WSP (Canada)

Frenula of the oral cavity are small anatomical structures that play a significant role in the proper functioning of the stomatognathic system. Despite their relatively simple morphology, abnormalities in the structure, length, or attachment of oral frenula may influence feeding, speech, oral hygiene, occlusion, and craniofacial development. Disorders related to labial, lingual, and buccal frenula are observed in patients of all ages and may require interdisciplinary management involving dentistry, orthodontics, speech therapy, and oral surgery. Due to the wide spectrum of clinical consequences associated with abnormal frenula, a thorough understanding of their anatomy, classification, and clinical significance is essential.

This study presents a stress–deformation modeling framework to support adaptive geotechnical design and risk-informed decision making in complex ground conditions. A Lagrangian numerical modeling approach, capable of capturing elasto-plastic behavior under large displacements and strains, was employed to simulate sequential geotechnical construction activities, including excavation, slope adjustment, and engineered fill placement. Transient pore pressure responses induced by staged construction were simulated using a fully coupled hydro-geomechanical modeling approach, calibrated through an innovative method that incorporates field-measured pore pressure data collected during construction. A methodology for calibrating soil constitutive parameters using instrumentation data is also presented. This work highlights the integration of advanced numerical modeling with field-based feedback to iteratively refine design assumptions, establish displacement and pore pressure thresholds, and inform construction strategies that support real-time monitoring, adaptive risk management, and enhanced safety in geotechnical systems.

Purpose This study investigates how trust-based governance, cultural embeddedness and informal organizational practices contribute to the global competitiveness of informal sector firms (ISFs), using India’s diamond cutting and polishing industry as a case. The study aims to challenge conventional management paradigms by highlighting how verbal agreements, kinship-based hiring, religious rituals and community reputation serve as effective substitutes for formal contracts and legal frameworks. Through qualitative fieldwork and statistical validation, the research demonstrates that culturally embedded informal systems can foster resilience, scalability and international market integration, offering alternative models of global entrepreneurship rooted in indigenous socio-economic logics. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a qualitative, exploratory case study design, focusing on India’s diamond cutting and polishing industry. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, ethnographic observations and informal interactions with 60 stakeholders, including ISF owners, brokers, workers and industry experts. NVivo software was used to code and analyse 1,148 qualitative references. Thematic analysis identified key patterns related to trust, cultural practices and informal governance. Complementary statistical techniques – including Kruskal–Wallis tests and logistic regression – were used to validate qualitative insights and examine relationships between firm size, cultural embeddedness and export performance, ensuring methodological triangulation and analytical robustness. Findings The study reveals that 83% of ISF transactions are based on verbal agreements, and 95% of firms prioritize community reputation over legal contracts. Firm size significantly affects export performance (Kruskal–Wallis H = 18.76, p < 0.01), with small firms showing higher variability. Logistic regression indicates firms with grading systems are 3.6 times more likely to retain international buyers. Cultural practices – such as kinship-based hiring and religious rituals – are positively correlated (p < 0.05) with scalability. The angadia courier system, handling over $2.4bn annually, shows a theft rate of only 0.001%, highlighting the efficiency of trust-based informal systems. Originality/value This study challenges conventional, Western-centric models of organizational formality by demonstrating how ISFs achieve global competitiveness through culturally embedded practices. Using India’s diamond industry as a case, it highlights how trust, reputation, kinship and religious norms function as effective governance mechanisms in the absence of formal contracts and legal infrastructure. The research introduces a hybrid model of informal institutional logic and empirical validation, offering new theoretical insights into globalization from below. It contributes to the decolonization of management theory by foregrounding indigenous business practices that are often overlooked in mainstream international business literature.

Third molars pose a significant clinical problem due to their late eruption and the associated lack of space in the dental arch, which often results in their malposition or impaction. From the point of view of dental surgery, the close proximity of third molars to important anatomical structures, such as the mandibular canal, is of particular importance. Such relationships affect the degree of difficulty of the procedure and increase the risk of post-operative complications. The aim of this study is to analyse complications occurring after third molar extraction, with particular emphasis on factors contributing to their development and recommended methods of prevention, based on scientific literature.

Substance use (SU) problems are critical public health concerns. This study investigated how childhood risk factors and cannabis age of onset (CAO) in adolescence predict later SU problems, using data from the two cohorts of the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (N = 306; 57% female; N = 1489; 54% female), followed from birth to age 23. A direct association between early CAO and increased cannabis use problems was found in males (cohort 1: β = -0.47; cohort 2: β = -0.22), but not in females. In both sexes, CAO was indirectly associated with later cannabis use problems via increased adolescent cannabis use frequency (cohort 1: ab = -0.41; cohort 2: ab = -0.35). Similar indirect associations were observed between CAO and other SU problems (including tobacco and alcohol), via adolescent cannabis use frequency (cohort 1: ab = -2.63). Parental cannabis use, adverse childhood experiences, and childhood externalizing behaviors (i.e., physical aggression and ADHD symptoms) were associated with early CAO and subsequent CU problems. These findings support developmental models linking early risk exposures to maladaptive substance use pathways and underscore the importance of prevention strategies targeting early cannabis initiation and modifiable early-life risk factors to reduce long-term SU-related problems.

Field margins in agricultural landscapes exhibit considerable structural variation, ranging from herbaceous strips to shrubby borders and tree-rich hedgerows, which can influence microclimatic conditions and wildlife habitat quality. Despite their eco

The Sudbury Structure formed as a large impact crater. The current roughly elliptical outcrop pattern shows that the originally near circular crater has been subject to post-impact deformation. Some features of the original crater morphology have been preserved. For example, the arcuate form of the North Range is explained by preservation of the crater wall. This study examines data from the South Range of the Sudbury Structure. Dip and dip direction measurements on the basal contact of the Sudbury Igneous Complex (SIC) and cumulate layering within the norite are examined for lateral continuity across the South Range. Sites within a “wedge” bounded by the Whitewater Lake Fault Zone and the Whitson Lake Shear Zone have dips that are systematically different to sites located in the area to the west. Paleomagnetic results from sites in the norite and Offset dikes of the South Range record three periods of remanence acquisition. Comparison of paleomagnetic results between different Ranges of the SIC indicate the three remanence components record the initial emplacement of the melt sheet and two later metamorphic events. The lack of any systematic dispersion within each remanence component across the South Range means that the differential dips between the “wedge” and the adjacent area must have formed before acquisition of the earliest remanence acquisition. A viable explanation is that the differential dip is associated with preservation of a remnant of the central uplift/peak ring of the original impact crater. The internal coherence of directions within each remanence group requires the South Range, even though showing evidence of localized internal deformation, was rotated into its current position as a solid body.

Antibiotic resistance is a worldwide health issue. Examples of bacteria that developed resistance are Pseudomonas sp. and Staphylococcus sp. which are common causes of nosocomial infections in the hospital, easily infecting immunocompromised people. With these bacteria now becoming more resistant, new antibiotics should be made. The researchers performed a crude extraction of Dionaea muscipula with 95% ethyl alcohol. The collected extract was then reduced to the following concentrations: 70%, 50%, and 30% to identify optimal solution. The Kirby-Bauer method was used for the antibiotic sensitivity testing. Results confirmed that the Dionaea muscipula extract is effective as an agent for the growth inhibition of Pseudomonas sp. and Staphylococcus sp. with 10mm to 39mm and 7 mm to 33mm average diameter respectively. Statistical analysis of the results using One-way ANOVA and the Tukey-Kramer test showed a significant difference between the zone of inhibition of the varying concentrations and when compared to the control antibiotics. The researchers also found that the plant, Dionaea muscipula, possesses possible antibiotic properties due to its plumbagin, phenolic acids, and flavonoids contents. Thus, Dionaea muscipula extract is effective as a potential antibiotic that can be converted into medicine in the near future with the help of further studies.