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Mood and hormonal effects on facial emotion detection: the role of depressive symptoms, oral contraceptive use, and premenstrual symptoms
Get PDFPast research has suggested altered facial emotion detection (FED) with depressive symptoms,
oral contraceptive (OC) use, and premenstrual symptoms. Altered FED may contribute to and
maintain negative mood associated with OC side effects, premenstrual dysphoric disorder
(PMDD), and other depressive disorders. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects
of depressive symptoms, OC use, and premenstrual symptoms on FED using a novel task that
examines detection thresholds. A sample of 163 participants (37 OC using women, 72 freecycling (FC) women, 35 men, 19 other hormonal contraceptive using women) completed the
Facial Emotion Detection Task. The task used neutral to emotional facial expression morphs (15
images per morph), and participants indicated what emotion they detected for each image within
the progressive intensity morph. For all six basic emotions (happy, sad, angry, fearful, surprise,
disgust) two types of scores were calculated: accuracy of responses and the intensity within the
morph at which the correct emotion was detected (image number). Higher depression symptoms
were associated with earlier (i.e., lower intensity) detection across overall emotions. [...
Evaluation of Canada’s biomass policy in comparison to its Nordic counterparts
No full textThe transition towards renewable energy sources is considered one of the main
mitigation measures combating the effects of climate change. The use of renewable
energy, particularly those derived from forest biomass, is gaining traction in Canada
and the international scene. Nordic countries are seen as leaders in this field and has
therefore developed policy programs supporting the use of forest-based biomass
energy. This review focuses on four factors influencing the policy development process:
(1) Forest governance, (2) Land ownership, (3) Stance on natural gas, and (4) the
jurisdiction’s policies supporting the use of forest-based energy. The result of this
review shows that policy schemes must be coherent at all levels of the government. In
addition, all major industries strongly support policy programs, particularly those
incentivizing the transition towards renewable alternatives. Lastly, quantifiable goals
must be developed to provide a measure on the effectiveness of such schemes
Preliminary identification and therapeutic support of depression in mental health using conversational AI
Get PDFWorld Health Organization statistics indicate that one out of every eight people suffers from
mental illness. Due to the fear of stigma and social discrimination, they start being resilient and
end up going through difficult situations alone. They fear criticism and start isolating them
from friends, family and neighbours. The majority of individuals don’t have access to effective
care. If the issue isn’t treated with care it can lead to serious mental problems such as it may
cause depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, anxious or personality disorder. In order to
overcome this problem, our mental health chatbot was created. Our study aims to provide
efficient and essential care to the people with mental health concerns according to their needs
and supplying the basic information regarding mental health problems through various sources.
The proposed system eases the preliminary identification of mental health problem in the user
by identifying and providing level-I therapeutical support for depression by employing
conversational AI.Thisresearch utilizes technologies like Artificial Intelligence and its subfield
Natural Language Processing (NLP) to provide an amicable environment for the user 24/7 and
it can be integrated in cross platforms like iOS, android and windows etc. A knowledge base
retrieval flow network is created with data which is stored globally through which the data is
retrieved at the faster rate. After the user enters the chatbot they can converse with the bot
initially else he/she also has the option of taking the assessment directly after entering the bot.
Behind this process, sentiment analysis takes place which classifies the text into positive,
negative or neutral. Once the score exceeds the range it was initially set then it will give the
result accordingly. The dataset used in this study is AFINN-en-165 which already has
pretrained list of words with the score. The program employed in the entire system is written
through Flutter framework. This system allows the users to schedule appointment, to learn in
detail about the terminologies of mental health and it provides resources for feel good activities
like videos and music. Through this system they can candidly express their feelings to the
conversational AI chatbot besides their insecurity. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) in turn
provides them with chat support, acts as a bridge to understand the situations and suggests
solutions depending on the level of mental health deterioration. We propose a fully automated
and powerful first-level detection and support system for mental health
Integrated resource management options for the jack pine budworm (Choristoneura pinus pinus) outbreak around Pikangikum First Nation
Get PDFThe outbreak of jack pine budworm (Choristoneura pinus pinus) on
the Whitefeather Forest was examined to identify a correlation between the
large fires and the outbreak. Maps and literature regarding both disturbances
were looked at and showed a correlation between the two disturbances. This
information was then used to identify potential options for the use of the affected
timber with salvage logging, slash pile burning, and cultural burning all being
identified as potential uses that have additional value within the community
Development of a photoelectrochemical cell using III-V nitrides
Get PDFHydrogen production through Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting is a source of clean and sustainable energy. Current energy production through the use of fossil fuels is rapidly depleting reserves and had been a direct cause of climate change. III-V nitrides offer a unique solution due to the variable band gap seen in Indium Gallium Nitride, which allows the semiconductor to capture the full spectrum of light by varying the quantities of Indium in the layer.
In this work, different types of III-V were used as both photoanodes and photocathodes for the development of a III-V Nitride PEC cell. In addition, NaC1 was added to the electrolyte to act as simulated ocean water to reduce the cost of production for the cells, as current processes requires the use of distilled water for electrolyte preparation. Samples were grown in a custom built Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) reactor using a Flow Modulated Epitaxy (FME) method. Samples were tested in an acidic, neutral based PEC cells. In addition to III-V nitride photoelectrodes, Zinc Oxide layers created through dip coating were also tested. [...
Barriers which preclude the formation of strong, comprehensive wildfire mitigation plans and strategies in Ontario: a knowledge gap analysis
Get PDFAs occurrences of wildland-urban interface (WUI) wildfires become more frequent throughout
Ontario, there has been an increasing need for mitigative approaches towards managing wildfire on
landscapes, especially where human settlement has taken place. Since the provincial government and
many communities based in Ontario’s boreal forest have not yet implemented mitigative actions against
wildfire risk, this study will explore which factors act as barriers to the formation of a comprehensive
wildfire mitigation strategy in Ontario. This literature review will analyse factors such as gaps in
knowledge in fuel management techniques, social barriers, economic barriers, and policy barriers, which
prevent the formation of a wildfire mitigation program in Ontario. Findings from the literature review
reveal that the following points act as the main factors which prevent the formation of effective
mitigation strategies in Ontario: (1) there is a distinct lack in research regarding fire behaviour in fuel
treatments specific to Ontario’s forest types; (2) current forest management policies in Ontario are not
conductive to wildfire mitigation; (3) there is an absence of funding and workforce for mitigation
planning and implementation; and (4) there is a general lack in social and political understanding and
support for community wildfire resiliency projects
The effects of mechanical site preparation, unscarified and refill land types on the growth and establishment of planted seedlings
Get PDFThis study examines the effects of different site types
of tree planting blocks on the growth and establishment of
planted seedlings within the Black Spruce Forest, north of
Thunder Bay, Ontario. Measurements of planted seedlings'
root collar diameter (mm) and height (cm) from planted
blocks spanning from the years in which planted from
2019 to 2022. Including different analyses of the data
helps depict which site type provides the improved site
conditions for seedling growth. The different block types
included in this study were MSP trenching and mounding,
un-scarified, refill and slash pile burns. Overall, unscarified planted seedlings provided on par if not better
results than the competing block types within the Black
Spruce Forest. This data will help provide insight on
planning for foresters of the Black Spruce Forest, whether
to MSP or leave un-scarified. Un-scarified is preferred by
planters, also is economically and environmentally
beneficial and helps save time on implementing the tree
plant for intended blocks
The effect of cottage development on aquatic macroinvertebrate communities and water quality in central Ontario lakes
Get PDFIn Canada, over 3 million freshwater lakes provide a wide range of ecological, financial,
aesthetic, and public health services for their citizens, communities, and tourists. This is
especially true for regions like south-central Ontario, commonly referred to as ‘cottage country’,
that depend on these ecosystems directly for activity, business, and tourism. However, with
property ownership growing in the area, as well as tourism, the region is experiencing more
human development and subsequent activities associated with it. Forms of these developmental
activities include land clearing for cottage or roadway development at the shore or surrounding
watershed, installation of wells and septic systems, riparian zone alteration for aesthetic or
recreation purposes, and increases in foreign materials that are a by-product of this human
activity (like increased fertilizer use on farmland and gardens, oil or gasoline contamination and
contaminants originating from the cottages themselves). In this study, we aim to gather baseline
data on local macroinvertebrate communities and the physicochemical properties of water in
interior lakes in the Muskoka region of central Ontario, and to compare developed and isolated
lakes to assess the impact of cottage development. Using an RDA analysis, I found that, among
the water variables assessed, conductivity, pH and dissolved oxygen concentration had a
significant effect on the composition of benthic macroinvertebrate communities. [...
Growth and survival of black spruce populations in an assisted migration trial near Thunder Bay, Ontario
Get PDFThis study examined the height growth and survival responses of selected 16
black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.)) seed sources originating from across Ontario,
Quebec, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan in an assisted migration trial located near
Thunder Bay, Ontario. Survival and growth responses varied significantly among the
black spruce seed sources growing at the test site. Seed sources originating from
northern Minnesota had a greater survival and mean productivity index when compared
to Ontario seed sources, excluding the seed source from the Algoma forest which had
the highest survival percentage and productivity index among all seed sources. The local
seed source originating from the Lakehead forest performed below average for both
survival and productivity index, suggesting that local seed sources may not be the best
suited for planting in future climatic scenarios for this region. Climate variables
identified as significant predictors of black spruce growth and survival included mean
annual temperature, mean summer precipitation, and frost-free period. This study further
supports the hypothesis that southern seed sources may be better suited for the future
reforestation of northern regions. The identification of adapted seed sources to areas of
optimum growth and survival will assist reforestation programmes under changin
Intelligent vehicle-to-vehicle communications with importance of fairness and information freshness
Get PDFIntelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) showcase cutting-edge services designed to
revolutionize transportation and mobility, especially within future smart cities. These services play a pivotal role in bolstering traffic safety, traffic flow management, infotainment,
and the dependability of edge-assisted autonomous driving. Consequently, ITS introduces
the Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communication paradigm, facilitating continuous connectivity between moving vehicles and their surroundings. Real-time data exchange regarding
acceleration, position, speed, and braking status enables collision avoidance and congestion
mitigation. V2V communication streamlines communication pathways, resulting in safer
and more comfortable driving experiences, particularly in high-risk scenarios. This thesis
investigates two distinct challenges within V2V communications [...