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Using Canadian migration monitoring network data to assess population changes in Canada Warbler (Cardellina canadensis)
Get PDFThe Canada Warbler (Cardellina canadensis) has been listed since 2010 as
Threatened according to the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada
(COSEWIC) due to significant and long-term declines in the global population. The
cause of the decline over the past years cannot be narrowed down to one threat, but loss
and degradation of habitat on the breeding and wintering grounds are one of the major
threats. Tracking this species is extremely important and a role for bird banding at
observatories occurs during migration, for example at the Long Point Bird Observatory
in Ontario. Data from this bird observatory was chosen to analyze spring and fall
population trends for the Canada warbler using the database in NatureCounts, along
with using the two COSEWIC documents, to explore whether threats to this species
have changed or have stayed the same since 2010. The COSEWIC reports list the same
threats, including habitat loss, vulnerability to highways, forestry practices and
pollutants. However, climate change is discussed more in the most recent report.
Combined with the fact that since listing, the Canada Warbler population is continuing
to decline, I conclude that threats are increasing because of increasing effects of climate
change
Improving cataract surgery procedure using machine learning and thick data analysis
Get PDFCataract surgery is one of the most frequent and safe Surgical operations
are done globally, with approximately 16 million surgeries conducted each
year. The entire operation is carried out under microscopical supervision.
Even though ophthalmic surgeries are similar in some ways to endoscopic
surgeries, the way they are set up is very different. Endoscopic surgery operations were shown on a big screen so that a trainee surgeon could see them.
Cataract surgery, on the other hand, was done under a microscope so that
only the operating surgeon and one more trainee could see them through
additional oculars. Since surgery video is recorded for future reference, the
trainee surgeon watches the full video again for learning purposes. My proposed framework could be helpful for trainee surgeons to better understand
the cataract surgery workflow. The framework is made up of three assistive
parts: figuring out how serious cataract surgery is; if surgery is needed, what
phases are needed to be done to perform surgery; and what are the problems that could happen during the surgery. In this framework, three training
models has been used with different datasets to answer all these questions.
The training models include models that help to learn technical skills as well
as thick data heuristics to provide non-technical training skills. For video
analysis, big data and deep learning are used in many studies of cataract
surgery. Deep learning requires lots of data to train a model, while thick
data requires a small amount of data to find a result. We have used thick
data and expert heuristics to develop our proposed framework.Thick data
analysis reduced the use of lots of data and also allowed us to understand
the qualitative nature of data in order to shape a proposed cataract surgery
workflow framework
The phase behaviour of isopropanol/water/NaCl mixtures at atmospheric pressure
Get PDFAlcohol-based biofuels will play a key role in substituting the fossil fuels used in transportation
and power generation. Compared to fossil fuels, alcohol-based biofuels have a lower carbon
footprint and can be produced from the fermentation of biomass. Moreover, some branched
alcohols have similar properties to those of gasoline which makes them suitable chemicals to
produce gasoline-like biofuels. To produce high-purity fuel-grade alcohols, the produced alcohol
must be separated from the aqueous fermentation broth usually through distillation. However,
distillation is an energy-intensive operation with a high carbon footprint; and the presence of
azeotropes of alcohol/water makes distillation very expensive and technically challenging. The
addition of some salts to the fermentation broth triggers a liquid-liquid phase splitting. One of the
liquid phases is rich in alcohol and the other is rich in water. Therefore, understanding the phase
behaviour of alcohol/water/salt mixtures is very important in the design of liquid-liquid operations
for alcohol production. [...
Evaluating the effects of biomass harvesting on soil nutrient availability, foliar nutrition, and seedling growth in third-growth black spruce plantations in northwestern Ontario
Get PDFResidual forest biomass is a viable feedstock that can be used in the
bioenergy stream. There remains, however, a concern that excessive removal of
forest biomass may have negative impacts on forest biodiversity, stand
regeneration, tree growth, soil nutrient availability, and foliar nutrition. This study
examines the effects of different amounts of biomass removed from clear-cut
harvested, 2nd growth black spruce (Picea mariana) plantations. The specific
questions addressed in this study were: 1. How does the level of biomass
retention influence seedling growth? 2. Are there measurable differences in soil
N availability across a gradient of biomass removals? 3. Are any of the
differences in soil N availability reflected in seedling foliar N concentrations or
content?
The study was conducted on two black spruce plantations that were
planted in 1962, and clearcut harvested in 2007. The sites represented
contrasting soil types (i.e., clay versus loam). Six biomass retention treatments
were applied in 15 x 15m treatments across 3 blocks at each site that represented a gradient of C (0 โ 22 Mg ha-1
) and N (0 โ 325 kg ha-1
) retention
levels. PGPs (100 m2
) were established in each treatment plot, with tree
measurements, foliar, and soil sampling done every 5 years up to year 15.
The results showed that biomass removal had little effect on the stand
and soil condition in both sites out to 15 years since establishment. The most
significant results were the differential responses across soil types, with the clay
site having better growth, soil N availability, and foliar N concentrations. These
results suggest that proper management and timing of the additional removal of
biomass as bioenergy feedstock are unlikely to have significant negative effects
on stand development and early growth
18F Radiolabeling of epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor anti-cancer drugs for therapeutic outcome studies
Get PDFEpidermal growth factor receptor is a transmembrane protein with tyrosine kinase activity that plays a vital role in the proliferation, differentiation, and survival of normal cells. When mutations in this protein occur, they can cause cancer in which there is currently no cure. Epidermal growth factor receptor-tyroine kinase inhibitor anticancer drugs are available to treat the cancer and allow progression free survival. Not all patients will benefit from this targeted therapy and therefore knowing the mutation status before administering EGFR-TKIs is important. PET imaging can be used to determine level of expression and mutation status instead of repeated invasive biopsies. The problem with these drugs is that resistance is typically seen within 18 months from the start of treatment, therefore this project aims to develop a tracer to be used with positron emission tomography imaging for therapeutic outcome studies to monitor resistance of these drugs in patients. [...
The effects different commercial thinning treatments have on black spruce diameter, height, basal area and volume
No full textCommercial thinning is a potential opportunity for forest managers to realize mid
rotation wood volume while stimulating increased growth of residual trees for the final
harvest. The practice of commercial thinning is, however, not a common practice in Ontario
due to lack of experience and scientific evidence. This thesis evaluates the effects of four
different thinning treatments on two different black spruce (Picea Mariana) boreal forest
sites10 years following commercial thinning. The four treatments were analyzed from a
commercial thinning operational study conducted in northwestern Ontario in 2007. Analysis
included; diameter at breast height (DBH), basal area, height and volume. Two factor
ANOVA tests indicated significant effects of treatment or treatment by site interactions
showed direct and strong evidence that the thinning treatments had effects. Significant site
effects from the ANOVA tests also tells us that there is a difference in the variables we
measured between sites. Commercial thinning does show promise and these legacy sites are a
unique research opportunity deserved of ongoing study to further understand the treatment
effect thru to final rotation age
Medical text simplification: bridging the gap between medical research and public understanding
Get PDFText Simplification is a subdomain of Natural Language Processing that focuses on applying
computational techniques to modify the content and structure of the text to make it interpretable while retaining the main idea. The advancements in text simplification research
have provided valuable benefits to a wide range of readers, including those with learning
disabilities and non-native speakers. Moreover, even regular readers who are not experts in
fields such as medicine or finance have found text simplification techniques to be useful in
accessing scientific literature and research. This thesis aims to create a text simplification
approach that can effectively simplify complex biomedical literature. Chapter 2 provides an
insightful overview of the datasets, methods, and evaluation techniques used in text simplification. Chapter 3 conducts an extensive bibliometric analysis of literature in the field of
text simplification to understand research trends, find important research and application
topics of text simplification research, and understand shortcomings in the field. Based on
the findings in Chapter 3, we found that the advancements in text simplification research
can have a positive impact on the medical domain. The research in the field of medicine is
constantly developing and contains important information about drugs and treatments for
various life threatening diseases. Although this information is accessible to the public, it is
very complex in nature, thus making it difficult to understand
Comparison of Picea mariana, Abies balsamea, Betula papyrifera, Populus tremuloides for the production of wood pellets
Get PDFScientists and international organisations agree that wood pellets are a type of biofuel that
is better for the environment than fossil fuels. Wood pellets are produced from the residues
in sawmills, ground logs and is a renewable energy. Therefore, in this research we focus
on the comparison of four tree species, Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP., Abies balsamea (L.)
Mill., Betula papyrifera Marsh., Populus tremuloides Michx. with their carbon content,
thermal properties, and density to identify which species can produce the best wood pellets
according to the results that we obtain from the studies. In this study we use ASTM
standards to test the various properties of the wood and to compare and analyze. It was
found that Abies balsamea, displayed the best properties to produce wood pellets due its
significant properties compared to the other three species
An overview and update of low-impact developments (LIDS) in Thunder Bay
Get PDFClimate change is accelerating at a rapid pace across the globe and with this, flooding in
urban environments is also increasing. This means that there is and will be an increasing
need for alternative methods of stormwater management. Low impact developments
(LIDs) are a green way that cities can manage their stormwater. Thunder Bay has been
incorporating LIDs into the stormwater management process to improve its ability to
handle urban runoff and prevent flooding. This paper will provide an overview of the
LIDs within the city and describe how they function and their benefits. This information
can be used to further understand the benefits of LIDs and how they can be implemented
in various cities
Dynamic stability of piles under earthquake with fractional damping foundation
Get PDFPile foundation is an essential structural component in civil engineering. The failure of
a pile foundation under an earthquake may result in significant economic consequences, such
asinterruption of transportation, property damage and failure, or even loss of lives. So, dynamic
stability of piles is one of the emerging research topics for civil engineers.
Due to the excessive use of fractional models in research during recent years, which
shows more compatibility of results with experimental models, and a lack of fractional models
usage in the field of pile stability, this thesis investigates dynamic stability of piles under
periodic earthquake loading, considering the Winkler mechanical model with fractional
damping for the surrounding soil media.
During this research, an approximate theoretical and a numerical method are developed
to study dynamic stability behavior and vibration responses of piles with fractional damping
foundations under earthquake. Solving the equation of motion of a pile loaded by axial periodic
load leads to fractional Mathieu differential equations. The approximate method is based on
the Bolotin method and results in two matrices of coefficients. Putting determinants of matrices
equal to zero results in different orders of approximation for finding instability regionsโ
boundary. On the other hand, the numerical method is introduced by using block-pulse
functions to calculate the vibration response of pile under the periodic load. Based on the
numerical method, instability regions are generated, and results are used to validate different
orders of approximation for each instability region. [...