British Columbia Institute of Technology

About: British Columbia Institute of Technology is a education organization based out in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Smart grid & Belief revision. The organization has 458 authors who have published 785 publications receiving 16140 citations.

Diet and Prey Selection of Barn Swallows ( Hirundo rustica ) at Vancouver International Airport

Abstract: The Barn Swallow ( Hirundo rustica ) is the most widely distributed aerial insectivore in north America, but has declined appreciably in recent decades. reasons for these declines are largely unknown, though presumably relate mainly to changes in prey availability. To help inform conservation priorities for this species, we assessed their diet and prey selection using birds lethally struck by aircraft at Vancouver International Airport (YVR). Esophagi and gizzards of 31 Barn Swallows collected from june 2013 to october 2013 contained insects mainly from the orders Hymenoptera (mean across birds = 40% of insect numbers), Diptera (31%), Hemiptera (15%), and Coleoptera (12%). To assess prey selection, we compared the esophagi and gizzard contents of 20 swallows collected from July 2013 to September 2013 to populations of aerial insects we sampled during the same period using Malaise traps. Barn Swallows selected strongly for insects in the order Hymenoptera (mainly Formicidae, which comprised 29% of diet), and selected against insects in the orders Coleoptera, Diptera, and Lepidoptera. For all prey taxa combined, Barn Swallows displayed strong selection for insects of length 4−8 mm (body length excluding appendages). Conversely, they selected against smaller and larger insects, despite the fact that smaller insects comprised about 80% of all insects sampled in Malaise traps. Combined with past studies, our results suggest that Barn Swallows select among available aerial insects within local feeding sites for taxa that (i) are of intermediate size, (ii) occur at relatively high density, and (iii) have poor flight performance.

Geographic and Temporal Variation in Diet of Wintering White-winged Scoters

Abstract: . Quantifying variation in diet over time and space is important for understanding patterns of habitat use in marine birds. Diet composition of adult male White-winged Scoters (Melanitta fusca) was quantified at five study sites in coastal British Columbia and Washington during mid-winter (December) and late winter (February-— March). At four sites where White-winged Scoters fed in nearshore areas, diet varied little between winter periods and birds fed almost exclusively on large infaunal bivalves (≥85% of mean ash-free dry mass of esophagus contents for each season × site combination). The main prey of White-winged Scoters in intertidal foraging areas (N = 3 of 5 study sites) were Varnish clams (Nuttalia obscurata), which were introduced to the region within the last 25 years. At an offshore site, diet consisted mainly of bivalves except during one period when White-winged Scoters had consumed mainly fish, crustaceans, polychaetes and echinoderms. Greater temporal variation in diet at the offsho...

Eight patterns of open textbook adoption in British Columbia

Abstract: Since the launch of the BC Open Textbook Project in 2012, the adoption of open textbooks has steadily grown within public post-secondary institutions in British Columbia, Canada. An analysis of adoption records over a five-year period reveals that open textbooks have been adopted across all types of institutions, including research universities, teaching universities, colleges, and institutes, and across a diverse set of disciplines, with the largest numbers in the sciences and social sciences. In this report we identify, describe, and illustrate eight distinct patterns of open textbook adoption. These are: stealth adoption, adoption by infection, committee adoption, sanctioned exceptional adoption, course developer adoption, infection by inter-institutional carrier, creation and adoption, and lone adoption. While these patterns are not intended to be exhaustive, we hope that identifying these patterns provides a useful framework for campus leaders to (a) understand how adoptions occur in their own contexts, (b) identify ways to support further adoptions, (c) recognize that there are multiple ways, and no single path, to supporting the adoption of educational innovations at their institutions, and (d) foster the embrace of wider open educational practices.

The evaluation of a communication tool within an acute healthcare organization

Abstract: Background: Striving to ensure clear, concise and consistent communication, the Situation, Background, Assessment and Recommendations (SBAR) tool was adopted for use within a multisite acute healthcare organization. Objective: To evaluate the use and effectiveness of the SBAR tool on communication within a multisite acute healthcare organization. Methods: This longitudinal study was conducted over one year and was comprised of four phases including: Phase1) pre-implementation, Phase 2) education sessions, Phase 3) post-implementation, and Phase 4) final evaluation. The study used a convenience sample that included all multidisciplinary participants from Lakeridge Health. Results: The entire sample in this study consisted of 705 multidisciplinary participants. The number of participants that completed surveys per phase was as follows: phase 1, n = 259, phase 3, n = 209, and phase 4, n = 237. Post implementation of the SBAR tool, participants identified that the tool positively influenced the level of good communication with patients and families. 59.8% participants felt that good communication existed within their function, 47.4% identified that good communication existed within their discipline, 45% recognized that the SBAR tool would work on their units and 53.6% participants identified that they were familiar with the SBAR tool. During the final evaluation of the SBAR tool, the majority of respondent 66.2% believed the tool would reduce the potential for errors, 70% felt that the SBAR process was useful in facilitating communication with other team members or patients, 53.7% of participants felt communication flow between members of their area or discipline had improved since the implementation of SBAR, 52.1% of participants felt communication flow between themselves and their colleagues had improved since the implementation of SBAR and 71.7% of participants identified that they were satisfied when using SBAR that their message was received and understood. Conclusion: This study is the first study to investigate the use of the SBAR tool across a multisite acute healthcare organization. The tool demonstrated positive results in relation to improving communication with patients and families within the organization. As patients and families are key members of the healthcare team, this finding is important. Although not meeting with a significant change, all of the questions that examined communication, i.e. good communication within function and good interdisciplinary communication, had a positive finding after the implement-tation of the SBAR tool. This study examined the importance of leadership to create and sustain a change and the relevance of the culture that people are working within to advance quality within an organization.