A method to create microfluidic devices by utilizing hot imprinting stamps formed using printed circuit boards is demonstrated. Very large microfluidic devices (15×15 cm 2 ) can be created with lateral features down to 100 µm and depths of nominally 17-70 µm. Room temperature solvent bonding was found to be a simple method of sealing the channels. The work also decribes the fabriation and operation of thermally actuated microvalves with sub-second switching and micropumps based on the imprinting techniques described.

We explore the potential of a human capital model augmented with controls for industry and occupation in explaining Canadian regional wage differentials. We place our approach in a broader theoretical context by first reviewing the literature on potential explanations for regional wage differences and also on the related issues of migration, population growth, industrial location, and agglomeration economies. We then estimate an econometric model using subprovincial wage data from the Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey. A striking finding is that subprovincial wage differences, including the urban-rural divide, can be explained by our model, but that the differences between broad regions defined by provincial boundaries cannot.