative inferential analyses (SPSS 23.0). Results show a strong tendency of students' positive perceptions toward the various climates of their socio-pedagogical environment, although the relational climate seems to be perceived somewhat less positively.Alternate :En contexte de pandémie de COVID-19, les activités en classe de primaire, marquées par une distanciation physique entre les élèves et les enseignants, posent certains enjeux. Ainsi, cet article vise à examiner la perception des élèves du primaire quant à leur environnement sociopédagogique en contexte d'enseignement distancié. À cette fin, les réponses fournies par 1002 élèves de 6 à 12 ans à l'automne 2020 dans le Questionnaire sur l'environnement sociopédagogique au primaire (QESPP) ont été soumises à des analyses quantitatives descriptives ainsi qu'à quelques analyses comparatives inférentielles (SPSS, version 23.0). Les résultats montrent une forte tendance des perceptions positives des élèves face aux divers climats de leur environnement sociopédagogique, bien que le climat relationnel semble perçu un peu moins positivement.

The Canadian Rangers: Strengthening Community Disaster Resilience in Canada's Remote and Isolated Communities

The Canadian Rangers are Canadian Armed Forces Reservists who serve in remote, isolated, northern, and coastal communities. Due to their presence, capabilities, and the relationships they enjoy with(in) their communities, Rangers regularly support other government agencies in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from a broad spectrum of local emergency and disaster scenarios. Drawing upon government and media reports, focus groups, and interviews with serving members, and a broader literature review, this article explains and assesses, using a wide range of case studies from across Canada, how the Rangers strengthen the disaster resilience of their communities. Our findings also suggest ways to enhance the Rangers' functional capabilities in light of climate and environmental changes that portend more frequent and severe emergencies and disasters. It also argues that the organization can serve as a model for how targeted government investment in a local volunteer force can build resilience in similar remote and isolated jurisdictions, particularly in Greenland and Alaska.

I FELT GUILTY [THAT] I DIDN’T DO ENOUGH. ORGANIZATIONAL AND POLICY RESPONSES EXACERBATED FRONTLINE SOCIAL WORKER DISTRESS

This study explores urban social workers’ experiences working the front lines during COVID-19’s first wave. It aims to uncover social workers’ shifts in roles and responsibilities across the health and social service network, to illuminate how these shifts impacted them, and ultimately to derive meaning from these experiences to inform future directions for the profession. Eight social workers from a range of contexts were interviewed. Our analyses revealed that, while all participants described some negatives of front-line pandemic work, the frequency and intensity of these moments were exacerbated by organizational and policy responses. When social workers were expected to work outside of their scope of practice, when their skills were overlooked or underutilized, and when their organizational contexts focused on individual distress rather than collective support, they reported intensified periods of distress. If we hope to retain the health and wellbeing of our workforce and preserve the value of the profession, systemic preventative responses must take priority. Building opportunities for collective on-going peer support and debriefing, leveraging the expertise of social workers to address psychosocial issues, and including the voices of front-line workers in the development of solutions to pandemic-related hardships may help reduce social work distress and improve front-line workers’ responses to social issues.Alternate :Cette étude explore les expériences des travailleuses sociales et des travailleurs sociaux de première ligne en milieu urbain durant la première vague de COVID-19. Elle vise à mettre en lumière les changements de rôles et de responsabilités dans le réseau de la santé et des services sociaux, afin de montrer comment ces changements les ont affectés et prendre en compte ces expériences pour les orientations futures de la profession. Huit travailleuses sociales et travailleurs sociaux de différents milieux ont été interviewés. Nos analyses suggèrent que bien que tous les participants aient vécu des expériences négatives dans le cadre du travail de première ligne durant la pandémie, la fréquence et l’intensité de ces expériences ont été exacerbées par les politiques et le contexte organisationnel. Les travailleuses sociales et les travailleurs sociaux ont signalé des périodes de détresse plus importantes lorsqu’ils devaient oeuvrer en dehors de leur champ de pratique, que leurs compétences n’étaient pas prises en compte ou qu’elles étaient sous-utilisées et que les contextes organisationnels priorisaient la détresse individuelle plutôt que le soutien collectif. Si nous voulons maintenir la santé et le bien-être de nos travailleuses et travailleurs, et préserver la valeur de notre profession, il importe d’interventir de manière systémique et préventive. Des strategies telles que le soutien collectif par les pairs, le debriefing, la mobilisation de l’expertise des travailleuses sociales et des travailleurs sociaux pour intervenir au plan psychosocial, et l’inclusion des voix des travailleuses et travailleurs de première ligne dans le développement de solutions pour répondre aux difficultés reliées à la pandémie pourraient aider à réduire la détresse et améliorer leur réponse aux problèmes sociaux.

Revisiting Public Space Transformations from a Sonic Perspective during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how people relate to and use outdoor spaces, particularly in densely populated areas. We investigate the transformations that took place during the 2020 lockdown and the fi rst post-lockdown summer, with an emphasis on changes to the sound environment, in the context of a mixed-use central neighbourhood in Montreal (Plateau-Mont-Royal), Canada. Semi-structured interviews with thirteen residents, conducted in autumn 2020, showed how restrictions on the use of indoor spaces, including a ban on indoor gatherings, coupled with the transformation of home environments into work, study, and relaxation spaces drove Montreal residents to engage more with outdoor public spaces in their neighbourhoods. This resulted in extended uses in terms of area, activities, duration of stay and even time of use, and in new uses for activities once restricted to indoor spaces (e.g. family meals, celebrations). Sound played a critical role in these public space transformations, as the diversity of uses and activities brought back the sounds of human activity and even encouraged a sense of ‘normality’: a safe and shared form of coming together that had been lost following the COVID-19 lockdown. The study highlighted the diverse, extended roles that (outdoor) public spaces can play in everyday urban life, beyond just providing access to quiet and the sonic consequences of this use in reinforcing previously paused forms of public life. Furthermore, intentional forms of transformations of spaces, like pedestrianizations, off er fl exible amenities, impromptu musical performances and organized socializing space and fulfi lled roles previously satisfi ed by third places and eff ectively became temporary ‘fourth places’. These fi ndings provide grounds for reimagining the future of public spaces – not only in urban practice but also in the social imaginary, especially in relation to temporary interventions and programming, as well as promoting positive sound outcomes in public spaces © 2022. Built Environment.All Rights Reserved

Antimicrobial resistance killing more than HIV and malaria

Speed read Antibiotic-resistant infections led to more than 1.2 million deaths in 2019 – Lancet study True picture could be much worse, with added impact of COVID-19, experts warn Urgent policy measures needed in developing countries, say researchers [NEW DELHI] Antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections resulted in more than 1.2 million deaths worldwide in 2019, exceeding the number caused by HIV/AIDS and malaria, says a study spanning 204 countries and territories. In Sub-Saharan Africa, deaths attributable to AMR mainly resulted from Streptococcus pneumoniae (16 per cent) or Klebsiella pneumoniae (20 per cent), while in high-income countries nearly 50 per cent of the deaths attributable to AMR were due to Escherichia coli (23 per cent) or Staphylococcus aureus (26 per cent). According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “improving antibiotic prescribing and use is critical to effectively treat infections, protect patients from harms caused by unnecessary antibiotic use, and combat antibiotic resistance.”

CONFRONTING WHITENESS IN SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION THROUGH RACIALIZED STUDENT ACTIVISM

In 2010, a group of racialized doctoral students at an elite university in Canada collectively mobilized against institutional racism within their school of social work. They insisted that their school confront the ways in which White supremacy was embedded within various policies and practices. These early initiatives led to the creation of the Racialized Students’ Network (RSN). Although the RSN has ended, it has produced a new generation of scholars who continue to interrogate Whiteness and White supremacy. It has also offered roadmaps through which newer generations of racialized social work scholars can advance anti-racist and decolonial feminist perspectives within postsecondary social work institutions in Canada. In this article, the authors, who are now tenure-track or tenured professors at Canadian universities, demonstrate the ways in which graduate student anti-racist activisms are a central avenue for confronting Whiteness and institutional racism. Through a collaborative autoethnographic methodology, this article draws from the authors’ personal experiences within the RSN, the group’s source documents, and their collective analysis on how the RSN has informed their ongoing activism. They discuss how their everyday experiences align with current anti-racist struggles and movements to shape their actions and responses in academe. The RSN Model of Racialized Students’ Activism is presented to demonstrate the collective processes the student activists explored to reflect and apply their intersecting identities to support racialized students and address systemic racism.Alternate :En 2010, un groupe d’étudiants racisés, aux études doctorales dans une université canadienne, s’est mobilisé collectivement contre le racisme institutionnel au sein de leur école de travail social. Ces étudiants ont insisté pour que leur école confronte les façons dont la suprématie blanche s’ancrait dans diverses politiques et pratiques. Ces premières initiatives ont conduit à la création du Racialized Students’ Network (RSN). Bien que le RSN n’existe plus, il a donné naissance à une nouvelle génération de chercheurs qui continuent de s’interroger sur la blancheur et la suprématie blanche. Il a également offert des feuilles de route grâce auxquelles les nouvelles générations de chercheurs en travail social racisés peuvent faire progresser les perspectives féministes, antiracistes et décoloniales au sein des programmes de travail social dans les établissements postsecondaires au Canada. Dans cet article, les auteurs, qui sont maintenant professeurs titulaires ou permanents dans des universités canadiennes, démontrent comment les activismes antiracistes des étudiantes et étudiants sont une avenue centrale pour confronter la suprématie blanche et le racisme institutionnel. Grâce à une méthodologie autoethnographique collaborative, cet article s’inspire des expériences personnelles des auteurs au sein du RSN, des documents sources du groupe et de leur analyse collective sur la façon dont le RSN a influencé leur activisme actuel. Ils discutent de la manière dont leurs expériences quotidiennes s’alignent sur les luttes et les mouvements antiracistes actuels pour façonner leurs actions et leurs réponses dans le milieu universitaire. Afin de démontrer les processus collectifs entrepris par les activistes étudiants pour refléter et utiliser leurs identités entrecroisées afin de soutenir les étudiantes et étudiants racisés et confronter le racisme systémique, le modèle d’activisme des étudiantes et étudiantes racisés du RSN est présenté.

The COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Needs Experienced by Indigenous People in Urban Areas

The world was caught off guard by the swift spread of the COVID19 pandemic at the beginning of 2020. For vulnerable populations such as the urban Indigenous, the first wave of the pandemic was even more challenging, for multiple reasons. Because many of their usual culturally safe services were interrupted, they found themselves struggling on different levels. Our team conducted a needs assessment to shed light on how urban Indigenous people living in the Saugenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region in the province of Quebec, Canada, dealt with this situation, and what holistic health services they most wished they could have relied on. To respect Indigenous culture, data collection was completed through sharing circles in addition to a web-based survey. The results indicated that participants experienced anxiety and psychological distress during the pandemic. They identified unmet needs related to family services, support in homeschooling, access to traditional medicine, and spiritual and cultural practices, among others. Future work should involve the implementation of culturally safe services, adapted to the pandemic era, for Indigenous people living in urban areas.

COVID-19 and Changes in Household Food Practices

Lockdown measures and the Canadian government-imposed closure of multiple non-essential businesses resulted in changes in household consumption patterns (Ker & Cardwell, 2020). [...]in Canada, consumers purchased significantly more non-perishable foods, such as rice or canned vegetables, and less fresh foods, such as bread and fresh vegetables (Statistics Canada, 2020). According to Renwick and Powell (2019), the most cited definition of food literacy is that of Vidgen and Gallegos (2014, p. 54): . . . a scaffolding that enables individuals, households, communities or nations to protect food quality through change and to build resilience in food over time. The Current Study In the spring of 2020, lockdown measures in Quebec were very strict: closure of daycares and schools, shopping malls, restaurants, and all services except essential ones;mandatory teleworking (where possible);restrictions on the number of people permitted in essential services stores (Institut national de santé publique du Québec [INSPQ], 2021).

Branch Lines

In October we met to 'discuss the way forward' as the buzz-phrase has it, and we think we saw one;as in November John Peck delivered an interesting talk on 'Dickens and Science';and in December we braved the Omicron appearance by holding a Christmas meeting, with readings and seasonal refreshments, music provided by member Julie Weaver. ROMA HUSSEY Broadstairs On Saturday 12 February a public event entitled 'Happy Birthday Mr Dickens!' was held at the Pavilion in Broadstairs to celebrate the 210th birthday of Charles Dickens. The Dickens Declaimers performed 'The Jellyby Family' from Bleak House, followed by 'Celebrating a Life', a script consisting of character vignettes as varied as Mr Sapsea, Miss Havisham, Mr Jingle, Louisa Gradgrind and Lady Dedlock amongst others. According to new research, Mr Dick and Miss Havisham were both modelled on two real people who were residing in the area when Dickens visited.

You've Got to Have (Good) Faith: Good Faith's Trajectory in Anglo- Canadian Contract Law Post-Wastech and the Potential for a Duty to Renegotiate

[...]it illustrates how Article 1195 of the Code civil des français (CCF) and Articles 6.2.1-6.2.3 of the UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contracts (UNIDROIT) address contractual hardship. [...]it establishes that Anglo-Canadian contract law is moving in a direction that prioritizes reasonable contracting behaviour and approves of the courts' powers to provide relief where contracts are unfair. Anglo-Canadian contract law sets a very high threshold for frustration,9 and does not accept that hardship constitutes a frustrating event (however, scholars have argued that the two are not mutually exclusive).10 Anglo-Canadian contract law has embraced Lord Radcliffe's approach of the "radical change" in the nature of the obligation, as enunciated in Davis Contractors Ltd v Fareham Urban District Council.11 In Davis, a contractor was hired to build 78 houses for £92,424 over the course of 8 months.12 Due to labor shortages, the contract took 22 months to complete and the costs to build each house rose to £115, 233.13 The court denied the contractor's claim for frustration, seeing that the turn of events was not unforeseeable.14 Lord Radcliffe stated the test as follows: The frustration doctrine must find an appropriate balance between the inclination to hold people to their bargains, notwithstanding the fact that the bargain has become unexpectedly less attractive to them and, on the other hand, an inclination to relieve the parties from their bargains where a refusal to do so appears unjust and may result in the unjust enrichment of the other party.18 Given these tensions, judges have been cautious and confined the doctrine of frustration to rare circumstances.19 This narrow approach-which bears similarities to Québec's20-supports the argument that there is a gap in the law pertaining to changed circumstances, and that it would be appropriate to develop good faith to assist parties facing hardship arising from extenuating circumstances (such as the Covid-19 pandemic).

A “Not So Quiet” Revolution: Systemic Benefits and Challenges of Telehealth in the Context of COVID-19 in Quebec (Canada)

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on health and social service systems (HSSS) worldwide. It has put tremendous pressure on these systems, threatening access, continuity, and the quality of patient care and services. In Quebec (Canada), the delivery of care and services has radically changed in a short period of time. During the pandemic, telehealth has been widely deployed and used, notwithstanding the decades-long challenges of integrating this service modality into the Quebec HSSS. Adopting a narrative-integrative approach, this article describes and discusses Quebec's experience with the deployment and utilization of telehealth in the context of COVID-19. Firstly, we introduced the achievements and benefits made with the use of telehealth. Secondly, we discussed the challenges and concerns that were revealed or accentuated by the sanitary crisis, such as: (1) training and information;(2) professional and organizational issues;(3) quality of services and patient satisfaction;(4) cost, remuneration, and funding;(5) technology and infrastructure;(6) the emergence of private telehealth platforms in a public HSSS;(7) digital divide and equity;and (8) legal and regulatory issues. Finally, the article presents recommendations to guide future research, policies and actions for a successful integration of telehealth in the Quebec HSSS as well as in jurisdictions and countries facing comparable challenges. © Copyright © 2021 Alami, Lehoux, Attieh, Fortin, Fleet, Niang, Offredo, Rouquet, Ag Ahmed and Ly.

Assembly Solution for Modular Buildings: Development of an Automated Connecting Device for Light-Framed Structures

The prefabricated construction industry, also known as off-site construction, has been operating in North America for several years now and differs from traditional construction in its much shorter project timelines, lower costs, and increased build quality. However, the lack of a suitable and efficient assembly solution has been identified by many as a barrier to the use of off-site construction for larger buildings. To maximise the benefits of off-site manufacturing for multistorey buildings, an automated connection solution is presented in this paper. A new plug-in self-locking device was developed according to the following product design phases: on-site observations, definition of the problem and product specifications, solution generation, prototyping, fabrication, and testing. The plug-in self-locking device allows the assembly process to be accelerated by eliminating the fastening steps and a higher completion of modules off-site to be achieved. The design bears the compressive, tensile, and shear loads and contributes to the load path of the building.

Relationship between Sensitivity Tendency and Psychological Stress Reactivity in Healthy Students

This study examined the relationship between sensory processing sensitivity and psychological stress reactivity in 69 healthy Japanese university students. The Japanese version of the Highly Sensitive Person Scale and the Japanese version of the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile were used for subjective assessment. The Galvanic skin response was measured as an objective measure of stress responses while the participants were completing the Stroop task. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test, the Spearman rank correlation coefficient, and the Mann–Whitney U test were conducted for data analysis. The results demonstrated that there was no significant correlation between the Japanese version of the Highly Sensitive Person Scale and Galvanic skin response. However, there was a marginal trend toward significance between low registration in the Japanese version of the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile and Galvanic skin response (rs = 0.231, p < 0.10;rs = 0.219, p < 0.10), suggesting that self-rated sensitivity was not necessarily associated with objective measures. These results indicate that sensory processing sensitivity analyses require the consideration of the traits and characteristics of the participants and multifaceted evaluations using a sensitivity assessment scale other than the Japanese version of the Highly Sensitive Person Scale.